Best: Free game

• Developer: Team ASOBI
• Release date: 12 November 2020
• Age rating: 7+

First appearing in The Playroom on the PS4 to showcase the console’s augmented reality capabilities and then later on in Astro Bot: Rescue Mission for the PS VR headset, Astro Bot has quickly become Playstation’s go-to mascot for their latest tech showcases.

Launching for free with every PS5 Astro’s Playroom is a delightful tech demo that puts all the new features of the latest Sony console to good use. Feeling the draw of a bowstring with the dualsense’s adaptive triggers or the patter of rain in its haptic feedback adds an extra layer of sensory immersion to gameplay and its super-fast loading times shows off what the PS5’s new SSD is capable of.

Not only is it a great tech demo, it’s also a really lovely homage to nearly three decades of Sony’s hardware, with collectible “artefacts” and references to previous generations of Playstation titles hidden around different levels. It’s a short experience at around four hours but it’s the first thing any PS5 owner should play to get a grasp of just how great their new console can be.

Best: Action RPG

• Developer: FromSoftware
• Release date: 25 February 2022
• Age rating: 16+

Just when you think you’ve uncovered everything Elden Ring has to offer, it throws something new, jaw-dropping and challenging all in equal measure. It’s no wonder the game has become such a behemoth and has sold over 12m copies in less than a month.

Elden Ring offers plenty of challenges for players, while its improved combat mechanics and traversal provide ample opportunity for newcomers to get acquainted with the genre. If this is your first FromSoftware game and you relish a challenge, then there has never been a better time to jump in. If you’re already a veteran, then this perfects the formula of every FromSoftware title that came before it. This is gaming at its very best.

Read our full review of Elden Ring

Best: Open world

• Developer: Guerilla Games
• Release date: 18 February 2022
• Age rating: 16+

In Horizon Forbidden West, Guerilla Games has developed its post-apocalyptic marriage of technology and nature to craft a beautifully realised vision of a world desperate for rebirth.

The story will take new players to unexpected and breathtaking places, and fans of the original, Horizon Zero Dawn, will have plenty of their questions answered.

It’s one of its most detailed, rich and fascinating depictions of a post-apocalyptic future, not to mention one of the PS5’s best-looking games to date.

Read our full review of Horizon Forbidden West

Best: For kids

• Developer: Sumo Digital
• Release date: 12 November 2020
• Age rating: 7+

Another Sony-favourite mascot is Sackboy from the LittleBigPlanet series, a button-eyed doll that acts as a customisable avatar for players to create their own levels. Now in Sackboy: A Big Adventure, he’s breaking the mould to star in his very first full-3D platformer.

Each level is lovingly realised, designed out of arts and crafts materials that can be explored by up to four players in local co-op. It’s a simple platformer but its star-studded cast and colourful presentation makes it a perfect adventure for friends and families.

Best: Co-op game

• Developer: Hazelight
• Release date: 26 March 2021
• Age rating: 12+

Players must work together as either Cody or May to navigate through a series of different mechanics that tie into the themes of their marriage woes.

In one instance players will be changing the flow of time or cloning themselves before finding themselves navigating a boat down dangerous rapids. The amount of different genres It Takes Two throws at you is as expansive as the story is endearing.

Best: Platformer

• Developer: Insomniac Games
• Release date: 11 June 2021
• Age rating: 7+

It was five years since we saw the Lombax and his robot companion returned in the Ratchet and Clank reboot and eight years since their last new entry into the series. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart wastes no time in throwing the duo back into the fray in a dimension-hopping adventure to stop Dr Nefarious from destroying the fabric of time and space.

The run-and-gun platforming action has changed very little since their first outing which is what makes Rift Apart feel so special in an age of hyper-realistic blockbusters.

With a wildly creative arsenal of new weapons and gorgeous graphics, Rift Apart is a powerful return to form and one of the Playstation 5’s best exclusive titles.

Read our full review of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

Best: Roguelike

• Developer: Housemarque
• Release date: 30 April 2021
• Age rating: 16+

Returnal was a divisive game when it came out as one of the PS5’s earliest exclusives. As a roguelike where levels are randomly generated, players take control of Selene as she crashes her spaceship on the planet Atropos. Every time she dies, time loops back to the point of impact and she must find a way to survive long enough and escape the planet.

