It’s a tale as old as sports: an established star has an off year, and people begin to wonder if this is the beginning of their long slide into mediocrity. Then, they come roaring back with a season for the ages, putting all doubts to rest as to who sits at the pinnacle of the sport. After having somewhat of a down year of its own in 2022, MLB The Show 23 has returned to claim its crown as the undisputed king of simulation baseball with a long list of upgrades, gameplay shakeups, and an incredible new mode that redefines what the sports genre is capable of.
The most signifiant addition to MLB The Show 23 is the Negro Leagues mode, a dedicated single-player story focused on the legends of a league that ran parallel to the MLB from 1920 to 1948. Eight different players are highlighted, from the Legendary Satchel Paige to the groundbreaking Jackie Robinson. Each is lovingly introduced by Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick, with missions that recreate exciting moments from their careers. One mission begins with a story about Rube Foster’s devastating “fadeaway,” a pitch better known today as a screwball, only to drop me into a game where I needed to notch two strike outs using just that pitch. As I worked through the batters, the returning two-man announcer team of Boog Sciambi and Chris Singleton provided interesting insights about Foster and his success with the fadeaway.
This mode is a stunning achievement. The video packages that accompany the players are poignant, funny, well produced, and lay out brilliantly what makes these guys giants in the history of the sport. Kendrick speaks with tremendous passion and charisma. I could watch him describe the weather and I would be enraptured, but when he tells legendary stories, like when Satchel Paige called in the entire field of players to sit around him while he struck out the side in a game, I was on the edge of my seat. That also meant I was blown away when I took control of Paige myself, teammates kneeling around me without a care in the world, and sat down each of the hitters I faced.
The Negro Leagues Mode is a stunning achievement.
It’s a loving tribute to the Negro Leagues that didn’t need to be as detailed as it is. It would have been simple and safe to just add some throwback uniforms and a few legends to Diamond Dynasty. Instead, developer Sony San Diego thoughtfully recreated uniforms, equipment, and crowds from yesteryear. It all ties together in a cohesive package that’s equal parts history lesson and satisfying challenge.
The Negro Leagues storyline focuses on the triumphs of the players, but that doesn’t mean it shies away from the prejudice of the era and the reasons the Leagues existed to begin with. It formed long before the Civil Rights movement and did a lot to bridge a massive racial divide, bringing in audiences and filling the stands with people of all colors even as the players featured in these stories faced racism and segregation. It’s an important account that transcends baseball, and a credit to the developer for its inclusion. Even as a lifelong lover of both baseball and history, most of what I saw and heard was new to me. The stories are entertaining, powerful, and often end with me in periods of quiet reflection.
New Facets on the Diamond
Diamond Dynasty, which combines baseball card collection with a slew of single-player and online multiplayer modes, has undergone a number of smart changes. The basic idea is the same: you complete challenges or spend Stubs to unlock cards, which can then be used to assemble a team. The cards range from today’s players to stars from the World Baseball Classic, legends of baseball’s past, to the featured players from the Negro Leagues. It’s great for scratching that live service itch for those that enjoy the grind in a way that feels compelling, but not coercive.
This year brings with it the introduction of sets and seasons that effectively act like The Show’s battle pass, which is a bit of a mixed blessing. Ranging from six to eight weeks, seasons create a defined beginning and end to a specific stretch of Diamond Dynasty baseball that each has an accompanying set of cards. Season 1 has Set 1, Season 2 will bring Set 2, and so on. The significance of this is that certain modes, such as ranked competitive, will be locked to specific sets based on the current season, giving the strategy of each one a bit of a unique flavor.
A number of tweaks reinvigorate the already great Diamond Dynasty mode.
I like the general idea, as it injects some variety from season to season, but it also means cards from each set will eventually become obsolete, requiring many rosters to be rebuilt as time goes on. Cards with exceptionally high ratings are available from day one, but the planned obsolescence is a tough pill to swallow. You can at least have one “Wild” card on your roster, which allows you to keep one player from any Set active, which does help take some of the sting out. Likewise there are some cards from a separate “Core” set, which are universal for any season. It’s hard to predict how that will play out over a full year of Diamond Dynasty, but it definitely sucked some of the joy out of unlocking high end players in the short term.
A number of other, smaller changes help refresh the Diamond Dynasty. Ranked co-op matches, which let you and a friend combine your squads to play against another fused team, are more worthwhile now that they have the same reward trees as ranked solo. There are also new Captain Cards that can bestow team-wide bonuses in certain circumstances – a Captain Series Bryce Harper, for example, provides a growing boost as you add more players from the All-Star Series to your squad, which should both result in some interesting and unique team builds and be a fun incentive to pursue cards for reasons other than just the highest overall rating. New team affinity programs also make it easier to earn cards for your favorite teams. Each of those tweaks on their own is an incremental change, but taken together they reinvigorate a great mode that otherwise may have been in danger of growing stale.
Rounding out the roster
The Show has a deep roster of modes after nearly two decades of iteration, and it seems like all of them have received at least some updates for the better. Road to the Show, which puts you in the career of a created player working your way up to the big leagues, has added an easy-to-use face scanning feature and a long needed overhaul to its user interface. Cool new cutscenes have been added, including a brand new introduction sequence, and slowly building your attributes up remains as compelling as ever. Information about how the individual plays you make affect your progression is given in greater detail, too, and the challenges offered at crucial moments in games remain exceptionally rewarding to complete.
