PS5 and Xbox Series X: every game coming out in 2021 and beyond


Just over two months after their release, the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S continue to be some of the most desirable gadgets in the world. While it’s still very difficult to get your hands on a new console, those lucky enough to own one can enjoy something unprecedented in modern gaming history. For the first time, next-gen console owners can take their existing library — whether it’s physical, digital, or a mix of the two — and bring it to a next-gen platform.

That gives consumers unprecedented freedom in deciding where they want to play and what performance benefits are worthwhile enough to upgrade. And technologies like cross-platform play and now even cross-generation support will allow people to still play with their friends, even if they don’t upgrade to the latest gaming hardware.

Yes, both consoles arrived within seven years of the last generation of console hardware. And while it’s likely within the first year of both consoles’ lifespan that many of the hottest titles may launch on last- and current-gen simultaneously, there’s still a good chunk of games that will be exclusive titles playable only a PS5 or Xbox Series X / S.

Besides 4K, the solid-state drives, and other spec changes, Microsoft and Sony have pledged to support close to every title in the existing console platforms’ libraries. Every Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One game currently playable on existing Xbox One hardware (minus Kinect games) will be playable on the Series X / S, while Sony is supporting a “vast majority” of PS4 games, totaling more than 4,000 titles. With both consoles early into their lifespan, it’s easy for many to return to older games to help fill the gap in between long wait periods for more titles to be added to each console’s library.

This changes the calculus a bit with regard to buying a new console. No longer do you have to abandon what you were playing on your old device and start anew. And thanks to some genuinely consumer-friendly initiatives like Xbox Smart Delivery and similar upgrade programs, plenty of the games we own now or are planning to buy in the next couple of months will not only work on the new platforms, but in most cases, they’ll also come with free upgrades from the standard PS4 and Xbox One versions. Sony also introduced the PlayStation Plus Collection, a library of PS4 games available for free with its online subscription service.

That leaves us with one big issue: how do you know what new games are coming out for which platforms and when? There’s also the painstaking process of parsing whether a game company is giving out a free next-gen upgrade of a cross-gen title, charging a little extra, or releasing a next-gen-only game.

2021 is packed full of new releases and full optimizations of cross-gen games that should further pad out what’s available to play on your new system of choice. We’ve compiled the list below to help you understand every game coming out during the first year of the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S.

This excludes games without release dates that may have been previously announced — like Elder Scrolls VI and the Fable reboot, for example — and any games that were released for either console in 2020, including launch titles. We’ve also chosen only to list release dates for games where the publisher has chosen a concrete date with both day and month.

