The library is strongest where Sony's first-party studios and the DualSense controller meet, but it is much wider than that. Haptic feedback, adaptive triggers and a fast SSD suit the PlayStation Studios adventures, while the finest multiplatform role-playing games, action games and indie hits fill out the rest. A few of the greatest games of the last decade were never rebuilt for PS5 and are played through backward compatibility, and each write-up says plainly whether a game is a native PS5 release, a cross-generation title with a PS5 version, or a PS4 game that runs on the newer console. Placement between neighbours is a judgment call, so the entries explain what each game does better than almost anyone, and where it falls short.
1. Red Dead Redemption 2#
Rockstar Games released Red Dead Redemption 2 in October 2018 for PS4, and it is played on PS5 through backward compatibility, without a native PS5 version. It follows the outlaw Arthur Morgan as the Van der Linde gang comes apart in a dying American frontier, and its world is so densely simulated that a quiet ride through the wilderness can produce a memorable encounter. The PS4 version holds a Metacritic score of 97, among the highest ever recorded, and the game took four Game Awards in 2018, including Best Narrative and Best Score/Music. The weakness is pace and control: the game insists on slow, deliberate animations, mission design can be strictly scripted, and the interface asks a lot of the player. Rockstar's online mode is a separate matter.
2. Elden Ring#
FromSoftware and Bandai Namco released Elden Ring in February 2022, and it took the studio's punishing combat into an open world directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, with author George R. R. Martin contributing to the mythology. The Lands Between reward exploration constantly: a cave, a ruin or a distant tower usually hides a boss, a weapon or a shortcut, and Spirit Ash summons and Torrent the horse give players real choice in how to tackle the difficulty. It holds a Metacritic score of 96 on PS5 and won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022. The PS5 version offers a frame-rate-focused mode, and the controller suits its rhythm of dodge, strike and heal. The honest weakness is that the game explains very little, and a few late bosses lean on relentless, hard-to-read attacks that can feel more cheap than fair.
3. Baldur's Gate III#
Larian Studios released Baldur's Gate III in 2023 on PC and brought it to PS5 in September of that year, turning Dungeons & Dragons rules into a role-playing game with almost unmatched freedom. Nearly every problem has more than one solution: a door can be picked, smashed, bypassed through a rooftop or opened by persuading the guard, and companions such as Astarion and Karlach react to choices with memorable, fully voiced scenes. It sits on a Metacritic score of 96 on PS5, the same as Elden Ring, and won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2023. Split-screen co-op on PS5 was added in a later patch, which is unusual for a game of this scope. The caveat is size: the third act is dense, long and less polished than the first two, and systems built around a mouse take time to get used to on a controller.
4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt#
CD Projekt Red released The Witcher 3 in 2015, and the Complete Edition reached PS5 in December 2022 with ray tracing, faster loading and a performance mode. It sends Geralt across war-torn Velen, the islands of Skellige and the city of Novigrad in search of his adopted daughter Ciri, and even its side quests carry the moral weight and writing quality most games save for their main stories. The Blood and Wine expansion is a small game of its own. The base game won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2015, and the PS5 Complete Edition holds a Metacritic score of 94, among the best on the console. It is a cross-generation game rather than a PS5 original. The caveat is age: combat and inventory menus feel dated against modern action RPGs, and movement is deliberately heavy.
5. God of War (2018)#
Santa Monica Studio's 2018 reboot turned a series about a screaming demigod into a restrained father-and-son journey, with Kratos and his young son Atreus crossing the Norse realms. The single-take camera never cuts away, the Leviathan Axe throw and recall is one of the most satisfying actions in the medium, and the writing gave the character a depth the earlier games never attempted. It won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2018, beating Red Dead Redemption 2 and Marvel's Spider-Man, and won Game of the Year at numerous other ceremonies. It was released on PS4 and plays on PS5 through backward compatibility, where a performance patch unlocks a smoother frame rate; there is no full native PS5 version. The honest weakness is that the combat has fewer enemy types than the sequel, and the late game leans on revisiting the same locations.
