20. Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5)

With creator Media Molecule focusing its attention elsewhere, LittleBigPlanet’s whimsical weaved hero deserved his Super Mario 3D World moment. Sackboy: A Big Adventure doesn’t pull up any trees like its predecessors, but is instead a robust co-operative platformer with some memorable musical moments. With a cutesy DIY aesthetic and some surprisingly tight action, it excels in an area that Sony has often been accused of overlooking: fun for the whole family.

19. Diablo 4 (PS5)

After a long time in development, Blizzard's beloved action RPG series returns in grand style with Diablo 4. This top-down dungeon crawler is all about building up your character with randomly generated loot, exploring a huge world map full of treasures and monsters, and teaming up with your pals for some devilishly addictive co-op. Jam-packed with stuff to do, this is a game you'll be playing for a long time, and the insanely gratifying progression will keep you coming back for more.

18. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (PS5)

Capturing the heart and soul of Warhammer 40k isn't easy, but Space Marine 2 is just about as good as it gets. This gory third-person action-shooter is a brilliantly robust adaptation, boasting a well-paced campaign (that can be played in co-op), a full set of online co-op missions, and even competitive multiplayer. In many ways it's a throwback to simpler times, when such shooters were so common, but it brings the brutality forward with some stunning visuals and a deeply satisfying, visceral combat system. A damn good time for everyone involved (except the Tyranids, obviously).

17. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (PS5)

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is a brilliant remake of two incredibly impactful games. The skateboarding series might have been scraping its knees for a while, but this new version puts it right on track, updating the PS1 classics to modern standards while keeping that old-school, arcadey magic alive. The PS5 version is a great update, too, enhancing the title with super smooth performance, 4K resolution, reduced loading, and some subtle usage of DualSense's features. If you're a long-time fan, this is pure joy.

16. Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn (PS5)

Looking at it now, it's genuinely hard to believe that Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn started life as a terribly misguided and badly designed MMO that came close to sinking one of Square Enix's internal development teams. Its rebirth has been one of modern gaming's most extraordinary success stories, and the game is now widely considered to be one of the greatest MMORPGs ever made. Bolstered by multiple extremely well received expansions, A Realm Reborn has gone from strength to strength, and it continues to attract millions of players. Many would even argue that it's the best Final Fantasy game of the last decade — MMO or not.

15. DOOM Eternal (PS5)

If you like your first-person shooters fast, demanding, and bloody, DOOM Eternal is the peak. A fantastic gameplay loop means you're constantly on the move and playing aggressively, earning more ammo and health by getting right up in those demonic faces and literally ripping them a new one. On PS5, it's somehow even better, with three visual modes — including one with ray tracing — and DualSense support. A brilliant FPS that really sings on Sony's current hardware.

14. The Nioh Collection (PS5)

Team Ninja's answer to the popular Dark Souls series is Nioh, a punishing but satisfying action RPG based on Japanese history and folklore. The Nioh Collection on PS5 brings the two titles together in one package. Fortunately, both games are excellent — fairly linear but featuring fast, deadly melee combat that has you swapping between stances to gain the upper hand. The pair of games are remastered for the up-to-date hardware, running at up to 120 frames-per-second on the right display, and support DualSense's haptics and adaptive triggers. Two cracking action titles for the price of one, and looking and playing better than ever on PS5? A no-brainer.

13. Pavlov VR (PS5)

There have been a good few attempts to get a multiplayer shooter going on VR systems, but Pavlov VR has to be one of the better efforts. With a wide variety of weapons to wield and some highly entertaining modes, this game feels intuitive to play and is a great laugh with a few friends. The player count might be low compared to traditional console shooters, but this is an incredibly solid effort that really nails the basics.

12. Street Fighter 6 (PS5)

Street Fighter 6 puts the series back on the map. Following the comparably dismal launch of Street Fighter V, this iteration of Capcom's fighter is the most robust package yet, catering to both competitive and casual players brilliantly. New mechanics add more strategy to fights, different control schemes level the playing field for newcomers, and the online play is seriously smooth. Add to that the incredibly high-effort single-player World Tour mode, in-depth tutorials, a multitude of fun ways to fight, and a vibrant roster of familiar and new characters, and you have one of the best fighting games in recent memory.

11. Helldivers 2 (PS5)

Live service executed effortlessly, Helldivers 2’s success can be attributed to Arrowhead putting gameplay ahead of business models. The game’s systemic approach means cinematic moments unfold emergently, as part of the co-operative action and physics at play. Doing your part has never felt quite so good.