10 Best Xbox Consoles 2025 in the United States

The Xbox Series X is a powerful gaming console designed for serious gamers who want top performance and impressive visuals. With its 12 teraflops of graphics power and support for 4K gaming at up to 120 frames per second, it delivers smooth and detailed gameplay that stands out, especially on newer TVs. The 1TB SSD storage offers fast load times and quick resume features, meaning less waiting and more playing. One of its best features is backward compatibility, allowing you to enjoy thousands of games from older Xbox generations, many of which run better than before. It also includes Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, enhancing the audio-visual experience. The console comes in a sleek carbon black design, but it’s on the larger and heavier side, which might be something to consider if space is limited.

While 1TB is good for most gamers, those with extensive game libraries might find themselves needing extra storage eventually. The Xbox Series X also offers access to exclusive games and services through Microsoft’s ecosystem, adding more value if you’re invested in Xbox’s game lineup. This console is well-suited for gamers looking for power, speed, and a vast selection of games, though its size and potential storage limits are worth keeping in mind.

The Microsoft Xbox Series S is a compact and budget-friendly gaming console, ideal for casual gamers or those who prioritize an all-digital experience. It offers a custom Zen 2 CPU and RDNA 2 GPU, which deliver solid performance for its size, allowing for smooth gameplay at 1440p resolution and up to 120 frames per second (FPS). The console includes 10GB GDDR6 memory, ensuring efficient and speedy performance for most games.

One of its strong points is backward compatibility, letting users enjoy a wide library of older Xbox titles. This is complemented by a decent selection of current game titles and exclusives available on Xbox Game Pass, enhancing its value for money. Additionally, the Xbox Series S supports advanced features like Auto Low Latency Mode, HDMI Variable Refresh Rate, and AMD FreeSync, which contribute to a better gaming experience.

However, its primary limitation is the internal storage capacity of 512GB, which can quickly fill up with modern games. This is somewhat mitigated by the option to use external storage, but it adds to the cost. Furthermore, the all-digital nature means there's no option for disc-based games, which might be a drawback for some users. Online services and subscriptions, such as Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold, offer extensive benefits but require additional ongoing costs. The design of the console is sleek and compact, making it easy to fit into most entertainment setups, though its white color might be prone to showing dirt and wear over time.

The Xbox Series S serves as a great entry point into the Xbox ecosystem, particularly for those who don't need the highest possible graphics settings or a large amount of storage.

The Xbox Series S is a compact, all-digital gaming console designed for players who want a next-gen experience without needing physical discs. It features a custom AMD Zen 2 CPU and RDNA 2 GPU that deliver smooth gaming at 1440p resolution and up to 120 frames per second, making it suitable for fast-paced and visually detailed games. The included 10GB of fast GDDR6 memory helps with quick loading and smooth gameplay, although the 512GB SSD may fill up quickly if you install many games, since modern titles can be quite large.

This console supports backward compatibility, so you can play many Xbox One and some Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, which is great if you have older games you want to keep using. It also benefits from Xbox’s exclusive titles and services like Game Pass, offering a wide variety of games to try. On the design front, the Series S is small and lightweight, making it easy to fit in most entertainment setups. However, because it is disc-free, you’ll need to rely entirely on digital downloads. If you have a large physical game collection or prefer discs, this might not be the best fit.

The console targets 1440p resolution rather than 4K, which is fine for many TVs and monitors but less sharp than the higher-end Series X. The Xbox Series S serves as a strong choice for gamers who want affordability, speed, and access to modern and backward-compatible games without investing in the highest-end hardware or physical discs.