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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 face off against each other, all heading towards a championship round where the leading contender from each platform would battle it out. We've witnessed some incredibly close calls in the initial matchups, particularly the extremely tight polls from the previous day. Now, it's time to crown the leading PlayStation and Xbox titles ahead of Thursday’s final battle.

The PS5 Side

For PlayStation 5, we have the Kratos-killer, Astro Bot. Maybe it should be no surprise considering 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. But to get to the finals, it'll have to go through 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 destined to become a chibi cameo in the next Astro Bot game?

Xbox Series X Contenders

The Xbox Series X side has been even juicier. Coming out on top from a diverse lineup of contenders is Forza Horizon 5. It's a big victory for the racing adventure title so far, demonstrating that a niche category title deserves to be on the equal footing as classic platformers and story-driven epics. Its last roadblock en route to the championship is a big one, though. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has shown itself as a fan favorite, beating acclaimed titles like Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush. Can it beat a larger-scale title from an well-known franchise that's synonymous with the Xbox brand? Should anyone manage this feat, it's probably Indy.

Cast your votes to determine the best PS5 and Xbox Series X games of this era, and come back tomorrow to see which games will face off for the grand prize in the finals!

Polling Timeline

• Round of 16: Monday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. EST - November 11, 9:00 AM Eastern
• Round of 8: November 11, 11:00 AM Eastern - Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. EST
• Semi-final round: November 12, 11:00 AM Eastern - Thursday, Nov. 13 at 9 a.m. EST
• Championship: November 13, 11:00 AM Eastern - Friday, Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. EST
• Winner announced: November 14, 11:00 AM Eastern

Matchups

PlayStation 5 Bracket

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