We'll Crown the Best Game of the Gaming Era: Semi-Finals

These last 48 hours have been incredibly eventful. This past Monday, we celebrated the half-decade milestone of the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles with a tournament to determine the top exclusive title of this console generation. You were given eight PS5 games and eight Xbox Series X games to compete against each other, culminating in a championship round where the top game from each platform would battle it out. We've witnessed some nail-biting finishes in the first two rounds, particularly yesterday’s razor-thin votes. At this point, it's moment to decide the best PS5 and Xbox Series X games before the championship on Thursday.

PlayStation 5 Contenders

For PlayStation 5, we have the giant-slayer, Astro Bot. Maybe it should be no surprise considering that it took home the top prize 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 need to defeat the MVP of the PlayStation 5 era: Insomniac Games. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 enjoyed an easy journey to the semi-finals, defeating Ghost of Yōtei and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (another title from the same studio!) 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. Coming out on top from a more eclectic field of competitors is Forza Horizon 5. It's a big victory for the racing adventure title so far, proving that a niche category title deserves to be on the same pedestal as traditional jump-and-run games and story-driven epics. Its final obstacle en route to the finals is a big one, though. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has shown itself as a crowd favorite, beating critical darlings like Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush. Will it overcome a larger-scale title from an well-known franchise that's synonymous with Xbox itself? If anyone can pull that off, it's probably Indy.

Place your ballots to decide the top PlayStation and Xbox titles of this era, and return on the next day to see which games will face off for the ultimate trophy in the finals!

Polling Timeline

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

Head-to-Head Battles

PlayStation 5 Bracket

Astro Bot versus Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Xbox Series X Bracket

Forza Horizon 5 vs. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Cast Your Votes