The PlayStation 5, like the Xbox Series X|S, is hard to get your hands on at the moment. But when it comes to the best upcoming PS5 games, there are plenty of titles to pore over before their official debut. Long-running series like Final Fantasy get new entries, and newcomers like Elden Ring will get a chance to shine.
There’s such a varied selection of upcoming PS5 games that the average player might feel a little overwhelmed. Should you opt for exclusives like God of War: Ragnarok or Horizon Zero Dawn? Or are you looking for something a little more out there like Pragmata? Which games are worth saving cash for?
We’ve sifted through all the new PlayStation 5 games around the corner to put together a comprehensive list of the games you should add to your “must-play” list. There’s something here that should satisfy any gamer’s palate, so whether you’re shopping for yourself or someone else, there’s plenty here to enjoy.
Get ready to take a look at our picks for the best upcoming PS5 games. Alternatively, check out our guides on the best PS5 games out now and on the best PS5 headsets to help you better immerse yourself in your favorite game.
Best upcoming PS5 games: Final Fantasy XVI
While the last few games have been set in a modern or futuristic environment, the next Final Fantasy title is going back to its roots. Final Fantasy XVI brings back crystals and castles in a dark fantasy world called Vallisthea. Six factions, the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, the Kingdom of Waloed, the Dhalmekian Republic, the Iron Kingdom, and the Crystalline Dominion, are at the precipice of war as a malady called the Blight sweeps the land. For ages, these nations have lived comfortably and prosperously due to the powers of the Mothercrystals. However, the Blight seems to have some sort of effect on the crystals that is creating tension.
The character we’ve seen the most of so far is Clive Rosfield. After a fight involving Eikons (this game’s name for summons), Clive swears revenge. Clive’s younger brother, and heir to the Archduchy of Rosaria, is Joshua Rosfield. He is also the Dominant (this game’s name for summoners) of Phoenix. We don’t know a lot about the story outside of the above info, but a new Final Fantasy main entry is always great, and with Yoshi-P as producer, we have a lot of faith it’ll turn out great.
Best upcoming PS5 games: God of War: Ragnarok
There’s no avoiding it; Ragnarok is coming. Three years after God of War, Kratos and a teenaged Atreus are still trying to understand the boy’s origins and find a way to prevent Ragnarok. The two plan to seek our the Norse God of War, Tyr, but they’ve made many enemies in their journey so far. It’s confirmed that both Thor, God of Thunder, will be an obstacle for them. Their former ally Freya also seeks their destruction after Kratos killed her son Baldur in the previous game.
In God of War: Ragnarok, we’ll likely see significant transformations to previous areas that we’ve already visited. Furthermore, we may finally get a chance to visit the three realms that were closed to Kratos in the last game: Asgard, Svartalfheim, and Vanaheim. We also know we’ll meet another new character, Angrboda, who may be friend or foe. In mythology, she’s Loki’s wife, but her role may be different here.
Sony Santa Monica has described this game as being the finale of the Norse saga. So, it’s also very possible we’ll see the setup for the future of the God of War series. All we know is that Kratos’ next adventure can’t come soon enough.
Best upcoming PS5 games: Pragmata
Okay, so we know next to nothing about Pragmata, but the one trailer we’ve seen so far has us wanting more. According to PR, the story is set in a “dystopian near-future on Earth’s Moon,” which sounds simple enough. However, the levels of weirdness this game is giving off made people think it was a Kojima game when it was first revealed.
In the trailer, an astronaut searching what appears to be a present-day cityscape fires some chaff-like substance in the air to track down a little girl (or a robot that looks like a little girl). Once he finds her, all hell breaks loose because the sky turns out to be a giant display screen, which is shattered by a falling satellite. Unfortunately, the gravity also reverses, and the astronaut and the girl are flung into the air. However, they avoid colliding with the satellite when the astronaut deploys some bouncy net, and they fly past it and out into space.
The trailer concludes with the astronaut and the girl standing on the moon staring at the Earth. The astronaut says the Earth means freedom for them both, but what does that mean? Unfortunately, we won’t know until Capcom releases Pragmata sometime in 2023.
