PlayStation 5 V Xbox Series X: Who Has The Best Exclusives?

If you think the ‘console war’ is limited to superiority in hardware specifications, you are terribly mistaken. Cutting-edge hardware may be a pre-requisite when it comes to consoles, but in no way is that the deciding factor for who’s got the upper hand. There exists another category and that is exclusives. Over the years, Sony has arguably dominated the industry with its amazing exclusive titles and that is exactly where Xbox has lacked. But with the Xbox Series X, Microsoft is looking to challenge Sony’s PlayStation 5 on its own turf.

Xbox Games Showcase for Xbox Series X

Microsoft showed us a ton of new Xbox exclusives at the Xbox Games showcase. The event kicked off with Xbox’s crown jewel, Halo Infinite. But sadly, the highly anticipated exclusive failed to woo the fans. People complained that the game was too similar to every other Halo title and the graphics quality failed to thrill.

This wasn’t all. There is a long list of titles that are exclusive to Series X, other than Halo. Hellblade 2, Forza Motorsport, Everwild, Avowed, and State Of Decay 3 are some of them. Let’s see how these line-up against the exclusives Sony has announced.

Sony PlayStation 5 Exclusives

A few weeks back, Sony unveiled its upcoming console and as always, it is designed to be aesthetically appealing. Many of the memes doing the rounds ridiculed the PS5’s design by labeling it a Wi-Fi router, but it was all in good faith.

Before the console was unveiled, we got a glimpse of all the exclusives PlayStation has lined-up for us. At the top of the list were Spiderman Miles Morales and Horizon: Forbidden West. Both these games are sequels to blockbuster titles and two of the best-selling PlayStation exclusives of all time. Next came the revival of an old franchise, Ratchet, and Clank: Rift Apart. We have seen its capabilities on the DualSense preview video. You can take a look at it here.

Next comes Godfall, which is an upcoming game for PS5 and Microsoft Windows but has no plans yet for Xbox.  So we can include it in this list. Another such game is Arkane Studio’s Deathloop. This game is a timed PS5 exclusive and will reveal plans for Xbox following the expiration of the exclusivity.

Comparing the arsenal of games Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 have

Let’s take them one by one. First up are the big ones. If you compare Halo Infinite to Spiderman Miles Morales or even Horizon Forbidden West, either of the two PlayStation exclusives will definitely stand out due to the fact that they were some of the best-selling games ever. Halo surely is Xbox’s biggest success and one of its oldest games, but these two still outmatch it in terms of popularity. The same will hold true if you put Hellblade 2 up against either of these PS exclusives.

If you say Forza, Sony says Gran Tourismo. Both these games have been around for a while, but Gran Tourismo has been entertaining us since 1997. However, this doesn’t mean it is better than Forza. This is where we get a stalemate in comparing the two games, as both of them are brilliant in their own way.

Everwild and Deathloop are potential blockbusters

When you take into consideration Xbox’s Everwild, it brings something entirely new to the table. The previews of the game look promising and it could clearly take on any upcoming Indie game, exclusive to the PS5.

Arkane’s Deathloop would be a great match for Everwild. Even though it is wildly different, it introduces us to an entirely new type of gameplay experience. This game may be a timed exclusive but has the potential to make big money for Sony during its exclusivity.

Avowed is a game that you could compare to Godfall. Avowed showed us setting in a Skyrim-esque combat mode, where you have a sword in one hand and magic in the other. Godfall is a third–person game that looks much like God of War but doesn’t look as meticulously designed as Kratos’ game. Here too, we end in a stalemate as these games may or may not perform as well.

And last but not the least, Ratchet and Clank: Rift apart against the State Of Decay 3. R&C is a widely popular PlayStation classic while the previous editions of SoD have been criticized for its gameplay. Honestly, the SoD 3 cinematic trailer looked very intriguing but even here Ratchet wins on sheer popularity.

So there you have it. PlayStation clearly still has the upper-hand in the exclusives battle. Though Microsoft could get it right with some of its titles, it still has a long way to go compared to Sony. Hopefully, this battle will intensify with further exclusives coming our way from both the companies. Only time will tell who wins this exclusives race.