Best PS5 games: The 20 greatest PlayStation 5 games you need to play

If you're looking for something new to play, the 12DOVE ranking of the best PS5 games has got you covered. With hundreds of different video games to choose between, understanding where to invest your money, time, and attention can be easier said than done. That's why you can use this curated list of the best PlayStation 5 games in 2025 to help guide your next purchasing decision. Whether you've only just bought a new console or are looking for something new to jump into from PSN this weekend, here's my pick of the greatest PS5 games that won't disappoint you.

In bringing together this list of the best PS5 games, I've factored in everything from the scores of our PS5 reviews to the fun factor and value for time you'll likely receive from playing. And if nothing here grabs your attention, there are still plenty of upcoming PS5 games set to release in 2025 – and 12DOVE will be monitoring each of them to see if they are worthy of making this list. From incredible third-party launches to excellent PS5 exclusives, there's no shortage of options if you're looking for something new to play. It's also worth remembering that, because of backwards compatibility support, you should also consider diving into some of the best PS4 games too. So while you wait for the PS5 Pro, check out the definitive list of the best PS5 games to play in 2025.

The best PS5 games to play in 2025, ranked

There was this perception coming into Atomfall that it was Rebellion Developments' attempt to build a British Fallout. The studio – best known for its work with the Sniper Elite franchise – has delivered something far more interesting than that in Atomfall, an open-ended action-survival game where you're free to truly define your adventure through the unknown. Set in a radioactive quarantine zone in an alternate history 1960s, you're left to follow your intuition and let your judgment guide you to the heart of a radioactive mystery.

I mean that literally, by the way. Atomfall has done away with a traditional quest system, opting instead to let you follow (or ignore) any leads that may come your way – every NPC has a perspective to share, each helping to shape your priorities and direction. There's multiple paths through every environment and encounter; challenging first-person combat encourages a stealthy approach where possible, although there's no harm in running toward danger if you have the ammunition to spare. Atomfall is without question one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is further evidence that we're living through something of a golden age for RPGs. While Baldur's Gate 3 certainly set a new standard, the latest open-world game from developer Warhorse Studios shows there's still plenty of scope for experimentation. The scope of this adventure is vast, set in a beautifully-realized 15th century Bohemia with an almost overwhelming commitment to historical realism.

What's so interesting about Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is the ways in which it is able to leverage its setting to deliver a truly absorbing RPG that's quite unlike anything else around right now – in a way, it always feels like a throwback to classics of the PS3 and Xbox 360 era. The open-ended quest design is phenomenal, so too is a skill system which rewards persistence and an outlay of inquisitive NPCs who help sell the entire fantasy.

It's actually quite difficult to pick the best fighting game for PS5. If you want arcade thrills then there's Mortal Kombat 1 just waiting to crush your ribcage. If you're looking for a great 3D brawler, then you needn't look much further than Tekken 8. The thing is, Street Fighter 6 isn't just a fantastic 2D fighting game, it also represents one of the best overall fighting game packages ever put forward.

What you'll find in Street Fighter 6 is a finely-tuned fighting game with an expressive single-player offering and a mass of modes for multiplayer bouts. Whether you're a hardcore fighting game player or a casual Street Fighter fan, there really is something for everyone in here. The combat system is approachable and flexible, its complexity revealing itself as you sink scores of hours into its action. There's real versatility at the heart of Street Fighter 6 that is worth celebrating.

PlayStation has always positioned its first-party racing games as true system showcases, and that is of course true once again with Gran Turismo 7. It's an absolutely stunning simulation, a monstrously-sized package that'll let you indulge in your favorite vehicle classes and take them out on a vast array of lovingly rendered tracks. There's even a game mode which is designed to let you simply marvel at all of the cars you've collected in the intricate detail they are afforded, and even learn a little about each of their historic significance too.

Which is all to say that Gran Turismo 7 is undoubtedly the best racing game on PS5. The game shines on its longer events, where weather conditions can drastically alter the composition of races in real-time, and accelerated day/night cycles shifting the mood of races entirely. The sheer scope of the career throughline, and suite of accompanying modes packaged into the game, make this one of the most expansive racing games PlayStation has ever published.

