The Best PS5 Games We’ve Played for 2026

With Astro Bot, you guide an adorable robot across galactic worlds full of beautiful, creative, and dense platforming challenges. Ingenious power-ups turn level design on its head. You’ll also walk through a delightful living museum of PlayStation history, from Ape Escape to Horizon. Astro Bot brings back old-school gaming magic that modern Sony desperately needed.

Astro’s Playroom may be a free PlayStation 5 pack-in title, but it’s still one of the best games on the system. Building upon Team Asobi’s great work on past Astro Bot games, this 3D platformer takes you through PlayStation’s rich history, from a museum dedicated to the PS1 to a demonstration of all the innovative, immersive haptic features you’ll enjoy with the PS5 DualSense controller.

Role-playing games predate video games, and Baldur’s Gate 3 represents a new peak for tabletop descendants. The game’s extensive flexibility and limitless player choices make it the most accurate Dungeons & Dragons adaptation ever. The gorgeous presentation brings this beloved fantasy world to life. Even the game’s treatment of sexuality is refreshingly sophisticated. It’s the kind of game you can put 60 hours into, beat, and then play again with a new character for a completely different experience. After years of anticipation and fine-tuning, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a worthy successor to its classic namesake.

Battlefield 6 is a reminder that EA’s military shooter series is worth taking just as seriously as Call of Duty. Historically, Battlefield’s selling point has been massive maps where entire armies compete against each other. Battlefield 6 builds on that scope with plenty of destruction, as well as more realistic movement and shooting than its rival. The campaign could be more engaging, but as a modern multiplayer experience, Battlefield 6 sets new standards.

Virtual reality may still be a somewhat niche category, but PlayStation 5 owners have access to pretty phenomenal VR experiences thanks to the PlayStation VR 2 headset. If you’re looking for a PS VR2 game to really stimulate your senses, check out C-Smash VRS. This reimagining of a niche Japanese Dreamcast game turns the simple game of squash into a mind-bending journey through space and time, thanks to hypnotic visuals and music. So dive in and get your racket ready.

After severing ties with Konami, Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima let his freak flag truly fly with Death Stranding. This is a game where Norman Reedus carries a baby in a jar to rebuild America by delivering packages and defeating time ghosts. The PS5 Director’s Cut spruces up the graphics, tweaks a few mechanics, and adds new story missions. But we’re really just here for more Mads Mikkelsen.

Only Hideo Kojima could turn Death Stranding, a game about walking across blighted terrain as you deliver packages with your psychic baby, into a cultural phenomenon big enough to get a sequel. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach continues Sam Porter Bridges’ search for connection, this time in an open-world setting inspired by the Australian landscape. Gameplay-wise, On the Beach is a bit more conventional than its predecessor, emphasizing familiar stealth and combat mechanics alongside the aimless wandering. But don’t worry, the story’s still plenty bizarre.

You know what you’re getting into when you play an Arkane game. Titles like Dishonored and Prey give you fascinating powers that let you creatively approach and disrupt their intricately designed clockwork worlds. Deathloop takes this to the next level. Trapped on an island caught in a time loop, you play as an assassin who must figure out how to murder all your targets in one day. Through repeated runs, you gain the skills and knowledge necessary to make time itself bend to your will.

Back in 2009, the PS3-exclusive Demon’s Souls birthed an entirely new genre of inscrutable, brutally difficult action-RPGs. Without it, we wouldn’t have Dark Souls, Bloodborne, or the recently released Elden Ring. Now, Bluepoint Games has remade FromSoftware’s original nightmare. Enjoy the same great punishment with a shiny, new coat of PS5 paint.

Devil May Cry invented the “stylish action” genre by letting you slash and shoot your way through hordes of monsters, while looking as cool as possible. This next-gen Devil May Cry 5 upgrade shows why no franchise (except for maybe Bayonetta) does the genre better. Swap between different characters (Dante, Nero, and V), each with their own unique demon-slaying powers. The underworld doesn’t stand a chance.

Square Enix’s ambitious remake trilogy continues with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Building off the success of FFVII Remake, Rebirth refines the action-packed combat and sophisticated storytelling that adds extra depth and surprises to the beloved classic. The sequel also includes an expanded open world, and new role-playing options for Cloud when interacting with other characters.

Square Enix’s beloved role-playing franchise radically reinvents itself once again with Final Fantasy XVI. With its dark medieval story and action-packed combat, this game takes more inspiration from Game of Thrones and Devil May Cry than past entries. But there’s nothing wrong with change, and FF16’s tremendous sense of scale makes it worth checking out, no matter your prior Final Fantasy history.

Sony returns to its Japanese roots with Ghost of Tsushima, a majestic open-world action-adventure set during the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. Travel through windswept fields pulled straight out of Kurosawa movies. Engage in precise sword duels and stealthy takedowns. This PS5 upgrade even adds an entirely new region, Iki Island, to explore.

The sequel to the hit Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yotei is the latest member of the prestige PlayStation first-party pantheon. You play as a new wandering samurai hero, Atsu, in 17th-century Japan. Your quest is one of revenge, as you travel the open world vanquishing your nemeses in any order. Multiple weapons, abilities, and allies give you even more freedom in tackling your objectives. You can optionally play the game in a black-and-white mode for Kurosawa-style vibes.

