11 Xbox 360 Games You Should Buy Before The Store Closes (2024)

After 18 years, the Xbox 360 Marketplace will shut down on July 29, 2024. Backward-compatible games will still be available for purchase on the Microsoft Store, but games not playable on newer Xbox consoles will be gone for good. This also includes DLCs for many non-backward compatible titles, including Street Fighter X Tekken, Anarchy Reigns, Sonic '06, and more.

While most 360 games had a physical release, most Xbox Live Arcade titles were digital only. Unfortunately, a lot of the amazing XBLA games that were not backward compatible have already been delisted, but there's definitely some still available.

Updated on July 15, 2024, by Dominic Allen: The shutdown of the Xbox 360 marketplace is just weeks away, and with the time left, we had to update this list to include even more digital-only purchasable titles. Plus, most of the games are discounted now until the store closure, adding even more reason to pick these games up before it's too late. Some titles will be permanently gone if you don't purchase them now, so if you're even remotely interested, you should probably get them.

11 Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection

Besides Arcade1Up, The Only Way To Play Classic MK Nowadays

Mortal Kombat is killing it as of late, with plenty of stellar modern games, but one issue has to be the difficulty of playing the original titles. There's no modern arcade collection on newer machines like other companies such as Bandai Namco, Konami, or Capcom have done. In fact, the only way the classic MKs are commercially available on online storefronts is the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection on Xbox 360 and PS3.

It's a solid direct arcade port of some of the greatest 90s fighting games, and while it had its issues at launch, it was eventually patched. You get MK1, MK2, and Ultimate MK3, and they're just as difficult and packed with secrets as before. It's only $4.99, which is a pretty good deal, considering the only other official way to play nowadays is via modern arcade units.

10 Hitman: Sniper Challenge

A Pre-Order Bonus That's Better Than The Main Game

If you played the modern Hitman games, you might be familiar with the Sniper Assassin game mode. Tasked with killing a vast amount of targets strictly from a sniper's view, it's a lot of fun, and there are plenty of secrets and Easter eggs to find. The mode actually originated from a pre-order bonus to Hitman: Absolution called Hitman: Sniper Challenge.

It's essentially the same thing, and, to be frank, it's better than Hitman: Absolution itself. If you didn't pre-order Absolution, a code still comes bundled with sealed copies of Hitman HD Trilogy. These codes can only be redeemed on Xbox 360; when the store shuts down, they'll be useless.

9 Wing Commander Arena

An Exclusive Game In One Of The Most Beloved PC Gaming Series

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Throughout the Xbox 360 marketplace, a decent chunk of games are exclusive to it, and one of them's Wing Commander Arena. A spin-off to the acclaimed Wing Commander series, home to some of the best PC games ever made, Arena is appropriately sized for an Xbox Live Arcade title.

It's more of a simple 2.5D space shooter, and it's fun for what it is. However, the main reason you want to pick this game up is that it's an Xbox 360 exclusive, and when the store shuts down, you can no longer officially play every Wing Commander game. That is a big deal, and with a price tag of only $0.99, there's no reason to not pick this game up.

8 Bionic Commando Rearmed

The Easiest Way To Pick Up And Play This Game

One of the more notable snubs in the backward compatibility program is Bionic Commando Rearmed. For some reason, the second game is there, but not the first one. Both games are great, with the first title being a phenomenal remake of the original NES entry. The controls are super tight, and doing these levels as fast as possible is extremely fun.

Rearmed 1 isn't as lengthy as the second game, but that's okay, as there are light Metroidvania elements with backtracking at several points. You can get this game on Steam, but it doesn't work for a lot of people. If you want a game that just works straight after installation, get it on 360. Plus, you can unlock bonuses for the 2009 3D Bionic Commando title, and it's only $0.99. Rearmed is a must-grab at that point.

7 Cloudberry Kingdom

A Solid Platformer, But Don't Expect It To Be Easy

Cloudberry Kingdom is a 2013 platformer where you simply need to get to the end of a level while avoiding all hazards in your path. You can play single-player mode, but it is a lot of fun in multiplayer. A common element in many co-op platformers around this time was the pure chaos of all these characters on-screen. In the era's 2D Mario games, you can easily screw over the other players.