6. God of War Ragnarök#
Santa Monica Studio released God of War Ragnarök in November 2022 as the follow-up to the 2018 reboot, sending Kratos and his son Atreus through the nine realms as Ragnarök approaches. The Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos remain some of the most satisfying weapons in action games, and the combat builds on them with shield options, runic attacks and a growing cast of companions who join fights. Critics praised the writing and the acting, with the father-and-son drama carrying the emotional weight through a very large campaign, and it holds a Metacritic score of 94 on PS5. The game shipped on PS4 as well, but on PS5 it offers performance modes, fast loading and DualSense feedback that make blows feel heavier. The caveat is pacing: the middle stretches include padding and a lot of talking between fights, and some puzzles repeat the same ideas.
7. Astro Bot#
Team Asobi released Astro Bot in September 2024, and it is the clearest showcase of what the PS5 and its DualSense controller can do. Each level is a tightly built platforming playground where the robot hero picks up a new gimmick, such as a sponge or frog gloves, and often discards it before it wears out, which keeps the pace inventive. The game makes heavy use of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers in ways that feel genuinely new. It holds a Metacritic score of 94 on PS5 and was named Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024, a rare win for a platformer. It is a PlayStation exclusive. The weakness is difficulty: the main path is gentle, and only the hidden challenge levels test experienced platformer players.
8. Metaphor: ReFantazio#
Atlus released Metaphor: ReFantazio in October 2024, a fantasy role-playing game from the Persona team built around a kingdom choosing its next ruler. The Archetype system lets characters switch classes with different skills, and the Press Turn-style combat rewards exploiting weaknesses, while the calendar-driven structure of relationships and travel keeps each day meaningful. It holds a Metacritic score of 94 on PS5, tied with God of War Ragnarök, and critics praised its themes of prejudice and unity. The soundtrack and the striking interface are also distinctive. It runs well on PS5 and suits the controller. The honest weakness is that it borrows heavily from Persona's structure, and its main story runs long with a few slow dungeons.
9. Hades II#
Supergiant Games released Hades II in early access in 2024 and in full in September 2025 on PC and Switch, and it reached PS5 on 14 April 2026. Melinoë, the witch princess of the underworld, fights toward the Titan of Time with spells and weapons, and the roguelike loop remains as replayable and readable as before. It holds a Metacritic score of 94 on PC, and it won Best Action Game and was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025. The weakness is overlap with the first game: it asks for more time and more resources to reach the ending, and some of the new systems, from crafting to the map, add busywork.
10. Resident Evil 4#
Capcom released the Resident Evil 4 remake in March 2023, rebuilding the 2005 classic with modern controls and a darker tone. Leon Kennedy can now move and shoot together, and a knife with parries adds a new layer to close encounters, while the village, the castle and Ashley's escort sections have been rebuilt with more care. It holds a Metacritic score of 93 on PS5, and critics widely called it one of the best remakes ever made. Adaptive triggers on PS5 give weapons a tangible sense of resistance, and a performance mode is available for players who prioritize speed. The caveat is that the pacing of the final chapters is less inventive than the first half, and a few cut sections may disappoint devoted fans of the original.
11. Hades#
Supergiant Games released Hades in 2020 on PC and Switch, and it reached PS5 in 2021. The action roguelike sends Zagreus up from the underworld with a choice of weapons and Olympian boons, and every failed escape moves the story forward, so death becomes a narrative device rather than a punishment. Combat is fast, readable and full of build variety, and the writing gives every character a voice worth listening to across dozens of runs. It holds a Metacritic score of 93 on PS5 and collected numerous awards. The PS5 version is smooth and works nicely on a controller. The caveat is that the structure is repetitive by design, so players who dislike replaying early rooms may tire long before the final ending.
