The perfect-selling PS5 sport of 2025 to date is an Xbox port – Polygon

Forza Horizon 5 is being performed by thousands and thousands of individuals on PlayStation, numbers present
by Patricia Hernandez
Microsoft’s enterprise technique of transferring previous the constraints of proprietary platforms appears to be bearing fruit this 12 months, based mostly on gross sales numbers trickling in for the primary half of 2025. To this point, it appears that evidently probably the most profitable sport on the PS5 is none apart from Forza Horizon 5, a former Xbox unique racing sport that initially got here out 4 years in the past.
In response to figures shared by the Alinea Insight newsletter, Forza Horizon 5 has reached 3 million models bought on PS5, which makes it the top-selling sport on the platform so far. It’s adopted by titles like Monster Hunter Wilds (2.9 million) and Murderer’s Creed Shadows (2 million) on the charts. Each Wilds and Shadows lead the pack for best-selling video games throughout all platforms based mostly on the latest numbers shared by Circana, which locations Forza Horizon 5 within the high 20 general. Forza Horizon 5’s gross sales are spectacular, although, when you think about that it hit PS5 in April 2025 — so it’s solely had a couple of months to achieve the highest of the PlayStation charts. Maybe it helped that the open-world racer was lately on a 25% sale.
Forza Horizon 5 is the most recent in a long line of Xbox ports hitting PlayStation, which embrace exclusives like Hello-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded. Arguably, although, the cross-platform tactic isn’t a brand new one for Microsoft — video games like Minecraft are platform agnostic. However the method has confirmed controversial for followers who consider in issues like ‘console wars,’ and prospects who bought an Xbox for the precise objective of having fun with its unique video games. Whereas these folks is likely to be sad to know good Forza gross sales might inspire Microsoft to port much more titles to different platforms, the numbers additionally show audiences are hungry to play these experiences exterior of the Xbox ecosystem. Extra folks taking part in a sport doesn’t magically erase any enjoyment somebody would possibly’ve derived from it up to now.
Microsoft additionally hasn’t essentially ported each massive unique on its platform to the PS5, like Starfield or Avowed — at the least not but. However at this level, if an announcement does come down the pike, it shouldn’t be shocking. Xbox executives have been saying for a long time now that the corporate desires to carry its video games to as many screens as potential. It’s additionally not alone within the technique of releasing a timed unique, as evidenced by PS5 exclusives like Dying Stranding going multiplatform years after its unique launch.
Plus, there are nonetheless causes to purchase an Xbox — at the least you possibly can’t get subscription services like Game Pass on PS5. However with numbers like those Forza Horizon 5 is reaching, the reign of timed exclusives will most likely proceed for mainly everybody however Nintendo.
The perfect of Polygon in your inbox, each Friday.
© 2025 Valnet Inc.

source