Xbox Series X offers superior raw processing power (12 TFLOPS vs 10.28 TFLOPS) and Game Pass's 500+ game library, while PS5 leads with exclusive AAA franchises (God of War, Final Fantasy) and a larger active player base of 50+ million users.
Xbox Series X vs PlayStation 5 — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Xbox Series X if you prioritize Game Pass's unbeatable value, cloud gaming convenience, and backward compatibility—Microsoft's subscription service is the best value in gaming with 500+ day-one titles. Choose PS5 if you want the industry's strongest exclusive franchises, a larger multiplayer community, and a more affordable storage upgrade path—Sony's first-party studios deliver the most critically acclaimed AAA experiences.
Microsoft's flagship console with 12 TFLOPS GPU power and Game Pass ecosystem
Sony's console featuring 10.28 TFLOPS GPU with industry-leading exclusive game library
Xbox Series X vs PlayStation 5 — Comparison Data
Structured comparison data for Xbox Series X vs PlayStation 5 with 253 attributes.
Standard Console Launch Price (MSRP 2026)
Xbox Series X vs PlayStation 5 — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Xbox Series X vs PlayStation 5.
Xbox Series X has superior raw GPU performance at 12 TFLOPS vs PS5's 10.28 TFLOPS (16.5% advantage). However, real-world gaming performance is nearly identical—both deliver 4K 120Hz—due to optimized development and Sony's custom CPU architecture. The performance difference rarely translates to visible FPS improvements in actual gameplay.
Is Game Pass worth it compared to PlayStation Plus?
Game Pass ($17/month for Ultimate) includes 500+ games with day-one AAA releases and cloud gaming access, making it exceptional value. PlayStation Plus Extra ($11.99/month) offers 400 games but typically excludes new Sony exclusives for 6-12 months after launch. For value-conscious players, Game Pass is superior; for exclusive access, PlayStation Plus Extra is the trade-off.
PlayStation 5 leads significantly with 12 major exclusive franchises (God of War, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Spider-Man 2, Astro's Play Room series) averaging 88+ Metacritic scores. Xbox Series X has 8 major exclusives (Halo Infinite: 81 Metacritic, Starfield: 83 Metacritic) and relies more on Game Pass third-party diversity. PS5's catalog is objectively more critically acclaimed for story-driven experiences.
PS5 expansion is significantly cheaper: 1TB NVMe SSD drives cost $75-$90 and use standard hardware. Xbox Series X requires proprietary Seagate Storage Expansion ($220 for 1TB), making upgrades 2.4x more expensive. If you plan storage expansion beyond 1TB, PS5 is substantially more economical.
Which console has a bigger online community?
PS5 dominates with 50 million monthly active players vs Xbox Series X's 25 million. This 2:1 advantage means larger multiplayer matchmaking pools, more active communities in franchises like Call of Duty and Fortnite, and better long-term player retention for online-focused games. Multiplayer game availability is identical, but PS5's network is substantially more populated.