Our Game of the Year coverage continues with the Best PS5, PS4 Remake, Remaster, or Re-Release of 2022, of which a top four has been put together by the Push Square editorial team. This category crowns the best PS5, PS4 titles that we have played in the past, but have been released once again in a new form — some will have received enhancements while others arrive as part of a collection. At the end, we will list a few honourable mentions.
Bronze Trophy: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion
Few would dare remaster a PSP game for modern consoles, no less one that didn't exactly release to much widespread praise. However, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII was a fascinating title at the time, and it's getting its due all over again as part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake efforts from Square Enix. The portable title has received a magnificent glow-up that restores the original game — without any story additions — and makes it playable on PS5, PS4. While you wait for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, this is a side story more than worth exploring.
You can read our Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion PS5 review through the link.
Silver Trophy: Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration
Collections of much older games are common nowadays, but rarely are they treated with as much love as has been given Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. Digital Eclipse has set a new bar for retro compilations by matching roughly 100 titles with a complete history of Atari, allowing you to learn about the company's origins and then immediately boot up the games mentioned. It's essentially a museum in your own PS5, PS4 console, with a slick interface and excellent emulation. This is a must-play for history buffs.
You can read our Atari 50: Anniversary Celebration PS5 review through the link.
Gold Trophy: Cyberpunk 2077
The PS5 version of Cyberpunk 2077 didn't just fix the RPG, it rescued the IP from the depths and effectively rebooted sales. The CD Projekt RED game has now taken on a new lease of life with record player counts and a much more optimistic outlook for the future of both the developer and the series. It was most certainly broken at launch — and that should never be forgotten — but the Polish team has worked tirelessly to update the game and get it to where it should be. The developer deserves credit for that, and the PS5 version of Cyberpunk 2077 now represents a compelling experience more than worth playing.
You can read our Cyberpunk 2077 PS5 review through the link.
Platinum Trophy: The Last of Us: Part I
Pricing aside, there's absolutely no debating the impressive job Naughty Dog did with The Last of Us: Part I. Whilst remaining completely faithful to the gameplay and story of the original PS3 experience, the team made it a top visual contender on PS5 with gorgeous graphics, lifelike facial models, and stunning vistas. This is now the definitive way to experience the campaign of The Last of Us and its DLC Left Behind. The modern classic is made beautiful all over again with new accessibility features, AI improvements, and excellent DualSense controller support. An outstanding game it remains in 2022.
You can read our The Last of Us: Part I PS5 review through the link.
Honourable mentions: GTA 5, Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, Pac-Man World Re-Pac, Sonic Origins, and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection.
What was your favourite PS5, PS4 remake, remaster, or re-release of 2022? Place a vote in our poll and then explain your personal pick in the comments below. For further Game of the Year coverage, click the link.
Comments 44
The Last of Us Part 1 is my favourite re-release of the year with the Atari Collection close behind. Sadly TLOU doesn't add anything apart from amazing graphics but it's still a brilliant game. Whilst the Atari collection is the gold standard of how these compilations should be put together going forward
I voted for CP2077, though I don’t think that’s a re-anything at all. It‘s just the native PS5 version of a game which in 60 fps mode runs not that different than the PS4 version on PS5. Still a great, unique experience, much more memorable than may other games out there. Play it!
I voted TLoU but I really enjoyed the Legacy of Thieves collection too.
I only played the Left Behind dlc once before on the PS3 so I didn’t remember a lot of it - it was like playing it for the first time again.
Agree with @WizzNL, Witcher 3 is a phenomenal game and runs beautifully on PS5. It should definitely feature on this list.
Crisis Core. I was hoping the game would return some day but the thought the best we'd get is a re-release on PS Plus Premium. Nice to see SquareEnix put in a bit more time and effort to give it a graphical overhaul.
Witcher 3. No doubt about this...
Finally, an award that Last of Us Part 1 actually deserves mentioning in 😅
That said I still think Atari 50 is the real winner. Not just a compilation but essentially an attempt of making an Atari Museum. A must play for anybody serious about gaming history.
