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These last 48 hours have been nothing short of dramatic. This past Monday, we celebrated the half-decade milestone of the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles with a tournament to decide the best first-party game 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 console would go head-to-head. There have been some incredibly close calls in the first two rounds, especially yesterday’s razor-thin votes. At this point, it's time to crown the best PS5 and Xbox Series X games before Thursday’s final battle.

PlayStation 5 Contenders

For PlayStation 5, we have the Kratos-killer, Astro Bot. Perhaps it's expected 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 need to defeat the MVP of the PS5 generation: 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 secure a spot in the final four. Can Spidey topple a beloved PlayStation icon, or is he fated to become a miniature appearance in the next Astro Bot game?

The Xbox Series X Side

The Xbox Series X side has been even juicier. Coming out on top from a diverse lineup of competitors is Forza Horizon 5. It's a big victory for the racing adventure title so far, demonstrating that a more specialized genre game earns to be on the same pedestal as traditional jump-and-run games and story-driven epics. Its last roadblock on the way to the finals is a major challenge, though. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has proven to be a fan favorite, defeating acclaimed titles like Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush. Can it beat a much bigger game from an established IP that's closely tied to the Xbox brand? If anyone can pull that off, it's likely Indiana Jones.

Place your ballots to determine the top PlayStation and Xbox titles of this era, and return on the next day to see which games will face off for the grand prize in the championship round!

Polling Timeline

• First Round: November 10, 11:00 AM Eastern - November 11, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Round of 8: November 11, 11:00 AM Eastern - November 12, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Semi-final round: Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. ET - 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

Matchups

PlayStation 5 Bracket

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