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These last 48 hours have been nothing short of dramatic. This past Monday, we marked the five-year anniversary of the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles with a competition to decide the best first-party game of this hardware cycle. We presented eight PlayStation 5 titles and eight Xbox Series X exclusives to face off against each other, culminating in a championship round where the leading contender from each console would battle it out. There have been some nail-biting finishes in the first two rounds, particularly the extremely tight polls from the previous day. Now, it's time to crown the best PS5 and Xbox Series X games ahead of Thursday’s final battle.

PlayStation 5 Contenders

For PlayStation 5, 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 feels like a true upset. But to get to the finals, it'll have to go through the most valuable player of the PlayStation 5 era: 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 Insomniac game!) to land in the semi-finals. Will Spider-Man defeat a beloved PlayStation icon, or is he destined to become a miniature appearance in the next Astro Bot game?

The Xbox Series X Side

For Xbox Series X has been more exciting. Emerging victorious from a more eclectic field of contenders is Forza Horizon 5. It's a significant win for the racing adventure title already, proving that a niche category title deserves to be on the same pedestal as traditional jump-and-run games and story-driven epics. Its final obstacle on the way to the finals is a big one, though. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has shown itself as a crowd favorite, beating acclaimed titles like Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush. Can it beat a larger-scale title from an well-known franchise that's closely tied to the Xbox brand? If anyone can pull that off, it's probably Indy.

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

Polling Timeline

• Round of 16: November 10, 11:00 AM Eastern - November 11, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Quarter-finals: November 11, 11:00 AM Eastern - 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: Thursday, Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. EST - Friday, Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. EST
• Champion crowned: Friday, Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. EST

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