Also the TMNT Cowabunga Collection should be given as a voting choice too. Another superb re release and the first time these games have hit PS consoles.
Going with TMNT Cowabunga Collection. The fact it actually released is incredible considering the state of Konami for the last half of last gen.
Runners up are Witcher 3 and Uncharted.
Gotta be TLOU Part 1. Absolutely mind blowing. Altho i do love the Atari game. I remember about 41 years ago, i was in my parents back garden building a snow man, i was 4. I tried to go back in the house an the door was locked!! I started to cry an my mum came an let me in. I walked in living room an my dad an my uncle were sat in front of the TV. They had these sticks in their hands moving tanks about on the TV shooting at each other. They gave me a go an it amazed me!! It was Combat on the Atari 2600. The first video game i ever saw/played/owned!! Was one of my Xmas prezzies of the missus, can’t wait to play with my 8 year old twin boys tomo!!
Now this is the list where TLOU actually belongs in! Also a bit strange that The Witcher 3 wasn't even worthy of an Honourable mention 🥲
Tactics Ogre Reborn!
Removed - inappropriate
Hmm, I'm just gonna leave this here :
The Stanley Parable : Ultra Deluxe
I would have picked Cyberpunk for this category considering the PS5 release was sort of the beginning the epic redemption arc that game had but I digress.
TLOU1 does fit this category much better than a Top 10 of the year though at least.
Wot no Witcher 3?!
I picked crisis core because it's pretty impressive to remake a PSP game like that and not even bill it as a remake, but if cowabunga collection were in the list it would have been that. It's a classic compilation, wonderfully updated, and the whole package exudes quality, which is amazing from Konami.
Goemon next, plz!
Is CP2077 not just a normal release. If you look at the best effort it's clearly Crisis Core.
I guess I really need to play the Last of Us again if it's gets so much praise.
Crisis core final fantasy 7 reunion for the win.word up son
I have been hooked on Persona 5 Royal on PS5. I am like 30 hours in and it is already one of my favorites JRPGs. I never played the PS4 version, but this would get my vote.
Cyberpunk is on sale right now but the Phantom Liberty DLC releases soon and I'm sure CDPR puts out a Complete Edition for (hopefully) a reasonable price a bit after that which I'll snag on the cheap to get the complete experience.
I love Cyberpunk 2077 but does it really count as a re-release? It’s just a native port
Klonoa got robbed 😭
Team CD Projekt really clutched Cyberpunk 2077. i remember buying this in my PS4 and immediately refunding it. After i got my PS5, my friend really recommended it. It felt like a whole new game
@Knave21 I really want to love the Tactics Ogre remake, but the party level caps absolutely killed the game for me… Half the fun of these games is over training your characters and plowing through challenging battles. I wish we had an option to turn this off…
Tactics Ogre no contest. Atari 50 and Cowabunga Collection were both really great compilations too.
For me it’s Cyberpunk. I didn’t play it until the PS5 version came out and I thought it was amazing. Played for about 100 hours, got the platinum and loved every minute.
Can’t wait for the expansion.
Cyberpunk 2077 but i really had to think hard about the witcher 3. Both are brilliant on the ps5 but cyberpunk just edged the witcher out for me as its just got more action and i love the character customisation.@Max_The_German having played the ps4 version of cyberpunk the ps5 edition looks and runs significantly better than the ps4 version running on the ps5. Its also incredibly stable as well as i've had zero crashes so far and it loads soooo much quicker..the only thing i miss about the ps4 version is being able to boil the kettle for a cuppa while its loading..
@Northern_munkey Yes, of course loading times are heavily cut, more NPCs on the streets, ... But does the PS5 code really run that more stable? Or is it because you played an earlier version of PS4 code, and the today’s PS4 code is much more stable, both on PS4 and PS5?