The Show has finally been updated to reflect the current MLB rulebook, with major implications for the Dynasty mode in particular. There are new rules dictating defensive shifts, and now two-way players can now be used as both Designated Hitter and Pitcher in the same game, fixing a glaring issue affecting stars like Shohei Ohtani in last year’s edition. The scouting and drafting system has been noticeably improved – I found it much easier to scout with a strategy in mind, with scouting abilities focused on pitchers, position players, and discovering talent. As someone who enjoys the front office nuance, it was a thrill to discover hidden gems in international leagues, though people who aren’t as interested can still automate the process.
New animations push it all closer to matching what you see on tv.
Custom practice now lets you designate which pitches and locations you will see. Have trouble with sinkers down in the zone? Queue them up, then start hacking away until you get the motion down. This is a massive improvement, and makes it much more effective as a skill building tool. I found myself regularly spending time in batting practice at the start of a play session as a warm up, and genuinely felt like it helped me regain my timing.
Another year of development on the current generation of consoles continues to pay graphical dividends as well. Gorgeous and lifelike recreations of stadiums, now including exteriors, make it easy to get lost in the spectacle. Team-specific VFX packages introduce games with a more personal touch, and a new batch of animations, like the Mariners signature victory dance, push it all closer and closer to matching what you see on tv.
Baseball is just as much about the sounds as it is the sights, and The Show smartly rebuilt much of the audio for this year’s release. Whether it’s capturing the subtle reverb in the stadium following the crack of a bat, or the concussion pop of a glove that catches a speeding line drive, the explosive power of baseball played at the major league is an essential part of the sport’s essence, and it’s recreated brilliantly here. A much deeper pool of recorded dialogue by the commentator crew, now in their second year, is also readily apparent, with thankfully fewer instances of the same lines being repeated ad-nauseum.
The on-the-field play has been stellar for years, but there are some smart improvements here too that are worth mentioning. Just like previous iterations, there are a range of control options for each of the phases of baseball, be they pitching, hitting, fielding, or baserunning. Simple options like one-button hitting are great at allowing anyone to play, while opting into more complex options like zone-hitting rewards players who want to reach for a higher skill ceiling.
Single-button throwing for fielders is back, but the addition of a moving target on Button Accuracy Throws adds a challenging new wrinkle. Now, on long tosses from the outfield or difficult passes from the infield, the accurate zone for throws moves around. It’s a small adjustment that adds a surprising amount of challenge, and games I played against other humans had a number of errant throws much more in line with actual MLB games. Too often in previous years it felt like every defender was an all-star, and this change is a welcome dose of realism.
Sports gamers unite! It’s time to vote in IGN’s Best Sports Video Games Showdown Contest! We’ve created a seeded, elimination tournament featuring the 32 greatest sports video games of all-time across four ultra-competitive regions: Traditional Sports; Arcade Sports; Racing/Fighting; and Wildcard. Only 16 games remain and it’s up to you to decide which ones will stay in the running.
Fan Voting: March 29th 10am PT to April 13th 12am PT
Want a chance to win a $100 to the digital games store of your choice? Visit https://bestsportsgame.ign.com/ between March 29th 10am PT – April 13th 12am PT and make your predictions on which sports video game will win each bracket matchup. Ten (10) people who enter will win a $100 gift card to the digital games store of their choice. Visit https://bestsportsgame.ign.com/ for sweepstakes details.
Relevant Dates:
Giveaway Entry Period: March 29th 10am PT – April 13th 12am PT
Round 1 “Round of 32” Fan Voting: Completed
Round 2 “Sweet 16” Fan Voting: March 31st 10am PT to April 1st 10am PT
Round 3 “Elite 8” Fan Voting: April 5th 10am PT to April 6th 10am PT
Round 4 “Final 4” Fan Voting: April 10th 10am PT to April 11th 10am PT
Round 5 “Championship” Fan Voting: April 12th 10am PT to April 13th 10am PT
Winner Revealed: April 15th at 11:59pm PT
Now onto the regions…
REGION 1: TRADITIONAL SPORTS GAME
Region 1 pits traditional sports titles against one another. These simulation-style games aim to replicate their real-life counterparts, and tend to target hardcore sports fans.
Madden 2005 (2004)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1988-Present
IGN Score: 9.5
IGN Review Blurb: “The defensive improvements alone are worth the price of admission.”
FIFA Soccer 12 (2011)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1993-Present
IGN Score: 9.5
IGN Review Blurb: “Matches unfold with a more authentic tempo, taking it much closer to the real thing.”
NBA 2K14 (2013)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-Present
IGN Score: 9.3
IGN Review Blurb: “A smooth-flowing piece of pro basketball simulation.”
MLB The Show ’21 (2021)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2006-Present
IGN Score: 8.0
IGN Review Blurb: “The best baseball sim you can play on any platform.“
REGION 2: ARCADE SPORTS GAME
Region 2 is comprised of arcade-style games that tend to put a spin on real sports. They boast a pick-up-and-play style unlike their more traditional counterparts.
NHL ’94 (1993)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1991-Present
IGN Score: N/A
Mario Golf World Tour (2014)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-2021
IGN Score: 8.6
IGN Review Blurb: “Mario Golf strikes an excellent balance of risk and reward.”
