The 15 Best PS5 Games, From Sci-Fi Horror to Kitty-Cat Adventures
The PS5 is sitting atop a treasure trove of a game library and here are our personal favorites.
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A Revamped Classic
Resident Evil 4 Remake
The Empire Strikes Back (Again)
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Let’s Go to Hell
Diablo IV
Let’s Go to Space Hell
Dead Space
One of the nice things about living in a world where console exclusives are less common than ever before is that just about every new game comes out for just about every platform. The only down side is you never get a reprieve! Every year there’s a torrential downpour of great games, and now that we’re deep into the PS5’s lifecycle, you don’t have to go searching to find great games that take advantage of the PS5’s next-gen hardware. These are some of our favorites!
Be sure to also check out our guides to the Best PS5 Accessories and the Best Gifts for PS5 and PS4 Owners, as well as our how-tos on customizing your PS5’s home screen, along with other tips and features you’ll want to explore.
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Updated July 2023: We’ve added Diablo IV, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Resident Evil 4, and Dead Space.
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Courtesy of Capcom
A Revamped Classic
Resident Evil 4 Remake
One of the most acclaimed games of all time has finally gotten the full-on Capcom remake treatment, and now it’s even better than the original. Not only does the Resident Evil 4 remake feature improved graphics, but the gameplay and even the story have seen some very welcome changes and additions—Leon is less sexist toward Ashley, for instance, and you can move while you aim.
If you enjoyed the original, this new version will definitely impress, it’s as much a love letter to the original game as it is a modern re-imagining.
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Courtesy of EA
The Empire Strikes Back (Again)
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
In Star Wars Jedi: Survivor you find yourself rejoining Cal Kestis five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Just like our boy, Survivor has done some growing up. It’s a much bigger game than its predecessor, packed with side quests, environments to explore, and a whole host of new skills and lightsaber stances.
One of the coolest parts is that Cal keeps all the major skills you have at the end of Fallen Order. That progression really makes it feel like you’re growing as a Jedi, moving from your apprentice years into your time as a powerful and capable Jedi Knight. It’s probably the best Star Wars game we’ve ever played.
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Courtesy of Blizzard
Let’s Go to Hell
Diablo IV
Diablo IV is a lot of fun on the PS5. I grew up with this game series, and I’ve always thought of it as a PC game first and foremost, but sitting on a couch in front of a big flat screen, you really get to drink in all the lavish detail Blizzard has poured into the world of Sanctuary.
It’s familiar and new at the same time, and it seems like every environment, from the tiniest dungeon to the most breathtaking vista, is just packed full of intricate detail. The PS5 really does the game justice, and it includes couch co-op, which is always a huge plus.
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Courtesy of EA
Let’s Go to Space Hell
Dead Space
Dead Space was a groundbreaking game when it first came out. The combat system was built around non-standard weapons, and it was a third-person action game set in a dark sci-fi horror setting. The remake is all that and more.
The 2023 version of Dead Space rebuilds the game from the inside out, and achieves things that the original just couldn’t do due to hardware constraints. For instance, zero gravity sequences have you floating through microgravity instead of sailing from one surface to another.
The ill-fated space hulk, the Ishimura, is more detailed than ever before, and includes all-new areas to explore. Plus, our hero Isaac Clarke has a voice! He is a fully voiced character in this story instead of the silent protagonist he was in the original.
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Courtesy of Ubisoft
Raid, Pillage, and Settle
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
Among the first titles to truly take advantage of the PS5’s impressive hardware, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is one of the best entries in the series to date. The sprawling map and engrossing story are beautifully realized with next-gen graphics and high-quality voice acting.
Taking on the role of (a male or female) Eivor Wolf-Kissed, you’ll sink dozens of hours into exploring (and pillaging) your way from the fjords of Norway to the rivers and sun-dappled meadows of ancient England.
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Courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment
Web-Slinging Savior
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
A new Spider-Man for a new console, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is the follow-up to the excellent Spider-Man game from the previous generation. The silky smooth frame rate and next-gen ray tracing create an incredibly immersive visual experience. It’s like playing a movie from Marvel’s cinematic universe. Plus, the soundtrack absolutely slaps.
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Courtesy of BlueTwelve Studio
Being a Cat Isn’t Easy
Stray
The highly anticipated Stray has finally hit store shelves, and it’s just as fun as it looks. In the game, you take on the role of a stray cat (with a backpack), lost in a futuristic cyberpunk cityscape populated entirely by humanoid robots. You’ll cause chaos (knock things off tables), explore a dense and vibrant world, and nap in some very memorable places. Essentially it’s everything you’d want to do as a cat, plus some added mystery and intrigue.
