Finally, Microsoft and Sony have spilled the beans on the launch date, price, and game lineups for their upcoming next-gen hardware. But with only a couple of months until the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 launch, there’s no time to waste in comparing the two consoles if you’re only in the market to buy one ahead of November.
Here we’re going to be contrasting the launch window library of games for both, presenting an argument as to which we think is set to offer the most enticing software within its first six or so months on the market.
It’s important to note that we won’t be including games like Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, or any of the other major multiplatform titles launching over the next six months on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 given that you’ll be able to play any of them on whichever console you opt to purchase.
Xbox Series X/S
Microsoft has been busy building toward a future where its first-party studios are capable of pumping out compelling exclusive content for some time. The last two years have been marked by a number of new studio acquisitions while developers like 343 Industries, Turn 10, Undead Labs, and other major teams have been quietly chipping away at new projects.
Unfortunately, that future isn’t going to be a reality by the time Xbox Series X/S launches later this year. Most of what Microsoft has in the pipeline is still quite a long way out, including Halo Infinite, which has now been pushed out of the consoles’ launch window and deeper in 2021.
So, beyond the multiplatform content and everything available through backward compatibility and Game Pass, what is there to play on Series X/S out the gate?
The answer is not a huge amount. Fans of the FPS genre can look forward to the anticipated launch of CrossfireX, the revamped version of the popular tactical shooter by Korean developer Smilegate, which is also set to feature a single-player campaign handled by the team at Remedy.
If CrossfireX sticks to its 2020 release window, it’ll probably launch as the consoles’ highest-profile launch window title.
Elsewhere, Scorn is perhaps the most intriguing of its 2020 lineup, the FPS/horror title from developer Ebb Software that was revealed earlier this year with a chilling cinematic trailer. Elsewhere, there’s another horror game in The Medium penciled in for a pre-Christmas release that also looks compelling.
Other titles from smaller studios include The Falconeer, the open-world air combat game that features both a compelling story premise and a totally beautiful art style.
- CrossfireX (2020)
- Last Stop (2020)
- The Ascent (2020)
- The Medium (2020)
- Tunic (2020)
- The Falconeer (Nov. 10, 2020)
- Scorn (2020)
- Twelve Minutes (2020)
PlayStation 5
Sony’s first-party talent has been a key driving force behind the PlayStation brand’s success this console generation, and that’s primed to continue moving forward.
While the majority of its big guns aren’t set to launch until later in 2021 in a similar fashion to Microsoft and Xbox Series X/S, PS5 does at least have some pretty appealing software ready for launch day.
The two big bombshells are the Demon’s Souls Remake and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, both of which are hotly anticipated and likely to prove hugely influential in PS5’s early success come later this year.
Demon’s Souls has been developed by Bluepoint Games, the acclaimed studio behind remakes of other big-name Sony classics like Shadow of the Colossus. From what we’ve seen of the game so far, it looks likely to meet that same benchmark of quality.
As for Spider-Man: Miles Morales, there aren’t many franchises more capable of pushing hardware than Marvel’s beloved mutant superhero, and developer Insomniac’s superb 2018 game is easily the best video game adaptation we’ve ever played.
Elsewhere, Godfall is one of the few games specifically designed for next-generation hardware, so we expect it to prove a real tech showcase in terms of its graphical fidelity. The gameplay looks pretty fun, too, from what we’ve seen so far.
Further afield, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is one PS5’s most exciting games due out within the console’s launch window — though quite what Insomniac means by launch window remains to be seen. Regardless, early gameplay looks absolutely superb and a continuation of everything we loved about the 2016 remake for PS4.
- Demon’s Souls (Nov. 12, 2020)
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Nov. 12, 2020)
- Sackboy: A big Adventure (Nov. 12, 2020)
- Astro’s Playroom (Nov. 12, 2020)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (“Launch Window”)
- Godfall (2020)
So Which Console Wins?
Even with all the added value that Game Pass and backward compatibility bring for Xbox Series X/S at launch, the distinct lack of any major new titles is a bit of a sore spot.
Sony’s PlayStation 5, on the other hand, is offering a similar value proposition with several notable new games ready to take advantage of its extra horsepower.
It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, then, that we’re picking the PS5 as offering the best launch window games. In all honesty, even beyond the launch window and deeper into 2021, the arrival of sequels like Horizon: Forbidden West and God of War are an enticing prospect that Xbox’s content isn’t likely to be able to match.
Things are likely to become much more closely contested as Microsoft’s new first-party studios start to bear fruit, as titles like Fable, Avowed, and Everwild join Halo: Infinite as major AAA Microsoft exclusives. And with today’s news of Bethesda joining Microsoft Studios, the Xbox brand’s longterm future looks even brighter.
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