The Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 are the most powerful next-gen gaming consoles on the market. They both boast some seriously advanced specs and provide a gaming experience that is simply incomparable to past generations.

Each of these consoles is capable of loading games at ridiculous speeds. But how exactly do they compare? Sometimes just looking at specs on paper isn’t quite enough, so we decided to put both systems to the test to see which one is faster.

PS5 or Xbox Series X: Which Console Is Faster on Paper?

Both consoles are quite similar in terms of specs, but there is one that has an edge over the other. Both have 8-Core CPUs from AMD, but the Xbox Series X just exceeds the PS5 with 3.86GHz compared to 3.5GHz.

The Xbox Series X also comes out on top in terms of storage, offering a robust one Terabyte SSD compared to the PS5’s 825GB. However, the way that Sony integrated its storage into the console actually boosts the overall performance of the system, making it much faster.

Hands holding PS5 and Xbox Series X controllers
Image Credit: Miguel Lagoa/Shutterstock


 

But what does this all mean, and what is the best way to measure a console's speed? The easiest way to measure which console would be fastest is to see whether the Xbox Series X or the PS5 has the most Teraflops.

And no, that’s not a made-up word. "Flops" stands for floating point operations per second. Essentially, the system's performance is measured by the number of floating point calculations it can make within a certain timeframe. The more, the better. And in the case of teraflops, the Xbox Series X wins again with 12.1 teraflops, compared to 10.3 teraflops for the PS5.

So on paper, the Xbox Series X is the clear winner. But does the Xbox Series X really live up to its expectations in practice?

PS5 or Xbox Series X: Which Console Boots Up Faster?

To accurately put these two consoles to the test, we ran several experiments on them to see which was faster at performing certain tasks. The first test we ran was to see which console was faster at booting up.

First, we measured how long it took each console to turn on after being shut down. It took the Xbox Series X 18 seconds to turn on, and the PS5 took 23 seconds. In this example, the Xbox Series X is the clear winner. Sure, five seconds doesn’t make a huge difference in your day, but every moment counts.

Image of PS5 and Xbox controller

Many gamers choose to put their consoles into sleep mode instead of turning them off completely, so it was only right to time the consoles booting up from sleep mode as well. And in this case, the results weren’t so close. The Xbox Series X took 3 seconds to turn on from sleep mode, while the PS5 took a full 13 seconds to complete the same task.

PS5 or Xbox Series X: Which Console Is Faster for Cross-Gen Games?

Turning the system on is one thing, but it would be much more practical to see which console is faster at what gamers do best, playing games. Every game is different, however, and they all have unique load times. So for the first game-related test, it only seemed fair to time each console's efficiency at loading the same cross-platform game.

In this case, we tested both consoles to see which was faster at installing and loading up Overwatch 2. In the end, it took the Xbox Series X one hour and 21 minutes to download Overwatch 2 and the PS5 only one hour and six minutes.

Downloading Overwatch 2 on the PS5

Of course, it’s going to take any console a long time to download a game. Once it is downloaded, though, how long does it take each console to boot it up? For us, it took the Xbox Series X 13 seconds and the PS5 nine seconds to load up Overwatch 2.

PS5 or Xbox Series X: Which Console Is Faster for Exclusive Games?

Cross-platform games aren’t each console’s specialty, exclusive games that are specifically made for them are. The main reason why you purchase a video game console is for the games it plays, after all, so it is safe to say a large percentage of gamers are going to have at least one exclusive title on the system they own.

We wanted to see how each console fared loading these exclusive titles. For the Xbox Series X, we loaded up Forza Horizon 5 to see how long that would take. From the moment we selected the game to the time we could actively interact with it, 16 seconds had elapsed.

Forza Horizon 5 Title  Screen

For the PlayStation 5, we chose to load up Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which promptly loaded in 12 seconds. Both consoles were extremely efficient at loading up their respective titles in a timely manner, but once again, the PS5 won by a couple of seconds.

The PS5 Is the Fastest Console Overall

When it comes to what console is faster, the answer is somewhat unexpected. Rather than one console winning in every category, it appears that the Xbox Series X is much faster at completing system-related tasks, such as turning on or booting back up from sleep mode, whereas the PS5 was more proficient at installing and loading up games.

But when you are considering what console is fastest overall, it is important to weigh up all the options and take a look at how much time you are really saving. In day-to-day gaming, you’re going to be spending a lot more time installing, launching, and switching between games than you are booting up your system for the first time each day. So, in the long run, the PS5 is going to provide you with a much faster gaming experience.

A DualSense controller leaning against PS5 console and pink and purple lighting

If you're trying to decide whether to get the PS5 or the Xbox Series X this generation and speed is important for you, go for the PS5. While there are a number of unique advantages that the Xbox Series X has over the PS5, unfortunately, speed isn't one of them.

Make Every Moment Count With the PS5

These experiments just go to show that you can’t trust everyone’s resume. Just because something looks better on paper, it doesn’t mean that is always going to be the case when it really comes down to it.

Even though the PlayStation 5 doesn’t have as many teraflops as the Xbox Series X, it still performs faster in general, and you will be spending less time staring at loading screens and more time gaming on Sony’s next-gen console.