Over the last year or so, Xbox has become a major supporter of PlayStation 5. We’ve seen many Xbox published games brought over to the Sony system, including hits like Sea of Thieves and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The move seems to be working out well for Microsoft thus far, as these games have been selling very well. In fact, it seems that one former Xbox exclusive is now the best-selling new game on PS5 so far this year. According to Alinea Analytics (via Eurogamer), Forza Horizon 5 has sold more than three million copies on PS5 since the game’s release back in March.
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Prior to that accomplishment, Monster Hunter Wilds held the record, but Alinea Analytics credits a recent sale to Forza Horizon 5‘s newfound success. Interestingly enough, that number puts the game ahead of overall sales for Astro Bot, which isn’t projected to surpass three million copies until the end of the summer. That’s incredibly impressive, especially when you consider the fact that Forza Horizon 5 is technically a pretty old game; it was first released back in 2021 on Xbox platforms and PC.
In addition to Forza Horizon 5 and Monster Hunter Wilds, the top-selling new PS5 games this year also include Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Elden Ring Nightreign, and Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. That’s the system’s overall top 5 at the moment, but Alinea Analytics predicts that won’t remain the case through the end of the year. There’s reason to believe that is the case, as there are still some pretty high-profile games set to be released.
It’s not entirely surprising that PS5 fans are flocking to Forza Horizon 5; in my 2021 review for the Xbox Series X version, I called it a showpiece for what the hardware could do. Though few Xbox Series X games proved to be system sellers, it’s clear that a lot of PlayStation owners are taking great advantage of these games coming to their platform of choice. Forza Horizon 5 isn’t the only Xbox game doing big numbers on PS5, either. Last summer, it was reported that Sea of Thieves had sold more than 1 million copies on the platform.
In the short term, it certainly looks like Xbox’s decision to bring its games to multiple platforms is paying off. However, there are still a lot of questions about what this means for the future of the Xbox brand. With Microsoft bringing all of these games to PS5, there seems to be less incentive than ever for people to actually buy an Xbox console. Microsoft has frequently stated its desire to release another console following the Xbox Series X|S, but it remains to be seen whether it will actually happen, or how Microsoft can convince gamers to stay in their overall ecosystem.
Are you surprised that Forza Horizon 5 is outselling Astro Bot on PS5? Do you think these moves will hurt Xbox in the future? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
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