Top trending Xbox games (January 2025)
Are you searching for the latest trending games to play? Let’s start by exploring some of the newest Xbox games. These are handpicked by editors and showcase some of the best recent games that you can try out if you’ve already played the best of what Xbox has to offer. These picks are generally genre-agnostic and will likely include the best games available on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service this month as well.
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
When Xbox held its 2025 January Developer Direct, Team Ninja made a surprise appearance to show off two new Ninja Gaiden games: Ninja Gaiden 4 and Ninja Gaiden 2 Black which shadow-dropped on the same day. This game is a HD remaster of Ninja Gaiden 2, an Xbox 360 action game released in 2008 where you tore through armies of demons as the legendary Dragon Ninja, Ryu Hayabusa.
The original game was considered one of the best action games of its time and thanks to the enhancements of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, it still holds up today. The combat system is very complex with a large of variety of weapons with diverse move-sets to master, complimented with devastating, crowd-clearing ninjutsu magic attacks and violent finishing moves. Yet, once you get to grips with the tools at your disposal, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black becomes a thrilling rollercoaster ride you don’t leave as you tear apart extremely challenging enemies and bosses into bloody pieces.
In addition, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black features a ton of extra features that make this game the definitive edition of Ninja Gaiden 2. These include a beginner-friendly Hero Style Mode to ease in newcomers to the franchise, revamped graphics and lighting effects done in the Unreal 5 Engine, and extra playable characters like Rachel, Ayane, and Momiji.
