The 40 Best Console-Exclusive Games of This Generation (PS4, Xbox One, and Switch)
In the gallery above, we rank the 40 highest-scoring games that appeared on only one of the three current generation hardware platforms (Sony's PlayStation 4, Microsoft's Xbox One, and Nintendo's Switch). Titles are ranked by their Metascores, which reflect the consensus views of professional game critics.
Games with fewer than 15 reviews are excluded, and expansions, DLC packs, and multi-game compilations are excluded as well. (But games still qualify if they are also available on prior-generation hardware, PC, or handheld/mobile devices—just as long as they appear on no more than one of the three major current consoles.)
The best console-exclusive title of the current generation was a launch title for Nintendo's Switch console in early 2017 and a continuation of one of gaming's most storied franchises, The Legend of Zelda. In fact, it's the best-selling entry in the series, and a sequel is in development.
“Many games have presented a 'go anywhere, do anything' structure, but few have been filled with places, challenges and mysteries as intriguing and charming as Breath of the Wild. The massive land of Hyrule, from beautiful grassy plains and craggy mountains to marshy swamps and long-forgotten ruins, is rife with wildlife, monsters, villages and all manner of suspicious landmarks that tug constantly at your curiosity, and demand to be investigated.” —The Sydney Morning Herald