Coming from out of nowhere, Microsoft’s just unleashed their latest slew of bargains for the Xbox One gamer in the form of the Ultimate Game Sale. With a ton of items on sale, we narrowed down the best deals that we think that you should definitely take advantage of.

Here they are:

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: Ultimate Edition
Price: $46.16

The Ultimate Game Sale has a ton of good sales but I can’t convey how much this is an incredible value, especially if you don’t have the base game. Odyssey is arguably one of the best games in the Assassin’s Creed series and this version of the game not only gives you that, but also includes the Season Pass and some exclusive cosmetics.

Odyssey alone will take you HUNDREDS of hours to play through, even more when you combine it with the sizeable expansions that’s included as part of the Season Pass.

On top of that, you also get two other games free; Assassin’s Creed III Remastered and Assassin’s Creed Liberation Remastered. These aren’t just ports of the old games, they’ve been tweaked with quality of life improvements and visual upgrades that make them much more palatable to those weaned on the modern (post Origins) Assassin’s Creed games.

Forza Motorsport 7 Ultimate Edition.
Price: $49.90

The last instalment of the series before Forza Motorsport makes the jump to the Xbox Series X. Not only is this entry a graphical tour de force (especially if you have an Xbox One X and a 4K TV), it’s also brimming with an insane number of playable cars (over 700!).

All the other trademarks of Forza is on full display here with its customization options, tons of tracks to race on and a healthy variety of modes to dabble in.

In fact, it’s a good idea to get Forza Motorsport 7 in any case, so you can compare it with Forza Motorsport on the Xbox Series X later just to see the jump in quality!

Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition (Duke Nukem Bundle)
Price: $3.99

While we normally won’t advocate buying a Gearbox game (Randy Pitchford is a vile, vile human being), Bulletstorm is an awesomely overlooked game from the last generation.

It’s a great (and incredibly violent) shooter with awesome gameplay ideas and it’s only made better with a blazing 60fps upgrade for this new version. The new Duke Nukem DLC (where Duke replaces the usual hero, complete with new lines) makes replaying the game seem fresh again, even though only Duke has new lines. Still, for fans of the King, it’s the closest thing you’re going to get till a new Duke Nukem game comes out…if ever.

Plus at less than the price of a McDonald’s Extra Value meal the game is going for at the Ultimate Game Sale, you can’t really go wrong!

Dark Souls Remastered.
Price: $27.45

It’s really a no-brainer with Dark Souls Remastered is on this list. Dark Souls single handedly established a genre with its punishing difficulty and unforgiving gameplay and now you have a chance to replay that game with a better frame rate, enhanced visuals AND the Artorias of the Abyss DLC in one complete package.

Sure, the visual upgrades don’t make the game look that much better, but the improved framerate (a fluid 60fps at all times if you’re on the Xbox One X), makes a world of a difference when compared to the Xbox 360 version of the game.

The higher framerate gives the game a fluidity and responsiveness that’s unheard of with its original 30fps gameplay and is definitely deserving a revisit, even if you’ve conquered the original before.

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin
Price: $9.97

With Dark Souls on the list, there’s no reason why you’re not going to see it’s stellar sequel on the list too. Similar to Dark Souls Remastered, the enhanced version of Dark Soul 2 comes with vastly improved framerate and all the DLC that the original game came with.

The visuals might seem a tad archaic by today’s standards, but the dark fantasy environments of the game still shine through as a great example of awesome video game art.

From Software’s second effort is arguably one of the best in the series, building on everything they’ve done in the original game. More enemies, more spells, more locations…more more more. For those who found the original too punishing, Dark Souls II’s a bit more forgiving though it’s still hardly a cakewalk.

Dark Souls III: Deluxe Edition.
Price: $28.72

The final entry (for now) in the Dark Souls series, Dark Souls III is also the only game made from the ground up for current platforms. It’s a much more visceral affair compared to the first two, with better looking environments (though Bloodborne on the PS4 still outshines it) and character models.

The framerate takes a hit at times due to the visual improvements, but if you’re on an Xbox One X, those times will be minimal and the effect fleeting at best.

With the Deluxe Edition, you also get the two DLC expansions that prolong the series. The expansions themselves are much more sizeable than anything from previous games DLC, so be prepared to sink a decent amount of time into them than in past games.

Dark Souls III is also regarded as the easiest in the series, so if you’re a beginner, you might want to start by dipping your toes into this one. Expect to still get your ass kicked though as even at its easiest, Dark Souls III is torturously unrelenting.

Halo Wars 2: Complete Edition.
Price: $27.96

If you’ve not played Halo Wars 2 before, you’ll definitely want to nab this bargain, especially if you’re looking forward to Halo Infinite next year.

Not only does this edition include every DLC (even the expansion that wasn’t part of the Season Pass), it ties in heavily to Halo Infinite in terms of lore.

The Banished, the faction that the Master Chief will go up against in Halo Infinite, first shows up in Halo Wars 2. Luckily, the RTS gameplay is still fun and accessible enough that even newcomers to the genre can just jump in and enjoy the game’s story without needing to worry too much about micromanagement and such.

Metal Gear Survive.
Price: $13.33

Metal Gear Survive is a much maligned game that doesn’t really deserve the hate it got. True, it’s a travesty using the Metal Gear name but get past that and you’ll find that the game is actually decent, if clunky fun.

Surviving in the wasteland while you go out to scrounge for resources is fun, as is slowly building up your base to withstand enemy sieges in certain parts of the game.

The Fox Engine from MGS V is still as stunning as ever, with vast, wide open vistas for you to explore. Though they’re pretty much the same environments from MGS V (there are a ton of reused assets), the gameplay style is unique enough that Metal Gear Survive feels fun enough, especially if you have buddies to game with.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Price: $39.95

I didn’t really fall in love with Jedi: Fallen Order but with the lower price from the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale, I’m going to recommend it nonetheless. It’s nowhere near as good as the Dark Forces series, but it’s a decent step for a new I.P.

The game’s ties into the larger Star Wars universe is negligible, but the battles are still pretty cool, especially if you’re a fan of Star Wars: Rebels and the Inquisitors.

Jedi: Fallen Order might not be the Star Wars game we’re all looking for, but it still offers a decent sampling into the trials and tribulations of a Jedi in a post-Order 66 era…which is a rare thing indeed.

Sniper Elite 4: Digital Deluxe Edition.
Price: $19.98

Sniper Elite 4 is on Game Pass, so you can easily try out the game without buying. However, I’m still recommending a buy simply because the Digital Deluxe Edition bundles in a whole lot of content and weapons that are locked in the vanilla release.

Playing the vanilla release is like being a thirsty man who’s taunted by an ice cold drink that’s just out of reach. Vastly superior weapons will be shown to you, but you’ll be unable to equip them because they’re DLC.

Why torture yourself that way? Just bite the bullet and get the Digital Deluxe Edition and enjoy everything the game has to offer with no regrets. On top of that, the DLC also lets you kill Hitler!

Who doesn’t want to do that?!

There you have it! Our 10 picks from the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale! If you think we missed something, let us know in the comments below!

Sal's been in the industry since the early 2000s. He's written for a ton of gaming and tech publications including Playworks, Hardwarezone, HWM and GameAxis. Recently, Sal served as a juror for the Indie Game Awards at Taipei Game Show 2020. A geek and hardcore gamer, Sal will play everything, on any platform.