There's nothing quite like Death Stranding on PS5. It's an exceptionally strange, singular experience from Kojima Productions – the studio helmed by Hideo Kojima, the creator of the Metal Gear franchise. In Death Stranding you get a supernatural adventure across a vast open wilderness, an experience which tasks you with both reconnecting strands of humanity and transporting packages over exceptionally uneven terrain. There's invading entities from another realm to contend with, as well as the risk of your equipment corroding under acid rainfall.

Death Stranding is difficult to describe, but there's something strangely enduring about what it provides. The experience of hiking around lushly presented landscapes is calming – even as you cross dangerous chasms, wade through deep waters, and scale perilous mountains. The way Death Stranding smartly utilizes community collaboration to provide assistance to your journeys is unrivaled, so too the visual fidelity Kojima Productions puts forward.

Cocoon was in contention for our best game of 2023 award, and for good reason. Developer Geometric Interactive – a studio founded by former Playdead employees, of Limbo and Inside fame – has delivered one of the best puzzle games of the generation here. This top-down adventure is absolutely spellbinding, making you feel like a big-brain genius with astonishing ease. That's largely a result of how well Cocoon quietly teaches you the basics, giving you room to explore esoteric solutions to increasingly complex, conceptual puzzles.

Cocoon tasks you with weaving different worldstates together, hopping between them all to progress across a lush biomechanical tapestry. It really is an astoundingly smart video game, one which takes an ingeniously creative approach to problem solving. If you'd like to challenge your capacity for lateral thinking, and ability to find inventive solutions to layered problems, then you won't be disappointed by what you find in Cocoon.

Hazelight Studios has a reputation for building the best co-op games. From the prison break antics of A Way Out to the wild fun of It Takes Two, Hazelight makes video games that are only playable with two controllers to hand – and best enjoyed with players sitting beside one another on the couch. The studio's winning streak continues with Split Fiction, a luxurious adventure that tracks two writers thrown into their own fictional worlds.

Split Fiction is an exceptionally inventive, wildly entertaining co-op experience that never seems to tire as it throws out new ideas, systems, and mechanics between each of its levels. The variety on offer is outrageous, with Split Fiction leaping between fantasy and science-fiction settings with playful ease. Whether you're jumping in with a friend in-person or through online functionality, Split Fiction is essential.

If Assassin's Creed Origins was the beginning of Ubisoft's journey to reconfigure its long-running franchise into an action-RPG, then Assassin's Creed Shadows feels like the culmination of these efforts. What you'll find in this adventure is a lushly presented open-world, both sprawling in its scope and absolutely beautiful to beyond – particularly if you're able to play on PS5 Pro, with ACS representing one of the best upgrades we've seen on the refreshed hardware yet.

Still, regardless of what model of PS5 you're playing Assassin's Creed Shadows on, it's well worth your time and attention. Dual protagonists Yasuke and Naoe offer wildly different ways to experience the Feudal Japan setting, the former pulling attention on refined combat mechanics and the latter on exceptional advances to Ubisoft's underlying stealth systems. Japan has been a long-requested destination for this series to explore, and Assassin's Creed Shadows doesn't disappoint.

Monster Hunter Wilds is some of the most fun you can have with friends on PS5 right now. Capcom started down a path in 2018 to reintroduce its long-running series to western audiences with Monster Hunter World, stripping out some of the more esoteric aspects to its mechanical design to make it more approachable to a wider base of players. Monster Hunter Wilds feels like the inevitable endpoint for that endeavor, and what a delight it is.

Monster Hunter Wilds has the sharpest game feel in the series to date. Combat is kinetic as you and your pals track, hunt, and battle some astoundingly large monsters, recycling the rewards earned in victory to craft increasingly outrageous weapons and armor. Wilds is undoubtedly the most approachable and accessible entry point into the series to date, something that Capcom has achieved without sacrificing all that much depth. If you've ever wanted to try Monster Hunter, Wilds is the time to do it.

Atlus has, in essence, pulled off the impossible with Metaphor: ReFantazio. For players who have grown tired of Final Fantasy's transition away from turn-based combat and complex storytelling towards more action-oriented structures, there's a pretty good chance that discovering Metaphor: ReFantazio will be somewhat revelatory. This monstrous JRPG boasts hundreds of hours of playtime, an incredible world to explore, and a wildly detailed combat system that encourages experimentation. If you've got the time, Metaphor: ReFantazio won't disappoint.