Kratos may be an iconic game hero, but the 2018 God of War reboot miraculously turned the wrathful god into an actual character instead of just an avatar of divine destruction. God of War Ragnarok delivers more of the same as Kratos and his son Atreus face fend off more Norse gods as the end of days approaches. The already stellar combat system gains new depth and creativity, while the vast levels look even more stunning as they’re presented as a single take.

Helldivers 2 turns the original top-down shooter into a third-person, multiplayer squad romp. Team up with friends to exterminate giant bugs, and explore thrilling new tactical possibilities through the Stratagem system. A cheeky sense of humor adds wonderful Starship Troopers-like flair to the happenings.

With Horizon Zero Dawn, developer Guerilla Games proved it could do more than just pump out boring Killzone sequels. Horizon Forbidden West, the next-gen sequel, takes us back to this fascinating sci-fi world where human tribes live alongside robot dinosaurs. Explore the lush environment with revamped movement mechanics, and take out foes with a variety of combat options. If you wanted more Horizon, but with a bigger scope and better gameplay, this is it.

Despite its beautiful, next-gen visuals, Kena: Bridge of Spirits harkens back to action-adventure games of an earlier era. Journey across the world as Kena, a spirit guide who partners with magical critters called Rot to cleanse a corrupted land. A healthy mix of combat, platforming, puzzle-solving, and Pixar-quality graphics make this an adventure anyone can get into.

Lego Horizon Adventures is an inexplicable mashup between the famous building blocks and Sony’s widely popular open-world epic. Relive the events of the first game through a comedic Lego lens. You won’t do much exploration, but you and a friend can hunt robot dinosaurs online using snappy combat and arcade power-ups. It’s the best-looking Lego game yet and arguably has a better aesthetic than the “real” Horizon games.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse showed the world that Miles Morales is the future when it comes to web-slinging. Now you can play as Miles in this standalone follow-up to Insomniac’s acclaimed PS4 Spider-Man game. Swing through Harlem, fight bad guys with your electricity and invisibility powers, and just look dope. 

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 lets you play as either Peter Parker or Miles Morales, arachnid-powered heroes who swing across a lovingly recreated New York City to bust bad guys with webs and wit. The story takes some dramatic twists and the Venom symbiote amplifies the game’s overall aggression. In addition, the action includes top-tier spider combat and awesome web-slinging and web-gliding traversal abilities.

Monster Hunter Wilds is the long-awaited true follow-up to Monster Hunter World, the game that introduced millions of new international players to Capcom’s creature-killing franchise. Monster Hunter Wilds ups the stakes with dangerous and dynamic environments, along with new ways to precisely target wounded foes. The vast lands feature gorgeous visuals that bring Monster Hunter into the next generation.

The Pathless is the perfect palette cleanser for the huge AAA games that increasingly dominate gaming with each passing generation. In this artsy indie game, use fluid movement mechanics to propel yourself through the abstract environments. Hunt bosses with your bow and arrow, and solve puzzles to lift the curse on the land. 

After years of working closely with Insomniac, Sony recently bought the developer. The latest Ratchet and Clank game shows why this was a smart investment. Like previous entries, you’ll still zip around sci-fi worlds shooting wacky weapons. But thanks to the PS5’s SSD, you can warp between entire dimensions in a matter of milliseconds. The living cartoon is an absolute visual feast.

Returnal combines indie, roguelike sensibilities with gorgeous, AAA production quality. This unforgiving third-person shooter almost turns into a bullet hell as you bob and weave to survive alien onslaughts. Tight controls mean that every death is your fault, but each failure also brings you closer to sweet victory. 

With Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, the artists behind Streets of Rage 4 and Wonder Boy prove they have truly mastered the art of the Sega retro revival. You once again play as iconic ninja Joe Musashi as you jump and slash through gorgeous, intricate, action-packed environments. Everything, from the combat and platforming to the visuals and music, is expertly tuned for cool ninja battles against a variety of enemies.

Silent Hill continues its long reemergence from the dead. Not a remake, Silent Hill f is an excellent and wholly original game in the acclaimed survival horror franchise. This new dreadful tale follows a high school student in 1960s Japan, and fully embraces the unique J-horror aesthetic. Along with the scares, Silent Hill f dives into deeper themes of violence and misogyny. It’s a terrific and absolutely terrifying descent into madness.

Mankind is on its last legs. An alien invasion has forced humanity off Earth and into space colonies. It falls on Eve, an elite super-soldier, to defeat the threat and reclaim the planet. Although Stellar Blade draws much of its inspiration from action games like Bayonetta, God of War, and Sekiro, it expertly interweaves these disparate gameplay mechanics to produce a refreshing title with a unique identity. Parry enemies, weave under attacks, and attack foes with powerful skills and super moves. The combo system is rich and rewarding, but aggressive and powerful enemies offer enough challenge to keep you on your toes throughout this lengthy 30-hour action-RPG.

We could argue about whether or not The Last of Us needed another full-priced release, but if you haven’t played Naughty Dog’s seminal survival-shooter, you might as well start with this PS5 remake. Ellie and Joel’s trek through the post-apocalypse remains a somber meditation on loss and brutal human nature. Plus, it’ll get you up to speed before the HBO show drops.