12. Tetris Effect: Connected#
Tetris Effect: Connected, published by Enhance, extends the 2018 music-driven puzzle game with online and local multiplayer, and it is the version to play on PS5. Each stage changes the visuals and music with every line clear, so the classic stacking game becomes a synaesthetic experience that many critics found moving. It holds a Metacritic score of 93 on PS5, one of the highest on the console, and Zone mode gives the endless play a strategic twist. It is playable on PS4 as well, and the DualSense feedback adds nuance. The honest weakness is that it is still just Tetris: players who do not enjoy the core puzzle will not be converted by the presentation, and the Journey campaign is short.
13. Bloodborne#
FromSoftware released Bloodborne in March 2015 for PS4, and it remains one of the most acclaimed games of that console generation. Its Gothic Yharnam trades shields for speed: a regain system rewards aggressive counter-attacks, trick weapons transform mid-fight, and the Lovecraftian story is told through fragments of lore. The game runs on PS5 only through backward compatibility, still locked to 30 frames per second, with no PS5-specific patch. That is the honest weakness, and it is why a game this influential sits lower than its reputation. It remains a PlayStation exclusive.
14. Demon's Souls#
Bluepoint Games released the Demon's Souls remake for the PS5 launch in November 2020, rebuilding FromSoftware's 2009 original from the ground up. The five archstones of Boletaria remain a masterclass in interconnected level design, with fast loading between areas and a performance mode that suits the demanding combat. The visuals, including the lighting in the Shrine of Storms and the scale of the bosses, were a genuine leap that demonstrated what the new hardware could do. It holds a Metacritic score of 92 on PS5, and critics greeted it as a launch-window standout and one of the best remakes available. It was a PlayStation exclusive at launch. The honest weakness is that the world tendency system and some mechanics are opaque and unforgiving compared with later games in the genre.
15. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33#
Sandfall Interactive's debut, published by Kepler Interactive in April 2025, is a turn-based role-playing game set in a Belle Epoque-inspired world where a Paintress erases everyone of a certain age each year. Its combat borrows from classic Japanese RPGs but adds real-time dodging, parrying and aiming, so every turn demands attention rather than menu autopilot. It holds a Metacritic score of 92 on PS5, and critics singled out the score, the art direction and the performances behind a story about grief and duty. The game swept The Game Awards 2025, winning Game of the Year among nine awards, the most any game has taken in a single night. It suits a controller naturally. The weakness is a late structural choice that divides players, and the exploration areas are simpler than the combat deserves.
16. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth#
Square Enix released Final Fantasy VII Rebirth in February 2024 as the second part of the remake trilogy, and it lets the party leave Midgar to cross the wide open world of the planet. Combat blends real-time action with a tactical command menu and synergy attacks between party members, and the Gold Saucer's minigames, including the card game Queen's Blood, add a surprising amount of variety. It holds a Metacritic score of 92 on PS5, and critics praised its ambition and character work. It launched on PS5 first, before reaching PC. The caveat is that the open-world regions can feel padded with repeated tasks, and the story's departures from the original will divide long-term fans.
17. Street Fighter 6#
Capcom released Street Fighter 6 in June 2023, and it is a welcoming entry point for newcomers to fighting games. Its Modern control scheme lets newcomers perform special moves with simple inputs, the Drive system adds parries and comebacks, and the World Tour mode lets players build a custom fighter and roam an open city, while the Battle Hub gives online play a social space. It holds a Metacritic score of 92 on PS5, and it won Best Fighting Game at The Game Awards 2023. It also released on PS4, but the PS5 version is the one to play. The honest weakness is that World Tour is a shallow, quirky side attraction, and the cosmetic and season-pass economy is more aggressive than the base game deserves.
18. Hollow Knight: Silksong#
Team Cherry released Hollow Knight: Silksong in September 2025, and it puts the nimble Hornet in the kingdom of Pharloom, a vertical Metroidvania world packed with hidden paths and unforgiving bosses. Hornet's movement is quicker and more acrobatic than the Knight's, and the tool system lets players layer traps and gadgets into fights, so each boss can be approached in new ways. The hand-drawn art and the music remain a high point of the genre, and it holds a Metacritic score of 92 on PS5 after years of anticipation. It launched on PS5 alongside other platforms. The caveat is difficulty: several bosses and platforming gauntlets are very harsh, and the long runs back to a boss after dying can wear down patience.