There's a level of quality to the overall production that's hard to ignore as well, with developer Studio Zero delivering exceptional artistic direction and an unforgettable soundtrack to help propel you through the sprawling fantasy setting. That shouldn't come as any surprise either, given that Metaphor: ReFantazio comes from the creative minds responsible for steering the Persona series over the past two decades. Metaphor is a luxuriously crafted RPG with a killer turn-based combat system.

Returnal was one of the first significant first-party PS5 exclusives released outside of the system's launch window, and the roguelike shooter has lost none of its potency in the last four years. In fact, there's still nothing quite like Returnal available on the platform. It's one of the weirdest blockbusters of the generation, and deliberately challenging – the sort of experience that you'll walk away from in anger after a failed run before crawling back for more a few minutes later.

Returnal sees you trying to survive cycles of violence on a strange alien planet. You're trapped in a time loop, the narrative unfurling gradually as you shift deeper into the planet Atropos. It's one of the slickest shooters on PS5, and one of the best looking titles too – a true visual and auditory assault on the senses. Death is but a chance to try again in Returnal, a chance to regroup and reapply lessons learned across your descent into strange territories.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was always going to be a challenge for developer Square Enix. Its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, was a largely faithful reimagining of one of the most iconic RPGs of all-time until it entered its final-phase, engineering a sharp left turn that left more questions than answers. Rebirth takes Final Fantasy veterans into somewhat uncharted territory as a result, retaining key moments of awe and delivering a more layered narrative that'll keep you guessing until the end.

As the middle portion of a planned trilogy, you will most-likely want to play Final Fantasy 7 Remake before venturing into this sequel, but no matter how you choose to play you'll find an expansive, expressive RPG adventure waiting for you. Square Enix has carefully refined its open-ended exploration, with hundreds of hours of distractions waiting for you outside of the excellent core narrative. Combat and progression is tighter, a is the way the story interweaves with a truly expansive world.

It's truly astounding how well Resident Evil 4 has stood the rest of time. The iconic survival horror game celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2025, and it's still as potent today as it ever was. But if you're looking for the best way to experience special agent Leon S. Kennedy's mission to rescue the president's daughter from a dangerous cult, you'll want to pick up the stunning Resident Evil 4 Remake – a genuinely spellbinding adventure that never loosens its grip.

What's so impressive about the Resident Evil 4 Remake is that it doesn't just preserve the spirit of the original, but enhances it for a new generation of players. The core structure remains intact, but Capcom worked plenty of neat tricks into the play experience which work to revitalize the hectic third-person combat and utterly audacious set-pieces. There's no shortage of fantastic horror games on PS5, but few are able to reach such dizzying heights.

If you're looking to stress test your PS5, you'll want to pick up Horizon Forbidden West. The long-awaited sequel to one of Sony Interactive Entertainment's biggest success stories of the PS4 era tracks Aloy as she enters a lush new open-world expanse, a post-apocalyptic version of the Western United States overrun by competing factions and towering mechanical dinosaurs. The visual fidelity and scope of the expansive world is genuinely awe-inspiring, and remains somewhat unrivaled in this sense all these years after its release.

Developer Guerrilla Games made a number of smart tweaks to the mechanical design which so many millions of players fell in love with through Horizon Zero Dawn, with the studio engineering massive improvements to combat, navigation, and quest design. Horizon Forbidden West is a bigger and more refined experience as a result; a well-tempered evolution that never fails to arrest the attention. Prepare to lose hours of your life to this stunning PS5 exclusive.

The Last of Us 2 is a genuine achievement. Naughty Dog has built a reputation for breaking boundaries in the action-adventure genre, but there are few modern video games as starkly all-encompassing as this. A sprawling tale of revenge set across a Seattle wasteland, The Last of Us 2 tracks the intertwining lives of Ellie and Abby – two characters bound spiritually by a hatred for the world around them. An expansive story told in short, sharp shocks of violence.

