Best PS5 Games: The top 10 games to buy for PlayStation 5

If you’re looking for a brutally difficult challenge, the Dark Souls trilogy has long been known as the best option. Elden Ring is the latest entry from FromSoftware, but has ditched the weaving, linear levels in favour of an open-world map to make it feel more like Breath of the Wild and Skyrim.

Now you can venture through optional dungeons to discover useful loot, or encounter massive beasts to slay that will reward you with a bounty of experience points. Elden Ring supports multiple playstyles too, whether you want to sneak through bushes for a high-damage backstab, or blast foes from afar with all of your magical spells or hand-crafted bolts from a crossbow.

Elden Ring is just one of the best PS5 games available, but it’s also set to become one of the greatest games of the generation. As long as you’re happy to contend with the high difficulty, this RPG is a must-play.

Reviewer: Alastair Stevenson
Full review: Elden Ring review

You know that the winner of the Trusted Reviews 20201’s Best PlayStation Game had to get a shoutout; Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is one of the best entries in the series to date. The 4K visuals and ray tracing support mean that the game is packed with detail, so you can find something new in every frame. 

This game is family-friendly and can be played by pretty much anyone. The fantastic pacing and variety of puzzles keep the game feeling fresh, with an abundance of pocket-universe areas to explore for all the competitions out there. 

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a title that everyone should have in their PS5 library; it perfectly takes advantage of the next-generation console and offers up a brand new adventure that anyone can enjoy.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart review

Gran Turismo 7 is one of the more accessible entries into the racing simulator series, with a massive breadth of features and an excellent driving experience that anyone can get into. Handling is excellent with the DualSense controller, with fantastic handling and weight to each car you can drive.

The PS5 offers up amazing visuals, with our reviewer noting a high level of detail to the car interior and exterior, especially in the likes of photo mode where ray tracing is activated. There’s a clear love for cars in this game too, as you can chat to characters in the Café about the history of carious vehicles. And if you’re not a car fanatic, you may well become one after playing Gran Turismo.

You can also race online with friends, with a new Meeting Place feature that allows racers to join and race in a more casual environment. Sportsmanship ratings also ensure that users will drive with respect and that you’re paired with people who have a similar skillset, giving a sense of parity and fairness. If you’re into hyper-realistic racers, this is one of the best PS5 games you can buy.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Gran Turismo 7

Deathloop is one of the most innovative AAA games we’ve seen in a while; Arkane Studios threw away the formula and created an interesting narrative with explosive gameplay. With a Groundhog Day type time loop mechanic, your character is tasked with killing eight targets before the end of the day. 

Seeing as this game puts you in the same position every day, you’ll become very familiar with the island of Blackreef, giving you more time to appreciate the beautiful graphics and cartoony artwork. 

This is a very rewarding game, not only can you take on a different plan of attack each playthrough, but the way the world changes and morphs over time means it always feels new and engaging when you dive back in.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Deathloop review

Resident Evil Village is one of the best entries in the franchise, boasting HDR graphics so you can see the gooey mouldy monsters in high definition. Village takes on a first-person view, which amps up the narrative to a more personal level. 

Speaking of, you will be treated to Bram Stoker type environments, with gothic towers and skulking werewolves. The protagonist, Ethan Winters, likes to shoot and slash his way through the game, with less emphasis on stealth meaning that you have even more opportunities to tackle your enimines head-on, which really adds to the scare factor. 

If you fancy a horror game, this is one the best PS5 games to buy. Not only is there a gripping and spooky story to follow, but blood and gore have never looked this good on this console.

Reviewer: Alastair Stevenson
Full review: Resident Evil Village review

Looking for a more family-friendly game? Then the Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is an excellent option, epseically considering you can pair up with a second player on your adventure through all nine main films in the Star Wars series, from The Phantom Menace to The Rise of Skywalker.

While Star Wars fans will be treated to oodles of fan service, this game is also welcoming to newcomers of the franchise with lots and lots of rib-tickling jokes. There are plenty of puzzles to solve and hidden collectibles to discover, while we found that the revamped combat makes smashing up Lego characters twice as fun as previous entries.

We were also impressed by how great the visuals look, espeically on the PS5. Classic Star Wars locations have been remade in Lego with wonderful details, with the underwater city of Otoh Gunga looking particularly dazzling.

The Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga can of course be played in single player, but we recommend pairing up with a friend or family member for the best experience, and spend hours laughing at all the various gags.

Reviewer: Thomas Deehan
Full review: Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Review

Another game on this list that makes great use of its platform, Returnal is a title that comes alive on the PS5. You can feel the patter of rain on the DualSense controller, with different aspects of your weapon working when you use varying levels of force on the triggers. 

Unlike the other games on this list, Returnal is a roguelike, so be prepared to have to start over if you bite the bullet. And you might die a fair bit, as the creatures that inhabit this world are brutally fierce, making it their life’s mission to take you down. 

With a surprisingly elevated narrative that drives the game forward, you will need to keep playing if you want to figure out the bigger picture. Coming in as one of the best new IPs that Sony has had in a long time, Returnal is unmissable when it comes to PS5 games.

Dying Light 2 may look like your average zombie slasher on the surface, but it actually offers far more thanks to its excellent parkour system that’s reminiscent of the platforming in Mirror’s Edge. Chuck in hordes of zombies that will pursue you after dark, and it becomes one of the most enjoyable zombie game in recent memory.

There’s also a great story and cast of characters here, as you must help two warring factions in their bid to seize control of the post-apocalyptic city. Your decisions can have major consequences for some of the characters too, providing pangs of guilt or sighs of relief as the story unfolds.

There are some minor issues here, such as repetitive combat and its subdued horror, but if you just fancy slicing off zombie limbs and exploring the post-apocalyptic city, then you’re in for a treat.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Dying Light 2 Review

Horizon Forbidden West is a fantastic sequel to the Horizon Zero Dawn, featuring lots of new machines to hunt, as well as bigger and better upgrade system with a highly satisfying gameplay loop reminiscent of the Monster Hunter series.

The open-world looks incredible on the PS5, with a variety of distinctive biomes to explore from dense rain forests to sweeping deserts. Forbidden West also features an intriguing story, plunging even deeper into the sci-fi rabbit hole.

There are a few weaker elements to the game, as combat with humans is still a bore, while the platforming can feel clunky and frustrating. But those flaws are easy to forgive when it’s so much fun taking down a robot T-Rex with nothing but a quiver of arrows.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Horizon Forbidden West Review

While this game is pretty well known as one of the best PS5 games, that doesn’t make it any less of a gem. Miles Morales is arguably the franchise’s best yet, being somehow relatable as our protagonist while offering up an interesting story that keeps the game feeling worthwhile. 

It goes without saying that anyone who was a fan of the original Spider-Man PS4 game will feel at home here; the original gameplay style is present but with some new powers to keep it feeling fresh. You get a sense of who Miles is here, with the lead character’s passion for music, street fashion and science blending into the overall aesthetic perfectly. 

There are plenty of side activities to dig into once you’ve finished the campaign, with the universe itself being a fun expansion of the Insomniac universe.

Reviewer: Jade King
Full review: Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Review