Cloudberry is more simple in that the four people just play the level simultaneously. Your characters will overlap if they're on top of one another, and just one person making it to the end will allow the group to continue forward. Considering the hard difficulty, this system works great. Just try not to finish the game 100 percent, as the final two levels are virtually impossible. It's only $1.99 and definitely worth a purchase.

6 Death Tank

A Bonus Extra Turned Into A Full-Blown Title

In terms of history, Death Tank is quite an interesting title. It originally started out as a bonus extra in the Sega Saturn game PowerSlave and appeared again in the Saturn port of Duke Nukem 3D. The Xbox Live Arcade version is an enhanced remake of it with better graphics and online play.

Death Tank is very similar to Scorched Earth or Worms in its gameplay and it's a blast with friends. Those Saturn games are very expensive today, but Death Tank on 360 is only $14.99. The title has a fascinating history tied to it, and due to that and its fun factor, it is worth considering picking up.

5 Fez

Indie Games At Its Finest

The Xbox 360 days were when a lot of the classic indie games were launched, like Super Meat Boy, Limbo, Castle Crashers, Trials HD, 'Splosion Man, and many more. Another title that deserves to be in that catalog but often isn't put in is Fez. This is likely due to the title's controversial lead developer Phil Fish, but the game itself is an indie game masterpiece.

Being an indie game of the time, it took one element (rotating a 2D world) and made a whole game about it. It's a fantastic experience from start to finish, and the title's actually been ported to many modern systems. However, there's just a special quality about playing the original 360 version, as it was a 360 exclusive for over a year.

4 Fruit Ninja Kinect

Perfect For The Accessory

It's likely a surprise that a Kinect game is worth picking up, but it's true because Fruit Ninja Kinect is a hidden gem. Fruit Ninja was a classic mobile game back in the day, and it fit perfectly for the Kinect. Many Kinect games were overly complex, pushing the device too hard, but in Fruit Ninja, you simply slice 'n dice fruits.

It's very fun, and you can even play two-player. Just make sure you aren't too close so you don't hit them by mistake. This game is an Xbox 360 exclusive, so if you think you want to play this title in the future, pick it up now.

3 Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition

Worth Getting Even If You Have Other Versions

Of the three digital Street Fighter 360 games, the one to get is Third Strike Online Edition at only $1.49. The 360 port of Hyper Fighting isn't that special, and you can actually get HD Remix with the Capcom Digital Collection disc. Third Strike Online Edition is awesome and still worth buying for Street Fighter fans.

You get a remixed soundtrack by Simon Viklund exclusive to this port and the Trials mode. Essentially a challenge mode, you must do various combos for the many characters, but also a few special tasks. There are handicap trials and parrying trials. One of these makes you recreate Evo Moment 37, which is awesome to do. These exclusive features make this port worthwhile to get.

2 Worms Revolution

The Best Worms Game On 360

The Worms series is a fantastic set of turn-based tactics party games, and it's a bit sad the last main instalment was Worms W.M.D back in 2016. Team17 used to pump these games out left and right, especially on the Xbox 360. There are four Worms games on the Xbox 360 store, and the peak of the series on that system is Worms Revolution, priced at $4.99.

With more tools at your disposal than ever before, Worms Revolution is still an excellent time with friends. It still stacks up really well to even the newest Worms title, and you're only missing a few key features found in the newest game.

1 Wrecked: Revenge Revisited

A Must-Grab Party Game Exclusive To Consoles

Another quality party game only available digitally on the 360 is Wrecked: Revenge Revisited. It's a four-player car combat party title where you must race against and destroy the other vehicles. If you're the last car standing, you get two points, while further placements get downgraded point values, with the first eliminated car losing two points.

It's a lot of fun, and the title is exclusive to the 360 and PS3 digital stores with no PC version. Wrecked is a great 360 party game, and it's worth picking up for future family/friend gatherings.