Praised for its stunning visuals and fast-paced gameplay, it was also widely derided for its steep learning curve and reliance on random number generation. Players couldn’t even turn off their console mid-game in case they lost their progress and had to start from the beginning again.

A number of free updates have been put in place to alleviate some of these highly requested features, such as a suspend state and a photo mode. The latest update, titled “Ascension” also adds online co-op and a new endless mode brilliantly named “Tower of Sisyphus” so it’s an excellent time to revisit.

Best: First-person shooter

• Developer: Arkane Studios
• Release date: 14 September 2021
• Age rating: 18+

LIke Arkane Studios’s other titles, Deathloop is a genre-bending mixture of stealth, role-play, first-person shooting all set in a stylish world. Players will control Colt Vahn, as he tries to escape Blackreef, an island populated by hedonists using a timeloop to host an endless party. Colt must eliminate eight visionaries in one day in order to break the loop and leave the island. Doing so requires learning the movement patterns of each character and finding the most efficient path to taking them all down in quick succession.

One of Deathloop’s unique twists is other players are able to invade your game as one of the eight visionaries, an assassin named Julianna, which adds an extra level of chaos to the proceedings as you navigate your route. It’s a colourful and cool first-person shooter that makes it one of the PS5’s most unique console exclusive titles.

Best: Horror

• Developer: Capcom
• Release date: 7 May 2021
• Age rating: 18+

If Resident Evil 7: Biohazard could be described as a haunted house experience then Village could be fairly described as a rollercoaster. It might not be as traditionally scary as it sets off but its many twists and sudden drops make for a fast-paced adventure that will make you double take around every corner.

Players once again take control of Ethan Winters as he investigates a vaguely central-European town to find his kidnapped daughter. Among some of the residents of this town are a ten-foot vampire, a puppeteer and a giant fish creature.

Village also boasts one of the most absolutely terrifying sequences in the franchise’s long history of jump scares and buildups, which is saying a lot.

Read our full review of Resident Evil Village

Best: Racing game

• Developer: Polyphony Digital
• Release date: 4 March 2022
• Age rating: 3+

The most recent entry into the Gran Turismo series is a celebration of the game’s 25 year history with hundreds of cars to choose from over some of the most iconic locations featured in the series.

From its opening cinematic all the way to the granular detail of its descriptions of cars throughout automotive history, a clear love and expertise can be felt throughout. It may not play like an arcade racer such as Forza Horizon 5 but the sheer reverance for accuracy is well demonstrated.

Read our full review of Gran Turismo 7

Best: Simulator

• Developer: Frontier Games
• Release date: 17 November 2016
• Age rating: 3+

Planet Coaster: Console Edition harks back to the golden age of construction simulators that included titles such as Rollercoaster Tycoon and Theme Hospital. Now Frontier Games has successfully recaptured that same level of sandbox freedom in a detailed and asset-rich park builder.

Players can choose to construct a new park from an empty lot in “sandbox” mode which gives them access to everything from the start or start off in career mode, which rewards players for completing objectives such as successfully completing rides or hiring new staff.

Best: RPG

• Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
• Release date: 2 March 2021
• Age rating: 18+

A soft reboot of the franchise after protagonist Kiryu’s story has concluded. Yakuza: Like a Dragon takes a bold decision to swap out its beat-em-up playstyle for a turn-based strategy game.

Like a Dragon follows new hero, Ichiban Kasuga, shortly after serving an 18-year prison sentence for a murder he did not commit only to be betrayed by his former boss upon his release. Ichiban decides to become a hero and teams up with other playable characters to clean up the streets, fight gangsters and sing karaoke.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a delightfully oddball take on the JRPG genre and new protagonist is a welcome addition to the franchise.

Best: Third-person shooter

• Developer: Remedy Entertainment
• Release date: 2 February 2021
• Age rating: 16+

Jesse Faden assumes the role of the Federal Bureau of Control’s new Director in the Oldest House, the Brutalist-inspired paranormal headquarters, as she tries to combat an enemy known as the “Hiss”.

As she explores the ever-changing halls of the HQ, Jesse will gain supernatural abilities that allow her to use enemies and the environment to her advantage.

It’s a surreal and complex third-person shooter that drips with retro-futurist style. Few other games look (or feel) quite like it.

