🔗 Share this article

The past two days have been incredibly eventful. This past Monday, we celebrated the five-year anniversary of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X with a competition to determine the top exclusive title of this hardware cycle. We presented eight PS5 games and eight Xbox Series X games to face off against each other, all heading towards a championship round where the leading contender from each platform would battle it out. There have been some incredibly close calls in the first two rounds, particularly the extremely tight polls from the previous day. At this point, it's moment to decide the leading PlayStation and Xbox titles ahead of Thursday’s final battle.

The PS5 Side

For PlayStation 5, we have the Kratos-killer, Astro Bot. Maybe it should be no surprise given that it won top honors at last year’s Game Awards, but its win against God of War Ragnarök seems like a major shock. But to get to the finals, it'll need to defeat the most valuable player of the PlayStation 5 era: the acclaimed developer. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 enjoyed an easy journey to the final four, defeating Ghost of Yōtei and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (another Insomniac game!) to secure a spot in the semi-finals. Can Spidey topple a home-grown Sony mascot, or is he fated to become a miniature appearance in the upcoming Astro Bot title?

Xbox Series X Contenders

For Xbox Series X has been even juicier. Emerging victorious from a more eclectic field of competitors is Forza Horizon 5. It's a big victory for the open-world driving game 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 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. Can it beat a larger-scale title from an established IP that's synonymous with the Xbox brand? Should anyone manage this feat, it's likely Indiana Jones.

Place your ballots to determine the best PS5 and Xbox Series X games of this era, and come back tomorrow to see which games will face off for the grand prize in the finals!

Voting Schedule

• Round of 16: November 10, 11:00 AM Eastern - November 11, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Round of 8: Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. EST - November 12, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Semi-final round: November 12, 11:00 AM Eastern - Thursday, Nov. 13 at 9 a.m. EST
• Championship: Thursday, Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. EST - 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 Division

Forza Horizon 5 versus Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Cast Your Votes