If you’ve been lucky enough to secure a PS5, then you’ll know how incredible a machine it is. Stock issues notwithstanding, the PlayStation 5 is Sony’s most exciting console for a very long time. It launches with an incredibly robust library of games, many of which are old PS4 favourites playable on the PS5 thanks to backward compatibility. With that level of choice, it’s natural to want some kind of curation. Here are the 10 best games you can play on your PS5 right now. These aren’t necessarily PS5 games, but they are all compatible with your shiny new machine. Many of these are playable on PS4, too, so if you did miss out, you can still enjoy them.
Demon’s Souls
This shiny Bluepoint remake of the 2009 PS3 original has lost some of the atmospheric allure of that game, but none of the brutal precision of its gameplay. It’s still a moody trudge through a doomed world, full of excellent hack-and-slash combat and memorable boss battles. The PS5 version ratchets up the grandeur and tones down the decrepitude of the original, but it’s much smoother as a result; the silky 60fps frame rate should be enough to convert any doubter who comes to the project with rose-tinted memories of the original.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Finally, the best Spider-Man gets a game. We’ve long been convinced that Miles Morales’ wit and vulnerability make him a superior Spider-Man (no pun intended) to Peter Parker, and now it seems Insomniac Games agrees. For the most part, Miles Morales is more of the same web-swinging, bad-guy-beatin’ gameplay that the 2018 original offered, with a few tweaks here and there. However, the PS5 makes it look utterly breathtaking.
Bugsnax
While it may be true that Bugsnax isn’t exactly a “great” game per se, it is utterly unique and well worth a look in this era of copy-pasted triple-A sandboxes. It comes from Octodad developer Young Horses, and there’s a similar mixture of pathos and body horror baked into its bizarre setting and narrative. On the PS5, Bugsnax is beautiful, but more to the point, it’s completely weird and needs to be seen to be believed. The Kero Kero Bonito-penned theme song slaps, too.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Fans of 2018’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey should love Valhalla, as it’s essentially the same idea but with many of the rough edges sanded off. Following complaints that Odyssey was overly long, repetitive, and grindy, Valhalla removes level requirements from main story quests, meaning you can tackle any of the content at your leisure. Those hoping for a return to the stealthy sandbox environments of previous Creed games will be disappointed, but Valhalla is engrossing RPG fun.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
If you were worried Sony had abandoned the whimsical spirit of LittleBigPlanet, you needn’t have fretted. Sackboy: A Big Adventure has all of the wide-eyed wonder of Media Molecule’s previous games, and it’s a darn fine platforming adventure, too. If you love 3D platformers – and who doesn’t – then between this, Astro’s Playroom, and the soon-to-be-released Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, the PlayStation 5 really is the only platform you should be considering.
Watch Dogs Legion
After the disastrous grim-fest that was 2014’s original Watch Dogs, Ubisoft appeared to learn its lesson with the 2016 followup. Legion is a continuation of the more freewheeling spirit of Watch Dogs 2, taking place in an outrageous version of London complete with silly accents and “cor blimey oi mate fish and chips” stereotyping. It’s also hilarious, organic hacking-oriented fun; the Spiderbot is a clear standout, but nearly every mission can be approached in a multitude of different ways.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Despite a less-than-stellar campaign, Black Ops Cold War manages to continue the Call of Duty series in a satisfying way. It benefits hugely from the PS5’s hardware, with the DualSense controller features a particular highlight. Elsewhere, the silky-smooth visuals, effortless frame rate, and near-instant loading times make Black Ops Cold War an incredible experience on the PS5. It’s also cross-compatible with Warzone, so you can keep your progression between games.
Bloodborne
From Software’s Gothic masterpiece isn’t a PS5 game, but it does arguably benefit from the PS5’s superior hardware. It remains a dark dive into a horror-inflected world, replete with brutal Soulslike combat and many unexpected narrative twists and turns. Removing the shield from play was a smart move, forcing players to size up threats in a more aggressive manner and reflecting the themes of hunting and frenzy. Bloodborne is still a stone-cold masterpiece six years on from launch.
Ghost of Tsushima
Despite being created for the PS4, Sucker Punch’s late-period last-gen title absolutely shines on the PS5. You can play the game in its high-resolution mode at 60fps if you’re playing on PS5, and that makes the already-gorgeous Ghost of Tsushima look even more jaw-droppingly amazing. Gameplay-wise, it’s a superb open-world sandbox full of things to discover and bases to raid. Along the way, a surprisingly effective narrative about testing ideals in the face of adversity also unfolds.
God of War
Kratos’ timeless 2018 adventure will be little solace to anyone who was hoping for a return to the bloody, cinematic adventures of old. Here, Kratos is grown-up and attempting to raise a son, but he must do so while contending with the fickle whims of the Norse pantheon and roaming the Nine Realms. It’s still spectacularly bloody and visceral, but there’s a new sense of tragedy to Kratos that mirrors the original God of War. The PS5 also imbues the game with a new checkerboard 4K feature and a 60fps mode, too, which is reason enough to check it out.