NBA Street Vol. 2 (2003)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2001-2007
IGN Score: 9.4
IGN Review Blurb: “More dunks, more players, more moves, more music and a lot more street.”
NFL Blitz: The League II (2008)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2008-2012
IGN Score: 5.5
IGN Review Blurb: “The League II brings many of the same conventions as the first with Clash and Unleashed moves becoming available for positive yardage and good plays on defense.”
REGION 3: RACING/FIGHTING SPORTS GAME
Region 3 features racing and fighting games. These eight boast white-knuckle, high-octane action on the road or fierce fisticuffs in the ring.
Forza Horizon 5 (2021)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2012-2021
IGN Score: 10
IGN Review Blurb: “A deep and nuanced car nirvana for revheads and auto geeks.”
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (2001)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1997-Present
IGN Score: 9.8
IGN Review Blurb: “The finest racing, the best cars and the highest-quality automotive audio-visual feast available on any gaming system anywhere.”
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2010- Present
IGN Score: 9.0
IGN Review Blurb: “It completely embraces that spirit of adolescent madness and just runs with it.”
Fight Night Round 4 (2009)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2004-2011
IGN Score: 8.8
IGN Review Blurb: “The champ has returned to reclaim the title.”
REGION 4: EXTREME SPORTS / WILDCARD GAME
Region 4 is loaded with games beyond simple categorization. It’s a high-adrenaline grab bag of extreme sports, management sims, and more.
Mario Kart 8 (2014)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1992-Present
IGN Score: 9.3
IGN Review Blurb: “The best kart racing game Nintendo has made in a long time.”
Rocket League (2015)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2015-Present
IGN Score: 8.0
IGN Review Blurb: “A rare example where the execution of a simple, absurd idea is so strong and so engaging that it doesn’t need a ton of extra features around it.”
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (2000)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-2020
IGN Score: 9.3
IGN Review Blurb: “One of the best games to ever grace this or any console.”
WWF No Mercy (2000)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-2012
IGN Score: 9.0
IGN Review Blurb: “A terrific game from top to bottom.”
Update : Here’s your reminder that Splatoon 3’s next Splatfest is very close — it all kicks off this weekend, in fact!
‘Which of these is real?’ is the question, with Nessie, Aliens, and Bigfoot being the answer. Look, we’d love Nessie to be real, but like we said a few weeks ago, it’s all about the Aliens. You can tell us what your choice is in our poll at the very bottom of the article.
Videoverse took me right back to the early 00s last night. I can still remember sitting at the family PC in our living room, begging my parents for more internet time because I wanted chat to my friend on MSN Messenger. We had to buy hours of internet in those days, and between my young teenage self and my three brothers, we absolutely devoured those meagre weekly limits, always pleading for more, more, more as we became absolutely captivated by this new world of the online.
Luckily, Emmett doesn’t have to contend with such antiquated restraints in Videoverse, as his portal to the internet is built right into his enormous Nintendo DS-like home console, the Kinmoku Shark. As well as using it to play games reminiscent of old 16-bit classics, there’s also a Nintendo Miiverse-esque social network on the Shark that Emmett uses to chat to his friends, post fan art of his favourite game, Feudal Fantasy, and feel part of something bigger. What hasn’t changed since those early internet days, however (or indeed, the internet today) are the types of people he interacts with – there are trolls, of course, but there are also plenty of nice people here to support him, and the emergence of seemingly new user (and budding fan artist) Vivi quickly becomes the main subject of Videoverse’s current free demo that’s available as part of Steam’s Storyteller Festival.
Last week, we asked you to set sail and explore the soulful world of Tchia using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
call_me_xavii shares Tchia wearing casual clothes and a baseball cap sitting by a fire
asensualmanatee shares Tchia sitting on a hill with the sky red with the sunset
photo_station5 shares Tchia on her boat headed towards land with a mountain and the sun in the center background
godhatesash shares a close up look at golden brown cow with white horns
kani3_sun shares Tchia soul-jumped into a cat sitting in a field of grass
FMJLullaby shares Tchia and her father out of focus as their friend arrives on his boat.
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Resident Evil 4 SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on April 5, 2023
Next week, what’re ya sharin’? Share action-packed moments exploring and fighting back as Leon S. Kennedy in Resident Evil 4 using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
After getting a hands-off look at some early gameplay from upcoming Hyper Light Drifter sequel, Hyper Light Breaker, it’s clear that the follow-up is both thematically very Hyper Light while also functionally a significant departure from the first game. While Hyper Light Drifter was a single-player (at launch), top-down action-adventure, Hyper Light Breaker is a multiplayer-focused, 3D, roguelike action game.
Why change genre so dramatically for a follow-up when fans were, presumably, expecting more of the same? Creator Alx Preston doesn’t have that deep a reason: Hyper Light Breaker is simply the game the team wanted to make, and that he specifically wanted to make “for quite a long time” after Drifter’s release. So he’s not too fussed about how people feel about the changes – in fact, he might do a similar departure for another Hyper Light game in the future.
“People will like it or not like it, and that’s up to them,” Preston says. “We’re just making a game that we want to make, and I feel like the Hyper Light world has room to have a lot of different things in it as far as game styles go. Why not a Hyper Light racing game? It’s a robust world, and it can maintain many different identities as far as gameplay goes so I don’t think there are any limits to it.”
