Mandatory games for anyone buying a PS5

The PlayStation 5 is about to enter its sixth year of activity as Sony Interactive Entertainment’s flagship console, which probably means we are entering the second phase of its journey. PlayStation generations usually last between 6 and 7 years, so we are in that part of the PS5’s journey in which you still have several promising titles ahead, including PlayStation Studios epics like Marvel’s Wolverine, but we have already managed to acquire a strong catalog of games released over these years at a reduced price.

With the recent price drop of the PS5, which probably represents one of the options for end-of-year gifts for many, many players will be faced with a sea of ​​possibilities to choose new experiences. There are thousands of games to choose from, of different scales and prices, but we believe that the following list represents the best of the PS5 in one or more areas.

From the use of Dualsense and its features such as adaptive triggers, the use of SSD to almost completely remove waiting times, 3D audio that enhances involvement with a game, without forgetting the leap in graphic quality that can make you feel like you’re playing a movie, there are lots of games that deserve to become the first or one of the first choices for a new PS5 player.

Ghost of Yotei hasn’t hit stores yet, but everyone who fell in love with Ghost of Tsushima on PS4 has here a more than guaranteed bet for a good start to the PS5 generation, believe me, we’ve already played it. Ghost of Yotei refines the core philosophies and mechanics of Jin Sakai’s journey through the north of Feudal Japan. In addition to impressive graphic quality that will demonstrate the leap between generations, it is another good use of the Dualsense and SSD features. It’s the kind of powerful cinematic experience that PlayStation is so famous for, but it’s open-world in a way that would never be possible on PS4.

Hideo Kojima is one of the brilliant minds in the video game industry, known for his memorable titles with stunning cinematic content, which we obsess over, looking for every clue and always questioning whether we really understand everything about the narrative. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is not just a Kojima game, with all that it represents, it is one of the best games of the PS5 generation in terms of graphics, an interesting use of the Dualsense, and with several moments that will leave you impressed with the capabilities of the SSD.

It’s impossible to play Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man and not feel like it’s one of the most exciting PlayStation Studios titles of the last 20 years, basically since the beginning of the HD era. It’s an open-world action-adventure game whose interpretation of Spider-Man stands up to many of the best efforts in comics themselves, with phenomenal graphic quality and an engaging narrative. Once again, it makes good use of the SSD for almost non-existent loading and Dualsense increases immersion.

It sounds strange to write this, but Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart was released in June 2021, so, in years of console generation, it is part of the first phase of the PS5, a kind of “old but gold”. It is another notable effort from Insomniac Games that presents a graphical quality that bears the tone of “Pixar film that you control”, the use of the SSD for uninterrupted jumps between levels in the middle of game segments, a very interesting use of Dualsense to streamline the gameplay, especially with the dynamic triggers for different shots. It still remains to talk about its dynamic use of 3D audio, to the point of adding verticality to the sound.

In PlayStation’s history, Silent Hill has long held a special place, as its games helped make its first two consoles even more special. In 2025, you can enter the PS5 generation with the remake of Silent Hill 2, a memorable PS2 title that once again plays a special role on a Sony console. It’s a game whose horror atmosphere conquers, with a strong cinematic involvement and which can make you feel like other times, but now with a much more impressive graphic quality.

Forza Horizon 5

Those now transitioning to the PS5 generation will also be able to feel much more intensely the new stance of Microsoft Gaming, which is launching games from its producers on this Sony console. Titles like Hi-Fi Rush, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle or Sea of ​​Thieves aren’t on PS4, but if we have to highlight one of them, it’s Forza Horizon 5. This open-world arcade driving game is an incredible pleasure to play and will impress anyone with its visual quality and fun gameplay.

Split Fiction is one of the most impressive games of the current generation, a bet by Hazelight in which Josef Fares once again built a cooperative adventure that must be played by two people, on a split screen, even if they are playing online in different homes. It’s a game considered too complex for the PS4, something you’ll easily understand when you see the graphic quality, speed of loading and the ingenuity of the puzzle-filled gameplay.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is one of the most ambitious Japanese RPGs of the current generation of consoles and a strong testament to how more powerful hardware does much more than improve graphics. In addition to the impressive graphic quality, the second part of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy relies on SSD speed to improve the experience, enhanced by a spectacular combat system and an excellent soundtrack.

It is impossible to talk about the PS5 generation without mentioning Stellar Blade, as its quality demands it and symbolizes the growing role of Korean producers in the video game industry. This is an action and combat game that rivals proposals like Bayonetta and NieR: Automata, whose graphic quality is a real delight, which helps the fun, frenetic combat system to become even more exciting. Like the other games on this page, it uses Dualsense and its features, 3D audio, and SSD to elevate the scale of the experience far above what’s possible on PS4. It’s not about “altes grafiques”, but rather the use of superior technology to reach new heights in various aspects.

Video games have long reached a huge, diverse audience, which has resulted in a greater focus on different proposals, designed for all types of players. PlayStation Studios’ Astro Bot goes beyond Astro’s Playroom (brilliant and included in every PS5 sold) with a larger-scale journey in which Team Asobi becomes the producer that comes closest to the ingenuity displayed by Nintendo in its rhythmic mathematics that so differentiates Super Mario games. Whether it’s the visual quality, the use of Dualsense, 3D audio or fast loading times, it’s another experience that is far above what you played on a PS4.

Those who remain in the PS4 generation have passed by one of the biggest phenomena of 2024, the game Black Myth: Wukong in which the Chinese Game Science explores the mythology of their country in a design inspired by FromSoftware’s Soulslike games, but with their own interpretation. It is a game whose visual quality reaches moments worthy of a “tech demo”, with fun and demanding combat, capable of serving as an interesting entry into the PS5 generation.