With The Last of Us Season 2 set to air in April, there's never been a better time to get caught up on the source material. The Last of Us: Part 2 was remastered for PS5 in 2024 (the title was originally released four years before on PS4), bringing visual improvements, faster loading times, and a suite of new gameplay modes and otherwise lost levels. This adventure isn't for the faint of heart, but it's a truly generation-defining experience that set a new standard for play.

In what is undoubtedly the best PS5 multiplayer game of the generation, Helldivers 2 takes the Starship Troopers fantasy and turns it into a reality. Whether you are dropping into Automaton-controlled space alone, or pairing up with three other friends to tackle Terminid territories together, Helldivers 2 is a riot . Principally a third-person shooter, your objective is to survive against ever-increasing masses of enemies – thinning hordes with dwindling ammunition supplies as objectives are completed and friendly-fire casualties are recorded.

Developer Arrowhead has done a phenomenal job of maintaining this live-service phenomenon, a Galactic Map tracking playerbase progression on PS5 and PC in real-time. With few attempts to monetize the experience, and a relaxed approach to battle pass progression, it's possible to drop in and out without fear of falling behind. Brilliantly tactile and exceptionally challenging, Helldivers 2 is best enjoyed with a few buddies who will never let you forget that time you misplaced a deadly stratagem.

If Hereditary and Midsommar distributor A24 made horror games, I imagine the results would look something like Alan Wake 2. It's a boldly produced, fearlessly creative, and deeply-affecting psychological thriller which tracks one story across two unraveling realities. You take control of horror author Alan Wake as he spirals through the Dark Place, a metaphysical prison of comic-horror proportions; and Saga Anderson, an FBI agent investigating a series of ritualistic murders and their connection to Wake's disappearance a decade earlier.

The best Remedy Entertainment games are known for their propulsive action, evocative atmosphere, and unmistakable sense of place. Alan Wake 2 feels like the pure distillation of these aspects, and it's quite simply peerless as a resulted. If you're a fan of survival horror games like Resident Evil, or are looking for the latest from the team behind Control, then this has my highest recommendation. At a time where blockbuster horror games are synonymous with remakes, Alan Wake 2 is essential.

It's honestly astonishing just how far Cyberpunk 2077 has come. When the open-world experience launched in 2020, the PS4 version was in such a rough state that Sony was forced to take unprecedented action: the game was removed from the PlayStation Store, with refunds issued to affected players. What a difference a few years can make. Cyberpunk 2077 can now be considered one of the greatest RPGs of all-time, and a milestone achievement for developer CD Projekt Red – impressive, given the studio is best known for The Witcher 3.

Cyberpunk 2077 has a dazzling sense of scale. It's remarkable how small you feel walking the wide streets of Night City, a towering metropolis that you'll easily sink hours into exploring. The depth of customisation and quality of combat is excellent, while the visual fidelity captured through cinematics and conversations has undoubtedly set a new benchmark for the industry. I recommend that you pick up Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, which includes the Phantom Liberty expansion.

You can think of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 as the ultimate reflection of what is possible when talented video game creators are working to squeeze the full potential out of the PlayStation 5. It's a visually ambitious adventure, with expressive character animations and punchy combat packed into a distinctive open world. In many ways we've come to expect nothing less from developer Insomniac Games. But what continues to impress me is just how fluid Marvel's Spider-Man 2 feels in your hands.

The speed in which Peter Parker and Miles Morales are able to swing around the boroughs of New York City is exceptional, so too is the way you're able to seamlessly transition between the two characters as they do battle against some of the best Spider-Man villains. The more comfortable you become in control, the more you're able to easily build momentum – the resulting action is thrilling, particularly in a package that is otherwise full of heart, humor, and unforgettable setpieces.

Deathloop will challenge your expectations every step of the way. A brand new first-person shooter from Arkane Studios is typically cause for celebration, the studio behind such success stories as Prey and the Dishonored series. But Deathloop isn't an immersive sim in the traditional sense, and is all the better because of it. What you have here is a more self-contained adventure that's dripping with style and subversive action, a puzzle that needs to be carefully pieced together over time.

Deathloop is a murder mystery suspended in a time loop; a first-person shooter that stars a shotgun which can transform into a rifle at the press of a button; and a sci-fi adventure that's stuck in the '70s. And even that description barely scratches the surface. You're charged with eliminating eight targets before the clock strikes midnight, and if you fail the hands of time reset – leaving you with little more than the knowledge of your past successes and failures. Deathloop is a wild ride.

