Sony’s Playstation 5 reveal event on June 11 gave us an official glimpse of the much-awaited next-gen console as well as its hardware capabilities. Several exclusive new AAA games are also in the pipeline, many of which are fresh from Sony’s own studios. While some official release dates are still pending, here’s a bevvy of Playstation 5 games worth getting into.
Console-exclusive
Demon’s Souls
The granddaddy of the uber-punishing dark fantasy ARPG series is receiving a ground-up remake by Japan Studio and Bluepoint Games. Consequently, expect tonnes of trial-and-error combat and awesome gothic visuals. One can only hope that having a brand new PS5 DualSense controller will be enough to keep you from wanting to throw it across the room.
Horizon Forbidden West
The sequel to the acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn opens up with protagonist Aloy travelling to a western California that has been ravaged by massive storms and deadly machines. Forbidden West follows Zero Dawn‘s open-world set-up and makes full use of the PS5 graphics engine in bringing the post-apocalyptic environment to life.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Marvel’s Spider-Man by Insomniac Games gets a new standalone entry in the series. In fact, this title follows a narrative independent from its 2018 predecessor. Nevertheless, gamers can look forward to swinging around New York at dizzying speeds and vantages. And of course, there are also plenty of baddies to subdue and leave hanging from web threads for police to find.
Gran Turismo 7
Gran Turismo and Playstation go together like vanilla ice cream and apple pie. Fans of the racing sim will no doubt be salivating over the prospect of hitting the tarmac in gorgeous 4K resolution. Furthermore, this will be Polyphony Digital’s first numbered GT games since 2013’s Gran Turismo 6 and 2017’s Gran Turismo Sport.
Project Althia
As the announcement trailer clearly states, Square-Enix’s all-new IP is designed with the PS5’s graphic capabilities in mind. Additionally, Project Althia breaks away from the studio’s JRPG heritage and delivers a large-scale action-adventure experience. Imagine Final Fantasy mixed with The Elder Scrolls.
Third-Party titles
Resident Evil 8: Village
While Capcom’s recent remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 have received universal acclaim, fans have been clamouring for a follow-up to 2017’s Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. This new sequel retains the first-perspective of Biohazard and sees both Ethan Winters and Chris Redfield returning. Maybe we’ll finally find out more about the new Blue Umbrella organisation and “The Connections” this time?
Hitman 3
Everyone’s favourite bald-headed assassin is back for another round of morally dubious contract assignments. Moreover, this release will serve to tie up 2016’s World Of Assassination storyline. As the ruthlessly efficient Agent 47, you’ll travel to various locales and be faced with challenging mission parameters. How you execute them is completely up to you as Hitman‘s non-linear gameplay allows for endless possibilities.
Vampire The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
Bloodlines 2 is a much-needed return to Troika Games’ tragically under-performing Bloodlines from 2004. As a fledgling vampire, you’ll have the opportunity to align yourself with different vampire clans and factions. Furthermore, each come with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Produced by the same studio behind Bioshock Infinite, Bloodlines 2 gives the vampire genre a fresh political twist.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Ubisoft’s flagship title is back, this time with a Nordic spin. Fans of the series are already wondering how Vikings factor into the cloak-and-dagger gameplay typical of Assassin’s Creed, but it’s hard to remain a sceptic after experiencing a setting like Assassin’s Creed Origins’. The game takes place during the Viking invasion of Britain in 873 AD and follows protagonist Eivor as he attempts to settle new lands, inevitably leading him into conflict with the Templar Order.
Pragmata
Not much is known about Capcom’s mysterious new title, other than it bears the hallmarks of Hideo Kojima’s work. Details are sparse (if any). All we know is that the plot revolves around a spaceman protecting a girl from otherworldly forces. Basically, it looks like an eldritch version of The Last Of Us with an apocalyptic setting. Unfortunately, the title will only release in 2022 so we’ll just have to be patient until more details are available.
