It’s a new year, you’re a gamer who hasn’t been in the hobby for a while and you want a new console. You look at the Xbox Series S|X and the PlayStation 5|Pro. You remember the good days of old, the console war of exclusives and ecosystems and you finally reach the big question.
Which console has the better games in 2025? The answer is more complicated than it seems, and it all depends on what kind of gamer you are. The easy answer is the PS5 but the thing is, Microsoft isn’t fighting back with the Xbox Series S|X, its main competitor is the Xbox Game Pass. But what does that even mean?
Xbox vs Playstation looks very different in 2025
Sony’s reputation for high-quality exclusives remains unmatched in 2025. The PS5 has continued to deliver standout titles such as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, God of War Ragnarök, and Horizon Forbidden West, games which are the defining titles of the current generation. Astro Bot, 2024’s Game of The Year, is also under PlayStation’s belt.
👑 GAME OF THE YEAR
👑 BEST FAMILY GAME
👑 BEST GAME DIRECTION
👑 BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAMETHE ASTRO BOT SWEEP IS CRAZY.#GameAwards2024 pic.twitter.com/jvJ2V5tXNL
— JOLLY J✨ (@DynamoSuperX) December 13, 2024
In 2024, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Stellar Blade, Rise of the Ronin, and Silent Hill 2 Remake were added to an already impressive lineup. And while Microsoft has been catching up, PlayStation still holds the edge when it comes to the sheer variety and quality of first-party games. Part of this is because Microsoft has abandoned that aspect of the console wars.
While Xbox initially struggled with exclusive titles at the start of this generation, Microsoft’s acquisitions of Bethesda and Activision-Blizzard are starting to bear fruit. The Xbox Series X has gotten titles like Starfield, Forza Motorsport 8, and Halo Infinite. On top of this, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a major exclusive in early 2025, but it’s set to come to PS5 later this year.
“I’m not trying to move them all over to Xbox anymore..let’s just allow more people to play.”
Phil Spencer says Xbox will also show PS5 logo during their Showcases for which games are releasing on all platforms
(via @xboxera podcast) pic.twitter.com/HusJzizBmI
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) February 16, 2025
And that’s where we can see this new strategy from Microsoft and Xbox. Rather than relying solely on exclusive titles, Microsoft is going all in on its Game Pass service to be the main platform with its extensive and ever-growing library of games. Microsoft’s decision to release some of its biggest games on PlayStation as well shows that exclusivity is no longer its primary goal.
Microsoft isn’t even focusing on hardware anymore
The idea that “everything is an Xbox” means that players no longer need a console to access Microsoft’s library. This does make us ask some questions about the future. If future titles like The Elder Scrolls 6, and Gears of War become available on PlayStation and other platforms, will the Xbox console itself still be relevant?
In terms of sales, PlayStation is ahead according to recent reports. In November 2024, estimates suggested that the PS5 outsold the Xbox Series X/S by more than five-to-one, with Sony selling 4.1 million units compared to Microsoft’s 767,000. The launch of the PS5 Pro will have no doubt been a help, despite its somewhat egregious pricing.
If the debate is purely about high-quality exclusives, PlayStation is still winning. But Microsoft’s strategy of making its ecosystem accessible across multiple devices is a real curve ball. Game Pass makes it easier for players to access a wider variety of games at a lower cost, and it’s already been a big hit. So who knows what the future holds?
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
