"Xbox Hits: Oblivion, Minecraft, Forza Outsell PS5 Games"

Microsoft's multiplatform strategy is clearly paying dividends, as evidenced by their successful launches on PlayStation 5, in addition to Xbox Series X and S and PC. Sony's PlayStation blog post for April 2025 confirmed this, showcasing the top-selling games on the PlayStation Store.

In the U.S. and Canada, Microsoft games dominated the top three spots on PS5's non-free-to-play download chart: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Minecraft, and Forza Horizon 5. Europe saw a similar trend, with Forza Horizon 5 leading, followed by The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and Minecraft.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, backed by Microsoft for a day-one Game Pass launch and featured in Xbox showcase broadcasts, also ranked highly on both charts. Additionally, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 from Microsoft-owned Activision and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from Microsoft-owned Bethesda made strong showings.

This success underscores that quality games, regardless of their origin, can top sales charts. It's no surprise to see these titles performing well on PlayStation, especially with the PS5's demand for a game like Forza Horizon 5, which was eagerly awaited upon its April release on the console. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered caters to the Bethesda fanbase across platforms, while Minecraft continues to soar in popularity, boosted by the viral success of the Minecraft movie.

This trend marks the new normal for Microsoft, highlighted by the recent announcement of Gears of War: Reloaded for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, set to launch in August. It seems likely that even Halo, once an Xbox exclusive, may follow suit.

Last year, Microsoft's gaming chief Phil Spencer emphasized that there are no "red lines" in their first-party lineup regarding multiplatform releases, including Halo. In a conversation with Bloomberg, Spencer indicated that every Xbox game could potentially go multiplatform. "I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say 'thou must not,'" he stated.

Spencer has explained that the multiplatform strategy is partly driven by the need to increase revenue for Microsoft's gaming division, especially after the monumental $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. "We run a business," Spencer remarked in August. "It's definitely true inside of Microsoft the bar is high for us in terms of the delivery we have to give back to the company. Because we get a level of support from the company that's just amazing and what we're able to go do."

"So I look at this, how can we make our games as strong as possible? Our platform continues to grow, on console, on PC, and on cloud. It's just going to be a strategy that works for us."

Xbox Games Series Tier List

Former Xbox executive Peter Moore told IGN last year that bringing Halo to PlayStation would have been a topic of discussion at Microsoft for some time. "Look, if Microsoft says, wait, we're doing $250 million on our own platforms, but if we then took Halo as, let's call it a third-party, we could do a billion… You got to think long and hard about that, right?" Moore stated.

"I mean, you just got to go, yeah, should it be kept? It's a piece of intellectual property. It's bigger than just a game. And how do you leverage that? Those are the conversations that always happen with, how do you leverage it in everything that we would do?"

"It's had its ups and downs, but look, Xbox wouldn't be what Xbox is without Halo. But yeah, I'm sure those conversations are happening. Whether they come to fruition, who knows? But they're definitely happening, I'm sure."

Microsoft faces potential backlash from hardcore Xbox fans who feel the console's value is diminishing due to fewer exclusives and the company's marketing approach. The potential release of Halo on PlayStation could further fuel this discontent. However, Moore emphasized to IGN that such reactions would not deter Microsoft from making strategic business decisions.

"The question would be, ultimately, is that reaction enough not to make a fundamental business decision for the future of not only Microsoft’s business, but gaming in itself?" Moore said. "Those hardcore are getting smaller in size and older in age. You've got to cater to the generations that are coming through, because they're going to drive the business over the next 10, 20 years."