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The next-generation PlayStation and Xbox were released in the fall of 2020, and if you aren’t already excited for a particular model, it’s a complicated time to decide what to buy. Which games you like to play, what level of graphics performance you value, how you play online, and even which system is available to buy all go into deciding which console is best for you.
Stock issues have plagued both new console lines since they launched, but in 2023, it’s getting easier to find them regularly at major retailers. Supply still isn’t perfect though, and even used PlayStation 4 and Xbox One last-generation consoles are selling for high prices on online auction sites like eBay. Although there are hundreds of great games to play on those last-gen consoles, we don’t think you should pay more than $200 for a used system. Unfortunately, those previously owned systems are routinely selling for $300 or more at this writing, and new last-gen consoles aren’t being made.
The easiest console to find right now is also the most popular. The Nintendo Switch is a nice console with fun games and few downsides, and it’s a favorite among Wirecutter staffers—both the casual players and the video game pros. You can read more about the Switch (including the new OLED Model), and why it appeals to so many people, in the Switch section below.
If you’re shopping for a console to give to someone else, we recommend sticking with whatever brand of console they last had (and saving the receipt). Sticking with one brand means that they can still play the games they already have and connect with the same friends online. It also means they’ll be able to play the sequels to any platform-exclusive games they already love.
For everyone else, if you’re ready to jump into the next generation with the PlayStation 5 (disc or digital) or with the Xbox Series X or Series S, we’ve been testing both for more than two years now, and we can help guide you through the differences. If you already know which brand you’ll choose, we also have separate guides dedicated to the new Xbox Series X|S options and the new PlayStation 5 options. With the PlayStation and Xbox platforms offering similar graphics capabilities (at least on paper) at similar prices, the reasons to choose a PlayStation over an Xbox revolve mostly around which games you want to play and how you want to play them.
Sony PlayStation 5 – The best PS5. This version of the PS5 has a disc drive so you can watch UHD Blu-ray movies, as well as play new or used PS5 and PS4 game discs. The rest of the features and hardware are the same as in the other version.
Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – Same, but no disc drive. The Digital Edition doesn’t include a disc drive, so you can’t watch Blu-rays or take advantage of new or used games, or old PS4 discs. But if you’re comfortable going all digital, it has the same graphics, CPU, memory, and storage hardware as the standard PS5 does.
The PlayStation 4 had more top-rated exclusive titles than the Xbox One. Previously, most of them were available only on the PS4, while the Xbox One’s exclusives were often available on the PC, too. However, PlayStation has expanded its PC release strategy, and games including God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Death Stranding, Horizon Zero Dawn, a collection of Uncharted games, Returnal, and even the 2022 remake of The Last of Us: Part I have received or are receiving high-profile PC versions. You can still expect the successful exclusives to get sequels on the PlayStation 5 first, but few are available so far, and most of them will still appear on the PlayStation 4, as well. Both new console platforms will get some of the same major titles, as well, including installments from franchises such as Call of Duty, Destiny, and Madden. Since Microsoft purchased the makers behind major series like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom in the fall of 2020, we don’t expect future titles in those series to appear on PlayStation platforms. This may tip the balance in Xbox’s favor when it comes to exclusives—or games available in its subscription offerings—in the future. If you plan on playing online games, get the console your friends have. Although cross-platform multiplayer allowing interaction among players on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC is now fairly common, Sony sometimes doesn’t support this feature on bigger titles. Both the PlayStation and Xbox platforms require subscriptions for access to even basic online functions. For PlayStation, this subscription is called PlayStation Plus; for Xbox, it’s called Xbox Live Gold.
The PS Plus subscription service has membership options in the form of three tiers: PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, and Premium. The baseline subscription, PS Plus Essential, starts at 55Eiro per year, with annual prices rising to 100 and 130Eiro respectively for Extra and Premium. Members of any tier with a PlayStation 5 console get access to a collection of 19 games—including some major titles—but this catalog is only offered until May 9, 2023. That’s in addition to online play, the standard two free games a month (of varying quality), and special discounts on some titles during sales. You keep the free games as long as you have a PS Plus subscription, but you lose access to them if you cancel, even if you’ve already downloaded them. Those who subscribe to the more expensive PS Plus tiers, Extra and Premium, gain access to additional game catalogs.