I'll admit that I've never historically been the biggest fan of Dungeons and Dragons, but that didn't stop me from falling in love with the latest masterwork from Larian Entertainment. What you get in Baldur's Gate 3 is the best RPG of the generation, an impossibly complex adventure with a staggering amount of depth and complexity. It's honestly staggering how good this game is at generating stories, and at pulling every player who dives in into different directions with ease.

If there's any word of caution I could present to you, it's this: prepare for Baldur's Gate 3 to consume your spare time. Whether you're venturing into the wilds alone or partnering up with a friend for co-op, Baldur's Gate 3 has this incredible ability to become the only thing you'll care about. Combat is challenging, you'll fall in love with the characters, and you'll be shocked when even the smallest decision cascades into an unavoidable calamity. Whether you're a D&D newbie or veteran player, you don't want to miss this one.

I honestly believe that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is some of the most fun that you can have on PS5. It captures that playful spirit which defined so many of the best PS1 games like lightning in a bottle – echoing the platformers which once defined the earliest years of Sony's arrival onto the video game market 30 years ago. Developer Insomniac Games outdid itself with this one, an adventure that's just so full of heart, humor, and character that you worry it's going to burst.

It certainly doesn't hurt that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a true PS5 system showcase. The speedy SSD packed inside the system is used to great effect, allowing Ratchet to dynamically cross between worlds and seamlessly leap between encounters which will ignite the imagination. Phenomenal visual fidelity meets haptic combat, packed full of memorable weaponry and character moments that'll leave you delighted. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is pure entertainment for kids of all ages.

It's really quite staggering how far developer Sony Santa Monica has taken God of War in two decades. Earlier titles, which still rank among the best PS2 and best PS3 games, are a far cry from what the latest installment has to offer. God of War Ragnarok is a lushly produced, visually expansive, and exceptionally cinematic adventure which tracks Kratos and his teenage son Atreus through increasingly deadly terrain – the unfolding events among some of the best on PS5.

The nine realms stand on the cusp of destruction as Ragnarok approaches, an eschatological event that concludes the Norse era of the series. Sony Santa Monica pushes a suite of quality-of-life improvements to the fore, combining them with strikingly slick beat-'em-up combat and the sort of cinematic flair that is so rarely captured outside of first-party PlayStation Studios productions. God of War Ragnarok is a must-play; a staggering spectacle that's packed with fantastic, memorable characters.

Elden Ring captures such an incredible sense of discovery. Where previous FromSoftware developed games – Demon Souls, Dark Souls, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – would leave you stranded at chokepoints, slamming your head against a brick wall until you somehow smashed through, Elden Ring offers complete freedom of movement. It's in that exploration, as you turn away from seemingly insurmountable challenges in search of a distraction, where this adventure excels. There's always something incredible to find, so long as you're daring enough to go out in search of the unknown.

It's this aspect which has propelled Elden Ring into being one of the best open world games of the modern era. This dark fantasy isn't going to be for everybody – it can be exceptionally punishing, even when wielding magic or summoning signs – but if you're willing to give Elden Ring the time, it'll give you an adventure of a lifetime in return. With the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion out now, the best Souslike on PS5 only reaches new heights. Trust your abilities and dare to fail, you won't regret it.

I've thought long and hard about whether Astro Bot's ascension to the number one position on GamesRadar's ranking of the best PS5 games is recency bias, but the truth of it is that Team Asobi has delivered an absolutely astounding experience. In this charming, dazzling platformer, PlayStation finds itself on equal footing with Nintendo – in Astro Bot, movement is perfectly weighted and challenge carefully calculated. It's a true achievement, and one of the best system showcases that the PS5 has to offer.

That Team Asobi finds itself in this position is incredible. Astro's Playroom was an accessible entrypoint into this new generation, the freely playable technical demo designed to highlight the unique functionality afforded by the DualSense controller. But in this sequel, the studio settles into new rhythms. Astro Bot is a wondrous celebration of 30 years of PlayStation, a pixel perfect platformer, and proof that this hardware still has plenty more to give – one of the best looking and feeling games on PS5.