The console wars between PlayStation and Xbox had all but died down in recent years. Games that were previously PlayStation or Xbox exclusives can be found on the opposite console after a period of timed exclusivity, such as Starfield releasing on PS5 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake releasing on Xbox, both for the first time this year. PC gamers had a similar situation, with most PlayStation games eventually making their way to the platform, typically after a few years of being console exclusive.
The days of simply waiting for a game to come to a player’s platform of choice may be over, as PlayStation has confirmed it’s no longer releasing first-party exclusives on PC, and Xbox looks primed to reel back in its exclusive titles as well. While first-party PlayStation games had always been exclusive to Sony consoles, the shift away from PC stings, and if Xbox starts walking back its PS5 releases, that would be another major step back from the cross-platform barriers that were being torn down over the past few years. The result may benefit Sony and Microsoft in the long run, but PlayStation, Xbox, and PC gamers will be the ones on the losing end of this trend.
10 PlayStation + PC Games Are Shutting Down on June 1
June 1 will see a culling of games across the PlayStation and PC space, with a total of 10 games taken offline on that date.
Now is the Worst Possible Time for the Console Wars to Restart
Sony’s recent announcement that first-party single-player PlayStation games will no longer be released on PC is a bit of a gut punch for players hoping to expand their Steam library with PlayStation console exclusives. Games like Ghost of Yotei and Saros have been big hits on the PlayStation 5, but now seem unlikely to ever make their way to PC the way that past PlayStation exclusives like God of War, The Last of Us Part 1 and 2, and the Marvel’s Spider-Man games have. While Sony is the only company to confirm this exclusivity shift so far, it’s starting to look like a broader industry trend that could carry a heavy toll with the rising price of hardware.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
PlayStation 6 Exclusives Could Come at a Hefty Price
Although Sony hasn’t officially confirmed it, all signs point towards the PlayStation 6 releasing in the next few years. According to some insiders, the PS6 could cost as much as $1,000, making it quite an investment for gamers wanting to play Sony’s upcoming slate of single-player games. Previously, PC gamers could simply wait until those titles made their way to Steam, but with Sony no longer planning to release these games on the platform, PC users will have to shell out potentially the price of another small PC just to experience games like Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and the inevitable Horizon 3.
Like this current console generation, it’s expected that some future PS6 games will also release on the PS5, even after the next-gen console launches. Typically, this means that PC or Xbox players could pick up a discounted PS5 to experience the exclusive games they want to play without committing to buying a brand-new full-priced console. However, the PS5 getting an unprecedented price increase six years into its lifespan means that this isn’t really a viable solution anymore.
Xbox is Considering Doubling Down on Exclusives
As Xbox undergoes some major changes with new CEO Asha Sharma taking over the helm, Microsoft’s plans for its future consoles could follow in Sony’s footsteps. Xbox Game Pass has already received a price cut to make it more affordable to gamers, and Sharma has also made it clear that she understands Xbox gamers’ desire to see a return to console exclusives. With Gears of War: Reloaded and Starfield now on PS5, and the upcoming Halo: Campaign Evolved planned to launch on Sony’s console as well, major steps have already been taken to blur the lines of exclusivity. However, Microsoft could just as easily pull back on these exclusive releases as a part of its effort to bolster the Xbox brand under Sharma’s leadership.
PC Used to Be a Middle Ground for Gamers Wanting Access to Both PlayStation and Xbox Games
Guess the games from the emojis.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Easy (120s)Medium (90s)Hard (60s)
Historically, PC gaming allowed players to experience the best of both console worlds, at the cost of a typically more expensive hardware set up and having to wait for PlayStation games to release at a later date. Xbox console exclusives aren’t likely to leave the PC anytime soon, given Microsoft’s ownership of Windows, but the PC is already a less valuable investment because of PlayStation no longer bringing its first-party games to the platform. At a minimum, PC players will need to own an additional PS5 or PS6 console if they want to play future first-party Sony games, and that doesn’t include the need for a Nintendo Switch 2 if they really want to have access to every new game release.
The Rising Prices of Both Games and Hardware Mean Committing to One Console May Be the New Norm
Having both an Xbox and a PlayStation, or even a nice gaming PC that can play games from both publishers, is something that’s becoming less and less attainable as the cost of gaming rises. While having a PC previously meant that players could mostly access any game they wanted outside of Nintendo exclusives, this new industry shift back toward exclusivity that Sony is pioneering means that players are going to need a minimum of two platforms to experience the biggest AAA gaming releases in the future. PlayStation gamers aren’t out of the woods either, as Xbox could about-face on its cross-platform launches under its new leadership direction just as easily as Sony has started pulling PC releases from its plans. The result is a situation that leaves gamers footing the bill for companies hoping to increase their brand’s value, which just makes gaming a less accessible hobby as a result.
