• Award Scope: 55 titles recognized across four data-driven categories reflecting player behavior, not just critic reviews.
  • Game Pass Impact: 16 of the winning titles are currently available on Xbox Game Pass, proving the service's role in driving engagement.
  • Diversity in Devs: The list features 48 unique developers from 13 different countries, including 19 self-published titles.
  • The Heavy Hitters: Massive franchises like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Grand Theft Auto V, and Elden Ring Nightreign dominated multiple categories.

The 2025 Xbox Excellence Awards: A Data-Driven Victory Lap

2025 was a monster year for the Xbox ecosystem, and we aren’t just talking about hardware. The second annual Xbox Excellence Awards have landed, and unlike typical award shows that rely on a handful of judges, these are built on the cold, hard data of how we actually play. The categories—Store Rating, Player Engagement, Daily Active Users (DAU), and Units Sold—give us a clear look at what’s actually capturing the community's time and money.

We’re seeing a massive spread here: 55 games in total, produced by teams ranging from solo indies to the biggest AAA machines in the industry. It’s a healthy mix that shows Xbox's "play anywhere" strategy is actually sticking.

Store Rating: The Critical Darlings

To even qualify for this category, a game needed a minimum of 500 ratings. This isn't just a popularity contest; it’s about quality that scales. We’re seeing some absolute bangers here that lived up to the hype.

Standout Titles:

  • Hollow Knight: Silksong: It finally arrived, and the community response confirms it wasn't just vaporware—it's a masterpiece.
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered: Proof that nostalgia, when polished correctly, is a license to print 5-star reviews.
  • Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles: A massive win for strategy fans that clearly hit the mark on execution.

Player Engagement: The "Just One More Hour" Club

Engagement is the metric we care about most as analysts. It tracks the average hours per player within the first six weeks of release. If a game is on this list, it means the gameplay loop is tight enough to keep people from jumping to the next thing in their backlog.

The usual suspects like Battlefield 6 and Monster Hunter Wilds are present, but seeing Satisfactory and The First Berserker: Khazan on this list proves that depth and high-skill ceilings are winning the day. Players aren't just dipping their toes in; they are drowning in these systems.

Daily Active Users: The Digital Town Squares

This category tracks the highest single-day active users. Interestingly, it’s not just 2025 releases. Thanks to significant updates, legacy titles are still throwing hands with the new kids. Fortnite, GTA V, and Minecraft remain the "Big Three" that refuse to budge, but newcomers like Marvel Rivals and Arc Raiders are proving there is still room for fresh live-service blood if the hook is strong enough.

Units Sold: The Commercial Powerhouses

At the end of the day, the industry runs on revenue. The Units Sold category is a reflection of the titles that convinced players to open their wallets across the Xbox and Microsoft stores. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and EA Sports FC 26 are predictable wins, but the inclusion of Helldivers 2 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II shows that mid-to-large tier sequels are finding massive audiences on the platform.

Our Take: A Healthy Ecosystem

Looking at the full list, the 2025 Xbox Excellence Awards paint a picture of a platform that isn't just reliant on one genre. With 19 self-published titles and 24 different publishers represented, the "monoculture" of gaming is dead. Whether you’re into the niche grind of Mullet MadJack or the global scale of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the engagement numbers show that Xbox players are show-offs when it comes to variety.

The fact that 16 of these winners are on Game Pass is the real kicker. It’s clear that the service is acting as a discovery engine, funneling players into games they might have otherwise ignored, which then translates into the high engagement and store ratings we’re seeing today.