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)
