The console exclusivity barriers continue to tumble. First, Forza Horizon 5, an Xbox game is the biggest seller of the year on PlayStation 5. Now, PlayStation Studios' Helldivers 2 has reached the top-selling position on the Xbox Store charts in both the US and UK.

It will be a huge awakening for PlayStation who have seen difficulties in growing their instal base generation-on-generation, meanwhile their PC expansion successes are well documented. Sony have been on a mission to expand their live service catalogue of games this generation and you don't need to read a thesis on the topic to know that hasn't worked. Fans upset at the lack of single player games that the PlayStation 4 dominated with; a slew of lacklustre remasters; and disasters like Concord which shutdown within a fortnight and other releases that had little to no fanfare like Foam Stars.

The platform have been struggling, not in the sense that the competition (Xbox) is likely to overtake them, but struggling to assert their dominance and expand in an era where the growth line struggles to head in shareholders' preferred direction. Xbox committed to their multiplatform strategy to the bemusement, anger and dismay of lifelong console gamers used to exclusivity. Though, it'd be hard to disagree that it's been a good financial move for Microsoft, especially as they look to recoup some of the phenomenal outlay of the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

So, when Sony announced - out of nowhere - that Helldivers 2 was making the transfer to Xbox, it seemed they were beginning to take baby steps in the shadows of Microsoft. Would this mean The Last of Us, God of War and Spider-Man will also go multiplatform? Or is it simply live service games PlayStation want to get on Xbox? What else will come to Switch given Lego Horizon Adventures came to Nintendo's last-gen mega seller? So many questions, so few answers.

Given the success of Helldivers 2 which we're about to get into, the opportunities now seem endless.

US and UK Xbox Store Helldivers 2 sales

In the US, the basic edition of Helldivers 2 tops the charts; with the Super Citizen Edition fourth. There are similar positions on the UK store sales charts with the base game top, and the Super Citizen Edition in third.

Given the phenomenal revenue opportunities from going multiplatform, it would be hard to see a future where exclusivity doesn't continue to erode. Gears of War: Reloaded sits within the top-10 PlayStation sellers in the UK right now, other Xbox titles like the excellent Indiana Jones and the Great Circle have previously also found PlayStation sales success. So, what games could realistically make the transition from one platform to another?

Further PlayStation games for Xbox

So far, only the MLB The Show series and Helldivers 2 have jumped to Xbox. Sports and shooter games tend to capture wider audiences and sell big volumes of copies, therefore these games make sense.For now, my expectation is that Sony will look to the following three pillars when choosing which games could become multiplatform:

1. Continue with the shooter and sports games as they capture broad audiences
2. Titles which were critical, but not necessarily commercial successes. Particularly those that have already come to PC.
3. Games that are not synonymous with being ‘first party PlayStation’ – eg The Last of Us, God of War and Uncharted.

This would mean the following may be viable for the "˜jump':

• Returnal - Although it has sold relatively well, a bigger audience will be welcomed. Particularly given Sony will be looking to grow interest in their upcoming sequel-not-sequel, Saros.
• Days Gone - The PS4-era open world zombie game was a sales success, although it's widely understood a sequel was cancelled at studio, Bend. The game became enhanced for PS5 and launched on PC in the first half of 2025, therefore a Xbox Series X/S generation version already exists.
• Until Dawn (Remake) - I don't think anyone is quite sure who was asking for the Until Dawn Remake on PlayStation 5; thus it'd be surprising if the game's sales made it worth the launch. The original PS4-generation launch didn't arrive on Xbox One, therefore an all-new audience on Xbox may be something Sony cannot resist.
• Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots - Arriving this week, the latest entry in the 28 year old franchise, Everybody's Golf (formerly Hot Shots Golf in NA) was something of a surprise. Golf games, including fun titles like Golf With Your Friends, continue to be successful. Why wouldn't Sony want a bigger playerbase for online communities? One would expect we'll see this on Switch 2 also, if it indeed does come to Xbox.
• Death Stranding 2 - I don't expect this will be anytime soon, but expect it in due course. The 2019 original surprised launched on Xbox Series last year, 5 years after launch. Following the same trajectory, we'll see Death Stranding 2 on Xbox in 2030. Better late than never, huh?

What about The Last of Us, God of War and Spider-Man? Honestly, I think not. The core PlayStation fanbase would see this as a step too far. PlayStation pride themselves on their marquee singleplayer franchises and they own the Spider-Man IP, and one fully expects they'll retain exclusivity for these select premium titles.

Further Xbox games for PlayStation

In stark contrast to the above, I think just about anything is up for PlayStation. Titles that still are to move over, and I fully expect will, are:

• Avowed – A big Xbox RPG launch earlier this year that somewhat filled The Elder Scrolls void. Prior to launch, former Obsidian Creative Director Carrie Patel didn't decline that the game would come to PS5 (Credit: MinnMax on YouTube). Patel has since left Obsidian for Netflix.
• South of Midnight - A tremendous and unique singleplayer title we loved here at GSC. Simply, more people need to, and should play this game. I'm sure by the end of the year, PlayStation gamers will have the opportunity to.
• Starfield - When Xbox acquired Bethesda, all anybody wanted to know was - is Starfield going to be console exclusive!? After declining to comment for an eternity, Starfield did skip PlayStation at launch. Earlier this year Bethesda assured fans of an exciting 2025, but stopped short of saying what that could include. With plenty of fan requested changes for Starfield supposedly being worked on, I would expect we see Starfield 2.0 launch within the next 12 months. And with that, a same day PlayStation 5 version.
• Halo - The big one. The "˜greenest' Xbox game there is. Halo Studios (formerly 343i) continue to redevelop the series on the Unreal Engine, with that I expect the game will be more easily portable to more consoles. Like Gears and Forza, it is inevitable.

Where does Nintendo fit in here?

For now, there’s no signs that Nintendo will branch out their franchises to other consoles. Nintendo games are built for the hardware they’re made for both technically and with the hardware’s controls in mind.

Of course the Wii’s controller isn’t coming back. And with the Nintendo DS / 3DS – there are games that’ll be locked away forever as the gaming reaper has taken the dual screen to its grave. It might even be unlikely that DS / 3DS games ever reach Nintendo Switch Online’s emulation.

What’s for sure, is that Sony and Microsoft see the dollar signs of Nintendo’s install base. Microsoft have signed a deal to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo’s platform, though 2025’s Black Ops 7 isn’t planned for Switch 2 at present. Lego Horizon Adventures came to Switch last year but there’s no hint at more PlayStation games coming to Switch / Switch 2, for now.

What will always be an issue in porting to Switch consoles though is the raw power of Nintendo’s consoles. Switch 2 is roughly as powerful as the Xbox Series S in terms of raw power (thanks, Gamerant), yet that doesn’t mean the games ported will run as splendidly as they do on this generations budget console. Borderlands 4 is already confirmed to run at 30fps on Switch 2, which isn’t a good sign for the Switch 2’s long-term power lifespan. The thought of playing Call of Duty at 30fps is actually rather horrifying, since the series has featured tremendous frame rates as far back as Call of Duty 2, a launch Xbox 360 title (oh, how I mourn Carentan).

I think it’s realistic to expect we see Sony and Microsoft trying to reach Nintendo gamers, though the quality may not match the ambition.

Whether you like it or not, the console wars are over. Exclusivity is eroding and the only way for shareholder’s to see growth is by finding new players entrenched on foreign hardware.

How do you feel about both consoles going multiplatform? Are there red lines that shouldn't be crossed? Who are the winners in this?

Let us know in the comments below and stick with GSC for all your gaming news.