Xbox fans have varying opinions about the time that the Xbox One was fresh on the market. While the focus of Xbox was on other stuff outside of gaming towards the beginning of its lifecycle, things changed quickly over time. Console owners wanted to play more quality games rather than focus on the television and application functions of the Xbox One, which led to various games garnering the spotlight. One of the big shifts in the industry at that time was the emphasis on collector’s editions for major game releases, which gave more value to players who spent more on the games they bought. Often coming with statues or bonus collectibles, these editions of games often sold out quickly and became rare parts of the Xbox One library. Today, retro game collectors still search out many of these collectible releases that were emblematic of the Xbox One era.
But which games ended up being the rarest in the Xbox One library? While most of the games available for the console can be easily found, their variants are what draw most of the attention of game collectors looking to grow their collections. Most people love it when they buy something that comes with some extra goodies with it, which can make things even more valuable over time. Here are the 5 rarest Xbox One games that you may never get to own.
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5 Rock Band 4 (Band-in-A-Box Bundle)
Break out the whole crew
Source: Harmonix
The Rock Band series was a big part of the trend of music games that took the world by storm. But while this was a huge part of gaming culture for a time, it eventually fizzled out as people moved on to other types of games to play. By the time the Xbox One was around, the music game genre had all but diminished, but it still had a few different series releasing games for those that were still interested in it. Rock Band 4 was among the last of the major music games to have a big bundle release on consoles, which came with multiple plastic instrument controllers to play cooperatively. Up to four players can play together to make up a band and play through a number of classic and popular songs that were often pulled from the rock and roll genre. Depending on one’s taste in music, Rock Band was a rival series to Activision’s Guitar Hero franchise, which later started to add extra instruments to their own experience, just like Rock Band.
Having the game alone is one thing, but being able to find the Rock Band 4 bundle with all the instruments is another thing entirely. A loose copy of the game without all the peripherals included can be worth around $400 alone. But if someone manages to have the complete bundle in its box, then it can be worth a little bit more, often selling for around $450 in most auctions online. Some places have been known to sell the full Rock Band 4 bundle with everything inside for over $700, but it’s not common. Most people have just moved on from the music genre in the years since.
4 Titanfall 2 (Collectors Edition)
Everyone loves calling in mechs
Titanfall 2 is the sequel to the original game from 2014, which focused on multiplayer matches where players could call in giant exoskeleton mechs to fight in team matches. While players were already agile and fast enough to roam the ground on their own, calling in the mechs was a big part of the experience and was key to achieving victory. Matches were chaotic, fast-paced, and often involved multiple players calling in their own mechs to drop from the sky.
The game took a lot of what the first game did so well and pushed the concept further, adding in a single-player campaign with a story set in the universe. The online multiplayer was still a major focus of the experience, however, with new modes and gameplay tweaks added into the sequel, including a new PvE mode where up to four players can work together cooperatively. To many Xbox One owners, Titanfall 2 was one of the best FPS games available on the console.
The collector’s edition of Titanfall 2 came with a number of extra physical items with the game. The bundle included a replica pilot helmet, patches, a scarf, dog tag flash drive, and more. Like other collector’s editions of the era, this gave a ton of bonus value to those players who were willing to pay a lot for the game. Today, a loose copy of the Titanfall 2 collectors edition is worth around $500, but a complete-in-box version of it can be worth nearly $800 in some places. The higher price point can also be dependent on the quality of the physical collectibles included within the bundle.
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3 Metro Exodus (Spartan Edition)
Dark travels across the wasteland
Metro Exodus is the third game in the Metro game series, which is based on a series of novels of the same name. The game was developed by 4A Games in 2019 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC for Steam. Much of the gameplay involves traversing different locations in a post-apocalyptic world that is filled with mutated monsters and other hostile beings. Some comparisons can be made to the Fallout series from Bethesda, but Metro manages to differentiate itself with a unique story, presentation, and locations that players visit throughout the game.
