"Xbox Games Outsell PS5 Titles: Oblivion, Minecraft, Forza Lead"

Microsoft’s multiplatform strategy is clearly yielding results, as demonstrated by its success on the PlayStation 5, alongside Xbox Series X|S and PC platforms.

This insight comes directly from Sony, as revealed in a recent PlayStation blog post detailing the top-selling PlayStation Store games for April 2025.

In both the U.S. and Canada, Microsoft titles dominated the non-free-to-play download chart on PS5, occupying the top three positions: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Minecraft, and Forza Horizon 5.

Europe followed a similar trend, with Forza Horizon 5 leading the pack, followed by The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, and then Minecraft.

Additionally, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, from Microsoft-owned Activision, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, from Microsoft-owned Bethesda, both made appearances in the listings.

What does this signify? Simply put, quality games—regardless of their publisher—tend to rise to the top. It's no shock that these titles are performing well, especially on PlayStation. The PS5 was in dire need of a high-quality racing experience like Forza Horizon 5, making its April launch highly anticipated. Meanwhile, Oblivion Remastered continues to satisfy the demand for classic Bethesda RPGs across platforms, and Minecraft remains evergreen in popularity, especially following the viral success of its recent movie adaptation.

Last year, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed there are no “red lines” when it comes to releasing first-party titles across multiple platforms—including Halo. Speaking to Bloomberg, he emphasized that every Xbox game is under consideration for multiplatform releases. “I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say ‘thou must not,’” Spencer stated.

Spencer has openly acknowledged that Microsoft’s shift toward multiplatform releases is partly aimed at generating greater revenue for its gaming division, particularly in light of the company’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

“We run a business,” Spencer said 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.”

As former Xbox executive Peter Moore explained to IGN last year, the idea of bringing Halo to PlayStation has likely been under serious discussion within 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 said.

“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.”

Of course, Microsoft risks alienating core Xbox fans who already feel the brand is losing value due to fewer exclusives and a shifting marketing approach. The potential loss of Halo to PlayStation could intensify fan frustration. However, Moore believes such backlash won’t prevent 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 [fans] 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.”