Let's Crown the Best Title of the Gaming Era: Semi-Finals

These last 48 hours have been nothing short of dramatic. On Monday, we celebrated the five-year anniversary of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X with a tournament to determine the best first-party game of this console generation. You were given eight PS5 games and eight Xbox Series X games to face off against each other, culminating in a final showdown where the top game from each platform would battle it out. We've witnessed some incredibly close calls in the first two rounds, particularly yesterday’s razor-thin votes. At this point, it's time to crown the leading PlayStation and Xbox titles ahead of Thursday’s final battle.

PlayStation 5 Contenders

For PlayStation 5, 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 victory over God of War Ragnarök feels like a true upset. However, to reach the championship, it'll have to go through the most valuable player of the PS5 generation: Insomniac Games. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 had a smooth path to the semi-finals, defeating Ghost of Yōtei and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (another Insomniac game!) to secure a spot in the final four. Will Spider-Man defeat a beloved PlayStation icon, or is he fated to become a chibi cameo in the upcoming Astro Bot title?

Xbox Series X Contenders

For Xbox Series X has been even juicier. Coming out on top from a more eclectic field of competitors is Forza Horizon 5. It's a significant win for the racing adventure title already, demonstrating that a niche category title deserves to be on the same pedestal as classic platformers and story-driven epics. Its final obstacle on the way to the championship is a major challenge, though. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has proven to be a crowd 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 the Xbox brand? If anyone can pull that off, it's probably Indy.

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

Voting Schedule

• First Round: Monday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. EST - Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 9 a.m. EST
• Quarter-finals: Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. EST - November 12, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Final Four: 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
• Winner announced: November 14, 11:00 AM Eastern

Matchups

PS5 Division

Astro Bot vs. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Xbox Series X Bracket

Forza Horizon 5 versus Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Cast Your Votes