Best upcoming PS5 games: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man was a massive success when it was released in September 2018, as was the follow-up, Spider-Man: Miles Morales. As such, it’s a no-brainer that Insomniac Games is making a full-fledged sequel which is aptly named (for now) Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Unfortunately, not many details have been revealed about the game yet, which isn’t surprising as it won’t be out until 2023 and will almost definitely be a PS5 exclusive instead of a cross-gen title.
It seems like both Peter Parker and Miles Morales will be sharing the mantle of Spider-Man, and both Yuri Lowenthal and Nadji Jeter will be reprising those roles in the upcoming title. We also know that Venom will be introduced as a villain and will be voiced by Tony Todd. We’ll also get a chance to face off against Kraven the Hunter, though his design and voice actor hasn’t been revealed yet. Hopefully, we’ll see continued improvements on the already great web slinging movement systems and combat and some changes to the monotonous side activities from the original. Insomniac has a chance to really hit it out of the park with this game, and we’re hoping that the open-world aspect gets a bit of tightening up this time around.
Best upcoming PS5 games: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake
Weirdly, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake is one of the games we know the most and the least about on this list. Ostensibly, we already know the entire plot according to this quote from Aspyr lead producer Ryan Treadwell: “We’re rebuilding it from the ground up with the latest tech to match the groundbreaking standard of innovation established by the original, all while staying true to its revered story.” However, all we really have to go on is a trailer that shows Darth Revan igniting their lightsaber. Unfortunately, we don’t really know what “staying true” means in the context of the remake’s design. That has us a bit nervous.
We have high hopes for the KOTOR remake. Still, we also recognize that recreating a title of this scope with modern graphics and gameplay is an immense undertaking. Even though fans have been clamoring for a remake of KOTOR for years, neither BioWare nor its parent company EA showed much interest in doing so. So, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that content won’t be cut in the process of remaking the game. There’s no release date for this one in sight, but we wouldn’t bet on seeing it before 2023 at the earliest.
Best upcoming PS5 games: Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
In Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Jack Garland is a man who absolutely must destroy CHAOS wherever he sees it. Along with his buddies Ash and Jed, he aims to slice his way through this isekai based on the story of the original Final Fantasy. This Team Ninja-developed title is decidedly goofy at times and isn’t afraid to cheese it up. Unlike most protagonists in the series, Jack and his friends are simple folks who seem just to enjoy beating (or blasting) anything that moves into a pulp.
However, Stranger of Paradise goes beyond a simple isekai in a way that’ll be immensely interesting to longtime fans of the series. The game looks to reexamine the role of the four Warriors of Light and give more context to their story. Of course, those interested in combat will find a complex system here with different jobs, weapon types, and a nearly infinite amount of customization. After a poor first demo, the second demo hooked us on Stranger of Paradise, but it’s definitely this list’s wildcard. We’re hoping the extra polish it receives between now and when it releases early next year will propel it into something special.
Best upcoming PS5 games: Marvel’s Wolverine
The announcement that Insomniac Games would be producing Marvel’s Wolverine was a huge surprise, especially since it shares the same universe as the studio’s Marvel’s Spider-Man series. This is another title we have almost no information about. However, given Insomniac’s busy development schedule, we’d be surprised if it was released before 2024. And, it’ll almost definitely not be a cross-gen title. Despite that, it’s hard not to get excited about the prospect of getting a good game featuring Weapon X. Despite not giving us much solid to go by, the teaser trailer that announced the game gave us some clues as to the setting of Marvel’s Wolverine.
The trailer for Marvel’s Wolverine shows Logan sitting at a bar. However, this isn’t just some generic speakeasy; it’s Princess Bar, which previously appeared in the Wolverine comics. It’s located in Madripoor, a small island in Southeast Asia. This largely lawless territory that’s rife with income inequality and criminal activity would be an excellent place for Wolverine to ply his trade. It’s isolated enough to give Insomniac a chance to tell a story without having to account for the X-Men or any other Marvel heroes. It’s also a great contrast to New York City, which is where Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man games take place.
