If there’s one thing Sony has always done well, it’s providing brilliant bespoke titles that are only available on its platforms. And now that platform is the PlayStation 5. With fast-as-you-like SSD speeds and gargantuan power to deliver 4K HDR graphics directly to your eyeballs, we’re seeing more beautiful worlds being created than ever before. These come in the form of remasters of beloved franchises, new entries in continuing series, and completely new PS5 exclusives built from the ground up for their shiny new system.
These titles use Sony’s PS5 hardware not just with increased resolutions, frame rates, and graphics, but they utilise all the unique aspects of it, too. The DualSense controller’s haptic feedback provides more accurate vibration than its predecessors, and its adaptive triggers allow for gameplay mechanics not available anywhere else, increasing trigger tension when your in-game character pulls a bowstring or shoots a gun. Throw in 3D audio delivered via the console’s Tempest Engine hardware chip and PS5 exclusives are shaping up to be an area to keep your eye on.
So, here is a comprehensive list of all PS5 exclusives that are both out now and coming out in the future. This list includes titles coming to PC — but with no plans for an Xbox release as of yet — and also titles that are cross-gen with the PS4. But let’s face it, the PS5 is going to be the best place to play these games.
PS5 exclusives
The PS5 is known for having amazing games that you can only play on the Sony console. Here all the PS5 exclusives that you play:
- Astro’s Playroom
- Demon’s Souls
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
- Destruction AllStars
- Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
- Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales
- Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Deathloop
- The Pathless
- Forspoken
- Horizon Forbidden West
- God of War Ragnarok
- Horizon Call of the Mountain
- Gran Turismo 7
- Ghostwire Tokyo
- Pragmata
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Marven’s Spider-Man 2
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake
- Marvel’s Wolverine
Astro’s Playroom
Astro’s Playroom is a platforming experience with a twist, the levels are all themed around parts of the PS5 console — SSD Speedway, CPU Plaza, Memory Meadow, and more. But not only will you platform your way through each level, there are leaderboard and speedrunning features built in too. If that’s not your thing, take your time and find all the easter eggs lying around as you search out other astrobots acting out scenes from PlayStation franchises like God of War.
Packaged free with every PS5 console, Astro’s Playroom might seem like a glorified tech demo due to its use of DualSense features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, but it’s also a great experience for PlayStation lovers, and the first one you should play when you unbox that shiny new console.
Demon’s Souls
A long time request from fans of the Souls series, Demon’s Souls is a great choice for those looking for more FromSoftware fun — if you can call it that. Atmospheric, moody, and medieval, Demon’s Souls was a cult hit that was released on PS3, but it wouldn’t be until the release of Dark Souls in 2011 that it developed an audience.
For the longest time, Demon’s Souls was locked to PS3 hardware and all the frame drops that came with it, but now it’s back and remastered by Bluepoint Games, which did the brilliant Shadow of the Colossus remaster, so there is no better way to experience the title that kicked off the Soulsborne series than on the PS5. It has snazzy graphics, options for prioritising frame rate or resolution, a moody atmosphere, and dying. Lots of dying.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Ratchet and Clank are back in the puntastic Rift Apart for PS5. This two-decade old series keeps it fresh with gorgeous graphics and CGI cutscenes, and a new story that has you racing across dimensions, time, and space to take down an evil emperor hell-bent on mayhem.
Harnessing the Rpower of the PS5, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart throws pulls you into new levels with lightning speed, and the PS5’s DualSense features are made adroit use of. Give the DualSense’s trigger a half pull and your pistol will fire a single accurate shot; pull it down all the way and unleash a hail of bullets. If you’re keen on third-person action platformers, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PS5 is a great place to start.
Returnal
Demon’s Souls might have popularised the hard-as-nails formula, but Returnal adds roguelike elements, 4K HDR, and the lightning-quick arcade gameplay that Housemarque is known for. A crash-landed astronaut lost in space, you’ll die over and over again as you try to work out what’s happening on your new home planet and why oh why you just can’t stop coming back to life after getting killed by all those alien thingies.
The first ‘proper’ exclusive for PS5 that hasn’t been on any other platform, you’ll battle through different environments and levels that change each time you die. Each time you find new items and weapons, they will then be unlocked for future runs. You’ll die over and over again looking for that perfect run, but when it happens you’ll have sweaty palms as you kill a boss with only a sliver of your health bar left intact. It’s roguelike on steroids.
Destruction AllStars
Destruction AllStars is what happens if you placed Destruction Derby in a futuristic arena with Apex Legends characters and let them have at it. Smash, crash, and Grand Theft Auto yourself to victory as you leap from car to car while avoiding getting smushed to stay in the game, all the while trying to do the same to the competition.
Up to 16 players in multiplayer can join the chaos across a number of different game modes ranging from casual to ranked to events as they destroy other players’ vehicles in a bid to be the last person standing. Destruction AllStars was free to PS Plus subscribers who own a PS5, so you might even have it in your collection.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
One of the best-regarded games from the PS4 is now exclusive to the PS5 in updated-graphics form as Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. It’s the same game at its core, but with updated environments, models, shadows, and the inclusion of ray tracing for that realistic touch. Did we mention that Yuri Lowenthal is now recast as Spider-Man?
