Ryse: Son of Rome Day One Edition

The launch title that proved what Xbox One could do, and it still turns heads today. Ryse Son of Rome Day One Edition for Xbox One delivers one of the most visually stunning action games ever made, backed by exclusive content built for early adopters.

Ryse Son of Rome was developed by Crytek, the studio behind the Crysis series, and it launched alongside the Xbox One as a console exclusive designed to showcase next-gen power from day one. Set in the Roman Empire, you play as Marius Titus, a soldier rising through the ranks of the Roman legion to avenge his fallen family. The Day One Edition includes the Legionnaires Trust, an exclusive item with bonus in-game attributes that gives you an edge from the start. It also includes the Ruins, an exclusive gladiator co-op multiplayer map set in a dynamic arena where Barbarian hordes flood in from every direction. Even better, owners of the Ruins map can invite friends who have the standard edition to play on it together.

The gameplay blends cinematic combat with brutal Roman warfare. Every sword strike, shield bash, and execution is rendered with a level of detail that was genuinely groundbreaking when the Xbox One launched. Crytek pushed the hardware to its absolute limit, and the result is a game that still looks remarkable years later. The co-op gladiator mode adds replayability, especially on the exclusive Ruins map where the arena shifts and evolves as waves of enemies pour in.

We think this is one of the most underappreciated launch titles in console history. The Roman setting alone sets it apart from everything else in the Xbox library, and the Crytek engine made it a visual benchmark that defined what the generation could achieve. As a Day One Edition, it carries exclusive content that was only available to players who were there from the beginning, and that kind of launch-window packaging becomes harder to find with every passing year.

If you collect Xbox One exclusives, this belongs at the front of the shelf. The Day One window is long closed, and these are not coming back.