5 Best Xbox One Multiplayer Games of 2019 So Far

2019 has slowed down a bit after a tremendously strong start for the Xbox One. Still, despite that, there’s been a strong helping of diverse titles, especially in the world of multiplayer. There’s really been a bit of something for everyone that owns an Xbox One, so here’s the best Xbox One multiplayer games of 2019 so far.

Apex Legends

Apex Legends released out of nowhere in February, and gained serious momentum, taking a sizeable chunk of the battle royale cake. Apex Legends takes the phenomenal shooting and movement of Titanfall 2, adds in a little hero shooter flavor, and blends that all together into a battle royale game. While that sounds like a lot, the final result is something stunning.

Each of the Legends you can play as work completely differently, but the game is balanced well enough that it doesn’t feel like you’re at a disadvantage by choosing the wrong character. Apex also features a revolutionary ping feature, that lets you quickly and efficiently communicate the location of enemies, weapons, rally points, and more with a single button press.

To top everything off, Apex Legends is entirely free-to-play, meaning anyone and everyone can jump in and join in on the fun. The game has already received a wealth of updates, fixes, and even a couple of brand new characters.

The impact Apex Legends has had is clear, and it had the best launch month of any free-to-play game ever. This is easily the best multiplayer experience of 2019.

Jump Force

Jump Force has plenty of issues, something we noted in our review, but despite those problems Jump Force can be incredibly fun when you’re playing with other people. Each match in Jump Force feels like a ridiculous anime battle, with flashy special attacks and high-speed combos.

The humongous roster of Jump Force also gives you plenty of options when building a team, with many characters that feel unique. For example, Naruto is a great mid to close range fighter, while Ryo Saeba is much more effective at long range due to his guns and weapons.

It’s easy to lose track of time with Jump Force playing match after match, swapping between your favorite characters. Some fantastic DLC characters are also on the way, like All Might from My Hero Academia and Seto Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh, meaning the roster will grow ever more diverse.

If you’re looking for an easy to jump into fighter on Xbox One, Jump Force fits that bill exactly.

Anthem

Anthem is the latest title from the prolific RPG developer BioWare, and another game that launched to incredibly mixed reception. Still, the fact of the matter is that Anthem’s core gameplay is incredibly fun. Each of the four Javelin classes in Anthem are entirely different, and the gunplay feels tight and smooth.

More than anything, though, Anthem’s flight mechanics just feel fantastic. It’s a blast to jump in the air and rocket around a group of enemies to flank them, only to thunder back down to the ground. Luckily, Anthem also makes it easy to play with others, grouping you with other players on missions automatically, so you don’t have to worry about finding or inviting players.

While this may sound great, the biggest problem Anthem has is that it doesn’t really shake things up until the end of the story and endgame. Until then you’ll be playing through the same types of missions, fighting the same types of enemies, etc.

Still, if you own an Xbox One and are willing to grind a bit there’s an enjoyable co-op experience to have here, set in a phenomenally gorgeous sci-fi world.

The Division 2

The Division 2 makes it abundantly clear that Ubisoft learned their lesson with the first Division, fixing or addressing nearly every problem from the original game. This time transporting players to a post-apocalyptic Washington D.C., The Division 2 really gets what it means to be a looter shooter.

There’s an incredibly satisfying loot loop in the game that constantly feels like its rewarding you, or giving some new gun or piece of equipment to play with. On top of this, the general shooting and gameplay feel even tighter and more satisfying than the first game, right in line with the best third-person shooters out there, like God of War.

Ubisoft also addressed concerns with the endgame, by giving players tons of content to wade through including Strongholds, Invaded Missions, the Dark Zones, and more. With the first Raid and even more content on the way, The Division 2 is quickly on its way to becoming one of the best looter shooters out there.

Trials Rising

Trials is easily one of the most overlooked series out there, with each game giving you a fun, and often ridiculous, series of challenging levels to ride across. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, you control a physics-based motorcycle as you navigate across a series of obstacles that practically function as puzzles.

There’s a fantastic local multiplayer mode available in Trials Rising called Tandem Bike, which has one player controlling the back part of the bike while the other controls the front part. This mode requires serious concentration and teamwork, but there’s also a number of online multiplayer options available as well.