Topic: Top 5 PS5 games

This thread might already exist, but I couldn't find it and if it was it's locked anyway. So let's go.

5. Balatro (2024)
This game is a novel concept that was executed to perfection.

4. Hades (2021)
It's the definitive roguelite.

3. Cyberpunk 2077 (2020)
Gameplay is just ok, but as a narrative roleplaying game this game really moved me.

2. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut (2021)
Probably the game of the generation. Everything about this game is wholly original, it makes you think, and there's fun to be had too.

1. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (2024)
I wish everyone could see this game through my eyes. It's the story of a fellowship, who will start to feel more and more like family as you progress. It touches on themes of friendship, nature and trauma in such a beautiful way that it all feels connected. This is a game that stays with me all of my life.

(Obviously I just beat it today, so maybe I'm too high on it still. We'll see!)

1. Returnal: Just a fantastic game that always feels fantastic to play. It has an incredible atmosphere, a good story, great character and amazing music. Only roguelike I've actually enjoyed enough to complete.

2. Disco Elysium: The only excellent CRPG because it gets rid of the worst aspect of those games... Combat. The story, characters, art and music are all stellar. As you said one of a kind.

3. God of War Ragnarok: I loved how they improved the combat, Kratos and Atreus's growth was beautifully handled, the end of the base game was great. The Valhalla DLC was a extremely satisfying conclusion for Kratos and FREE.

4. Astro Bot: Love the little dude. Tactile controls, smooth platforming, incredibly inventive levels and abilities. A AAA 3D platformer that isn't Mario is always worthy of celebration.. especially one that does it this well.

5. Armored Core 6: Didn't think I'd enjoy this... until I moved around for the first time. So smooth. The speed, scale, intensity all feel amazing. The amount of builds you can make, the boss fights, the story. All great. I was kinda done with FromSoft after Elden Ring and Erdtree both disappointed me quite a bit but this game has got me back in.

Honorable Mentions: HFW, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart.

@breakneck Wow, you mentioning Armored Core has made me more interested in the game. What would you rate the difficulty of that game?

@Herculean outside of a few bosses I didn't find it too difficult. I think there were maybe 4-5 tough levels. They've patched the game since launch making a lot of enemies a bit less annoying. The game is also pretty lenient with checkpoints (no bonfires this time)

@Herculean I think there has been a couple similar threads, but they are either gone or locked. On one that I found from about a year and a half ago that is locked, I had said:

“… Returnal has to be one of my favorite PS5 experiences… it’s exquisitely developed for gameplay satisfaction.
Control Ultimate Edition... It was one of my first PS5 games to play and still stands as one of my strongest PS5 memories. Also a game (like Returnal) which shines more in the gameplay department rather than the narrative department, yet has a weird enough plot to piece it all together.
Demon’s Souls Remake is another PS5 game with such an engrossing set-up and wonderful utilization of the hardware.
Gran Turismo 7… snared me into an obsession with it for a couple months. I’m not a racing fanatic by any stretch, but the game was wonderfully balanced to endear me to the gameplay loop of grinding for new cars and enjoying new tracks and challenges.
Astro’s Playroom is a must-play for any PS5 owner. It’s fairly short-and-sweet but is still unrivaled in its usage of the DualSense.”

I think those five are still worthy inclusions but I’d probably modify things slightly now:

1. Returnal
2. Control Ultimate Edition
3. Hogwart’s Legacy
4. Resident Evil 4 Remake
5. Demon’s Souls Remake

I added Hogwarts and RE4, both fantastic games, each a joy to play, for completely different reasons. They both leveraged the PS5 to make the game so beautiful and smooth as well.

It’s difficult to come up with a PS5 list because so many favorites are cross-gen. But I’m including all games that at least have a PS5 build.
My runner-ups would include Disco Elysium, Inscryption, Balatro, It Takes Two.

If I were to limit the list to top 5 games only playable on PS5 (console-wise), it would probably be:

1. Returnal
2. Demon’s Souls Remake
3. Astro’s Playroom
4. Final Fantasy XVI
5. Spider-Man 2

FF16 and SM2 were a great time, despite all the player criticism they each have received.

@Th3solution That's interesting that you mention XVI, but not Rebirth! And interesting you mention Playroom, but not Astro Bot!

Just a matter of haven't played them yet or something in your preferences? That list of yours reminds me that I still need to play Spider-Man 2 and Demon's Souls...

Thanks for the cool response, by the way.

@Herculean 😅 Yeah, I haven’t yet played Rebirth or Astro Bot. I have Rebirth in the backlog and still need to pick up Astro Bot. I hope to get to Rebirth this year. Maybe Astro Bot too but I’m not sure if I can work it in. I’m actually currently playing FF7 Crisis Core and wanted to clear that before doing Rebirth. Unfortunately my progress with CC hit a snag, but I’m committed to finishing it first.

If you liked the first Insomniac Spider-Man, then the sequel is an easy recommend. It’s very similar but with new abilities and story. Like the first game, it’s not very long. Probably around 25 hrs. So for people that complained that it’s just more of the same, playing the first and second game is not much different than playing 40-50 hours of a long rpg. You can clear and enjoy SM1 and 2 in less time than it takes to clear RDR2, or Witcher 3, or Persona 5 or whatever. You can think of it like playing Act 1 and Act 2 of the same game.

As for Demon’s Souls, it’s a harder recommendation because even if you love Dark Souls, I don’t know that it guarantees you’ll like Demon’s Souls because it has its own idiosyncrasies. There are some Souls fans who can’t get along with it, and some who adore it. For me, it’s probably my least favorite Souls game but that’s doesn’t mean it’s still not exceptional. And it’s definitely the most beautiful from a technical standpoint. Still one of PS5’s best looking games that I’ve played.

@Th3solution Astro Bot isn't too long with most levels being 8-10 mins max on a first playthrough. You can slowly play your way through the game.

Also the insane part: SM 1, MM, SM2 with all the platinums and DLC is still shorter than PERSONA 5, Elden Ring and The Witcher 3 at 92 hours TOTAL!

@Th3solution HEY! You're playing Crisis Core? I just started that game last this week. I didn't even know they remastered it until I randomly encountered it while searching for Rebirth in the PS App. I never played the original too, and after having enjoyed Rebirth so much and wanted more, it seemed like the perfect moment.

It's cool that you are playing it before Rebirth, while I am playing it afterwards. There were definitely a few moments in Rebirth that made less sense for me because I didn't play it yet. So let's see if pieces start falling into place for me. And I wonder what you think of the game so far!

I can't say much about it yet. It's been a busy few weeks for me. Twice I started the game, played for 10 minutes and then the moment a cutscene came, I noticed I was just too tired to really pay attention, so I quit. I'll get there eventually!