🔗 Share this article

These last 48 hours have been nothing short of dramatic. This past Monday, we marked the half-decade milestone of the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles with a competition to decide the best first-party game of this hardware cycle. You were given eight PS5 games and eight Xbox Series X games to face off against each other, culminating in a final showdown where the top game from each console would go head-to-head. There have been some nail-biting finishes in the initial matchups, particularly the extremely tight polls from the previous day. Now, it's time to crown the leading PlayStation and Xbox titles ahead of Thursday’s final battle.

PlayStation 5 Contenders

On the PS5 side, we have the Kratos-killer, Astro Bot. Maybe it should be no surprise considering that it won top honors at last year’s Game Awards, but its win against God of War Ragnarök seems like a major shock. However, to reach the championship, it'll have to go through the most valuable player of the PS5 generation: the acclaimed developer. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 enjoyed an easy journey to the semi-finals, leaping past Ghost of Yōtei and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (another title from the same studio!) to secure a spot in the final four. Will Spider-Man defeat a beloved PlayStation icon, or is he destined to become a chibi cameo in the next Astro Bot game?

The Xbox Series X Side

The Xbox Series X side has been more exciting. Coming out on top from a more eclectic field of contenders is Forza Horizon 5. It's a big victory for the racing adventure title already, demonstrating that a more specialized genre game deserves to be on the equal footing as traditional jump-and-run games and cinematic action-adventure games. Its last roadblock en route to the finals is a major challenge, though. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has shown itself as a crowd favorite, beating critical darlings like Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush. Will it overcome a much bigger game from an well-known franchise that's synonymous with Xbox itself? If anyone can pull that off, it's probably Indy.

Cast your votes to decide the best PS5 and Xbox Series X games of this era, and come back tomorrow to see which games will face off for the ultimate trophy in the championship round!

Polling Timeline

• First Round: November 10, 11:00 AM Eastern - Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 9 a.m. EST
• Quarter-finals: Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. EST - November 12, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Semi-final round: Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. ET - Thursday, Nov. 13 at 9 a.m. EST
• Championship: November 13, 11:00 AM Eastern - Friday, Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. EST
• Champion crowned: November 14, 11:00 AM Eastern

Matchups

PS5 Division

Astro Bot vs. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Xbox Series X Bracket

Forza Horizon 5 versus Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Make Your Choice