No matter if you game on Xbox or PlayStation, your system’s home screen has to look nice, as you’ll be interacting with it a lot. On Xbox, you’re able to set an achievement art as a background, but often, the best way to make it look nice is to pick a dynamic one.
While these used to be sparse, there’s a lot to pick from now. Most look great, and even if the game itself isn’t your cup of tea, these backgrounds will shine on your dashboard. Not all of them are based on games, either, as many are unique.
If you want to know how to go about changing your background, whether you select achievement art, a custom image, or a dynamic background, be sure to readour comprehensive guide on how to further customize your Xbox Series X|S.
10Redfall
Redfallisn’t a very good game, but regardless, the background for it is pretty sick. You have a vampire front and center, being a neat centerpiece, and you have the four lead characters. The movement here is just enough with the vampire’s hands, the wings on the bird, and the light sources.
The red door to the right, in particular, gives off a nice horror vibe. It reminds you of stuff you’d see in haunting houses or other attractions. Even the background elements are detailed well, and overall, this piece is far superior to the actual game.
9Grounded Backyard Sunset
This is another one you don’t even need to be a fan of the game to enjoy, asGroundedBackyard Sunset is absolutely beautiful. It’s just got a good environment and vibe that works on any day. You have a beautiful tree as a centerpiece with the pond below, giving a natural feel.
You also have some nice details on the sides with the flowers. The one knock against it is the sunlight, which can be irritating for those more light-sensitive. If you are in that camp, you probably shouldn’t use this; if not, this is a great background to use.
8Fallout 25th Anniversary
When the 25th anniversary ofFalloutcame, not much occurred, although Xbox did get this awesome dynamic background. Normally, gray isn’t an appealing color, especially for a console background, but it fits perfectly for Fallout.
The center image is what you’d expect with a power armor from a series, but at least there’s some neat movement. Gray wisps flow to the right, highlighting the post-apocalyptic nature of Fallout, and the power armor’s headlight even turns on occasionally. This is a great piece to use for any Fallout fan and deserving of one of thebest RPGs on Xbox.
This background isn’t what you’d first think of in regards toDead Space, but yet it fits so perfectly. The underside of a planet with a red glow along the edge just screams sci-fi horror. It does look like a movie poster, and that’s a good thing.
Most of Dead Space’s influences came from 80s and 90s sci-fi horror films anyway. The one negative is that there’s little movement. This is definitely a missed opportunity, as the Ishimura could have been included to spice up the image a bit, but it’s still pretty good regardless.
6Ghostwire: Tokyo
For a game set in Tokyo, a visually stunning city, the dynamic background for it should be the same.Ghostwire: Tokyodefinitely fits the bill here and is one of the most compact backgrounds with a lot going on.
The centerpiece is a Torii Gate with Hannya in front of it, showcasing a striking distance from the sides of the background. One side is red, while the other is blue, with enemies also included. Not only is this background visually appealing, but it’s plotted very well with the three distinct sections.
5Diablo 4
If you want a truly metal and badass Xbox background, you have to choose the one forDiablo 4. This background delivers for a game with a largefocus on the Hell setting. Now, it is just a wide shot of the box art, which could be lame for other titles.
For example, theHi-Fi Rushcover art doesn’t really work for a solid Xbox background. Diablo 4, on the other hand, works tremendously. The all-red background, black bottom, and ashes flowing just capture that Hell vibe 100 percent. For using the default cover art, you may’t get much better than this.
4Starfield Journey Through Space
With the release ofthe biggest Xbox game yetinStarfield, of course, there’s a dynamic background for it. This one is a wide shot of the beautiful cover art. Once again, cover art backgrounds could result in them being very vanilla, but this one actually has some depth.
To the right are some white dots that can shine, and these are actually important regarding Starfield. If you’ve played the game, these are the Star Systems you pick in the starmap menu. That’s a great way to implement aspects of Starfield into this background, and the details at the bottom are nice, too.
3Game Pass
It’s time to leave backgrounds for individual games and move into the ones that are unique or Xbox-specific. Since Game Pass is so core to the Xbox ecosystem, it makes sense for a dynamic background to the service.
2Motes
There are plenty of generic designs you’re able to use as a dynamic background, and most of them aren’t very special. Motes, however, is by far the best among them. You get a bunch of green dots everywhere within a mostly green-tinted space.
This type of design has been used in many places, and it’s for a good reason. It looks quite nice and honestly feels cozy. Now, if you don’t want the Xbox green, you can change the colors here. This is great to have as an option, but if you want the most Xbox-feeling background, there is a better one available.
1The Original
The most fitting background for any Series X|S console has to be The Original. For those unaware, this emulates the style and look of the dashboard from the Original Xbox. It’s not just the nostalgia that makes this good, but it simply captures what Xbox is in one picture.
The green blob and the green cybernetic circular background are Xbox to many people in terms of its image. Maybe this isn’t representative of the newer Xbox fans, but it surely is for anyone growing up with Xbox in the 2000s. This truly feels like a default background, even though it’s clearly a throwback. That’s how much this image is tied to the Xbox brand.