PS5 & Xbox Series X/S 2021 Release Schedule

GameRelease DateXbox Series or PS5?Cross-gen?PC?
GameRelease DateXbox Series or PS5?Cross-gen?PC?
MXGP 202001/14/2021PS5 onlyNo, PS5 exclusiveNo
Hitman 301/20/2021BothFree upgrade from digitalYes
Ride 401/21/2021BothNoNo
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy01/26/2021PS5No, PS5 exclusiveYes
Cyber Shadow01/26/2021PS5 onlyNo, PS5 exclusiveYes
The Medium1/28/2021Xbox onlyNoYes
The Pedestrian1/29/2021PS5 onlyNo, PS5 exclusiveYes
Control: Ultimate Edition02/02/2021BothYes, upgrade only with Ultimate EditionYes
Destruction AllStars02/02/2021PS5 onlyNo, PS5 exclusiveNo
Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood02/04/2021BothYesYes
Nioh Remastered – The Complete Edition02/05/2021PS5 onlyNo, PS5 exclusiveNo
Nioh 2 Renastered – The Complete Edition02/05/2021PS5 onlyNo, PS5 exclusiveNo
Little Nightmares 202/11/2021BothYesYes
Yakuza: Like a Dragon03/02/2021 (PS5)Available now on Xbox, PS5 on 03/02/2021YesYes
Monster Energy Supercross: The Official Videogame 403/11/2021BothYesYes
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time03/12/2021BothYes, free upgradeYes
Samurai Spirits (aka Samurai Shodown)03/16/2021Xbox onlyYesYes
Marvel’s Avengers03/18/2021BothYes, free upgradeYes
Balan Wonderland03/26/2021BothYesYes
It Takes Two03/26/2021BothYesYes
Terminator: Resistance03/26/2021PS5 onlyYesYes
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 203/26/2021BothFree upgrade with Cross-Gen Digital Deluxe EditionYes
Disco Elysium: The Final CutMarch 2021 (PS5)PS5 on 03/031/2021; Xbox TBDYesYes
Kena: Bridge of SpiritsMarch 2021PS5 onlyYesYes
Outriders04/01/2021BothYesYes
Curse of the Sea Rats04/01/2021BothYesYes
Guilty Gear Strive04/09/2021PS5 onlyYesYes
MLB The Show 2104/20/2021BothOnly with Collector’s EditionNo
Judgement04/23/2021BothNoNo
Returnal04/30/2021PS5 onlyNo, PS5 exclusiveNo
Resident Evil Village05/07/2021BothYes, free upgradeYes
Hood: Outlaws & Legends05/10/2021BothYesYes
Deathloop05/21/2021PS5 onlyNo, PS5 exclusiveYes
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart06/11/2021PS5 onlyNo, PS5 exclusiveNo
Back 4 Blood06/22/2021BothYesYes
Solar AshJune 2021PS5 onlyYesYes
Little Devil InsideJuly 2021PS5 onlyYesYes
Ghostwire: TokyoOctober 2021PS5 onlyNoYes
12 Minutes2021Xbox onlyYesYes
Adios2021Xbox onlyNoYes
Aragami 22021BothYesYes
Blood Bowl 32021BothYesYes
Braid: Anniversary Edition2021BothYesYes
Bright Memory Infinite2021Xbox onlyNo, Xbox exclusiveYes
Chernobylite2021BothYesYes
Chivalry 22021BothYesYes
Chorus2021BothYesYes
Cris Tales2021BothYesYes
CrossfireX2021Xbox onlyYes, free upgradeYes
Cyberpunk 20772021BothYes, free upgradeYes
CYGNI: All Guns Blazing2021BothYesYes
DARQ: Complete Edition2021BothYesNo
Dawn of the Monsters2021BothYesYes
Dead Static Drive2021Xbox onlyYesYes
Doom Eternal2021BothYes, free upgradeYes
Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires2021BothYesYes
Echo Generation2021Xbox onlyYesYes
EcxoMecha2021Xbox onlyYesYes
Exo One2021Xbox onlyNoYes
Evil Dead: The Game2021BothYesYes
Evil West2021BothYesYes
Far Cry 62021BothYesYes
Final Fantasy XIV2021PS5Yes, free upgradeYes
F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch2021PS5 onlyYesYes
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach2021PS5 onlyYesYes
Flea Madness2021BothNoYes
Ghostrunner2021BothYesYes
God of War: Ragnarok2021PS5 onlyTBDTBD
Goodbye Volcano High2021PS5 onlyYesYes
Gotham Knights2021BothYesYes
Grand Theft Auto V2021BothYesYes
Graven2021BothYesYes
Guilty Gear Strive2021PS5 onlyYesYes
Halo Infinite2021Xbox onlyYesYes
Heavenly Bodies2021PS5 onlyYesYes
Hello Neighbor 22021Xbox onlyYesYes
Hellpoint2021BothYesYes
Horizon Forbidden West2021PS5 onlyYesYes
Hood: Outlaws and Legends2021BothYesYes
In Sound Mind2021BothNoYes
Insurgency: Sandstorm2021BothYesYes
Jett: The Far Shore2021PS5 onlyYesYes
King Arthur: Knight’s Tale2021BothNoYes
Lake2021Xbox onlyNoYes
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga2021BothYesYes
Little Witch in the Woods2021Xbox onlyNoYes
Metro Exodus2021BothYes, free upgradeYes
Microsoft Flight Simulator2021Xbox onlyNoYes
Mundaun2021BothYesYes
Neptunia ReVerse2021PS5NoNo
Oddworld: Soulstorm2021PS5YesYes
Party Crasher Simulator2021BothYesYes
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis2021Xbox onlyYesYes
Praey for the Gods2021PS5YesYes
Psychonauts 22021Xbox onlyYesYes
Riders Republic2021BothYesYes
RPG Time2021Xbox onlyNoYes
R-Type Final 22021BothYesYes
Ruined King: A League of Legends Story2021BothYesYes
Sable2021Xbox onlyYesYes
Scarlet Nexus2021BothYesYes
Scorn2021Xbox onlyNoYes
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II2021Xbox onlyTBDYes
She Dreams Elsewhere2021Xbox onlyYesYes
Shredders2021Xbox onlyNoYes
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One2021BothYesYes
Song of Iron2021Xbox onlyYesYes
Stray2021PS5 onlyYesYes
Subnautica / Subnautica: Below Zero2021BothYes, free upgradeYes
S.T.A.L.E.R. 22021Xbox onlyNoYes
Temtem2021 (Xbox)PS5 and PC available now; Xbox in 2021YesYes
The Artful Escape2021Xbox onlyYesYes
The Ascent2021Xbox onlyYes, free upgradeYes
The Big Con2021Xbox onlyNo, Xbox exclusiveYes
The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes2021BothYesYes
The Elder Scrolls Online2021BothYesYes
The Gunk2021Xbox onlyYesYes
The Last Stop2021Xbox onlyNoYes
The Wild at Heart2021Xbox onlyNoYes
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt2021BothYes, free upgradeYes
Tribes of Midgard2021PS5 onlyYesYes
Tunic2021Xbox onlyNoYes
Unlimited Fishing Simulator 22021BothYesYes
Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer’s Legacy2021Xbox onlyNoYes
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong2021BothNoYes
War Mongrels2021BothYesYes
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide2021Xbox onlyNoYes
Way to the Woods2021Xbox onlyNoYes
Project AthiaJanuary 2022PS5 onlyNo, PS5 exclusiveYes
Ark 22022Xbox onlyNo, Xbox exclusiveYes
Hogwarts Legacy2022BothYesYes
Gran Turismo 72022PS5 onlyNoNo
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League2022BothTBDYes
The Callisto Protocol2022BothNoYes
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum2022BothYesYes
Pragmata2023BothTBDYes

Update November 4th, 2020, 12:35PM ET: Added that ARK: Survival Evolved recently released an Xbox Series X enhancement update that will be available to new console owners on launch day.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated Haven would be a PS5-only release and that War Thunder would be Xbox Series-only at launch. Those are incorrect; Haven is also coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox One and as part of Game Pass at launch, and War Thunder is slated for PS5 mid-November. We regret the errors.

Update January 15th, 2021, 5PM ET: Updated to add additional titles releasing in 2021 and update any games that may have been delayed into this year.



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