Summary
Before Game Pass, there was the Xbox Live Arcade. First announced for the original Xbox, the Arcade was designed specifically for smaller downloadable games both from the titan studios of the industries and the indie developers looking to make a splash.
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Upon the 2013 announcement of the Xbox One, Microsoft decided to forgo the Arcade and instead just have all games in the same section of the marketplace. With theXbox 360Arcade set to go offline next year, it’s a good time to reflect on some of its best games.
10Toy Soldiers: Cold War
One of Microsoft’s promotions for the Xbox 360 was the Summer of Arcade. Starting in 2008 and running for six years, the Summer of Arcade highlighted releases for highly anticipated smaller games such as Hybrid, Braid, and ‘Splosion Man.
One of the best releases from that service was Toy Soldiers: Cold War. Developed by Signal Studios, this game was a unique blend of tower defense and third-person strategy, endlessly repayable and full of Cold War-era charm.
9Trials Evolution
2009’s Trials HD is often considered one of the best games from the 360 Arcade era. Developed by RedLynx, the surprising tremendous success of Trials HD ensured that any subsequent sequel would be looked at with much higher expectations than the average Arcade release.
Luckily, RedLynx was up to this massive challenge when they released Trials Evolution in 2012. While Trials HD is a classic, Evolution brought the immensely challenging motocross series into the discussion of the most beloved games from the 360 lifespan.
8Shadow Complex
Frequently, arcade games were unfairly excluded from the ‘game of the year’ conversation. While being in the GOTY discussion isn’t necessary for any game, it does help games stay in the minds of gamers for much longer and opens up the chance of a re-release.
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Released in 2009 by Chair Entertainment, Shadow Complex was a 2D Metroidvania adventure that received both immense critical and commercial success. Selling 200,000 units in its first week and 600,000 by the end of 2011, Shadow Complex was a one-of-a-kind triumph.
7Call Of Juarez: Gunslinger
Techland’s Call of Juarez series felt like a franchise that could never reach the next level. The first three releases of this first-person Wild West shooter were a mix both commercially and critically, and as such, Techland decided to take a different approach with the fourth entry.
2013’s Call of Juarez: Gunslinger was much smaller than the previous entries, but it was by far the series’ peak. Boasting beautifully stylized graphics and fantastic gunplay, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger remains the best entry in the franchise.
6Limbo
Developer Playdead has become no stranger to making polarizing video games. While their 2016 release, Inside, is seen nowadays as the studio’s most well-known and iconic game, it’s easy to forget that Playdead’s previous game also received immense, unparalleled recognition from critics and audiences.
2010’s Limbo is a black-and-white 2D side-scroller which sparked massive discussion upon release. While the game’s minimal storytelling was criticized by some critics, many remember Limbo as one of the most captivating game releases of the 2010s.
5Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Not too long ago, there was no kind of game more drenched in mediocrity than movie tie-in games. Because publishers demanded that these games were rushed to release with the film, most were forgettable at best, and abhorrent at worst.
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While it’s not solely based on the movie, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game was developed with the idea of releasing it along with the film. Funnily enough, the movie was critically acclaimed yet underwhelmed at the box office, but the game is an indisputable blast.
4Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Like many of Ubisoft’s long-running series, the open-world first-person action series Far Cry has fallen off in recent years. As such, it seems like forever ago when the shooter series could do no wrong.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon was announced on June 22, 2025, leading many to believe it was an April Fool’s Joke. And yet, the game was completely real, bathing the Far Cry 3 formula in a glorious ’80s synth-wave b-movie coat.
3BattleBlock Theater
If there was one genre most often associated with the Xbox 360 arcade, it would be party games, especially the ones where you could sit on the couch with your friends and have a blast. Developer studio The Behemoth perhaps has the soundest claim to the title of 360 Arcade King.
The Behemoth’s 2013 release, BattleBlock Theater, perfectly represents the ideal Xbox 360 Arcade party game. Full of creativity and unbelievably hilarious, BattleBlock Theater is one of the Arcade’s most iconic and beloved gems.
2Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
One of the reasons why the Xbox 360 Arcade was so popular was because it allowed seemingly any kind of game to blow up. Whether they were unique ideas or basic concepts, any game had a chance to become a massive hit.
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Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved was originally a minigame in Project Gotham Racing 2, but in 2007, developer Bizzare Creation released the updated version for the early Arcade. This fantastic twin-stick shooter was a previous holder for the most downloaded 360 Arcade game.
1Castle Crashers
If you ask someone for the best Xbox 360 Arcade game, you might hear Limbo from some or Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved from others. But more often than not, the one game that will always be mentioned as the cream of the crop is 2008’s Castle Crashers.
Made by The Behemoth, masters of arcade games,Castle Crashers is a co-op 2D hack-and-slash side-scrollerthat absolutely exploded upon release. Receiving a gorgeous remaster in 2015, Castle Crashers represents the peak of the Xbox 360 Arcade.