3D spatial audio and a wealth of other additions mean that this is the best way to experience the game, whether you’ve never played it before or you’ve got a web-slinging hankering to drop in on some goons around New York City, pummeling the villainous ways out of them.
Spider-Man Miles Morales
Spider-Man Miles Morales may also be on the PS4, but let’s be honest, it’s best to play it on the PS5, where it has many of the same enhancements and additions as Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered.
Miles Morales has a more condensed story than the first game and is more of a spin-off, but that doesn’t mean a dip in quality. Players take the role of the eponymous rookie spider-dude Miles as he seeks vengeance for his police officer father’s death at the hands of some of those goons we mentioned earlier. In some ways, it has a more lived-in feel than the original, too, but fans of Marvel’s universe won’t want to skip it as it does follow on and progress the original’s story, which you’ll want to know for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut
A samurai slasher telling the tale of Japanese warrior Jin Sakai as he fights to save his small island from a Mongolian onslaught, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is the essential way to play this mammoth open-world Sony exclusive. Sneak up on and dispatch enemies ninja-style or call them out in the open like a true samurai — either way, great story and side missions abound in this action RPG with flair.
Though available on the PS4, The Director’s Cut on PS5 has features not available anywhere else due to the sheer power of the thing. Due to the PlayStation 5’s ability to render cutscenes in real time, for example, there is now lip sync available for the Japanese voiceover of the game for all those nippon purists. There’s also haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support, 3D audio enhancements, and super-fast load times.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
Square Enix’s fabled Final Fantasy needs no introduction, especially the seventh entry in the series. But now, there’s a remake, and an upgrade to that remake called Intergrade exclusive to the PlayStation 5 (and PC). It’s not a straight port, though, and there are new twists and turns along the way for those who have played the original — this is a remake in every sense of the word.
Not only does Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade remake the original as a third-person real-time/turn-based hybrid experience similar to that of Final Fantasy 15. Intergrade also adds a new episode to the remake where players take control of Yuffie in a bid to take down Shinra Electric Power Company.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Also on PC and PS4 is Kena: Bridge of Spirits, but this is definitely better suited to the big screen as it has vibrant CGI cutscenes that rival a Disney animation and a fantastic looking world. A story-driven title, you take control of Kena, a spirit guide who explores the world and helps free trapped spirits from their torment.
There’s combat, exploration, and puzzles galore as she uncovers secrets hidden away in a small forest community. Collectible hunters will have a field day finding lore and items hidden around the various levels, and there’s no getting past those ever-so-cute Rot creatures that follow you after you find and free them. You can even equip them with funny little hats.
Deathloop
Arkane Lyon made big waves with its Dishonored entries. So it took what it learned and applied it to a funky and stylish ’60s-inspired adventure about two rival assassins facing off against each other on an island stuck in a time loop. One of them is trying to maintain the time loop; the other, you, destroy it. A real player can take over as the rival assassin at any point, adding an interesting Souls-like twist to the gameplay.
All the usual powers we’ve come to expect from the studio are in play as you discover secrets scattered around Blackreef, piece together what exactly is going on, and strive to assassinate a handful of those that get in your way all on the same day to finally bring an end to the time-cycle nightmare you’re trapped in. Part roguelike and part action game, Deathloop is one of the best PS5 console exclusives (also on PC).
The Pathless
An indie game published by Annapurna Interactive, The Pathless is a third-person open-world adventure that has you zipping around its world with a bow and arrow that you can use to gather momentum as you parkour yourself all around your enemies quick as a flash.
In fact, The Pathless is one our list of best PS5 games to play in 2022, where we described it as one of the best indie games on the system. I guess the beautiful soundtrack doesn’t hurt either, right?
Forspoken
One of the PlayStation 5’s most anticipated original IPs published by Square Enix, Forspoken transports players from modern-day New York City to a fantasy world called Athia. The role-playing adventure will give you the ability to use magic as a weapon in a bid to take down a group of evil sorcerers, while also exploring a fantastic looking open-world landscape.
Details are light on what is set to be a spellbinding journey — especially considering that its release date is fast approaching — and the main information we have to go on comes mainly from Forspoken trailers, but that can’t quell our excitement. We’ll be exploring Athia in no time.
- Forspoken release date: January 24, 2023
Horizon: Forbidden West
Guerrilla Game’s second outing in the Horizon series, Horizon Forbidden West takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of the western United States that’s absolutely chock full of rampant robot dinosaurs. Horizon Zero Dawn was a huge hit, garnering critical acclaim, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t expect the same from its sequel.
This time, Aloy will explore a fresh setting as she attempts to uncover more secrets of the Old Ones. New gameplay features such as underwater exploration have also been announced, as well as better combat, more terrain traversal options, new climbing mechanics, and lots more.
God of War: Ragnarok
There’s just no end to stonking Sony exclusives, and what better evidence is there than the follow-up to God of War (2018), Sony Santa Monica’s break-out reboot of the series. Not much is known about God of War Ragnarok other than it will, of course, be a sequel. But you can bet there will be a lot of axe throwing and Kratos shouting boy! There’s no solid release date yet, but Sony promises that it’s on track for 2022.
