The Best Gaming Consoles for 2021

So you’re finally thinking of buying a video game console and you want to know what the best gaming console is. If you’ve done any preliminary research, then you’ll know that, while there are only a few major players in this market, it’s actually pretty difficult to make a choice.
Are there certain games that only work on certain consoles and not on others? If you wanted to buy the perfect gaming console, which would it be? If you want to learn a little more about each, then you can read it in-depth reviews below.

1. Nintendo Switch

Of course, even if it's no longer super new, the Nintendo Switch has to be part of any console conversation - it's an absolute classic, portable and for home use all in one package.
No one can beat Nintendo's lineup of first-party games from franchises like Mario Kart, The Legend of Zelda, and mainline Mario titles, and it's also great for playing older titles bought digitally.
If you've got a family, we think this is the best choice by far - you've got some of the best games ever, in an amazing package, and most of them are family-friendly.

2. Xbox Series X

If you want the most powerful console on the market today, you want the Xbox Series X. Not only does it have the best graphics chip of the bunch, but it supports FreeSync (which provides better motion on TVs with the same feature), Dolby Atmos (for incredible surround sound on Atmos systems or soundbars), and — in 2021 — will also support Dolby Vision for games. Couple that with a great library, including the aforementioned Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and all the best games from previous generations, and you have a killer system for any living room. That is, when you can find it in stock.

3. Sony PlayStation 5

Sony’s PlayStation 5 represents a significant boost in visual quality over its predecessors, with more than five times the graphical output of the original PlayStation 4 and more than double that of the half-step PS4 Pro revision. The result is smooth, crisp, and ultra-detailed game worlds delivered in native 4K resolution at up to 120 frames per second on supported screens, with 8K content compatibility coming in the future. It also provides much smoother play experience thanks to its speedy SSD storage, which dramatically cuts down on load times.
Beyond the power boost, the new DualSense controller is an exciting innovation, packing in precise haptic feedback and adaptive, resistance-providing trigger buttons for a more immersive play experience.
The PS5—which is available with or without a disc drive—also has a solid array of launch games, including excellent exclusives like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon’s Souls. The rival Xbox Series X is a bit more powerful on paper and sports a more compact, entertainment center-friendly design along with other perks, but the PlayStation 5 provides more early reasons to invest in new hardware during these early days.

4. Nintendo Switch Lite

Nintendo wasn't done when it released the Switch and followed it up with the absolutely stellar Switch Lite, a portable-only console that holds its own against the big boys.
Being portable makes it a bit different from the others here, but if you don't have space for a full console and want to play some stone-cold classics, it's an affordable and practical way to do so, with a great screen and really comfortable controls. Not being able to dock it to play on a TV is a bit of a drawback, though.

5. PlayStation 4 Pro

3.If you want the most powerful console on the market today, you want the Xbox Series X. Not only does it have the best graphics chip of the bunch, but it supports FreeSync (which provides better motion on TVs with the same feature), Dolby Atmos (for incredible surround sound on Atmos systems or soundbars), and — in 2021 — will also support Dolby Vision for games. Couple that with a great library, including the aforementioned Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and all the best games from previous generations, and you have a killer system for any living room. That is, when you can find it in stock.
If you want the most powerful console on the market today, you want the Xbox Series X. Not only does it have the best graphics chip of the bunch, but it supports FreeSync (which provides better motion on TVs with the same feature), Dolby Atmos (for incredible surround sound on Atmos systems or soundbars), and — in 2021 — will also support Dolby Vision for games. Couple that with a great library, including the aforementioned Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and all the best games from previous generations, and you have a killer system for any living room. That is, when you can find it in stock.
The PS4 Pro’s design is derivative of the standard PS4 that preceded it, though we wouldn’t say that it’s an exact copy. Actually, a common running joke about the PlayStation 4 Pro is that it looks like 2 PS4s stacked one on top of each other. As a result, the PS4 Pro takes up way more space than its predecessor.
Sony also did a bit of work on the interior. The 8 Jaguar cores of the AMD processor are now clocked at 2.1GHz instead of 1.6GHz. RAM capacity remains the same with 8GB of GDDR5 but it is now running up to 218GB/s against 176GB/s for the standard PS4.
The VR experience is also bound to improve with the PS4 Pro. They run better on this console and titles with PS4 Pro Mode activated look better and have faster frame rates.

6. Xbox Series S

If the Xbox Series X is a bit too rich for your blood, Microsoft did something out of the ordinary with their lineup this year: they also introduced an extremely affordable variant alongside their flagship. The Xbox Series S eschews the disc drive and uses a lower-power graphics chip for serious cost savings, while still being able to play the same games—albeit at slightly lower graphical fidelity. You could also grab a refurbished Xbox One, Xbox One S, or Xbox One X for a similarly low price, but it won't get the latest games for as long as the Series S will.

And with that, we come to the end of the article. Whether you’re getting a console for yourself or for someone else; whether you deeply enjoy gaming or you’re just looking for something to help you stave off boredom while you’re at home, the solid consoles in this review should keep you and yours highly entertained for a long time.
No matter what your tastes, I’m pretty sure you’ll find something here that works well for you, and I’m confident you’ll enjoy it. Until next time, have fun!