That said, Hyper Light Breaker is still very clearly tied to Hyper Light Drifter. We talked about some of the similarities in our hands-off first gameplay preview, but Preston adds that Hyper Light Breaker takes place in a “not too distant” time frame in the same world. It has story threads that tie into Drifter as well as recognizable elements such as tech, language, and symbology. And he says they’ve plotted its place in the Hyper Light timeline “very carefully.”
And then there are the more immediately noticeable thematic similarities between the two games.
“There’s a lot of tone to it,” he says. “There’s like a vibe to [Hyper Light Drifter] that was mysterious and dark and bleak. And while this one is brighter in a lot of ways, as you start to get into the story and as you start to get into different areas and bosses and whatever else, you’ll find those elements of bleakness even in the more stylized realm.”
Part of that tonal similarity leans on a theme those familiar with Preston’s work will likely expect to see: that of fighting through pain. Preston’s been open about his own struggles with congenital heart disease, and his experience with that became a key thematic element of Hyper Light Drifter, and was woven through Solar Ash as well.
“That’s the type of story that I’m drawn to because that’s the thing I’m most familiar with,” Preston says. “You’re trying to write what you know or tell stories about things you know. So yeah, it’s going to be different than Drifter as far as role-playing goes and different for which characters are going through what. But there will be a lot of struggle and pain and strife in different formats. Taking shape through central wellbeing or physical wellbeing through a variety of different characters and how they make the best in a bad situation basically.”
We spent about 45 minutes with Preston playing Hyper Light Breaker last week following the announcement of Hyper Light Breaker’s imminent early access period this fall. Our exclusive first gameplay preview has a lot more about the similarities and differences between Hyper Light Drifter and Breaker, as well as details about the new combat style and some vague if tantalizing clues about the game’s story. Hyper Light Breaker’s early access launch is currently planned for release on Steam.
The Last Of Us Part I’s PC port released earlier this week and was subsequently torn apart by fans online. The kind-of-remake is still sitting at a mostly negative rating on Steam thanks to reports of frequent crashes and a generally wonky porting job, but some technical problems are getting fixed in a recent patch.
The end of March has brought the PS5 even more success than ever before. Circana named it the best-selling console of February 2023, driving 29% of gaming hardware sales. Some of the credit for the PS5’s sales growth goes to Hogwarts Legacy, which became the #1 best-selling game to date, selling over 12 million copies two weeks after it launched.
Meanwhile, Tchia became an instant indie open-world darling upon its release on PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium. Developed by Montreal-based Awaceb, players assume the role of a titular 12-year-old girl and embark on a Breath of the Wild-style journey through an island inspired by the South Pacific nation of New Caledonia — and learn some Drehu and French along the way. Here are the 25 best PS5 games that take place far beyond the peaceful island.
Some games make excellent use of the DualSense controller’s innovative haptic feedback, others will make your gaming TV shine with 4K gameplay, and some are just plain great games. Without further ado, here are our updated picks for the 25 best PS5 games.
Most recent game updates were made on January 27, 2023.
The Traveler, the Genshin Impact protagonist, has been stranded in the magical land of Teyvat, searching for their estranged sibling, ever since the open-world game was first released in 2020. Their tale is still in the midst of unfolding, as new updates continually add new map pieces to the puzzle – magical jungles, vast deserts, treacherous mountain peaks – and introduce us to extraordinary new characters who become part of their story. It’s a joy to explore and discover each new chapter that arrives – apologies to our protagonist’s lost sibling, but we’re glad to savor the journey rather than race to its resolution.
“Windblume’s Breath,” the 3.5 update for Genshin Impact, is now available. Two characters have been added to Genshin Impact since the update: Dehya and Mika.
24. Apex Legends
From its inception, Apex Legends shook up the Battle Royale genre, featuring a handful of unique characters, fast-paced action, and some of the best movement in an FPS still to this day. While Apex Legends has had its ups and downs over the years, especially with issues surrounding its matchmaking, bugs, and expensive cosmetics, its dedication to consistency for content and pro-play still makes it one of the best FPS on the PS5. Apex has remained consistent with releases of new maps, characters, weapons, game modes, cosmetics, and balance updates.
The PS5 update for apex Legends improved on it with 4K output, Full 60hz gameplay, HDR, higher resolution shadow maps, and greater LOD distances to bring it closer to the true current-gen experience. And future updates are still planned to take advantage of the adaptive triggers, haptics, add 120hz gameplay, and other visual improvements, meaning, in theory, it should only get better with time. If you have a few friends and want to play a stellar FPS together without spending money, Apex Legends is the game for you.
The Sun Squad Collection Event, which brings a new battle royale mode called Heatwave, is running in Apex Legends until April 11.
23. Dead Space
The 2023 remake of Dead Space takes players back to dismembering necromorphs in the terrifying hallways of the USG Ishimura with not only an extremely gnarly new lick of paint, but a new focus on improving Issac Clarke’s story at every opportunity. While rebuilding from the ground up, EA Motive masterfully manages to remain extremely faithful and respectful to the original, while also adding all the exciting extra bells, whistles, and violence we’ve come to expect in a modern survival horror game. Simply put, 2023’s Dead Space is the ultimate way to experience this horror classic.