You do not have to pay for PS Plus to use streaming video services like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. You don’t need PS Plus to use the PlayStation 5’s party voice chat system to voice-chat with friends (and as of mid-2021, Xbox Live doesn’t have this restriction, either).
Sony is releasing a new, PS5-native VR headset called the PlayStation VR2 on February 22, 2023. If you’ve already bought into the PlayStation VR ecosystem, note that the PS5 is mostly backward-compatible, so you can play the same games on it. But to do so, you need to use all the same accessories—including the camera, which needs a special adapter to connect to the PS5—from your PS4. If you don’t already have a PlayStation VR setup, consider waiting for the PSVR 2. Although standalone VR headsets like the Oculus Quest 2 can be more immersive, the PlayStation VR platform offers a fun way to play favorites like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Resident Evil 7, and Doom (for more titles, see the full list of compatible VR games). There’s no VR equivalent on the Xbox platform, and the closest thing—motion tracking with the Kinect camera accessory—is absent in the new systems.
Both Sony and Microsoft have made their new consoles backward-compatible (with some exceptions), so when it comes to your buying decision, the difference lies in what older games you own and what older games you want to play. If you want only a single console, a PS5 makes for a clear upgrade over a PS4. But if you’re open to two consoles and not loyal to either online multiplayer network, that might be a compelling reason to switch platforms: If you have an Xbox One now, buying a PlayStation 5 gives you access to many (but maybe not all) PS4-exclusive games you missed (and the same holds true if you have a PS4 and buy a new Xbox).
If you’re ready for a PlayStation 5, there’s one last thing to keep in mind: its size. At 41cm tall with the included base, the PS5 is a huge console, and it won’t fit well in a lot of media centers, vertically or horizontally. If you really want a PlayStation, we don’t think its size is a reason to skip it. But measure your space to make sure you know where it will fit. The standard PS5 with the Blu-ray drive is 41 by 10.5 by 26.5cm.
Microsoft Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles.
Microsoft Xbox Series X – The best Xbox. Get the Series X if you’ll use it with a 4K TV (now or eventually), want the absolute best in graphics like raytraced lighting effects, or if you want a disc drive for games and movies.
Microsoft Xbox Series S – Less for less. The Series S doesn’t take full advantage of TVs with 4K resolution, and it lacks a disc drive, which is a downside if you own a lot of physical games or movies or like to buy them used. But it still lets you play the new generation of games, and it’s a great value paired with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
With the Xbox and PlayStation platforms offering similar graphics capabilities (at least on paper) at similar prices, the reasons to get an Xbox instead of a PlayStation revolve mostly around which games you want to play and how—that, and Xbox Game Pass.
Last generation, the Xbox One didn’t have as many critically acclaimed exclusive games as the PS4 did, but it still had a solid library of titles you couldn’t get on PlayStation. The Series X and Series S will continue many of those franchises, including Halo, Gears of War, Doom, Wolfenstein, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and more, and many of their subsequent titles will also launch on Game Pass on day one. Microsoft is also in the process of acquiring Activision Blizzard, the company behind franchises like Diablo, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and Call of Duty, but Overwatch 2 still launched on multiple platforms, and upcoming games like Diablo IV will follow suit. Microsoft has also confirmed that future Call of Duty installments will not be exclusive to Xbox consoles.
Game Pass is a major reason to consider an Xbox over a PlayStation. For 12Euros a month, Game Pass Ultimate gives you access to more than 400 games, plus an Xbox Live Gold membership for online multiplayer. The subscription service offers access to major titles—every Forza title, every Gears of War game, every Halo title, most of Bethesda’s game library, and more. The number of titles, along with Microsoft’s commitment to put the games it makes (or funds) on the service the same day they launch, sets Game Pass apart from the closest equivalent on a PlayStation (PS Plus.)
