It’s well known that the Xbox Series X‘s powerful hardware is capable of providing automatic improvements to a large number of titles from previous Xbox generations.
That said, next-gen optimization is truly the powerhouse console’s main attraction, delivering Series X-specific enhancements to the console’s launch titles, along with a number of games from Microsoft’s back catalogue – many of which will be automatically available on the Series X via Xbox Smart Delivery, which essentially ensures you receive the best version of a game for the platform you’re playing on.
But which games have received Series X optimization so far? And what can you expect from the enhanced versions of these titles? Features like faster loading and ‘Quick Resume’ are a given, but the enhancements run far deeper than that.
On that subject, we’ve taken the liberty of testing a wide selection of Xbox Series X’s available games which have already received Xbox Series X optimization, so that we can provide you with a list of the best enhanced titles so far.
While some of the titles listed below need to be purchased outright, there are a number of optimized games which you can already download and try for yourself right now on Xbox Games Pass Ultimate.
Now optimized for Xbox Series X
Forza Horizon 4
One of the most beautiful Xbox titles to date, the fantastic open-world racing game Forza Horizon 4 has received a tune-up for its Xbox Series X debut.
While the Xbox One X version of the game forced players to choose between resolution and frame rate, Forza Horizon 4 now gives players the best of both worlds on Series X via Smart Delivery, offering a native 4K experience at 60fps.
On top of this, Forza Horizon 4 now boasts better draw distances and higher fidelity graphics (including increased shadow, reflection, and particle effects quality), similar to what you’d get on a beastly gaming PC at ultra settings. Additionally, you also get Ferrari-fast loading times and Quick Resume functionality.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
As one of the biggest titles to launch alongside Xbox Series X, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla feels like a true next-gen showcase.
Taking full advantage of the console’s power, Valhalla offers a native 4K resolution and 60fps frame rate – a first for any Assassin’s Creed game on console. While ray tracing is not among the next-gen version’s enhancements, the game still looks gorgeous even without the much-hyped tech.
Dirt 5
Making great use of the Xbox Series X, Dirt 5 offers next-gen optimization features which don’t force you to sacrifice anything significant – regardless of whether you choose to prioritize image quality or frame rate, you will still get a full 4K/60fps experience.
Despite this, the two modes offer a fairly different experience. Image Quality mode is locked at 60fps and offers a dynamic 4K resolution, allowing for more realistic shadows, puddle reflections and terrain textures, larger crowds. In other words, you get settings equivalent to a high-end gaming PC.
Meanwhile, the Prioritize Framerate setting allows for 120fps at reduced quality settings when your console is set to 120Hz mode. If your TV is HDMI 2.1 compliant, this mode will still target a full 4K resolution. Otherwise, it will drop down to 1080p (so long as your television supports the 120Hz refresh rate).
Gears 5
On Xbox Series X, Gears 5 has received a fairly significant upgrade via Smart Delivery, with the game now displaying an equivalent experience to that of the PC version running at Ultra settings.
That means you get deeper shadows, higher particle counts, and increased texture resolutions. Additionally, the game now runs at 4K/60fps – a step up from the Xbox One X version’s 30fps limit.
Gears Tactics
Now officially available on Xbox Series X via Smart Delivery, the upgraded version of Gears Tactics is able to offer a native 4K resolution and 60fps for gameplay, along with your choice of 60fps or 30fps for cinematics.
In an interview with The Verge, The Coalition’s technical director Cam McRae said this was done “not for any performance reason but more for just personal taste.”
Sea of Thieves
Along with faster load times across the board, the upgraded Xbox Series X version of Sea of Thieves provides players with a native 4K resolution and a frame rate of 60fps – twice that of the Xbox One X version. Now that’s what I call smooth sailing!!
The Touryst
As we’ve noted previously, The Touryst is the dark horse of the Xbox Series X launch games lineup. Not only is the game unbelievably charming, it actually makes terrific use of the next-gen console’s power.
Thanks to a simple voxel-based art style, The Touryst can internally render 4K resolution visuals at 120fps per second (if your TV allows for it) or 6K resolution at 60fps.
This, combined with the game’s gorgeous, sun-kissed color palette and stunning HDR capability, makes The Touryst a standout title among the Xbox Series X’s launch lineup.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Just like The Touryst, Ori and the Will of the Wisps has received next-gen enhancements that make full use of the Xbox Series X’s immense power, such as native 4K resolution at 120fps for those with HDMI 2.1 compliant TVs.
Additionally, players can opt to render the game in a 6K “supersampled” mode, which is then displayed at 4K resolution and 60fps. It’s said that the benefit of this mode is an even higher level of visual fidelity, which outshines even that of the standard 4K mode.
NBA 2K21
We hope you have space on your Xbox Series X’s SSD, because NBA 2K21 comes it an a whopping 101GB. Luckily, the game is able to deliver a substantial amount of extras because of that install size, and they aren’t just technical enhancements.
Apart from the expected 4K/60fps optimizations, NBA 2K21 offers far more convincing crowds in its new Lower Bowl presentation, including 150 AI characters adding to the realism. Expect fans interacting with each other, improved on-camera interviews with reporters, and more.
Additionally, NBA 2K21 offers modes which are exclusive to the next-gen version of the game, such as an expanded WNBA experience that includes the series’ first WNBA MyPLAYER career mode, as well as The City, an open-world map with multiple districts that’s much, much larger than the Neighbourhods of previous titles.