We'll Name the Greatest Title of the Console Generation: Final Four
The past two days have been nothing short of dramatic. This past Monday, we celebrated the five-year anniversary of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X with a tournament to decide the best first-party game of this hardware cycle. You were given eight PS5 games and eight Xbox Series X games to compete against each other, all heading towards a final showdown where the leading contender from each platform would battle it out. We've witnessed some incredibly close calls 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 before the championship on Thursday.
The PS5 Side
On the PS5 side, we have the Kratos-killer, Astro Bot. Perhaps it's expected 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 have to go through the most valuable player of the PS5 generation: Insomniac Games. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 enjoyed an easy journey to the final four, defeating Ghost of Yōtei and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (another title from the same studio!) to land in the semi-finals. Can Spidey topple a home-grown Sony mascot, or is he destined to become a chibi cameo in the upcoming Astro Bot title?
Xbox Series X Contenders
The Xbox Series X side has been more exciting. Emerging victorious from a more eclectic field of contenders is Forza Horizon 5. It's a significant win for the open-world driving game so far, demonstrating that a more specialized genre game deserves to be on the same pedestal as classic platformers and story-driven epics. Its final obstacle en route to the finals is a major challenge, though. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has proven to be a crowd favorite, beating critical darlings like Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush. Will it overcome a larger-scale title from an established IP that's closely tied to the Xbox brand? Should anyone manage this feat, it's probably Indy.
Cast your votes to decide the best PS5 and Xbox Series X games of this generation, and come back tomorrow to see who will be competing for the grand prize in the championship round!
Voting Schedule
First Round: November 10, 11:00 AM Eastern - Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 9 a.m. ESTQuarter-finals: Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. EST - Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. EST- Final Four: 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
- Winner announced: November 14, 11:00 AM Eastern
Head-to-Head Battles
PlayStation 5 Bracket
Astro Bot versus Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Xbox Series X Bracket
Forza Horizon 5 versus Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