I'm surprised The Witcher 3 and Persona 5 didn't make the list, not even on the honorable mentions. For me it would be a tough choice between those 2, but I'll think I'll go for Persona 5, since it's the first time I played it and it's absolutely brilliant. The Witcher 3 looks and feels a lot better than it already was but I already played it 3 times, so that's why my vote goes to Persona 5
@Max_the_German no the ps5 version is a huge improvement in every department although i'll admit that picking things up etc can still be a bit fiddley. In all fairness when i played the ps4 version at launch on my ps5 (my brothers copy because he wanted to see how much better it ran) it was fairly stable so its obvious that its only become better over time but the ps5 upgrade is a very big improvement and telling people its practically the same as the ps4 running under bc is untrue..
@Northern_munkey Sounds reasonable. I only played the PS5 native code (1.52), and it was almost bug-free. The one major exception: After I died in my first try against Adam Smasher, the door to his room was already open, and the game only proceeds after you opened it, so nothing happened. In my third try (when it happened again) I found out that you can close it beforehand, and re-opening it starts the fight. But in general: a great experience!
@Max_the_German i am enjoying it a lot but i did purchase evil west too and that is just too much fun to put down at the mo 🤣
Cyberpunk 2077 for sure. My most played game of 2022 too. I was real luck when I decided to wait one year to play the game. In the time of the PS4 launch I opted for Final Fantasy VII Remake, as Square usually launch it games in a more finished state. I was really skeptical of CDP Red launching a game of that magnitude on PS4, and oh boy, I was right. I only played on PS5 and saw very few bugs. Did the 4 endings and now I will wait for the DLC.
I think The Witcher 3 should be on the list, but maybe it's elegible for next year...
I knew what was going to "win", but it should have been Cyberpunk 2077. The Last of Us Part 1 looks amazing, and is obviously a really good experience since it was already a really good game, but how the PS5 version of Cyberpunk 2077 literally saves the IP and actually turns it into a great game in it's own right is a bigger deal and arguably deserves more recognition.
Oh well, not a shock that it wins on a PlayStation website. Not saying it doesn't deserve to be in the top 3, but it's not the best. When others do a lot more than just add on amazing graphics and mild improvements, it's hard to say it deserves it more over efforts that do far more.
Is cyberpunk a re-release? Did the ps5 version just RELEASE 😂
I know it didn't come out in 2022 but Demon's Souls PS5 has got to be the best one so far. Given how graphically outdated the original is in comparison but still keeping the core gameplay that made it such an icon
For my money, Cyberpunk 2077 was the clear choice. Not only was it a good game in and of itself, but it was for all intents and purposes a ‘new quantity’ and not REALLY a remaster or remake, which in this day and age I appreciate. Sure, the PS5 version gave a new lease on life to a woefully broken PS4 game but the PS4 version was still relatively recent compared to all the other games on the list.
GTA V doesn't deserve an honourable mention as it should have been a free patch.
Yes, I still bought it sighs
Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 for me. I sound like a CDPR fanboy but it's just the fact that the writing, characters, quests and music in these games are a step above most other games.
1) Outer Wilds
2) Snowrunner
3) The Witcher 3
4) Cyberpunk 2077
5) The Last of Us Part 1
1. Cyberpunk 2077 (one of my biggest time sucks of 2022. What a world they built 😍😍😍)
2. Uncharted 4 (haven’t played the other one yet but adored 4)
3. The Witcher 3 (If it wasn’t so buggy, it’d be #1. But when it’s playing straight, it’s awesome)
4. FF7 Crisis Core Reunion (played 2 hours of it but it feels great playing more FF7. Excited to continue!)
Great chance TLOU would have topped my list but I was not paying for it at full price. Happy holidays everyone!!
Top Spot for me is for two games The Last Of Us Part I and Cyberpunk 2077
Last of us didn't even upgrade the combat and its in 1st? Crisis Core used to be a PSP game and what they managed to do with it is far more impressive. What about Witcher 3?
In regards to cyberpunk, I find it mildly irratating that people will praise a developer for fixing a game that was completely butchered on release. The game is still not what they promised, they don't deserve praise for the game finally being decent.
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