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The past two days have been nothing short of dramatic. On Monday, we marked the five-year anniversary of the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles 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, culminating in a championship round where the leading contender from each platform would battle it out. We've witnessed some incredibly close calls in the first two rounds, especially the extremely tight polls from the previous day. At this point, it's moment to decide the best PS5 and Xbox Series X games ahead of Thursday’s final battle.

PlayStation 5 Contenders

For PlayStation 5, we have the giant-slayer, Astro Bot. Maybe it should be no surprise given that it won top honors at last year’s Game Awards, but its victory over 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 PS5 generation: Insomniac Games. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 enjoyed an easy journey to the final four, 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 home-grown Sony mascot, or is he fated to become a chibi cameo in the upcoming Astro Bot title?

Xbox Series X Contenders

The Xbox Series X side has been even juicier. 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 earns to be on the same pedestal as traditional jump-and-run games 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 shown itself as a crowd favorite, defeating critical darlings like Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush. Will it overcome a much bigger game from an established IP that's closely tied to Xbox itself? Should anyone manage this feat, it's probably Indy.

Place your ballots to decide the best PS5 and Xbox Series X games of this generation, and return on the next day to see who will be competing 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
• Round of 8: Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. EST - November 12, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Semi-final round: November 12, 11:00 AM Eastern - Thursday, Nov. 13 at 9 a.m. EST
• Final round: November 13, 11:00 AM Eastern - November 14, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Champion crowned: 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 vs. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Make Your Choice