In a recent Reddit AMA on the Dead Space subreddit, senior game writer Jo Barry expressed EA Motive’s interest in continuing to remake the Dead Space series. He said in part, “We’ve said both internally and externally that we’d be interested in continuing our work on the Dead Space franchise. Our Core group is passionate about the brand and we need to discuss what’s the right next step for us.”
22. Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves takes the two PS4 Uncharted games, polishes them up for the PS5 with 4K visuals, optional performance modes, haptic feedback and adaptive triggers with the DualSense, and more. While it clearly wasn’t as heavy a lift as The Last of Us Part 1’s translation to PS5, these two action-adventure classics simply hold up incredibly well, even with just a few improvements.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End still delivers gut punches, massive set pieces, and grins in spades, giving Nathan Drake, Elena Fisher, and Victor Sullivan the send off they so rightfully deserve. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a generally underrated PS4 gem, also stands tall, telling a thrilling side story in India with fan favorites Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross. If anyone with a PS5 missed these two heavy hitters the first time around, this collection is a no-brainer.
21. Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is something simultaneous fresh and familiar. It puts a huge spin on the Little Big Planet universe, swapping its typical freeform customization with a linear platforming structure worthy of comparison to the Mario games that clearly influenced it. It’s a platformer full of charm and delight, from its creative levels to its absolutely fantastic music, and one that’s even better when played in co-op with a few friends. There aren’t a whole lot of games like Sackboy: A Big Adventure on PlayStation 5, and it’s fun enough that it would likely standout from the pack even if there were, making it a must-play for any platformer fan.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but does offer one of the series’ biggest worlds to date. What better way to break in your new PlayStation 5 than spending hundreds of hours in a Viking epic that will take you across three Kingdoms and even into the halls of Valhalla? The PlayStation 5 version massively improves the frame-rate, resolution, and loading times making the journey across the frozen north smoother and faster, making it the ideal platform to jump into Ubisoft’s latest assassin adventure.
Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is the rare next-gen upgrade that is only available on consoles, not PC. The new Vergil Mode, hyper-difficulty mode, Turbo Mode, and high-frame-rate mode are all console exclusive, meaning if you want to play Capcom’s blistering action game at its best, you’ll have to play it on a PlayStation 5. The long-awaited sequel in the Devil May Cry series is a return to basics, ditching the convoluted mythology for pure, unadulterated action.
18. Hitman: World of Assassination
Hitman: World of Assassination is the complete package of IO Interactive’s stunning stealth trilogy. Across 20 globetrotting locations, Agent 47 embarks on the biggest and most intricate missions of his career, from the catwalks of Paris, through the race tracks of Miami, to the pulsing rave halls of Berlin. That journey showcases the finest examples of IO’s formula: your targets can be dispatched with cold-blooded efficiency, or fall prey to Rube Goldberg-style series of events that results in a much more comical death (or if something backfires, a Wile E. Coyote-grade failure.) Each mission is so packed with opportunities and creative methods of murder that not even five replays will reveal every secret. This truly is a treasure trove of trouble.
World of Assassination, initially released as a three-game trilogy, was great on PS4, but it’s even better on PS5. The missions from the original two games have been upgraded and polished to a modern shine, ensuring this feels a coherent package. It also now includes Freelancer, a roguelike mode that pushes your stealth skills to their very limits. Regardless Of the mode, though, you can kill a guy by making him slip on a banana peel, which is funny anywhere, but on PS5 it’s also very pretty thanks to increased resolution, a steady 60fps, and an overall smoother experience over the last-gen version.
Death Stranding was a divisive game upon launch for sure, even for fans of Hideo Kojima’s madcap video game concepts. But if the idea of an Odyssian journey to reconnect a broken United States by delivering packages appeals to you (there are dozens of us) then you were rewarded with one of the most visually stunning, uniquely playing games of the generation. The Director’s Cut adds several quality of life improvements that should make the game easier for players who just want to experience the story, and adds a bit more combat and stealth for fans who miss the Metal Gear universe.
Kojima Productions is producing Death Stranding 2, which may not be released until 2024.
16. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition
Everyone has heard of The Witcher 3 by now. One of the best RPGs of the last generation and the game that firmly cemented CD Projekt Red as one of the world’s premier game developers. While critics have heralded the game’s visuals, storytelling, and gameplay, the same can hardly be said about The Witcher 3’s technical performance. The new Complete Edition with a bevvy of next-gen updates fixes most, if not all, the technical shortcomings. With smooth frame-rate, 4K textures, and loads of other fixes, The Witcher 3 on PS5 is the definitive version of one of the best RPGs of all time.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt recently got the 4.02 patch, improving Performance Mode and adding refraction to ray-traced water reflections, among other quality-of-life changes.
15. Gran Turismo 7
Gran Turismo games have always been as much tech showcases for the latest PlayStation console as they are excellent driving sims. As such the series has only improved with each generation, and with racing more popular than ever, now’s the best time to dive into PlayStation’s marquis driving sim. It’s difficult to say whether or not Gran Turismo 7 is the most accessible game in the series, but there’s a robust training mode that will take you through every aspect of the game’s realistic driving elements. While you can find yourself spending hours on just learning how to turn a corner, if you put in the work, you’ll be rewarded with access to the most beautiful racing sim released on this generation of consoles.
