Best PS5 games to play right now

Our best PS5 games list represents the GamesRadar+ team's recommendations for the must-play experiences on Sony's latest console. 2023 has been a fantastic year for new additions to this list, and we're nowhere near done yet. 

Sony's console is home to so many fantastic titles, with a strong offering of PS5 launch games kicking off the beginning of the new-gen line-up back in November 2020. And with some excellent PS5 exclusives arriving since the hardware launched, the library of games only gets stronger. Read on below to find our pick of the best PS5 games you can play right now. 

25. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade 

Ignore the unusual naming convention, because Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is essentially the PS5 version of the brilliant Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It takes the PS4 release and makes it runs better and in higher resolution, but also adds an exclusive expansion featuring Yuffi herself. It's definitely an excellent package, especially as we prepare for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth that's out later this year. 

24. Genshin Impact

Inspired by Zelda: Breath of the Wild and free-to-play, MiHoYo's Genshin Impact has been growing and evolving since it was first released back in 2020. The PS5 port improved the visuals and performance, but it's really the ongoing support and updates provided by the developers that continue to make Genshin Impact one of the best PS5 games. It's an RPG with gacha elements, excellent worldbuilding, an elemental combat system, and just so much to see and do.

23. It Takes Two

It's so fantastic to include one of the best co-op games on this list of must-plays on the Xbox Series X. It Takes Two puts you and a friend - either online or locally - in the shoes of husband and wife duo who have been magically turned into toys by their daughter in an attempt to save their marriage. But that hides the fact that it also continually keeps you on your toes by switching up gameplay mechanics and control schemes with each section of the game. It's brilliant, and easily one of the best puzzle games out there. 

22. Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition

The Witcher 3 is easily one of the best games of all time, and this Complete Edition on PS5 is the best way to experience it. It collates the base game, it's two massive story expansion DLCs (Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine), and with 16 pieces of free DLC. Plus, it also delivers new Netflix-series-inspired DLC, adds fan mods to update the game, supports 4K, and more to become the ultimate version of Geralt's latest adventure. 

21. Demon's Souls

Dying horribly at the hands of a soulless monster has never looked so good. The 2009 cult classic, Demon's Souls, has been completely remade for the 4K age, and is one of the best-looking games on the new PS5. The motion capture, textures, and audio might all be new, but the hardcore action is utterly faithful to the original, offering the same brutal learning curve and sense of monumental achievement with every victory. FromSoftware's original formula has been respected, but there are some new tweaks too, new items, armor, and weapons to covet, a change to the amount of healing grass you can carry, and new consumable Grains that offer buffs as you adventure. 

20. Stray

A game where you play as an adorable orange tabby cat shouldn't really need much more explanation than that, but Stray has more than just a cute protagonist. This is a wonderful platformer, with plenty of puzzling, all wrapped up in an alluring semi-post-apocalyptic story. You'll wander the streets of a city abandoned by humans, leaving no-one but robots behind and a whole lot of trash. There are some lovely narrative moments, glorious vistas, and just the right amount of head-scratching to make this a must-recommend.

19. Final Fantasy 16

Final Fantasy 16 manages to recapture the series' spirit of reinvention by switching to combo-heavy melees instead of turn-based combat. That, combined with a world that you'll be eager to explore and a powerful story with endearing characters, make Final Fantasy 16 one of the series' greats.

18. Assassin's Creed Valhalla 

Assassin's Creed Valhalla will stand as one of the great entries in the series, thanks to complicated hero Eivor, the brutal combat, and the wealth of customization options. There's rarely been a better match for the universe's lore than the Viking legends either, so you can expect some very interesting tangents as you explore, try to appease the pagan gods, and go on special dream quests. There's a reason the world has been obsessed with Vikings since they first went pillaging.

17. Sackboy: A Big Adventure

A perfect platformer packed with delights and surprises, and absolutely stuffed with charm. In Sackboy: A Big Adventure our titular hero visits different planets - think themes like jungle or the sea floor - to foil the plans of the evil Vex (voiced by Richard E Grant). As well as looking like a party in a craft store the game is packed with ingenious level design. There's no part of this game that hasn't been built with buckets of love and a cheery smile, and it shows in every piece of fluff.

16. Diablo 4

One of the best action RPGs in years, Diablo 4 is beautiful chaos with excellent improvements on how it handles combat, gear, and loot systems, and other elements. It's open world is impressive too, proving that Blizzard has plenty more to show off when it comes to the core Diablo experience. 

15. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor builds on its predecessor in almost every way, delivering an ambitious Jedi fantasy that's only downfall is occasionally in its pacing. Picking up five years after the last game, we rejoin Kal and BD-1 on an adventure that feels more ambitious, confident, and heartfelt than the first. Plus, this is a stunning game, which  just heightens its prowess in combat and traversal. 

14. Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut

The PS5 release of the Ghost of Tsushima is well worth diving into, even if you've played it through on PS4 as there are 4K graphics running at 60fps, wonderful DualSense features, and 3D Audio support. The Director's Cut itself adds the new Iki Island expansion, which is a fantastic new side-story set in an entirely fresh location. You'll learn more about hero Jin, meet new friends (and foes), and be able to engage with some new side content - including adorable critters. 

13. Returnal

This challenging roguelike looks - and feels - absolutely fantastic. Between the haptic feedback bringing the rain of Atropos to your very fingertips through the controller, or the visual splendor of neon against a monotone world, it's all utterly gorgeous - if a little bleak at times. The moment you die in Returnal, the loop begins again. Gain new upgrades, discover new weapons and alien tech, and work your way through the various biomes to reveal some of the truths behind the loops. 

12. Dead Space Remake

Whether Dead Space actually needed a remake or not, there's no denying that it's really really good. Developer Motive takes the original design of Dead Space and manages to overhaul it both in visuals and also expanding the story and its characters, which is why it more than deserves a place on this best PS5 games list.

11. Resident Evil 4 Remake

It was a gamble to remake one of the best Resident Evil games of all time, but thankfully the Resident Evil 4 Remake is a brilliant success. Capcom manages to retain everything that makes the original so pivotal, but brings it in line with more modern games, both in looks and feel. All the classic claustrophobic combat is there, along with the iconic characters, but it's now one of the best PS5 games too. 

10. The Last of Us Part 1

Rebuilt using the studio's latest PS5 engine, the remake lets you relive or discover Joel and Ellie's journey with modernized mechanics, improved controls, and a complete overhaul of the game's graphics. If you've yet to experience the story of The Last of Us, you're in for a treat, and those revisiting the adventure get to experience it all over again with a version that makes the most of Sony's hardware. 

9. Cyberpunk 2077

It took three years, but Cyberpunk 2077 has now crested into the top 10 of our best PS5 games list. CD Projekt Red's epic open-world RPG has transformed in 2023, with the free Update 2.0 and the paid-for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty DLC completely overhauling the game for the better. It's a stunning game on PS5 and definitely one to experience. 

8. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

Not only is it the best Ratchet and Clank adventure yet, but it is also a powerful demonstration of what the PS5 can do. Doctor Nefarious has been at it again, ripping holes between dimensions. Ratchet and Clank are split up and enlist the help of fellow Lombax, Rivet, to help stitch the universe back together. Flying through time rifts is utterly seamless, with not a loading screen in sight, and the DualSense features are used brilliantly. 

7. Alan Wake 2

Alan Wake 2 is a sequel it's been worth waiting 13 years for. Remedy's latest game is gorgeous, ambitious and really rather innovative, taking the studio's reputation for blending live action and gameplay to the next level. Our old pal Alan Wake himself is back, after spending 13 years trapped in the Dark Place, and now he's helped by Saga Anderson, an FBI agent heading to Bright Falls to investigate a series of murders. The two storylines intertwine beautifully and it's an impressive game quite unlike any other.

6. Elden Ring

Elden Ring is one of those games where if you're in, you're in. This is the best game coming out of FromSoftware since the original Dark Souls, taking its particular brand of gameplay to an open world for the first time. It refines, it evolves, and it tweaks the formula to make sure that suffering in its very specific masochistic style has never been this much fun. 

5. Deathloop

Deathloop offers up a murderous puzzle box for players to break open and figure out. Deathloop is one of those rare games that surprises you, playing out nothing like any of us expected. Lose yourself trying to figure out the mystery of how to kill eight targets in a single day, where all move around the world of Black Reef living their lives - and rudely not just staying put so you can kill them. The more you experience the loop, the more you learn, and the more you understand about this strange little time-looping world.  

4. Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 has taken 2023 by storm, with Larian Studios' RPG coming out of Early Access on PC and dropping in full on PS5 to great effect. This insanely deep RPG gives you tonnes of freedom to tell your own story, with an excellent cast of characters to befriend, fight, and probably fall in love with over the course of this easily hundreds of hours long experience. 

3. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Spider-Man Miles Morales is packed with comic book adventure, heart and soul. Miles has some new powers this time around, like the bioelectric venom. Spider-Man: Miles Morales manages the tricky task of delivering a story that Venom punches you right in the heart, but is also a place that you want to escape to after a long day in the real world. Thanks mainly to Miles' charm, and that sweet swinging, Spider-Man: Miles Morales pulls it off so well you'll wish Peter Parker a happy retirement without even a tear in your eye. 

2. Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Forbidden West is such a confident sequel. It's not reinventing the wheel - it's another game about saving a world filled with giant robot dinosaurs - but it doesn't have to. Aloy's story is just as compelling as the first game, but with more human elements, interesting new character additions, and tonnes more personality. It's got some of the best side quests in the gaming space right now too.

1. God of War Ragnarok

God of War Ragnarok is such a fitting end to the end of Kratos' Norse arc, along with Atreus, Mimir, and other returning pals. The story has serious narrative punch, there are some brilliant puzzles, and the combat is a fantastic evolution of the extremely satisfying mechanics from the last game too. This is the one to beat.