Kratos and Atreus are out to stop the end of the world, known to the Norse as “ragnarok.” After the events of the first game, people are angry at Kratos, but when aren’t they? Sins of the father will no doubt come back to haunt the pair throughout the story set amidst Norse mythology, and God of War Ragnarok is expected to be one of the best PS5 exclusives when it launches this year.
- God of War Ragnarok release date: November 9, 2022
Horizon Call of the Mountain – PSVR 2
If Horizon Forbidden West isn’t enough to satiate your hunger for third-person dino-robot action, then Horizon Call of the Mountain might just be what you’re looking for, especially if you’re into VR.
Details are sparse, but the title is a PSVR 2 exclusive taking place in the world of Horizon that Guerrilla describes as being designed to “embrace a new level of immersion in an unique experience, designed to push hardware technology, innovation, and gameplay.”
- Horizon Call of the Mountain release date: TBA
Gran Turismo 7
Sony’s original racing series, Gran Turismo returns to PS5 for its first proper outing since 2013’s Gran Turismo 6. Despite Gran Turismo Sport releasing in 2017, its absence of single-player story mode was noted, focusing instead only on multiplayer action.
A serious simulator, Gran Turismo 7 aims to give fans of the genre a fully packaged experience. A single-player career, car tuning, Livery Editor, and Scapes modes have all been announced, allowing players to customise their rides inside and out to their heart’s content, then pose for 4K HDR ray-traced photographs in varying worldwide locales.
Ghostwire Tokyo
Developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda, Ghostwire Tokyo is an action-adventure from the team that created The Evil Within series, led by Shinji Mikami who directed PlayStation favourites Resident Evil and Dino Crisis.
The citizens of Tokyo have all disappeared, being replaced by ghostly spirits. As Akito, you begin manifesting supernatural powers, and it’s your job to hunt down whoever is responsible for this otherworldly invasion. Details are still somewhat mysterious, but we know that this time we’ll be playing from a first-person perspective. Also available on PC.
Pragmata
Pragmata is a dystopian sci-fi action game from Capcom. Set on a strange lunar world, the trailer shows someone or something in what appears to be an astronaut’s suit in a modern city. They encounter a little girl with what can only be described as strange sci-fi abilities, and then they both shoot off to the moon. No, we’re not making that up. There’s a reason one of Google’s top searches is “Is Pragmata a Kojima?”
It’s probably not a Kojima, but it looks like a Kojima if that’s any consolation.
- Pragmata release date: 2023
Final Fantasy XVI
The Final Fantasy series is a staple for JRPG enthusiasts, so there’s no doubt a lot of people waiting with bated breath to get their grubby little paws on Final Fantasy XVI. In development as a PS5 console exclusive, Final Fantasy XVI takes place in a fantasy-inspired world called Valisthea — a land controlled by six different factions.
Mothercrystals are mountains of crystals that litter the land and allow those that live around them to conjure magic that allows them to lead luxurious and comfortable lives. Yet, there’s a blight on the way, and it is going to put a strain on the peace kept up by factions who have upheld the status quo. It doesn’t have a release date yet, but Square Enix plans to show more of the game in spring 2022 after it was announced to have been delayed by at least six months. That’s nothing compared to Final Fantasy XV, which was stuck in development for almost a decade, though.
- Final Fantasy 16 release date: TBA
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
The Web-slinging return of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as they now team up to fight the series’ villains once again, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is still heavily under wraps apart from a small teaser trailer. What we do know, however, is that Venom will be joining the cast of ensemble bad guys, and the voiceover in the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 trailer suggests that Kraven The Hunter might also make an appearance.
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 release date: 2023
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (remake)
Knights of the Old Republic is legendary in video games history. It’s that game all your friends talk about and tell you that you just have to play it. Released in 2003 on the original Xbox and PC only, The KotOR remake currently in the works is, ironically, a PS5 console exclusive.
The remake is in development by Aspyr, the team responsible for porting classics like Star Wars Jedi Knight and Star Wars Republic Commando, so chances are it’s going to be a decent offering. But this isn’t just a port; this is a full remake. Aspyr are “rebuilding” the game from the ground up with the “latest tech.” The KotOR remake was first announced at the PlayStation Showcase in September 2021, so it will likely be a while before any further details emerge.
Marvel’s Wolverine
A 54-second trailer is all we have to go on for Wolverine’s PS5 exclusive Marvel jaunt. It depicts the aftermath of a bar brawl where the denizens have been… incapacitated by a brooding Wolverine, who sits lonesome at the bar sipping at his drink. We know it’s Wolverine because he unsheaths his claws when he’s approached by a knife-wielding bad guy before the trailer fades to black.
Marvel’s Wolverine release date: TBD
And that’s it. That’s every single PS5 console exclusive that is either out or coming out that we know about. There will be more games announced, and when that happens or we get a release date for the ones already on the list, we’ll come back and update it. One thing is clear, though: if Sony releases any more exclusives, we’re gonna need a bigger boat (more space).
