As time has gone on, games have become increasingly demanding, both due to the growing scope and graphical fidelity. This concept is nothing new, but the current console generation has proved time and time again that even with the most up-to-date hardware, sometimes, a game just won't run well. It is tough for developers to leverage the pretty restrictive power of a console, as, unlike a high-end gaming PC, the system specs like those found on the current Xbox lineup can be quite limiting, leading to poorer performance and tech issues that are virtually non-existent elsewhere.
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Making a game is difficult enough, but having to optimize and launch it on several completely different spec lists, whilst aiming for a fairly universal experience across the board, is becoming a bigger problem that has plagued several great games, specifically on the Series X. These otherwise exceptional games have launched in unfinished states, been delayed, and struggled to come close to the performance seen on similar spec PCs, which has led to far more criticism and frustration from diehard fanbases who would love to enjoy a well-polished gaming session, but they simply can't.
Baldur's Gate 3
A Generational Miss
Details:
- Series S memory limitations
- Missed peak cultural relevance
Baldur’s Gate 3 arrived on Xbox long after its cultural moment peaked, and the delay was tied directly to the hardware within the series lineup. Larian struggled to make split-screen co-op function reliably on Xbox Series S, whose lower memory ceiling created technical roadblocks not present on Series X or PS5. Because of this, the Series X version was effectively held hostage by the weaker machine, leading to a pretty significant delay that meant that the initial hype train had already left the station by the time it launched at the end of the year.
The reason this was such a big issue was that not only did Xbox players lose out for quite some time, but the company itself lost plenty of potential customers who would have otherwise loved to play the game on their Xbox, but instead decided to look elsewhere or wait for a sale. Even when it launched, performance inconsistencies and compromises were evident compared to higher-end platforms, and while it certainly still shines on the consoles today, it serves as a cautionary story about cross-generation constraints and the potential consequences that come with them.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Technical Ambition Meets Console Limitations
Details:
- Streaming limitations on the hardware
- Noticable gap between PC
Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the most technically impressive games ever released on consoles, yet it remains a clear example of hardware holding ambition back in a big way. The PC version lets players crank things to their limit, but on the Series X, the experience is clearly a step back due to the memory constraints and CPU limits that prevent the same level of fidelity and draw distances seen elsewhere. Other issues, like objects popping in, a reduced overall world detail, and a more aggressive system load, all contributed to the product feeling far less enjoyable in the console world.
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In fairness, it is clear to see why the device struggled, as the game is asking it to render in complex aircraft systems, dense cityscapes, and live weather, all within the constraints of a single stock system. Because of this, there were reports of instability and reduced performance during longer sessions, and while updates have improved the optimization since launch, it still doesn't come close to the full-blown simulation experience seen on PC.
Ark: Survival Ascended
UE5 Brilliance Struggling Outside Of The PC Space
Details:
- Poorly scaled UE5 features
- Bandwidth bottlenecks
ARK: Survival Ascended’s transition to Unreal Engine 5 promised a dramatic leap forward, but the Series X version exposes how poorly some UE5 features scale to console hardware. The complexity of the engine has so many pros, and the technology is incredibly impressive, yet without the correct implementation, features like Lumen lighting and Nanite geometry put a significant strain on the GPU and memory bandwidth, leading to inconsistent performance, unstable frame rates, and frequent visual compromises.
On PC, the game’s technical ambition can be brute-forced with powerful hardware if players are willing to push their system to the absolute limit, but the same cannot be said for the Series X. There is only so much performance that can be pulled from a device with a quite frankly limited spec sheet, and despite several updates that have attempted to clean up the stability issues, the game still can't quite hit the same expectations that were set before launch.
Cities: Skylines 2
Still Waiting To Build A New Metropolis
Details:
- Console launch delayed indefinitely
- Too demanding for even some mid-range PCs on release
Cities: Skylines 2 is a rare example of a game that has been delayed indefinitely, at least on consoles, because its simulation complexity proved too demanding for Series X hardware. The game’s detailed citizen behavior and traffic simulation overwhelmed CPU and memory resources during internal testing, leading to the eventual decision to pull the port entirely until further notice. Unlike graphical compromises, these systemic simulations cannot be easily scaled down without fundamentally altering gameplay, meaning that even if players wanted to turn some settings down, it wouldn't actually lead to much change at all.
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Even high-end PCs struggled at launch, making a stable console release unrealistic without a significant redesign. The delay reflects an honest acknowledgment of hardware ceilings rather than poor optimization, as if the developers instead chose to push a console launch anyway, it could have actually done a lot more harm than good in the long run. It might not be the first game that comes to mind when people think of modern hardware struggles, but it is a great reminder that basically any game can suffer from these issues, regardless of whether it's a blockbuster AAA masterpiece or a city-building simulator.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
Too Much Action To Handle
Details:
- Performance inconsistency both before and after patches
- Visual downgrade versus PC version
Darktide launched and was met with a fair amount of criticism surrounding the performance, and the Xbox version delay was due to the exact same reason. The dense enemy hordes and huge physics demands pushed the consoles far beyond expectations, which meant that maintaining stable frame rates during peak combat encounters was beyond difficult, leading to an extended period of optimization beyond the initial launch window.
Despite a prolonged development cycle, the console version still shows signs of compromise, notably in the visual department, where certain textures appear far less clear than they do on the PC version. And, even with that additional work, the game still struggles when the action starts to get too intense, often dampening the whole experience. In the end, Darktide remains one of those cases where, due to the core design being about violent excess and constant aggression, the actual end product becomes far less enjoyable due to the limiting hardware that prevents the game from reaching its true potential.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Functional But Hardly Ideal
Details:
- Long load times later in the game
- UI and performance compromises
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous just about functions on Series X, yet due to the nature of the gameplay, it shows clear signs of being constrained on the console. For starters, the interface is incredibly limiting, being far less intuitive and responsive when compared to the PC version. Also, the larger-scale battles and extensive calculations can often lead to prolonged load times and occasional performance hiccups, primarily due to the limited memory, which has a huge impact on the game's performance, particularly going into the late-game scenarios.
While not completely broken, the console version feels less responsive and less flexible than its PC counterpart, where mods, faster navigation, and higher performance dramatically improve the overall feel of the game. The Series X may handle the game competently, but it is another instance of a CRPG losing its core identity and fluidity when forced onto a less capable piece of hardware, which results in an otherwise large player base being reduced significantly in size, despite being available on multiple platforms at once.
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