Xbox Series X, Series S Optimized games list (4K, 120 FPS, Ray Tracing)
Every game “Optimized” for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, including resolutions, framerates, and the other next-gen upgrades to expect.
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TheXbox Series XandXbox Series Sdefine Microsoft’s next-generation vision, promising major graphical upgrades across your games, now clearer, smoother, and faster than ever before. The two consoles pack a ton of cutting-edge technology to enable those gains, with the latest CPU and GPU architectures from AMD, and lightning-fast solid-state storage.
While Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S play existing Xbox One titles via backward compatibility, most upcoming games (and select upgraded titles) perform best on next-gen hardware. Assigned the “Optimized for Xbox Series X|S” badge, these titles draw the best from their respective systems. While still early days, we’ve assembled a list of every confirmed Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S game, including resolutions, framerates, and other new features.
What is Optimized for Xbox Series X|S?
Microsoft’s next Xbox flagship introduces a sizeable leap in horsepower, while its low-cost counterpart proves ideal for budget-conscious and casual players. While the new generation facilitates countless titles once impossible before Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, the consoles also play thousands of existing Xbox One games out of the box. The “Optimized for Series X|S” label clearly denotes titles designed for next-generation systems, whether built from the ground up or retroactively updated with enhanced visuals.
Optimized for Series X|S is the broad term for next-generation titles, with many embracing each console’s signature features. Those can include boosted resolution, upgraded framerates up to 120 frames-per-second (FPS), or high dynamic range (HDR) for popping colors. Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S also pack ray tracing support for advanced lighting and reflections, enabled across some cutting-edge titles.
The final component isXbox Smart Delivery, which ensures your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S automatically pulls the best available version of your game. To ease the transition from Xbox One, supported titles provide free visual upgrades without needing to buy them twice. While not mandatory on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, it’s a consumer-friendly initiative for some cross-generation releases.
In short, Optimized for Series X|S represents the best of the new consoles. Titles sporting this badge feature Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S upgrades, bringing out the most value from your new Xbox.
List of Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S games
With next-generation hardware soon on store shelves, a growing number of titles have committed to upgrades. But not all upgrades will be available on November 10. We’ve rounded up all the games with Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S patches scheduled for launch day, including their performance targets and features for each console. This list will regularly update as new optimizations go live.
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Xbox Series X, Series S Optimized Games at launch
But with Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S serving an entirely new hardware generation, all the top upcoming releases have eyes set on optimizations, too. We’ve also rounded up all the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S still to come, including the performance targets and known features so far.
Xbox Series X, Series S Optimized Games coming soon
Expect new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Optimized titles in the lead-up to (and beyond) the console launch, currently scheduled for later in 2020. Let us know which existing or upcoming games you’d like to see upgraded for Xbox Series X in the comments section below.
What is 4K resolution for Xbox Series X?
Many Xbox Series X Optimized games support 4K, referring to the output resolution, or the number of pixels shown on-screen. The 4K output of Xbox Series X results in 8.2 million pixels, arranged in a 3840 x 2160 arrangement, bringing improved clarity over much of the Xbox One family. While the Xbox One X supports 4K gaming, the Xbox Series X treats 4K as a baseline and more consistently hits that target without visual trickery. The Xbox Series S does not target 4K gaming, commonly delivering 1080p and 1440p instead.
What is HDR for Xbox Series X?
High dynamic range (HDR) has seen a steady rise in gaming, with Microsoft first jumping aboard with Xbox One S and Xbox One X, with efforts extending to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The technique relates to how images are displayed on-screen, outputting higher contrast ratios and wider color gamuts across visuals. The result is striking vibrance, with darker blacks, blinding whites, and all the intertwined details. It’s less taxing than many other enhancements but has a considerable impact on games' overall tone.
What’s the difference between 60 FPS and 120 FPS?
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S put a notable focus on higher framerates, enabled by upgrades to hardware. The number of frames displayed over a certain period directly relates to gameplay’s fluidity, measured in frames-per-second (FPS), with higher framerates enabling smoother experiences. For example, while many Xbox One games run at 30 FPS, some push to 60 FPS in pursuit of fluid gameplay.
While the Xbox One supports 60 FPS and beyond, many games failed to push beyond 30 FPS due to hardware limitations. The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S alleviate several bottlenecks, with Microsoft suggesting 60 FPS will emerge as a more frequent baseline for the next generation. Many Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S titles also pursue 120 FPS, enabling previously impossible experiences, once reserved for PC.
What is ray tracing for Xbox Series X?
Interest and investment in ray tracing have risen, with Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5, and NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX GPU lineup all tailored for support. This advanced rendering technology elevates video game lighting and better simulates how light interacts with virtual objects. It’s the next advancement in lighting and reflections, with a profound impact on scenes' portrayal.
Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S deliver ray tracing through Microsoft’s own DirectX Raytracing technology, coupled with internals specifically designed to support its debut. The best example comes with Watch Dogs: Legion for Xbox Series X, showcasing London in an all-new light.
Are Xbox Series X, Series S games free upgrades?
It depends. Xbox Series X|S Optimized denotes games designed with Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in mind, enabling higher resolutions, improved framerates, and other upgrades previously impossible with the Xbox One family. If an Optimized game releases on Xbox One too, developers can choose to provide free cross-generation upgrades, making a move to the new console a little easier.
The main upgrade routeinvolves Smart Delivery, Microsoft’s standardized initiative for friction-free upgrades between consoles.Supported Xbox Smart Delivery titlesautomatically grant the best available version for your console, meaning that if you buy Halo Infinite on Xbox One, a better version awaits when you switch to Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S. That works for physical discs and digital downloads, with Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and more among early adopters.
However, Smart Delivery isn’t mandatory, and developers aren’t obligated to provide a free upgrade. For example, when a developer puts additional time into developing visual enhancements, they’re allowed to charge for their effects on Xbox Series consoles. For added confusion, publishers like Electronic Artsopted outof Smart Delivery with Madden NFL 21 and FIFA 21, while still providing a free upgrade via a more restrictive limited-time offer.
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Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central’s Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft’s gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter@mattjbrown.