As media centers, the new Xbox and the PS5 are similarly competent and capable of serving as the brain of your living room. Both can output 4K video from digital collections or streaming services. And the Xbox Series X and the standard PS5, each costing $500, both have a UHD Blu-ray drive if you want to watch 4K movies on disc. Unlike the PS5, both versions of the new Xbox support Dolby Atmos audio and Dolby Vision video from streaming services, so if you’ve built a home theater setup around that (or even DTS:X surround sound), choosing one of the Xbox consoles makes sense.
Most flexible console: Nintendo Switch, Switch OLED Model, or Switch Lite.
Nintendo Switch – For people who like to play games everywhere. If you want a console that you can disconnect from the TV and take with you, or if you just prefer Nintendo’s games, the Switch is for you.
Nintendo Switch OLED Model – The most premium Switch experience. The Switch OLED Model has a beautiful screen and other improvements that make it worth the extra money, but it’s probably not the best option for younger kids.
Nintendo Switch Lite – A lighter, handheld-only version
The Switch Lite is smaller and lighter, but its lack of TV support means you can’t play multiplayer games with family or friends on the couch.
Unlike a PlayStation or an Xbox, the Nintendo Switch isn’t trying to be the center of your entire TV setup. It can’t do anything in 4K, and it doesn’t offer many streaming video apps. But it continues to do the thing that Nintendo consoles do best: play excellent, family-friendly, genre-defining Nintendo games from classic franchises like Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon. And although some Nintendo systems haven’t given players much to do in between Mario games, the Switch offers a huge library of engrossing indie games and quirky experiments like cardboard robots and fitness accessories.
The base-model Nintendo Switch (and the newer OLED Model) can act both as a home console and as a portable device like Nintendo’s 3DS. It consists of a small tablet with controllers attached, and you can connect it to your TV with a dock or use it as a handheld—the games look and play the same either way. The Switch is not as powerful as the PS4 or Xbox One S—to say nothing of the new PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S consoles—and it offers graphics quality somewhere between that of a PS3 and a PS4. But Nintendo has discontinued the 3DS and 2DS, making the portability and selection of Nintendo-designed and developed games on the Switch unlike that of any other console you can buy today.
There are three versions of the Switch. The original base model has a 15.7cm screen, detachable controllers, a kickstand that might let you prop it up on a table if you cross your fingers and wish really hard, and a dock that connects the Switch to your TV. The Switch OLED Model is similarly configured around a tablet with detachable controllers on the sides, but it features a 17.8cm screen with a small bezel that makes its viewable screen appear even larger compared with that of the base model. The titular OLED technology behind that screen lends it “perfectly” dark blacks and vibrant colors, and it also features improved speakers, more internal storage, and a built-in stand that’s actually useful. In contrast, the Switch Lite has a 14cm screen, built-in non-detachable controls, no kickstand, and no TV output, but it sells for much less. You also need a microSD card, because the Switch has only 32 GB of internal storage.
We recommend the full-size Switch to almost everyone, especially if you’re buying your household’s first Switch or if you want to play multiplayer games like Mario Kart or Smash Bros. on your couch. The Switch Lite is best as a second Switch for a family member with smaller hands, or for someone who doesn’t care about connecting the console to a TV. Don’t buy the Switch Lite just to save money—the games still cost the same amount, and by the time you’ve spent 60Euro on half a dozen games, the 100Euro you saved by buying the Switch Lite doesn’t look like all that much.
The Switch’s library is mostly missing big franchises like Call of Duty, Red Dead Redemption, and Battlefield, in part because it’s difficult to get graphically intense games running as well on the Switch as they do on a PlayStation, an Xbox, or a modern PC. But it does have a big library of Nintendo-exclusive games that aren’t available on other consoles.
