The best PS5 games to play in 2025

The best PS5 games are here to help cure your indecision. There are hundreds of great titles available on the PlayStation platform, but some are undoubtedly more worthy of your time, attention, and money than others. 12DOVE is here to help you on that front, with our definitive ranking of the best PlayStation 5 games that you should play today. Whether you just picked up a system over the holidays or have been on it from the beginning, here's our pick of the 15 essential PS5 games that everybody should play. 

In curating this list, I've tried to factor 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 2024 – 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 2024.

The best PS5 games to play in 2024, ranked

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.