19. Persona 5 Royal#
Atlus released Persona 5 Royal on PS4 in 2019 in Japan and 2020 elsewhere, and later brought it to PS5. It follows a group of Tokyo students who steal the distorted hearts of corrupt adults, and the stylish turn-based combat is paired with a social calendar that asks players to balance school, friendships and dungeon exploration. Royal adds a new semester, extra characters and quality-of-life improvements that critics considered a definitive edition, and the PS5 version holds a Metacritic score of 91. The jazz-influenced soundtrack is among the most recognizable in the genre, and the PS5 version offers higher resolution and quicker loading, which helps a game with constant menu use. The caveat is length, since a full playthrough runs well beyond a hundred hours, and the pacing early on is slow.
20. Split Fiction#
Hazelight Studios, led by Josef Fares, released Split Fiction in March 2025 through EA. It is a two-player-only co-op adventure in which two writers get pulled into their own science fiction and fantasy stories, and each level flips genre and mechanics so quickly that the game rarely repeats an idea. It builds on the co-op design of It Takes Two with sharper puzzles, boss fights and playful set pieces, and it earned universal acclaim on Metacritic. The PS5 version is well suited to couch play, and the Friend's Pass lets a second player join without buying the game. The weakness is that it cannot be played alone at all, and its story is lighter and more predictable than its mechanical variety.
21. Dave the Diver#
Mintrocket's Dave the Diver, released in June 2023 on PC and later on PS5, blends fishing-and-diving exploration by day with running a sushi restaurant by night. Neither half is simple on its own, but the way each feeds the other keeps the loop unusually fresh, and the game keeps introducing minigames, story beats and collaboration content long after most indie games would have run out of ideas. It holds a Metacritic score of 91 on PS5. The pixel-art and the humour give it the warmth of a well-loved handheld game. The honest weakness is that the constant stream of tutorials and mini-games can feel overwhelming, and a few late chapters stretch the format thin.
22. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice#
FromSoftware released Sekiro in March 2019 for PS4, and it is played on PS5 through backward compatibility, as there is no dedicated PS5 version. It replaces the series' stamina-and-dodge rhythm with posture-based swordplay: enemies are defeated by deflecting attacks until their guard breaks, and the shinobi prosthetic arm, grappling hook and stealth options add a vertical, aggressive style that stands apart from the studio's other games. It won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019, along with Best Action/Adventure Game. The honest weakness is a difficulty curve with no real adjustments, no build variety and a handful of bosses, such as the Corrupted Monk and the Owl, that require nearly perfect execution before the game starts to feel fair.
23. The Last of Us Part II#
Naughty Dog released The Last of Us Part II in June 2020 for PS4, and the Remastered edition arrived on PS5 in January 2024. It follows Ellie on a revenge journey through a ruined Seattle, and its tense, close-quarters combat, detailed animation and use of stealth make every encounter feel costly. The game won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2020, and the Remastered version holds a Metacritic score of 90 on PS5. The PS5 remaster adds higher frame rates, faster loading and DualSense support, plus the roguelike No Return mode. The honest weakness is that the story divides players sharply, with a perspective shift that some find powerful and others find punishing, and the game is emotionally heavy from start to finish.
24. Resident Evil 2#
Capcom released the Resident Evil 2 remake in January 2019 for PS4, PC and Xbox One, and a next-generation version reached PS5 in 2022 with ray tracing and faster loading. The over-the-shoulder rebuild of the 1998 classic follows Leon and Claire through a police station overrun by zombies, and the pursuing Mr. X, resource scarcity and interconnected level design made it one of the most acclaimed horror games of its decade. It was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019 and won several other awards. The honest weakness is that the second scenario replays much of the first, and later remakes have improved on its controls and pacing.
