Best PS5 games to play right now
While the remainder of 2023 is looking set to be a pretty stellar year for gaming, the releases we’ve seen so far has meant no new additions to the best PS5 games list so far. The likes of Forspoken and Season just haven’t managed to push anything in this list out just yet. However, we will probably have at least a few new additions over the next 12 months.
Sony’s console is home to so many fantastic titles, with a strong offering of PS5 launch games kicking off the beginning of the new-gen line-up back in November 2020. And with some excellent PS5 exclusives arriving since the hardware launched, the library of games only gets stronger. Read on below to find our pick of the best PS5 games you can play right now.
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15. Astro’s Playroom
(Image credit: Sony)
Release Date: November 12, 2020
Developer: Bluepoint Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive
Our Astro’s Playroom review
Our guide to all the Astro’s Playroom artefacts
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 though, because as well as being a great way to get to know the DualSense’s new features, 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. It’s a great showcase for the machine’s new technical highlights.
14. Demon’s Souls
(Image credit: Bluepoint Games)
Release Date: November 12, 2020
Developer: Bluepoint Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive
Our Demon’s Souls guide
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.
13. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
(Image credit: Square Enix)
We didn’t think it was possible for Eidos Montreal to do its own take on the infamous Marvel space pirates, but 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. 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 realizing that friends can be just as close as family.
12. Stray
(Image credit: BlueTwelve Studio)
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Developer: BlueTwelve Studio
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Our Stray review
A game where you play as an adorable orange tabby cat shouldn’t really need much more explanation than that, but Stray has more than just a cute protagonist. This is a wonderful platformer, with plenty of puzzling, all wrapped up in an alluring semi-post-apocalyptic story. You’ll wander the streets of a city abandoned by humans, leaving no-one but robots behind and a whole lot of trash. There are some lovely narrative moments, glorious vistas, and just the right amount of head-scratching to make this a must-recommend.
11. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Our Assassin’s Creed Valhalla review
Our Assassin’s Creed Valhalla guide
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will stand as one of the great entries in the series, thanks to complicated hero Eivor, the brutal combat, and the wealth of customization options. 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, 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.
10. Sackboy: A Big Adventure
(Image credit: Sony)
Release Date: November 12, 2020
Developer: Sumo Digital
Publisher: Sony Interactive
Our Sackboy: A Big Adventure review
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). As well as looking like a party in a craft store the game is packed with ingenious level design. 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 piece of fluff.
9. Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut
(Image credit: Sony PlayStation)
Release Date: August 20, 2021
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher: Sony Interactive
Our Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut review
Our Ghost of Tsushima guide
The PS5 release of the Ghost of Tsushima is well worth diving into, even if you’ve played it through on PS4 as there are 4K graphics running at 60fps, wonderful DualSense features, and 3D Audio support. The Director’s Cut itself adds the new 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.
8. Returnal
(Image credit: Housemarque)
Release Date: April 30, 2021
Developer: Housemarque
Publisher: Sony Interactive
Our Returnal review
Our Returnal tips
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. The moment you die in Returnal, the loop begins again. 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.
7. The Last of Us Part 1
(Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Release Date: September 2, 2022
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Interactive
Our Last of Us Part 1 review
Our Last of Us Part 1 guide
Rebuilt using the studio’s latest PS5 engine, the remake lets you relive or discover Joel and Ellie’s journey with modernized mechanics, improved controls, and a complete overhaul of the game’s graphics. If you’ve yet to experience the story of The Last of Us, you’re in for a treat, and those revisiting the adventure get to experience it all over again with a version that makes the most of Sony’s hardware.
6. Elden Ring
(Image credit: From Software)
Release Date: February 25, 2022
Developer: FromSoftware
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Our Elden Ring review
Our Elden Ring guide
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 this much fun.
5. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
(Image credit: Insomniac Games)
Not only is it the best Ratchet and Clank adventure yet, but it is also a powerful demonstration of what the PS5 can do. Doctor Nefarious has been at it again, ripping holes between dimensions. Ratchet and Clank are split up 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 DualSense features are used brilliantly.
4. Deathloop
(Image credit: Bethesda)
Release Date: September 14, 2021
Developer: Arkane Lyon
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Our Deathloop review
Our Deathloop guide
Deathloop offers up a murderous puzzle box for players to break open and figure out. 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 experience the loop, the more you learn, and the more you understand about this strange little time-looping world.
3. Spider-Man: Miles Morales
(Image credit: Sony)
Release Date: November 12, 2020
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive
Our Spider-Man Miles Morales review
Spider-Man Miles Morales is packed with comic book adventure, heart and soul. Miles has some new powers this time around, like the bioelectric venom. 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.
2. Horizon Forbidden West
(Image credit: Sony)
Release Date: February 18, 2022
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive
Our Horizon Forbidden West review
Our Horizon Forbidden West guide
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. It’s got some of the best side quests in the gaming space right now too.
1. God of War Ragnarok
(Image credit: Sony)
Release Date: November 9, 2022
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive
Our God of War Ragnarok review
Our God of War Ragnarok guide
God of War Ragnarok is such a fitting end to the end of Kratos’ Norse arc, along with Atreus, Mimir, and other returning pals. The story has serious narrative punch, there are some brilliant puzzles, and the combat is a fantastic evolution of the extremely satisfying mechanics from the last game too. This is the one to beat.
What PS5 games are coming out soon?
The upcoming PS5 games that should be on your radar right now for the next few weeks are Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty on March 3, Resident Evil 4 Remake on March 24, Crime Boss: Rockay City on March 28, Minecraft Legends on April 18, Dead Island 2 on April 21, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor on April 28.
Which of the best PS5 games are also on PS Plus?
If you’re a subscriber to PlayStation Plus Extra or PlayStation Plus Premium, some of the games on our best PS5 games list are available for free as part of your subscription.
These are:
Stray, Deathloop, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut.
