Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Guides

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The best PS5 exclusives

By
Astro Bot wears a dog backpack.
Sony Interactive Entertainment

The PlayStation 5 has finally established a respectable list of console-exclusive titles from first- and third-party developers. The best PS5 games are able to take full advantage of the PS5 hardware thanks to not needing to worry about developing for other platforms. If you want to play some of the most impressive games you can on your system, whether they’re the best multiplayer PS5 games or single-player experiences, these exclusives are the ones to check out.

In this guide, we’ll round up the very best exclusive games the system has to offer. The PS5’s exclusive library will undoubtedly grow with paid and free PS5 games throughout its life cycle, and we will update this article accordingly as more games come out.

Recommended Videos

The Last of Us Part I

The Last of Us Part I
4.5/5
M
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
Genre
Shooter, Adventure
Developer
Naughty Dog
Publisher
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release
September 02, 2022
Serving as a remake of the hit PS3 (and PS4) game, The Last of Us Part 1 is the definitive way to experience this story. Not only does it include enhanced visuals and gameplay improvements, but it also features numerous accessibility options, allowing more players to enjoy it. The Last of Us Part 1 also utilizes a handful of PS5 functionalities, such as the DualSense’s haptic feedback. Even if you’ve played the original, this enhanced edition has enough to make it worth experiencing again.
The Last of Us Part I - Announce Trailer
Related

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Marvel's Spider-Man 2
4.5/5
T
Platforms
PlayStation 5
Genre
Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
Developer
Insomniac Games
Publisher
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release
October 20, 2023
The best Spider-Man game of all time was once the original Marvel’s Spider-Man on PS4. One could also make a strong argument for the shorter sequel game Miles Morales, but now that Spider-Man 2 is here and elevating everything from both games, there’s no contest. The city is bigger, the traversal far improved with the same amazing swinging plus a wingsuit, snappy combat, and an even more engrossing story. The game doesn’t overstay its welcome, and even fixes the minor complaints people had with some of the side activities for the first game. Whether you’re a Spidy fan or not, this game should not be missed.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - PlayStation Showcase 2021: Reveal Trailer | PS5

Astro Bot

Astro Bot
4.5/5
Platforms
PlayStation 5
Genre
Platform, Adventure
Developer
Team Asobi
Publisher
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release
September 06, 2024
We got a taste of things to come with Astro’s Playroom as a pack-in title on the PS5, but even that couldn’t fully prepare us for how delightful Asto Bot would be. This game hits the levels of the best Mario games with its creative levels, tight platforming, intuitive controls, charming personality, and hundreds of Bots referencing characters from the entire PlayStation library and beyond. It doesn’t overstay its welcome and only uses a new mechanic for as long as it has new ways to let you use it before moving on. The DualSense integration is also on full display here. It is simply impossible to play this game without a smile on your face and we pray to get more games like it.
Astro Bot - Announcement Trailer | PS5 Games

Demon's Souls

Demon's Souls
87%
M
Platforms
PlayStation 5
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up
Developer
Bluepoint Games
Publisher
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release
November 12, 2020
Speaking of Demon’s Souls, this is one of the highlights of the PS5, showcasing absolutely stunning visuals made possible by Sony’s new system. This comes to us courtesy of Bluepoint Games, the team that developed the beloved Shadow of the Colossus remake, and from what we can tell, Demon’s Souls seems to be the company’s most ambitious project yet. While the level design, enemy placement, mechanics, and even movement cadence remain intact, the remake features 4K visuals built from the ground up, making it one of the most impressive-looking games ever to release on a console. It also comes with many quality-of-life improvements that make it easier to jump into, as well as slightly updated animations, and more customization options in its character creation mode. The main goal with Demon’s Souls on PS5 is to stay true to the original, while offering an experience that feels next-gen, and from what we’ve seen, it absolutely delivers on that front. Though, as with all Souls games, Demon’s Souls is tough and won’t be for everyone. Despite that, now is a great time to jump in, as it will be ripe with an online community to help you take down bosses, and is streamlined in many ways.

God of War Ragnarök

God of War Ragnarök
94%
4/5
M
Platforms
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Genre
Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
Developer
SIE Santa Monica Studio
Publisher
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release
November 09, 2022
God of War Ragnarök is everything we could have asked for from a sequel. Sure, following in the footsteps of 2018’s God of War was no easy task, but Santa Monica Studio knocked it out of the park with Ragnarök. The sequel continues the thrilling story, offering a wide range of characters, fantastic combat, and a slew of improvements over its predecessor. In many ways, Ragnarök is much larger in terms of scope, expanding upon what made the 2018 game so great. If you liked the 2018 game and want more, or if you’re a fan of action games with gripping stories, you must play God of War Ragnarök.
God Of War Ragnarok - PlayStation Showcase 2021 Reveal Trailer | PS5

All PS5 exclusives

Cloud and Sephiroth fighting.
Square Enix

These are all the current PS5 exclusives on the market, not including any of the upcoming PS5 games we will add in the future.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…
Alan Wake 2 anniversary update helps you steamroll through enemies
Alan Wake stands in front of a movie theater in Alan Wake 2.

It's been almost one year since Alan Wake 2 released, and the developers at Remedy Entertainment are celebrating with a large update that makes the game more accessible thanks to options to greatly reduce the difficulty.

In a post published Monday, the studio announced a series of quality-of-life updates, along with more features in the Gameplay Assist menu. These assist options can help you to, if you so choose, reduce difficulty on combat to almost nothing. You can toggle on player invulnerability and player immortality, so that you'll never die. If you want to turn down the survival horror loot aspects, you can set it so you have infinite ammo and flashlight batteries. There's even a one-shot kill feature if you want to steamroll over enemies.

Read more
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered will have way more NPCs thanks to PS5 specs
Aloy standing in knee-deep water with her bow and arrow in front of some ruins.

We already learned a bit about the kinds of changes Guerrilla Games and Nixxes brought to Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, but beyond noting how much more dialogue and mo-cap was recorded, there weren't many specifics. A new PlayStation blog post has gone into more detail about the improvements, including how the teams worked to make the world feel more alive.

Nixxes senior technical game designer Brian van Nunen wrote in the post that one of those ways was to add more NPCs in villages, cities, and outposts, which they were able to do because of the PlayStation 5's more powerful specs. And not only will there be more of them but they'll have more varied schedules and will move around in a more realistic manner.

Read more
Best PS5 deals: Console bundles, top games, and accessories
A person plays Crash Bandicoot using a PS5 DualSense controller.

If you've been following the journey of the PlayStation 5, then you know there have been some ups and downs along the way, such as stock issues or not having access to compatible SSDs to expand internal storage. Things have gone a long way since then, and if you're thinking of picking up the new PS5 Slim, now is a good time. While there aren't a lot of great deals on the consoles themselves, there are some good deals on games, including some of the best games in the PS5 library. We've also collected some of the best PS5 game deals, as well as some great accessories, including some great gaming headset deals.
Best PS5 deals

The PlayStation 5 has recently seen a great revision with it now slightly slimmer than before and also offering more storage space with 1TB of internal space resulting in 842GB of it being usable. You still get the impressive DualSense controller along with all the benefits that the PS5 offers. With the arrival of the new revision, there are some great bundles around, including a free digital copy of Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

Read more