Fifty games out of a library this large will always leave out worthy candidates, and the order above is a snapshot of critical consensus, not a final verdict. Recent releases in particular, from Resident Evil Requiem to Saros, have had only months of critical reflection, so their placement may move. Together the games show what the PS5 does best: big, polished single-player adventures from Sony's studios, the finest Japanese role-playing games, and multiplatform standouts that run well on the hardware and with the controller. Whichever one comes first, the best next game is usually the one whose weakness matters least to the person playing.
25. Marvel's Spider-Man 2#
Insomniac Games released Marvel's Spider-Man 2 in October 2023, and it lets players swap between Peter Parker and Miles Morales across an expanded New York that now includes Brooklyn and Queens. Web wings turn traversal into a fast, fluid glide, and near-instant loading lets missions begin almost without a pause. The Venom and Kraven storylines gave the campaign a larger emotional range than its predecessors, and it holds a Metacritic score of 90 on PS5. It launched as a PS5 exclusive and makes good use of the DualSense for web swings and haptic details. The weakness is length: the main story is fairly short, and the open world's side content is more repetitive than the core traversal deserves.
26. Tekken 8#
Bandai Namco released Tekken 8 in January 2024 on PS5, Xbox Series X and S and PC, the first mainline Tekken to debut on home systems rather than in arcades. The Heat system rewards aggression, letting players enter a state that adds chip damage and powerful attacks, and the roster is one of the deepest in the series. It holds a Metacritic score of 90 on PS5, and critics praised its visuals, its polish and its accessible Arcade Quest and Story modes. The honest weakness is a monetisation and progression system that has drawn criticism, and the single-player content is thinner than the polished core fighting deserves.
27. Balatro#
LocalThunk's Balatro, published by Playstack in February 2024, turns poker hands into a roguelike deckbuilder: players climb through blinds by combining jokers, cards and upgrades that break the rules of the game in escalating ways. A run is easy to start and hard to put down, and the combinations that appear are the reward for the experimentation. It holds a Metacritic score of 90 on PS5 and won Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie and Best Mobile Game at The Game Awards 2024. It is a cross-platform game with modest hardware demands, so it gains little from PS5 hardware, but it is a natural fit for short sessions with a controller. The honest weakness is that the visuals and audio are modest and the strategy eventually settles into repeated builds.
28. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut#
ZA/UM's Disco Elysium was released in 2019 on PC, and The Final Cut, the version on PS5 and PS4, followed in 2021 with full voice acting and new content. Players are an amnesiac detective investigating a murder in the decaying city of Revachol, and the twenty-four skills argue with each other in the character's head, turning dialogue into the game's main action. It holds a Metacritic score of 89 on PS5, and it was among the big winners at The Game Awards 2019. The writing is exceptional and unusually political. The honest weakness is that it is almost all reading and dialogue with little conventional action, and the developer's turbulent history has left the game without a sequel.
29. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade#
Square Enix released Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4 in April 2020, and the Intergrade edition arrived on PS5 in June 2021. It reimagines the Midgar section of the 1997 classic as a full game, blending real-time action with a tactical command menu and giving Cloud, Tifa, Barret and Aerith more depth than the original allowed. It holds a Metacritic score of 89 on PS5, and Intergrade adds better visuals and the Yuffie episode, INTERmission. It is a cross-generation game with a native PS5 version. The honest weakness is that it covers only the first part of the story with linear corridors and a padded middle, and its changes to the plot divide fans of the original.
30. The Last of Us Part I#
Naughty Dog released The Last of Us Part I in September 2022, a ground-up remake of the 2013 original for PS5. The story of Joel and Ellie crossing a post-pandemic America has aged remarkably well, and the remake adds modern animation, rebuilt enemy artificial intelligence, DualSense feedback and a set of accessibility options that were widely praised. It holds a Metacritic score of 89 on PS5. The honest weakness is the price and the argument for it: gameplay is faithful rather than reimagined, so players who already own the PS3 or PS4 versions will find the improvements mostly visual, and the launch price of 70 dollars was widely criticised as steep for a remake.
