The PS5's biggest selling point is PlayStation's penchant for first-party exclusives of a typically high caliber. While this latest console has seen plenty of brand-new experiences for players, PlayStation's legacy is also noticeably present in many of the PS5's best games, with notable entries in series that began on the PlayStation 2. The PS5 is a major platform in the gaming industry at large, however, and plays host to some of the greatest multi-platform games released in recent years as well. From unique experiences, to games that may go down as all-time classics, below are the 15 best games to play on the PS5 right now.

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15 Astro's Playroom (2020)

Team Asobi

Astro's Playroom may be the PlayStation 5's pack-in game, but it remains one of the console's stand-out experiences. In essence, it's a glorified tech demo for the capabilities of the DualSense, but that shouldn't discount its merits as a platformer. Astro Bot has become something of a PlayStation mascot, even if he's not as recognizable as some other exclusive protagonists, and Astro's Playroom doubles as a love letter to the brand's past. Players make their way through levels chock-full of PlayStation Easter eggs and find PlayStation collectibles, celebrating everything from the Vita to the PS2's EyeToy peripheral. Although it's a short game, Astro's Playroom was awarded 4/5 stars in Screen Rant's review, and earned itself a Metacritic score of 83.

14 Returnal (2021)

Housemarque

Upon its release in April 2021, Returnal felt like one of the few truly next-gen games, with innovative DualSense and encounters which filled the screen with an uncountable number of particle effects. Returnal is among the games responsible for the recent resurgence of roguelikes, sending players through a brutally difficult time loop on an inhospitable alien planet. Screen Rant's Returnal review gave it a 4/5, and its Metacritic aggregate is 86. Housemarque was well known for its bullet hell games prior, but Returnal makes a huge step up in production value without sacrificing the studio's crisp gameplay.

13 Death Stranding: Director's Cut (2021)

Kojima Productions (Originally 2019)

Death Stranding was Director's Cut review upholds the original release's perfect 5/5 score. Hideo Kojima's latest has proved divisive, but still maintains an impressive 85 on Metacritic. The moment-to-moment gameplay is essentially a hiking simulator, but this discounts the wide range of vehicles and gadgets at players' disposal, and is also an injustice to the wonderfully bizarre story. Death Stranding is truly unique, and the PS5-enhanced Director's Cut, complete with new content, is one of the best implementations of the DualSense's haptic and adaptive triggers to date.

12 Ghost Of Tsushima: Director's Cut (2021)

Sucker Punch Productions (Originally 2020)

Much like Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima was originally released as a PS4 exclusive, but received an upgraded version for the PS5, shipping alongside its Iki Island DLC expansion. Ghost of Tsushima review gave the game a 4.5/5 and a 5/5 respectively, while the Metacritic aggregate for the Director's Cut is an impressive 87. The game's gorgeously rendered world and exacting katana combat are certainly highlights, but Jin Sakai's story is among the PS5's best. The enthralling open-world game is set during the first Mongol invasion of Japan, with a number of intertwined storylines that force Jin to reckon with the price of honor amid the horrors of war.

11 Horizon Forbidden West (2022)

Guerrilla Games

Following 2017's Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West sees Aloy traveling to the eponymous region, which stretches across the southwest United States to the Pacific coast and is under the territorial control of a number of warring factions. Horizon Forbidden West has perhaps the best graphics of any game to date, but it's not just eye candy. Its combat, which focuses on dismantling massive, animalistic machines piece by piece, earned it 4.5/5 stars in Screen Rant's review of HFW and a Metacritic total of 88. With a third game expected to round out a trilogy, Aloy's story isn't yet complete, but the two entries thus far have skyrocketed her to the upper echelons of PlayStation exclusive characters.

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10 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (2021)

Insomniac Games

The titular Ratchet and Clank hardly need an introduction, being PlayStation staples since the PS2 era. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, however, s Returnal as one of the early PS5 games that showcased what the new hardware is capable of. Insomniac Games' technical prowess is on full display in Rift Apart, which frequently utilizes interdimensional portals to instantly teleport players to entirely new locations in-game, without any sort of load screen. The game is gorgeous to boot, and relishes its mixed bag of chaotic third-person shooter and platforming mechanics, which earned it 4.5/5 in its Screen Rant review and an 88 aggregate on Metacritic.

9 Demon's Souls (2020)

Bluepoint Games (Originally FromSoftware, 2009)

2020's Demon's Souls may be a remake, but it's still one of the best experiences on the PS5. The original game launched for the PS3 in early 2009, achieved a cult status that got it localized in North America later that year, and laid the groundwork for FromSoftware's rise to prominence with and following the release of Dark Souls. Bluepoint Games' remake – which earned a 4.5/5 from Screen Rant and an impressive Metacritic score of 92 – isn't entirely faithful, taking a few artistic liberties here and there, but the gameplay itself is directly transposed. When releasing alongside the PS5, Demon's Souls graphics were jaw-dropping, and Bluepoint's revitalization of FromSoftware's tightly focused RPG was an incredible start to the generation.

8 Final Fantasy 16 (2023)

Square Enix

The iconic RPG series is practically synonymous with PlayStation, and its latest entry is a timed PS5 exclusive. best video games of 2023, but a triumphant new avenue for the long-running Final Fantasy franchise. Clive's journey across Valisthea is emotional and fascinating, buttressed by flashy, high-octane gameplay, which includes numerous boss fights of nearly inconceivable scale.

Final Fantasy 16 will receive a total of two DLC expansions, Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide. Echoes of the Fallen was released on December 7, 2023.

7 Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade (2021)

Square Enix (Originally 2020)

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Fighting

Action

Adventure

Released

April 10, 2020

ESRB

t

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Publisher(s)

Square Enix

Engine

Unreal Engine 4

Platform(s)

PlayStation 4

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Few games have reached the legendary status attained by the original Final Fantasy 7, but Final Fantasy 7 Remake begins a trilogy that might see that legacy repeated. Screen Rant's review of FF7 Remake Intergrade, an updated version released for the PS5 and PC, gave the game 5/5 stars, and the Metacritic aggregate is a similarly high 89. FF7 Remake doesn't just modernize the PS1 classic, it reexamines what a remake can entail entirely, retreading familiar story beats but in a seemingly parallel timeline, where Cloud and company set out to defy fate itself. The extent of Remake's changes to the original aren't entirely clear yet, but the February 2024 release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth should provide more answers.

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6 Hades (2020)

Supergiant Games

Hades

Action RPG

Roguelite

Released

September 17, 2020

ESRB

T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

Developer(s)

Supergiant Games

Publisher(s)

Supergiant Games

Franchise

Hades

Platform(s)

PS4, PS5, PC

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Supergiant Games' Hades is perhaps the most prominent entry in the aforementioned resurgence of roguelikes. Its critical acclaim includes a 4.5/5 from Screen Rant's PS5 review, a whopping 93 aggregate on Metacritic, and many awards from 2020. Hades follows the son of the titular god, Zagreus, who's attempting to escape the Underworld. The gameplay is precise, and the meta-progression across runs is extremely satisfying. Zagreus' plight attracts the attention of the other Olympian gods and a number of lesser mythological figures, and Hades' narrative juggles a number of intertwined character arcs deftly.