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The past two days have been incredibly eventful. On Monday, we marked the half-decade milestone of the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles with a competition to determine the best first-party game of this hardware cycle. You were given eight PlayStation 5 titles and eight Xbox Series X exclusives to compete against each other, culminating in a championship round where the leading contender from each console would battle it out. There have been some incredibly close calls in the first two rounds, especially yesterday’s razor-thin votes. At this point, it's moment to decide the best PS5 and Xbox Series X games ahead of Thursday’s final battle.

The PS5 Side

For PlayStation 5, we have the giant-slayer, Astro Bot. Maybe it should be no surprise given that it won top honors at the previous year's gaming accolades, but its victory over 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: the acclaimed developer. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 had a smooth path to the semi-finals, leaping past Ghost of Yōtei and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (another title from the same studio!) to land in the semi-finals. Can Spidey topple 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 diverse lineup of competitors is Forza Horizon 5. It's a big victory 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 cinematic action-adventure games. Its final obstacle en route to the championship 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 larger-scale title from an well-known franchise that's closely tied to Xbox itself? If anyone can pull that off, it's likely Indiana Jones.

Cast your votes to decide the top PlayStation and Xbox titles of this era, and return on the next day to see who will be competing for the grand prize in the finals!

Polling Timeline

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

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

Cast Your Votes