31. Alan Wake II#
Remedy Entertainment released Alan Wake II in October 2023 on PS5, PC and Xbox, and it is the studio's first full survival horror game. It splits its story between FBI agent Saga Anderson and the trapped writer Alan Wake, who rewrites reality from a nightmarish New York, and the Mind Place and Plot Board systems turn investigation into a tactile puzzle. It holds a Metacritic score of 89 on PS5 and won Best Game Direction, Best Narrative and Best Art Direction at The Game Awards 2023. The musical set piece "We Sing" and the live-action inserts are among the boldest sequences of the year. The honest weakness is that combat and resource management are slow and clunky compared with the storytelling, and the hardware demands are high.
32. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth#
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio released Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth in January 2024, moving Ichiban Kasuga and the returning Kazuma Kiryu between Yokohama and Hawaii. It is a turn-based RPG that treats an earnest, slightly ridiculous hero with sincerity, and the depth of its side content, including the creature-collecting Sujimon, the island-building Dondoko Island, mini-games and a large cast, is enormous. It holds a Metacritic score of 89 on PS5. It also released on PS4, but the PS5 version is the one to play. The honest weakness is length and clutter: the main story runs long, the tone swings from melodrama to slapstick, and the many side systems can overwhelm new players.
33. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach#
Kojima Productions released Death Stranding 2: On the Beach in June 2025 for PS5, continuing Sam Porter Bridges' journey to reconnect a fractured Australia. Traversal is easier and more forgiving than in the first game, with vehicles, ziplines and a far more flexible arsenal that lets players approach combat as stealth, brute force or trickery. The set pieces and the cast, led by Norman Reedus, Léa Seydoux and Troy Baker, are among the strangest and most memorable of the year. It holds a Metacritic score of 89 on PS5 and was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025. The weakness is that the story is dense with lore and speeches, and the delivery-driven structure will still not suit players who want constant action.
34. Resident Evil Requiem#
Capcom released the ninth mainline Resident Evil on 27 February 2026, and on PS5 it holds a Metacritic score of 89. Two playable characters, Leon and Grace, carry interlocking stories that mix slow survival horror with louder action. The PS5 version is a technical showcase: with ray tracing it targets 4K at 60 frames per second, a high frame-rate mode of up to 120 fps drops the ray tracing, and the DualSense adaptive triggers, haptics and speaker add weight to weapons and puzzles. Reviewers praised how it blends horror and action across the two protagonists. The recurring complaint is that Leon's action-heavy sections dominate the latter half while Grace takes a backseat. It is too recent for its final standing to be settled.
35. It Takes Two#
Hazelight Studios released It Takes Two in March 2021, a co-op-only adventure in which a couple on the brink of divorce are turned into dolls and must work together to return to normal. Every chapter introduces new mechanics, from time manipulation to nail-and-hammer platforming, and the game never uses the same idea for long. It won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021 and holds a Metacritic score of 88 on PS5. The Friend's Pass lets a partner join for free. The honest weakness is the story, which is sentimental and cartoonish, with a dialogue style that some players find grating, and it needs a second person for every minute of play.
36. Horizon Forbidden West#
Guerrilla Games released Horizon Forbidden West in February 2022 for PS4 and PS5, and the PS5 version is the one worth playing. Aloy travels west into a ruined American coast to stop a plague that is killing the world, hunting machine creatures that feel more alive than in most action games, and the diving, gliding and climbing tools open up the landscape. It holds a Metacritic score of 88 on PS5. The Burning Shores expansion, a PS5-only add-on, is a strong short add-on. The visuals and the sound were among the best of the generation when it launched. The honest weakness is a huge map cluttered with side content and a plot that leans on exposition and mechanics that will feel familiar to players of the first game.
37. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart#
Insomniac Games released Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart in June 2021, and it was one of the first games to make the PS5 SSD central to its design. Rifts let the game jump between dimensions almost instantly, so levels can change scenery mid-fight without a visible loading screen. The weapon arsenal is inventive, with a new hero, Rivet, joining the classic pair, and the DualSense triggers give different firing modes to many guns. It holds a Metacritic score of 88 on PS5, looks like a playable animated film and includes performance-oriented display modes. It launched as a console exclusive. The caveat is that it is a relatively short game and its difficulty is friendly, so seasoned action players may find the challenge light.
38. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II#
Warhorse Studios released Kingdom Come: Deliverance II in February 2025, returning to medieval Bohemia with Henry of Skalitz as a swordsman caught up in a civil war. The game rewards patience and realism: combat uses directional swordplay, and skills, hunger, reputation and quest choices interact in ways that make the world feel lived-in. It holds a Metacritic score of 88 on PS5 and was nominated for Game of the Year, Best RPG and Best Narrative at The Game Awards 2025. The visuals are among the most believable of any open-world RPG. The honest weakness is jankiness: bugs and stiff animations survive from the first game, and the deliberately slow pace and demanding combat will put off players who want power fantasies.
39. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle#
MachineGames released Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in December 2024 on Xbox and PC, and it reached PS5 in April 2025. The first-person adventure lets players sneak, punch and whip their way through the Vatican, Egypt and beyond, with a story that captures the tone of the films and a faithful performance from Troy Baker as Indy. It holds a Metacritic score of 88 on PS5. Puzzles and exploration are as important as the combat, and the PS5 version is well optimised. The honest weakness is that the stealth is basic, the fistfights are repetitive, and the game is more about atmosphere than mechanical ambition.
40. Hi-Fi Rush#
Tango Gameworks released Hi-Fi Rush in January 2023, a rhythm action game in which every strike, dodge and environmental gimmick lands on the beat of the soundtrack. Its cel-shaded art, licensed music from bands such as The Black Keys and Nine Inch Nails, and a comedic tone made it one of the surprise successes of its year. It holds a Metacritic score of 88 on PS5, where it arrived after its original launch on Xbox and PC. The honest weakness is that it is a short game with a lighthearted story that is mostly a vehicle for the mechanics, and there is little challenge for anyone with a good sense of rhythm.
41. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End#
Naughty Dog released Uncharted 4: A Thief's End in May 2016 for PS4, and it reached PS5 in 2022 as part of the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, which holds a Metacritic score of 87. Nathan Drake returns for a final treasure hunt with his brother Sam, and the set pieces, from a Madagascar jeep chase to an Italian auction brawl, remain among the best-directed action sequences in the medium. The PS5 collection adds higher resolutions and frame rates and DualSense support, and includes the standalone Lost Legacy. The honest weakness is that the traversal and shooting are formulaic against later games, and the pacing has a long slow start.
42. Ghost of Tsushima#
Sucker Punch Productions released Ghost of Tsushima in July 2020 for PS4, and the Director's Cut brought it to PS5 in 2021 with improved loading, higher frame rates and the added Iki Island content. Set during the Mongol invasion of 1274, it gives Jin Sakai a fluid samurai duelling system built on stances, plus a stealth alternative as the Ghost. Wind guides the player to objectives instead of a map marker, and the landscape composition draws on Kurosawa's films, including an optional black-and-white mode. The Director's Cut holds a Metacritic score of 87 on PS5, and it remains one of the most beloved PlayStation exclusives of its era. The weakness is a familiar open-world checklist of outposts and collectibles, which is polished but does not reinvent the formula.
43. Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered#
Insomniac Games released Marvel's Spider-Man in September 2018 for PS4, and the Remastered version arrived on PS5 in November 2020 with ray tracing, faster loading and a performance mode. It puts an experienced Peter Parker in a compact Manhattan whose web-swinging is among the best traversal systems in games, with combat that borrows from the Arkham series and tells a warm, human story about Peter and Aunt May. The original held a Metacritic score of 87 on PS4, and the PS5 version is the definitive way to play. The honest weakness is a familiar open-world set of side activities, and it has been overshadowed by the more elaborate sequels.