Best: Stealth game

• Developer: IO Interactive
• Release date: 20 January 2021
• Age rating: 18+

The final chapter in the “World of Assassination” storyline, Hitman 3 carries on agent 47’s globetrotting hit-spree. Each level ranges in explorability and difficulty, from towering skyscrapers in Dubai, murder mysteries inside an English country estate to warehouse raves in Berlin.

There are many different ways to assassinate each targets and Hitman 3 rewards players willing to explore every murderous avenue, by revisiting previous hits and finding new methods. It’s an incredibly nuanced action-stealth title that combines all of the best aspects of previous games.

Read our full review of Hitman 3

Best: Remaster

• Developer: Bluepoint Games
• Release date: 12 November 2020
• Age rating: 18+

Built from the ground up, this remake of the genre-defining Demon’s Souls was one of the strongest offerings out of the launch titles available on the PS5.

There are some design elements that have started to show its age since it was first introduced in 2009 on the Playstation 3, such as the confusing “world tendency” mechanic, non-replenishing healing items and wildly varying boss difficulty. But the PS5 remaster from Bluepoint also makes plenty of quality of life improvements such as improved inventory management and superfast loading times that really make the most of the new hardware.

Not to mention, it’s still one of the best looking games available on the new console. It runs at a buttery 60fps consistently and the improved textures make it feel almost like a completely different game if you were to view them side-by-side.

If you’ve rolled through the open expanse of Elden Ring and are looking for another Souls-like to sink your teeth into, then this spiritual predecessor is the perfect follow up just to see where all the magic started.

Best: Action

• Developer: Insomniac Games
• Release date: 12 November 2020
• Age rating: 16+

Spider-Man on the PS4 was one of the console’s strongest entries and the follow-up Spider-Man: Miles Morales put us back into an open world Manhattan as Peter Parker’s protégé.

It’s not quite a sequel and comes in at a shorter time to complete but it offers plenty of new content with a focus on Harlem and some new villains as well as some extra powers like invisibility and bioelectricity.

Read our full review of Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Best: Mystery game

• Developer: ZA/UM
• Release date: 15 October 2019
• Age rating: 18+

Waking up in a trashed motel room with a missing shoe, the world’s worst hangover and no memory of who you are is a dark way to start any game, until you realise you’re a detective who’s been sent to the city of Revachol to investigate a murder, then it gets darker. You must search the city for clues, speak to its citizens and put the pieces of your broken psyche back together in a poverty-stricken world where everybody has an ulterior motive. But first, you must find your shoe.

Disco Elysium harks back to classic role-playing games such as the first two Fallout games. It’s dense, text-heavy but within that it’s layered with depth and opportunities for multiple outcomes. You can play it old-school and solve all your problems with your fists or become an armchair philosopher, there’s really no wrong way to go about your detective work.

Best: Fighting game

• Developer: Arc System Works
• Release date: 11 June 2021
• Age rating: 12+

Guilty Gear Strive is the 25th entry in the long running fighting game genre. But outside of Japan it has had a relatively small yet loyal following when compared to other franchises such as Street Fighter.

As far as fighting games go, it’s an incredibly sophisticated system of interlocking mechanics that give each of Strive’s fighters a careful balance of maneuverability and intensity. Increasingly complex combos and build ups can create “wall breaks” that launch opponents into new areas and “psych breaks” can also be used to throw opponents off their rhythm, giving newer players a chance to catch their breath and create some much needed distance.

That’s not to mention its immaculate presentation. Developed by Arc System Works, also known for Dragonball FighterZ, the cel-shaded visuals give each stage the appearance of a tightly choreographed anime showdown, only elevated by the relentless heavy metal soundtrack accompanying it. After 25 games, the story and characters may be convoluted enough to warrant a four hour cinematic (yes, you read that right) but by putting its gameplay first, Guilty Gear Strive gives players enough cause to go another bout.

Best: Football game

• Developer: EA Sports
• Release date: 27 September 2021
• Age rating: 3+

With each new iteration of FIFA, EA Sports packs new features with each yearly installment and the most recent is no different. Boasting new “Hypermotion” technology for more realistic movement, FIFA 22 is one of the most visually impressive football titles yet. The overhaul to its career mode is also a welcome addition to the longstanding franchise and if you’re still eagerly awaiting FIFA 23, it’s an excellent time to pick up this title.