🔗 Share this article

The past two days have been nothing short of dramatic. This past Monday, we celebrated the half-decade milestone of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X with a tournament to decide the top exclusive title of this console generation. We presented eight PS5 games and eight Xbox Series X games to compete against each other, culminating in a championship round where the top game from each platform would go head-to-head. There have been some incredibly close calls in the initial matchups, especially yesterday’s razor-thin votes. Now, it's time to crown the leading PlayStation and Xbox titles ahead of Thursday’s final battle.

PlayStation 5 Contenders

For PlayStation 5, we have the Kratos-killer, Astro Bot. Perhaps it's expected considering that it took home the top prize at the previous year's gaming accolades, but its win against God of War Ragnarök feels like a true upset. However, to reach the championship, it'll need to defeat the most valuable player of the PlayStation 5 era: Insomniac Games. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 enjoyed an easy journey to the semi-finals, defeating Ghost of Yōtei and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (another title from the same studio!) to land in the semi-finals. Will Spider-Man defeat a home-grown Sony mascot, or is he fated to become a chibi cameo in the next Astro Bot game?

The Xbox Series X Side

For Xbox Series X has been even juicier. Coming out on top from a more eclectic field of contenders is Forza Horizon 5. It's a significant win for the open-world driving game already, proving that a niche category title deserves to be on the equal footing as traditional jump-and-run games and story-driven epics. Its last roadblock on the way to the championship is a big one, though. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has shown itself as a crowd favorite, defeating critical darlings like Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush. Will it overcome a much bigger game from an established IP that's synonymous with Xbox itself? Should anyone manage this feat, it's probably Indy.

Place your ballots to determine the best PS5 and Xbox Series X games of this era, and return on the next day to see who will be competing for the grand prize in the finals!

Polling Timeline

• Round of 16: November 10, 11:00 AM Eastern - Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 9 a.m. EST
• Quarter-finals: November 11, 11:00 AM Eastern - November 12, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Final Four: November 12, 11:00 AM Eastern - November 13, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Championship: Thursday, Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. EST - November 14, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Winner announced: November 14, 11:00 AM Eastern

Head-to-Head Battles

PS5 Division

Astro Bot vs. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Xbox Series X Division

Forza Horizon 5 vs. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Cast Your Votes