Metro Exodus had a version called the Spartan Edition, which included a number of collectibles with the game. The Spartan Edition came with a 10.5-inch resin statue, collectible postcards and Spartan Order patches, dog tags, and a sealed metal container. A version of the bundle could also be purchased with additional DLC for the game. A loose copy of the Metro Exodus Spartan Edition is worth over $500 without all of its contents. However, a complete version of the bundle is worth more, often selling at auctions for around $600, and possibly more.
2 Resident Evil 7 (Collector’s Edition)
A new age of survival horror
Source: Steam
There was a massive turning point for the Resident Evil series when Resident Evil 7 was finally released on consoles. Prior to that, the series was in a weird space that had fans criticizing it for leaning too heavily on the action and forgetting its roots in survival horror. This was a major complaint with the release of Resident Evil 6 in 2012.
But when Resident Evil 7 finally came out a few years later, it reinvigorated interest in the series by switching perspectives and bringing out more horror elements. Instead of a third-person perspective, Resident Evil 7 opted to put things in first-person and utilize sound more cleverly, making for a tense and suspenseful atmosphere that rivaled other horror games of the time. While the remakes of past Resident Evil games drew out nostalgia from fans, Resident Evil 7 pushed the series into a new era that made the series scary once again.
A collectors edition of Resident Evil 7 was released alongside the game, and included some interesting collectibles. It came with a replica of the mansion featured in the game, an art book, collectible lithographs, an alternative display case for the game, and even a severed finger USB drive. The bundle also included some bonus DLC that was also available separately following the game’s release. Because of the mansion replica, many Resident Evil fans covet this edition of the game, which is valued at around $550 as a loose copy. But if it happens to include everything complete-in-box, the bundle can be worth up to $800.
1 Assassin’s Creed Origins (Legendary Edition)
Reinventing a long-running series
Source: Ubisoft
There have been many games in the Assassin’s Creed series, all of which take place in varying time periods and locations. After nine games released across multiple consoles, some fans felt the franchise was getting too stale and repetitive. In response to that, Ubisoft decided to try something new with the tenth entry in the Assassin’s Creed series with the release of Assassin’s Creed Origins. The game takes place in Egypt during the Ptolemaic period, around the years 49 to 38 BC.
The story follows an assassin named Bayek, who with his wife seeks revenge against the Templars for the death of his son. Many locations featured in the game are parts of Ancient Egypt, including places such as Memphis and Alexandria, as they were in ancient times. Unlike previous Assassin’s Creed games, Assassin’s Creed Origins tries to implement characteristics of role-playing games alongside the stealth action, offering something different from what fans had seen within the franchise before.
One of the most expensive bundles released for the Xbox One is the Assassin’s Creed Origins Legendary Edition bundle. This is a high-end collectors edition of the game that has multiple physical items and a statue that comes with the game. The statue is of Bayek and his animal companion, which stands about 30-inches tall, and comes with a premium eagle skull amulet. Other items within the Legendary Edition include a steel book display, an original game soundtrack, lithographs, art cards and a map, an art book of the game, and a certificate of authenticity. It’s a very packed bundle for Assassin’s Creed fans that has a lot of value. Without all of its contents complete, this version of Assassin’s Creed Origins could be worth over $850, but with everything complete-in-box and in good condition, the bundle can be worth nearly $1,000. Some auctions have sold this version of the game with all of its contents for more than $1,200 at the time of sale.
Coveted bundles on the Xbox One
It feels like the Xbox One era was only a short time ago. But even in the brief time that the console was around, its library still managed to garner a number of big releases with collectible bundles that most retro gaming collectors love to seek out. As a whole, the release of the Xbox One was a very weird time for the console maker, yet it still managed to remain a relevant part of the games industry by having major releases that people loved. Although you may never get to own some of the rarest and most expensive games for the Xbox One, you can still appreciate how interesting they are from a safe and cheaper distance.
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