Gran Turismo 7’s 1.31 update is now available, bringing five new cars, a new Scapes location, and the Nurburgring Endurance and Nurburgring Sprint layouts.
14. Deathloop
Arkane Studios’ Deathloop is undoubtedly one of the more unique experiences to grace the PS5 so far. Arkane builds on the immersive sim bones from its past to create an incredibly dense and playful world. Figuring out the right paths to take, weapons and powers to use, and even times of day to visit certain locations makes exploration its own puzzle, and Arkane’s beautiful, Saul Bass-inspired world is filled with peculiar oddities to pick up on and exploit to complete your objectives. In a time where timeloops are the feature du jour in gaming, Deathloop’s is one of the most unique and satisfying to navigate, making knowledge its own reward, on top of a suite of incredible powers. And don’t even get us started on its stunning soundtrack.
Control is a wonderfully weird game. On one hand, it’s very Remedy – the game’s tone, gameplay, and mixed-media previously used in games such as Alan Wake and Quantum Break feels familiar. On the other hand, it’s something wholly original. Control showcases more style in its full-screen title treatments than many games do in their entire aesthetics, and its suite of psychic abilities to inflict pain upon your foes is utterly bonkers.
Sometimes funny, sometimes scary, and always interesting, Control is a one-of-a-kind game that shouldn’t be missed. And the Ultimate Edition is worth playing for the new bells and whistles added on the PS5, especially if you’re interested in Remedy’s extended universe and if you would like to make use of PS5’s Activity Cards in a way few games had so far. Just be warned: you will never look at a refrigerator the same way again.
Final Fantasy VII Remake/Intergrade was the pipe dream that many fans hoped would happen but didn’t believe would see the light of day. Seeing the first chapter of FFVII remake in crisp HD and fully voice-acted not only made the day for those who tout it as the best in the franchise but also for those who may have missed out in the PS1 era. It’s a shining example of how far gaming has come in the five generations of Playstation.
The game updated more than its visuals opting for faster real-time action that rewards skill and preparation while still allowing anyone who wants the traditional turn-based combat a way to choose that option as well. Because you never get to leave Midgar, Square-Enix improved and added to the side stories with the other members of Avalanche, your time in Wall Market, and added a few more areas to expand upon the original. The materia system is back and optimized with new materia for the updated gameplay style and introduces new ones to compliment it.
The Intermission expansion puts Yuffie front and center and gives her a chance to shine before the next release. It includes arguably the best and most engaging combat via her elemental ninjutsu, synergy attacks, and other ninja skills. Both the core game and the Intermission DLC add to the context of the world and give a sneak peek at what we can expect for the next installment of the FFVII Remake and is worth a try for the first time and longtime fans of Final Fantasy.
FF7R Part 2, officially titled Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, is due out “next winter.” Before that, Square Enix will release Final Fantasy 16 on June 22 as a PS5 exclusive.
11. Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut
When Ghost of Tsushima was released on the PlayStation 4, it already felt like a next-gen game thanks to its stunning visuals and impressive open world; it was clear Sucker Punch had learned a lot about creating an engaging open world since its (admittedly admirable for the time) efforts on the Infamous franchise. But the Director’s Cut is the definitive take on Ghost of Tsushima, and it’s all the better on the PS5.
This robust package, even as a refined PS4 game, makes great use of the DualSense in both exploration and combat. Add in new lip sync for Japanese voice over, and, somehow, visual and performance improvements, and you’ve got what is the must-play version of a must-play PlayStation game.
Sucker Punch’s next project is another open-world game with stealth and action elements — perhaps Ghost of Tsushima 2? What has been confirmed is a Ghost of Tsushima movie. Directed by Chad Stahleski (John Wick), the movie will be a retelling of the game’s story.
10. Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil has never shied away from the mystical and supernatural, and Village leans into those themes more than any entry in the series to date. From severed hands that can just be simply reattached, to floating killer dolls, to nine foot tall lady vampires, Resident Evil Village feels like wandering through a demented circus. In one fell swoop, it gave us what will go on to become one of the most recognizable Resi villains ever: Lady Dimitrescu, while still respecting the main antagonist’s story that began in Resident Evil 7.
It brings the series back to its Metroidvania roots, requiring you to revisit areas seen several times throughout your playthrough, but with new tools at your disposal to explore them. It’s by far the most fantastical the series has ever gotten, and it remains to be seen whether or not Resident Evil will ever return to its more straightforward zombie roots, or at this point, if we’d even want it to.
The DualSense Controller is one of the most defining characteristics of the PS5, as the nuanced haptic feedback and strategically used adaptive triggers create a level of immersion that feels genuinely special. Nowhere is that tech better showcased than in Astro’s Playroom which is – quite literally – designed to show off the capabilities of the Dualsense controller.
But this would-be tech demo is also a fantastic game in its own right, with a delightful set of worlds to explore that all celebrate a different facet of the PS5 and the different eras of PlayStation software and hardware. Astro’s Playroom reminds players why they’ve loved PlayStation while giving them a reason to fall in love all over again. Its solid platforming, fun environmental puzzles, and enticing set of collectibles will have you gunning for the platinum and getting it in no time.
Developer Team Asobi is now working on its “biggest” game to date. Studio director Nicolas Doucet said it will be a full commercial title that’s “not limited by any money or time.”