44. Gran Turismo 7#
Polyphony Digital released Gran Turismo 7 in March 2022 for PS5 and PS4, and it remains the most complete driving simulator on the console. The track roster and car collection are rich, the Café-driven career carries the series' love of car culture, and the DualSense adaptive triggers convey braking and tyre grip in a way no other racer matches. It holds a Metacritic score of 87 on PS5, and it supports PS VR2. The honest weakness is that the online requirement and the in-game economy, with high credit prices and microtransactions, attracted heavy criticism at launch and the single-player structure remains grindy.
45. Cyberpunk 2077#
CD Projekt Red released Cyberpunk 2077 in December 2020, and the launch on PS4 was so troubled that Sony removed the game from its store for a time. Two major rebuilds later, Update 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty expansion in September 2023 turned Night City into an engaging open-world RPG with reworked skills, police and vehicles. Phantom Liberty holds a Metacritic score of 87 on PS5, and the espionage story with Idris Elba is among the best written in the studio's catalogue. It is a cross-generation game with a native PS5 version. The honest weakness is that the world is a spectacular stage with a thin set of simulated systems behind it, and the game's launch history means the record is still mixed.
46. Persona 3 Reload#
Atlus released Persona 3 Reload in February 2024, a full remake of the 2006 role-playing game about high-school students who use a hidden hour of the night to fight the creatures known as Shadows. It has a modern interface, improved combat and a cast that has been re-voiced and reworked, while keeping the sombre themes of the original, and the music is among the best in the genre. It holds a Metacritic score of 87 on PS5, and it was also released on PS4. The honest weakness is that the social side is less developed than in later Persona games, the dungeon of Tartarus is repetitive, and it is a very long game with a slow opening.
47. Saros#
Housemarque's PS5 exclusive launched on 30 April 2026 and follows Arjun Devraj, voiced by Rahul Kohli, across the eclipse-darkened colony world of Carcosa. Built on the bullet-hell, roguelike loop of Returnal, it holds a Metacritic score of 87 on PS5 and edges past the earlier game's 86. Reviewers highlighted fluid, demanding combat and strong use of the controller, along with polished visuals and sound. The reservations are narrative delivery, which leans on voice logs and written notes and never quite lands, and a high barrier to entry for anyone who does not enjoy punishing runs. As a 2026 release, its place may move.
48. Returnal#
Housemarque released Returnal in April 2021, a third-person shooter roguelike that sets Selene against a shifting alien planet. The bullet-hell combat is fast and demanding, with weapons, artifacts and parasites that change every run, and the game uses PS5 features such as adaptive triggers for alternate fire and 3D audio to support the tension. It holds a Metacritic score of 86 on PS5, and it won Best Game at the British Academy Games Awards. It launched as a PS5 exclusive. The honest weakness is that the game initially had no way to save mid-run, which many players criticized, and its difficulty and long runs make it a poor fit for casual sessions.
49. Silent Hill 2#
Bloober Team and Konami released the Silent Hill 2 remake in October 2024, rebuilding the 2001 psychological horror classic for modern hardware. James Sunderland is drawn to the foggy town by a letter from his dead wife, and the game keeps the original's unsettling symbolism while adding an over-the-shoulder camera and an expanded combat system. It holds a Metacritic score of 86 on PS5, and critics praised the atmosphere, the sound design and the way the remake preserved the story's most disturbing moments. The weakness is the combat, which is functional but repetitive, and a few puzzles and pacing choices are stretched compared with the original.
50. Ghost of Yōtei#
Sucker Punch Productions released Ghost of Yōtei in October 2025 as a PS5 exclusive, following Atsu, a mercenary hunting the Yōtei Six in Hokkaido in 1603. The developers widened the combat with multiple weapons that counter different enemy types, and the northern setting, is among the best-looking on the console. Its structure gives players more freedom to choose which targets to pursue first, and it holds a Metacritic score of 86 on PS5. The honest weakness is that it shares a lot of its structure with Ghost of Tsushima, so those who tired of that formula will find few surprises.