The best PS5 games list has been pretty static of late as we’ve entered into the realms of slow summer months for game releases. However, with plenty of hotly-anticipated upcoming PS5 games dropping in the next few months, we imagine that this list may not look the same for long.
The quality of the PS5 launch games that arrived with the console back in November 2020 definitely helped kick off the best PS5 games list with aplomb, and has been brilliantly aided by the quality of the PS5 exclusives released so far.
While finding any PS5 stock is still quite the challenge, this collection will do nothing apart from make you more focused to get your hands on one. Whether you want a shot of pure, extra-strength joy from Sackboy: A Big Adventure, a demon challenge from Demon’s Souls, or to feel like a hero in Spider-Man: Miles Morales you’ll find all that and more on this list of the very best PS5 games that are out now, including a good selection of the PS5 launch games.
15. Demon’s Souls
Dying horribly at the hands of a soulless monster has never looked so good. The 2009 cult classic, Demon’s Souls, has been completely remade for the 4K age, and is one of the best looking games on the new PS5. The motion capture, textures, and audio might all be new, but the hardcore action is utterly faithful to the original, offering the same brutal learning curve and sense of monumental achievement with every victory. FromSoftware’s original formula has been respected, but there are some new tweaks too, new items, armor and weapons to covet, a change to the amount of healing grass you can carry, and new consumable Grains that offer buffs as you adventure. Whether you’re a veteran warrior or visiting the land of Boletaria for the first time, there’s something special to discover in this iconic adventure.
14. Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a magical little adventure that’s sure to be a hit with anyone who loves a good platformer with layered combat elements and has a penchant for anything even vaguely adorable. You play as the titular Kena, a spirit guide who has arrived at a village to help those trapped there. You’ll be aided by some of the spirits themselves, but also by the soot sprite-esque Rot, who are not only some of the cutest game companions ever but also incredibly useful for solving puzzles and pulling off some killer moves in battle.
13. Astro’s Playroom
Diving into this little toy box of technical wizardry is a no brainer, it comes installed on your PS5 for free. Don’t discount it just because it’s free though, as well as being a great way to get to know the DualSense’s new adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, it’s a charming game in its own right. Pilot a glider, climb like a monkey, shoot ball guns in space, fight monsters and find collectibles, and enjoy some cheeky nods to PlayStation history along the way. Explore and you’ll find artefacts like UMDs and the original PlayStation, puzzle pieces, and collect coins to have fun with a gachapon machine. It’s a great showcase for the machine’s new technical highlights, and gives you something to do while the next game on your play list downloads.
12. Death’s Door
Death’s Door is a wonderful blend of elements from games like The Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, and the entire Metroidvania genre. You play as a soul-reaping crow, who is tasked with gathering some of the hardest to reap souls to date. Thus, you’ll have to navigate an isometric world filled with beautiful, bizarre creatures and landscapes. With boss encounters that will hex you and stay with you, this is not one to be missed. The graphics are incredible too, with a lovely touch of Studio Ghibli to its design and characters.
11. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
We didn’t think it was possible for Eidos Montreal to do its own take on the infamous Marvel space pirates, but with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy it has done just that. You play as Star-Lord, who is leading an early version of the Guardians, just a few years into the crew’s life together. In this version, they’ve all just survived an intergalactic war, with Groot, Rocket, Gamora, and Draxx all coming with their own tales of loss and woe, with almost alt-history backstories. At its heart, this single-player adventure is about learning to operate as a team, both in exploration and combat, and realising that friends can be just as close as family.
10. Hitman 3
The final entry in this arc of the Hitman story, Agent 47 is the most inventive in the series to date, where anything and everything can be used in your assassination mission. It’s hugely entertaining, with excellent level design, and locales that’ll take you from Dubai to the UK’s Dartmoor in one massive, murderous adventure.
9. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
The historical murder series is back with a bang with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, putting your in the fur-lined shoes of Viking clan leader Eivor. Build a new settlement in ye olde England, bring down kings to forge alliances, and travel with your longship crew to plunder the towns and monasteries of Mercia. This will stand as one of the great entries in the Assassin’s Creed series, thanks to complicated hero Eivor, the brutal combat, and the wealth of customisation options that cover everything from your fighting style to your face tattoo. There’s rarely been a better match for the universe’s lore than the Viking legends either, so you can expect some very interesting tangents as you explore the mysteries of Anglo Saxon England, try to appease the pagan gods, and go on special dream quests. There’s a reason the world has been obsessed with Vikings since they first went pillaging, and Valhalla only makes us love them more.
8. Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut
The PS5 release of the Ghost of Tsushima is well worth diving into, even if you’ve played it through on PS4. The PS5 version upgrades the game to offer 4K graphics running at 60fps, wonderful DualSense features, and 3D Audio support. The Director’s Cut itself, adds the new Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island expansion, which is a fantastic new side-story set in an entirely fresh location. You’ll learn more about hero Jin, meet new friends (and foes), and be able to engage with some new side content – including adorable critters. It’s quickly solidified itself as one of the best PS5 games.
7. Sackboy: A Big Adventure
A perfect platformer packed with delights and surprises, and absolutely stuffed with charm. In Sackboy: A Big Adventure our titular hero visits different planets – think themes like jungle or the sea floor – to foil the plans of the evil Vex (voiced by Richard E Grant) and has lots of fun along the way. As well as looking like a party in a craft store the game is packed with ingenious level design, giving you sticky feet so you can walk up walls, levels that move in time to music, and fun tools like boomerangs and grappling hooks. As a bonus you can collect bells in the game to buy new outfits for your Sackboy, from cute tigers to mix and match punk witch mountaineers. There’s no part of this game that hasn’t been built with buckets of love and a cheery smile, and it shows in every secret corner, ingenious enemy and piece of fluff. Whether you’re getting it for your child, or your inner child, it’ll make your day.
6. Returnal
Returnal certainly won’t be a game for everyone, but there’s no denying how well it demonstrates the technological and graphical capabilities of the PS5. This challenging roguelike looks – and feels – absolutely fantastic. Between the haptic feedback bringing the rain of Atropos to your very fingertips through the controller, or the visual splendor of neon against a monotone world, it’s all utterly gorgeous – if a little bleak at times. Like other roguelikes, the moment you die in Returnal, the loop begins again, with our heroine Selene trying to figure out exactly what’s going down on this alien planet. Gain new upgrades, discover new weapons and alien tech, and work your way through the various biomes to reveal some of the truths behind the loops.
5. Elden Ring
Elden Ring is one of those games where if you’re in, you’re in. This is the best game coming out of FromSoftware since the original Dark Souls, taking its particular brand of gameplay to an open world for the first time. It refines, it evolves, and it tweaks the formula to make sure that suffering in its very specific masochistic style has never been much fun.
4. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is right near the top of our best PS5 games for two reasons. Not only is it the best Ratchet and Clank adventure yet, with our heroic duo taking us on an utterly memorable journey with some new friends, but it is also a powerful demonstration of what the PS5 can do. Doctor Nefarious has been at it again, stealing the Dimensionator and ripping holes between dimensions. Ratchet and Clank are split up, flung across the universe through time and space, and enlist the help of fellow Lombax, Rivet, to help stitch the universe back together. Flying through time rifts is utterly seamless, with not a loading screen in sight, and the haptic feedback on the DualSense, along with those adaptive triggers, are used brilliantly. Ratchet and Clank has never looked, played, or been better.
3. Deathloop
Arkane’s latest is another triumph, with Deathloop offering up a murderous puzzle box for players to break open and figure out. Launching as a timed PS5 exclusive, Deathloop is one of those rare games that surprises you, playing out nothing like any of us expected. Lose yourself trying to figure out the mystery of how to kill eight targets in a single day, where all move around the world of Black Reef living their lives – and rudely not just staying put so you can kill them. The more you play and experience the loop, the more you learn, and the more you understand about this strange little time-looping world.
2. Spider-Man: Miles Morales
The next generation of Spider-Man, both technically and narratively, is packed with comic book adventure, heart and soul, and plenty of that oh so satisfying swinging through New York. As the attention switches from Peter Parker to Miles Morales, so does the action, with focus moving to his home turf of Harlem, and a whole new set of teen turned superhero problems. Miles has some new powers this time around, like the bioelectric venom, and the haptic feedback of the DualSense makes them even more satisfying to dish out to criminals and ne’er-do-wells. Spider-Man: Miles Morales manages the tricky task of delivering a story that Venom punches you right in the heart, but is also a place that you want to escape to after a long day in the real world. Thanks mainly to Miles’ charm, and that sweet swinging, Spider-Man: Miles Morales pulls it off so well you’ll wish Peter Parker a happy retirement without even a tear in your eye.
1. Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West is such a confident sequel. It’s not reinventing the wheel – it’s another game about saving a world filled with giant robot dinosaurs – but it doesn’t have to. Aloy’s story is just as compelling as the first game, but with more human elements, interesting new character additions, and tonnes more personality than before. It’s got some of the best side quests in the gaming space right now too, and yes, even more robo-saurs. Plus, it’s an absolutely stunning showcase of the power of PS5.