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Courtesy of 2K
Star in a Classic Horror Story
The Quarry
Like Until Dawn on the PS4, The Quarry isn’t your average game. It’s more adventure game than action game, and that’s part of the charm. With its cast of well-known actors from iconic horror movies, you’ll get to star in your own personal horror story. Following in the ominous, unstoppable footsteps of Friday the 13th and Halloween, The Quarry is a lovingly crafted send-up of classic slasher films, and it packs some very real scares just when you’d least expect them. Plus, your actions affect the story, so plan on playing through more than once to see all the possible endings.
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Courtesy of Remedy Entertainment
Mind-Bending Metroidvania
Control Ultimate Edition
There’s something so haunting about the stark and entirely-too-mundane corridors of the Oldest House, the ancient, infinite building you’ll explore in Control, and that is never more true than on next-gen hardware. Particles fly through the air as you rip chunks of concrete out of the walls with your mind and hurl them at snarling enemies rippling with eldritch energies. It’s super fun.
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Courtesy of Square Enix
Looter-Shooter Mayhem
Outriders
Imagine if Destiny 2 merged with Gears of War and you’ll have some idea of what to expect from Outriders. The third-person looter-shooter from Square Enix is as fun to play as it is to look at. Exploring an alien world with fellow stranded colonists is a sight to behold. Sometimes I just stand on ledges and gaze at the landscape. Then I get shot to death by aliens. The view is worth it.
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Courtesy of Sony
Deadly Dungeon Delving
Demon’s Souls
You’ll die a lot in Demon’s Souls. The spiritual predecessor of the Dark Souls games we all love to hate, this remake features a lavishly rebuilt game world filled to the brim with crackling spells and clanging swords. It’s every bit as spooky as the original entry, but the aesthetic is cleaner and gives off a modern Dark Souls vibe.
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Courtesy of Sony
An Addictive Sci-Fi Roguelike
Returnal
In Returnal you take on the role of space explorer Selene as she explores and fights her way through a dangerous and inhospitable alien landscape only to tragically die. And come back to life. And then die again. And again. The combat is a high-octane hybrid of bullet-hell dodging and weaving, along with third-person action RPG elements. Like Mass Effect meets Enter the Gungeon. Unraveling the mystery at the heart of Returnal is going to take persistence, perseverance, and a whole lot of bullets.
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Courtesy of Bethesda
Loop-the-Loop
Deathloop
Time loops are in this year. In Deathloop you will live the same day over and over again, each time learning more and more about the loop you find yourself stuck in. Unlike many roguelikes, Deathloop plays more like a super-violent Groundhog Day. Each time you die, the loop will restart and you’ll have to fight your way through the same enemies in the same places, but this time you’ll know their tricks and where all the good weapons are. It’s a pulse-pounding shooter with an excellent voice cast, a great soundtrack, and a fully-fleshed-out setting that I found myself wanting to spend more time in with every reset.
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Courtesy of BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
Dark Fantasy Dungeon-Delving
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is an action RPG that comes from the twisted minds behind Dark Souls and Bloodborne, with considerable input from the one and only George R. R. Martin. This creative team has put together one of the best open-world games in recent memory, and one of the most addictively punishing gameplay experiences ever to grace the soulslike subgenre. The world of Elden Ring is as beautiful as it is gruesome, as inspiring as it is tragic and melancholy. It’s a world defined by its mysteries, which you’ll slowly unravel with every hour spent exploring haunted forests, with every dungeon you delve, and with every surprise death at the hands of a giant shrimp sniper. Trust me, it’ll make sense once you play it.
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Courtesy of CD Projekt Red
Okay Cyberpunk 2077 is Good Now
Cyberpunk 2077
Like a fine wine that was once actually just poison, Cyberpunk 2077 has finally matured into the game it was meant to be. Exploring the vast tapestry of Night City has never felt better. The gameplay has been tightened up, the story smoothed out, and the graphics pumped all the way to the max.
In Cyberpunk 2077 You take on the role of an enterprising mercenary working your way to fame and glory in the dark and seedy underbelly of Night City. With dozens of skills to choose from, you can customize your character’s playstyle every bit as much as you can customize their appearance (yes you get to choose what kind of genitals you want), and the game is so much richer for it. I’ve dumped hundreds of hours into the streets of Night City and never approached the same challenge the same way twice.
Originally released in 2020, it hit store shelves infested with bugs and broken gameplay. Cyberpunk 2077‘s launch was so bad it was even pulled from the PlayStation store for a while. It’s better now, but there are still much better games on this list.
Jaina Rodriguez Grey is a product writer and reviewer at WIRED covering coffee, sex tech, and gaming. Previously, she was a legal researcher for Thomson Reuters and a tech reporter for Digital Trends. She currently resides in Portland, Oregon, with her partner and a pet rabbit named Lola.
