What PS5 and Xbox Series X games will actually be released in 2020?

How important are launch games for a new console? The answer varies greatly.

Some consoles launch with generation-defining games, like the original Xbox with Halo: Combat Evolved, or the N64 with Mario 64. But in the last generation, the 2013 launches weren't not terribly important for software. Xbox One highlights included a Forz gamehas reliable, the very good Dead Rising 3 and the disappointing Ryse: Son of Rome. PS4 was launched with the forgotten Killzone: Shadow Fall, the highly memorized Knack and the excellent Resogun shooter.

Our memory at the end of 2013 is that everyone was playing Assassin 's Creed 4: Black Flag or Call of Duty on their new consoles, or even persisted with the then recent GTA 5 on their PS3 or Xbox 360. The exclusive highlights of the PlayStation 4 did not arrive until much later, although it is fair to say that Destiny was one of the first major moments of the console. This happened 10 months in the life of the console in September 2014.

So, with that in mind, how important is the launch window for this generation of console?

Honestly, in our opinion, it is more important for Microsoft than for Sony. The PS5 comes out of the enormous goodwill of the PS4, and unless it costs too much, it is likely to sell duringt the holiday season, whatever games are available at launch. The Xbox Series X is well-placed to take advantage of Microsoft's efforts to improve its gaming offering in recent years, but it comes from a generation that Microsoft has passed entirely to second place. It is up to them to make a big splash.

Launching with a Halo game is Microsoft's declaration of intent that it wants to hit the ground with software this time.

We know a lot more about what Sony is doing at launch than Microsoft at the moment, with only Halo Infinite confirmed by internal Xbox studios. We expect more games to be announced at the Xbox game-focused July presentation, however, which will certainly include a new entry in the Forza Motorsport series.

But what new games will officially arrive on Sony and Microsoft consoles in 2020 right nowent? On paper, it's not really much, but each console has a few titles that deserve to be excited if you're considering being one of the first to adopt. Here we will talk about the two potential launch lines so far and provide an easy-to-read list of guaranteed games for the next generation before the end of the year.

• PS5 games: which ones we know
• Xbox Series X games: what will you play on the next Xbox?
• PS5 vs Xbox Series X: who will win?

What the PS5 has so far

(Image credit: Sony / Arkane)

Although the Sony presentation at the start of the month was well received, the actual number of Sony exclusives from first part, we're sure PS5 will be released this year is ... one.

It's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which is exciting, but has been compared to Uncharted: The Lost Legacy in its scope, and therefore should be a smaller experience than 2018 's Spider-Man on PS4. There is also Astro ' s Playhouse, technically, a game that will be pre-installed on your PS5, and designed to show the DualSense controller.

That's not to say Spider-Man is the only console exclusive this year., esteemed creators of Dishonored, Arkane Studios, will be released on PS5 and PC in 2020. We expect it to be a timed exclusivity, simply because it is published by Bethesda, and is not in-house Game Sony. A similar deal appears to cover BeGhostwire from Thesda: Tokyo, but it didn't come out until 2021.

This makes us wonder if Sony has come up with some timed exclusive offers just to make sure that there were enough big PlayStation 5 versions only this year. The other games that fall into the exclusive category except on PC are Godfall from Gearbox, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and Jett: The Far Shore, all of which are destined for late 2020 launches (and are also coming to PC). Bugsnax is another, but it also happens on PS4.

It's fair to say that Sony could have been more specific with some of the details of the release around its biggest headlines during the presentation. Mbut again, with an interest in the PS5 at such a high level, we think Sony is more interested in maintaining momentum on the console after launch.

Although the price may affect how it goes, we expect the PS5 to sell regardless of this year. A Bloomberg in April suggested that fewer PS5s will be available at launch than there were PS4 units, so it is unlikely that Sony needs more software push than a new Spider-Man game anyway.

Everything that was announced at the event for PS5 to be released by Sony, such as Gran Turismo 7, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon Forbidden West and Returnal will be released in 2021 or later, based on what we currently know.

So here are the new games we know are coming to PS5 this year. We focused on new titles for 2020 here, not just on existing game ports like Fortnite, although we have included new 2020 game editions like Marvel 's Avengers.

Note that this is likely to grow as we get closer to launch, and there will inevitably be a new Call of Duty here at some point.

• FIFA 21
• Madden 21
• Deathloop
• Assassin 's Creed Valhalla
• Marvel ' s Avengers
• Astro 's Playhouse
• Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• NBA 2K21
• Deathloop
• Dirt 5
• Godfall
• Jett: The Far Shore
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Observer: System Redux
• Outriders
• Planet Coaster: Console Edition
• Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 (provisionally)

What about the Xbox Series X?

(Image credit: Microsoft)

We expect Microsoft to have at least Halo Infinite and an eighth Forza Motorsport game ready f or the launch period of the Xbox Series X. We also believe that it is likely that the restart of the previously announced Microsoft Flight Simulator will be 'optimized for the Xbox Series X', although so far this is only announced for Xbox One and PC.

Like Sony, Microsoft has a number of exclusives from outside studios, such as Call of the Sea, The Medium and The Ascent. It is also the only new generation platform to receive the new Yakuza game at launch.

Otherwise, expect to know more about what Microsoft plans to launch during the undated July Xbox Series X livestream, which will focus on games from internal Xbox studios. It is then that we will have our first glimpse of Halo Infinite.

Here are the games we know so far.

• FIFA 21
• Madden 21
• Halo Infinite
• Assassin 's Creed Valhalla
• Marvel ' s Avengers
• NBA 2K21
• The Ascent
• Dirt 5
• Observer: Redux system
• Outriders
• Appelof the Sea
• The Medium
• Planet Coaster: Console Edition
• Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 (temporarily)
• Yakuza: Like A Dragon

And remember, even if Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't get a release official on Xbox Series X and PS5 this year, it will be backward compatible on both consoles. This is something you can guarantee that everyone will be playing at the end of this year.

• The best games of 2020 to date