8. Returnal
Returnal is a trailblazer of sorts. Roguelikes have long been one of the most popular genres on the indie scene, with games like Spelunky 2, Dead Cells, Enter the Gungeon, and The Binding of Isaac leading the charge, but in the AAA space, we’ve never really seen anything quite like Returnal. Returnal combines Housemarque’s expertise in intense, bullet hell, arcadey shoot-em-ups, with deep roguelike mechanics and a dense, chilling atmosphere, resulting in unforgettable experiences. Returnal’s one issue on release was the inability to suspend its lengthy runs and save your progress, but since that’s been patched, it’s hard to find flaws in this incredibly bold and ambitious take on the AAA roguelike.
Horizon Forbidden West builds on the already impressive foundations of Horizon Zero Dawn to tell a deeper, more thrilling story that amps up the series’ explosive fights against complex robotic foes and blockbuster action sequences, while also adding lively settlements and thoughtful, intriguing sidequests to the world. The Forbidden West itself is absolutely gorgeous on PS5 – ranging from the incredibly detailed faces of the people you meet and costumes they wear to sweeping and frequently stunning landscapes. There’s a genuine sense of exploration, and loads of completely involving worldbuildingto uncover as well for those wanting to learn more. A triumphant combination of enthralling combat, top-tier creature and character design, and a captivating open world, Horizon Forbidden West is an absolute blast and fantastic showcase for the power of the PS5.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores, the game’s first DLC, was revealed during The Game Awards. Coming exclusively to the PS5 version of Forbidden West, Burning Shores takes Aloy to the LA region in pursuit of a “sinister threat.”
6. Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
As Insomniac’s first truly exclusive PS5 game, Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart is a stunning showcase for what Sony’s next-gen console can do, thanks to a series practically built to take advantage of all the new bells and whistles. Whether you’re a newcomer to the duo’s adventures or a longtime fan since the PS2 days, there’s charm a-plenty to be found in returning characters, and brand new ones like the incredible Rivet and Kit.
The delightful, and surprisingly emotional story, is at the core of a theme park ride-like adventure through a host of varied alien worlds, which are stunningly realized in both depth and clarity of detail while running so smoothly on the PS5. And Rift Apart includes one of the franchise’s best suite of weapons, from the wacky Topiary Sprinkler to the powerful Executor, all of which make great use of both the DualSense’s haptics and adaptive triggers. Ratchet and Clank may be one of the longest-running Sony franchises still seeing new entries, but if Rift Apart is any indication, there’s still so much life, humor, and dazzling action to left to experience.
5. Demon’s Souls
Bluepoint Games had some high expectations to meet with the PS5 remake of Demon’s Souls. Not only was it an anticipated remake of a beloved and landmark game, but also as the first major showcase of what a dedicated PS5 game of this scope could look like.
Fortunately, Bluepoint delivered, and Demon’s Souls is not only jaw-droppingly gorgeous, but it’s also incredibly faithful to the source material.It’s handily one of the deepest, richest, and most challenging experiences currently found on the console.
Developer Bluepoint Games was officially acquired by PlayStation in 2021. The studio’s next project will be an original game, rather than another remake.
4. Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Though not a full-blown sequel, this standalone expansion sends Peter Parker on vacation and leaves his young spider-apprentice Miles Morales to look after New York. Building on the rock-solid foundations of Insomniac’s first game, New York has been gorgeously blanketed with snow, holiday cheer, and next-gen polish.
The improvements aren’t just cosmetic, however – the eponymous hero has a few more spider-powers at his disposal than Peter Parker, and these are cleverly adapted into new gameplay mechanics that, while they don’t reinvent the wheel, they put enough of a spin on it to make it feel fresh – sometimes literally, thanks to the DualSense controller. It doesn’t feature as robust of a campaign or as many colorful villains as 2018’s Spider-Man, but Miles Morales’ story has just as much charm and heart as its predecessor, possibly more. Its tagline of “Be Greater” set a high bar, but Miles Morales somersaults over it with ease.
And if you’re loving Miles Morales but somehow missed out on or want to replay its predecessor, there’s no reason not to get the ultimate edition and pick up Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered as well. We previously had MSMR as a standalone game on this list because it was such a great port, but considering the breadth of games we want to now highlight on the PS5, and its availability only as a part of Miles’ special edition, we decided to couple it with our recommendation here.
The Last of Us Part I is arguably the best way to experience the story Naughty Dog was initially told back in 2013. While there is a point of contention on whether this remake was necessary overall, the improvements and changes introduced are enough to warrant this as a great first way to experience this decade-old franchise. The improved character models and facial animation are the biggest praises for this remake, making the phenomenal acting done by the cast more meaningful and realistic. The Last of Us has an incredible and emotional story, and the updated technology allows even the most touching scenes to hit the closest to home. The utilization of the PS5’s DualSense controller also greatly improves the core gameplay and is some of the best showcases of what the controller is capable of to date. The haptic feedback you can feel in every weapon used, from melee to firearms, and the fact that environmental effects such as the sensation of falling rain helo immerse you into this ravaged and desolated world. Not only that, but the DualSense features also have been a great tool in accessibility, using the controller’s haptic feedback to allow players to feel everything they encounter, whether through physical interaction or hearing it, such as in dialogue exchanges.
While the remake does not include the multiplayer mode found in 2013 original, and the remastered version was ported just a year later, we know that Naughty Dog is working on a standalone multiplayer game set in The Last of Us universe.
