We'll Name the Greatest Title of the Gaming Era: Semi-Finals

The past two days have been incredibly eventful. This past Monday, we celebrated the half-decade milestone of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X with a tournament to determine the best first-party game of this console generation. We presented eight PS5 games and eight Xbox Series X exclusives to face off against each other, culminating in a championship round where the leading contender from each platform would go head-to-head. There have been some nail-biting finishes in the initial matchups, especially the extremely tight polls from the previous day. Now, it's moment to decide the best PS5 and Xbox Series X games ahead of Thursday’s final battle.

PlayStation 5 Contenders

On the PS5 side, 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 win against God of War Ragnarök feels like a true upset. However, to reach the championship, it'll need to defeat the most valuable player of the PlayStation 5 era: 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 Insomniac game!) to land in the semi-finals. Will Spider-Man defeat a home-grown Sony mascot, or is he fated 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. Emerging victorious from a diverse lineup of contenders is Forza Horizon 5. It's a significant win for the racing adventure title already, proving that a niche category title earns to be on the same pedestal as traditional jump-and-run games and cinematic action-adventure games. Its last roadblock en route to the championship 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 closely tied to the Xbox brand? If anyone can pull that off, it's probably Indy.

Cast your votes to decide the top PlayStation and Xbox titles of this generation, and return on the next day to see which games will face off for the grand prize in the finals!

Polling Timeline

• Round of 16: 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
• Final Four: Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. ET - Thursday, Nov. 13 at 9 a.m. EST
• Final round: November 13, 11:00 AM Eastern - Friday, Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. EST
• Winner announced: Friday, Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. EST

Head-to-Head Battles

PS5 Division

Astro Bot versus Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Xbox Series X Division

Forza Horizon 5 versus Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Make Your Choice