PlayStation 5 is now beyond the midpoint of its life cycle, yet its defining release may still be ahead. With Grand Theft Auto 6 not yet available and fewer must-play exclusives arriving than on some earlier PlayStation generations, choosing what to play can be difficult.
Even so, the PS5 library has become broad and substantial. This evolving selection focuses on standout games across racing, action, strategy, role-playing, horror and platforming, with options for different play styles and available time. The latest update adds Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve.
For readers building a games room around modern consoles, our arcade machine buying guide offers a useful starting point for comparing dedicated hardware with home gaming setups.
How these PS5 games were chosen
Every game below comes personally recommended by at least one member of the reviewing team. Selection considers overall quality, but also variety: the list aims to cover different genres, moods, play lengths and levels of commitment rather than presenting one narrow definition of a great PS5 game.
1. Star Wars: Galactic Racer
Star Wars: Galactic Racer recalls the high-speed anti-gravity racing of Wipeout while giving the formula a welcome modern twist. Its roguelite progression and build-crafting systems work in both solo and multiplayer, creating variety without losing the fantasy of dangerous, improvised hot rods. There is also a noticeable dose of Burnout-style energy.
2. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
Bandai Namco’s long-running dogfighting series returns with a surprisingly rich entry. Ace Combat 8 combines precise controls, varied missions, a substantial campaign, impressive visual fidelity and an operatic wartime story. It is a strong reminder of the distinctive flavour PlayStation air-combat games can deliver.
3. Star Wars Zero Company
This squad-based strategy game fills a notable gap in the PS5’s tactics catalogue. Developed by Bit Reactor, with team members who worked on Firaxis’ XCOM reboot, it offers careful decisions, characterful soldiers, puzzle-like encounters and controlled unpredictability. Its Clone Wars setting is used effectively, while the default permadeath option makes every loss matter.
4. 007 First Light
Official James Bond games have been rare, and it has been almost 30 years since one reached the heights of GoldenEye 007. 007 First Light does not try to repeat that legacy, instead delivering a polished action adventure about a younger Bond. IO Interactive brings its Hitman-influenced social-stealth design into the set pieces, giving the campaign more thought and flexibility than expected.
5. Marathon
Bungie’s extraction shooter is demanding and will not suit every player, but its asymmetric PvPvE structure can produce extraordinarily tense multiplayer sessions. Solo and group roles add welcome flexibility, while the game’s science-fiction world-building, satisfying gunplay and striking art direction give each run a strong sense of place. The experience can be brutally unforgiving, but its drama is difficult to match.
6. Hades 2
Supergiant Games expands the formula established by the first Hades without losing its sharpness. Combat remains responsive, boons are carefully balanced, and the rhythm of progress followed by setback makes each run compelling. Its playful, flirtatious interpretation of Greek mythology is packed with personality, making this one of the strongest examples of modern independent game design.
7. Pragmata
Following Resident Evil Requiem in early 2026, Capcom delivered another unexpected success with Pragmata. It blends contemporary blockbuster presentation with old-school resource management and reflex-driven action as astronaut Hugh battles robots on a lunar base.
The story centres on Hugh and Diana, a childlike android whose hacking ability becomes a grid-based puzzle layered over the third-person shooting. That system gives the game its freshest idea, while the relationship between the pair explores fatherhood, artificial intelligence and trust. Pragmata looks polished, plays cleanly and feels notably different from Capcom’s other recent releases.
8. Alan Wake 2
Remedy Entertainment turned its decade-late return to Alan Wake into a survival-horror achievement rather than a retreat into the past. The game combines the haunted atmosphere of its literary and cinematic influences with the studio’s later experience, including the architectural action design seen in Control.
Writer Alan Wake shares the story with FBI agent Saga Anderson, who investigates his disappearance more than a decade earlier. Players can move between their two campaigns, which develop into a detective thriller, a meta mystery and a reality-bending cosmic horror story. The result is an ambitious new benchmark for blockbuster horror.
9. Astro Bot
Team Asobi transformed the ideas demonstrated in the free Astro’s Playroom into a full-scale platformer. Astro Bot is a superb showcase for the PS5 and DualSense, from detailed surfaces to tactile footsteps conveyed through haptics and the controller speaker.
Its levels constantly introduce new gadgets, physical jokes, bosses and demanding challenges. Hundreds of collectible bots dressed as PlayStation characters also make the game a celebration of the platform’s history, including creative works from the now-defunct Japan Studio such as Ico, LocoRoco and PaRappa the Rapper. It is both a technical demonstration and one of Sony’s finest platform games.
10. Baldur’s Gate 3
Larian Studios’ Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game is enormous, flexible and remarkably well suited to PS5. After a three-year early-access period on PC, it became a major critical and commercial success, proving that a complex computer RPG could translate effectively to console.
Baldur’s Gate 3 offers deep storytelling, memorable companions, meaningful player choice and the unpredictable chaos associated with tabletop role-playing. Its mature humour and messy consequences are part of the appeal, while the PS5 version supports split-screen co-op. It remains one of the strongest role-playing games available on the platform.
Prefer a more physical multiplayer setup? Explore RETROCADE’s arcade machines, browse compact bartop arcades, or read the latest stories in the arcade blog. Racing fans can also compare dedicated racing simulators.
Leave a Reply