2. God of War Ragnorok
God of War Ragnarok is hands down one of the easiest games to recommend to anyone asking what game they should play first on their PS5. The gameplay is an immensely satisfying combination of combat, puzzle solving, and exploration that is bound together with a heartwarming story of family, adolescence, and letting go. The combat rewards players for experimentation and precision but also is versatile enough that even using a fraction of the moves at your disposal feels effective and rewarding. Each moment is bolstered by its fantastic soundtrack that elevates everything from the smallest interaction to the most impactful moments in the story. The world’s jaw-dropping landscapes feel organic and filled with life (except for Helheim, of course), but it’s hard not to stop and admire it every step.
Its story, gameplay, soundtrack, and nearly every other part of the game culminate masterfully to live up to expectations for a flagship PlayStation game. Some may take issue with the pacing in certain parts of the game, but the next chapter in Kratos and Atreus’s saga is filled with heart, charm, and humor. With the combination of the improvements from God of War (2018) and the path it’s carved out for itself among other action-adventure games, God of War: Ragnarok is one of the new benchmarks for what Playstation exclusives can do on the PS5.
1. Elden Ring
It’s hard to encapsulate everything that makes Elden Ring such a monumental game in a short blurb, but let’s try: at the core of it all is Elden Ring’s incredible sense of freedom and discovery. There are open world games that are bigger than Elden Ring, prettier than Elden Ring, and quite frankly run better than Elden Ring, but few, if any, are as robust or as rewarding.
The Lands Between is positively littered with branching paths that lead to catacombs, dungeons, caves, forts, castles, towers, even entire underground cities, and within each of them is some sort of unique challenge, from a trap filled crypt with insta-kill chariots racing down every slope, to one of Elden Ring’s many fantastic boss fights. The best part of it all is that every challenge comes with its own bountiful reward that may bend the difficulty curve in your favor, whether that’s a new spell, summon, weapon, or material that lets you upgrade your gear. Elden Ring can be an extraordinarily difficult game, sure, but the freedom it gives you to maneuver through or around that difficulty is absolutely liberating, and makes it the most universally recommendable From Software game yet.
It can really depend on what types of games you like to play, but if you are looking for recommendations on the for what to play on the PS5, we recommend picking up a copy of Elden Ring. If you’re looking specifically for a PlayStation Exclusive game, Horizon Forbidden West is also a very good option you can’t play anywhere else.
What are the Best Games on PS Plus?
If you happen to have PlayStation Plus Extra or PlayStation Premium than you have access to some of the best games on the console. A few of the best PS Plus games include Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Bloodborne, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Updates: On January 27, 2023 our best PS5 games list was updated to include 10 more titles. Rankings were also updated to reflect the opinions of IGN staff.
Life Is Strange game since the franchise debuted in 2015.
I looked into it and sure enough, the current record-holder is the gap between the season one finale of Life Is Strange and the first episode of its prequel Before The Storm: 1 year, 10 months, and 12 days. That means that come mid-August of this year — specifically, the 14th, which marks the 683rd day since True Colors‘ Wavelengths DLC released — LIS fans will be leaving the Shire whether we like it or not.
I suspect that Life Is Strange: Steph’s Story — the first prose novel tie-in to the franchise, released on March 21st — was commissioned with fans like me in mind. Fans who work out useless trivia like the above because they need something to occupy them when there’s no new game on the horizon and they’ve played all the existing ones to death. Fans who know every character’s canonical middle name and birthday. Fans who complain that it feels like they never have time to read any more, but nevertheless finished the novel and wrote a silly supporter post about it within 10 days of publication.
Of course I really liked Life Is Strange: Steph’s Story. But will you, as a person whose relationship with this franchise is statistically guaranteed to be more normal than mine?
Poncle has announced a second expansion for Vampire Survivors called Tides of the Foscari, which will arrive on April 13.
As revealed on Xbox Wire, the expansion takes players to western Europe in the Great Forest with the developers were influenced by local fairy tales and folklore. At the center lies the Foscari Academy, a school that trains the next generation of warriors, scholars, and leaders.
It’s divided into three houses: the Azure Tower trains magical sorcerers and warlocks; the Crimson Anvil focuses on strength, engineering, and blacksmithing; and the Amber Sickle consists of professions such as accounting, agriculture, and archery.
As for the new content, there are eight new characters, 13 new weapons, one new stage, seven music tracks, and 20 new achievements. And this all costs $1.99.
Vampire Survivors’ first expansion, Legacy of the Moonspell was released back in December 2022, and now Tides of the Forscari will arrive soon.
In IGN’s Vampire Survivors review, we said: “Vampire Survivors is outwardly simple but turns out to be an incredibly deep hole to fall down – though it’s not without extended dull periods when you get ahead of its curve.”
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.
When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey
Videoverse took me right back to the early 00s last night. I can still remember sitting at the family PC in our living room, begging my parents for more internet time because I wanted chat to my friend on MSN Messenger. We had to buy hours of internet in those days, and between my young teenage self and my three brothers, we absolutely devoured those meagre weekly limits, always pleading for more, more, more as we became absolutely captivated by this new world of the online.
The Last Of Us Part I’s PC port released earlier this week and was subsequently 
Life Is Strange game since the franchise debuted in 2015.