Top PS5 Games to Look Out for in 2025

In this new age of console gaming, where inclusivity reigns thanks to Sony and Microsoft expanding their exclusive titles to other platforms, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to spotlight games that truly showcase the strengths of a single console. Year after year, the standout titles on both PlayStation and Xbox are often multiplatform releases, with the best games of the year, like the 2025 Game of the Year winner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, launching across multiple systems. (Nintendo, as always, remains a unique case.)

As we delve deeper into this era where everything feels like it’s converging into a single gaming experience, Sony continues to prioritize high-quality exclusives. Here’s a look at its top offerings for 2025.

PlayStation Portal
As software exclusivity fades into the past, console manufacturers are finding new ways to draw gamers into their ecosystems. For Microsoft, it’s all about Game Pass; for Sony in 2025, it’s the PlayStation Portal. This year, Sony rolled out an update for the Portal that enables cloud streaming, making it an essential device for PlayStation fans. Priced at $200—about half the cost of a PS5—you essentially get a second console that can play select games without needing to stream from the main unit. While the list of streamable games isn’t exhaustive, it boasts over 2,000 titles, and the ability to play on the go is a game changer.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Engage in a conversation with die-hard Final Fantasy fans about the franchise’s top games, and be prepared for a lengthy debate over the rankings—except for one constant: Final Fantasy Tactics always claims the top spot. After finally diving into this classic through the remaster released this year, I understand why. The best games often transcend time while resonating with specific moments, and Tactics does just that with its compelling narrative.

Beyond its story, Tactics shines with its expansive job system, granting players a sense of godlike power that’s incredibly enjoyable to wield. The arithmetician class can cast any learned spell instantly and without mana, and when paired with a white mage, it creates one of the most formidable units in strategy RPG history. Ramza Beoulve is just an ordinary guy trying to save the world, and FFT made me believe in his mission as I transformed his eclectic group of misfits into unstoppable forces.

Ghost of Yōtei
Sucker Punch’s sequel to Ghost of Tsushima plays it relatively safe, opting for refinement over radical changes. This means the experience remains familiar, featuring lush landscapes to explore, a variety of combat techniques to master, and, of course, plenty of hot springs to relax in. However, everything feels more polished this time around, especially the gripping tale of revenge that adds much-needed structure to the open-world experience.

Death Stranding 2
The original Death Stranding was so bizarre that part of the enjoyment came from trying to make sense of it. I’m not sure I fully grasped it until I was nearly finished. The sequel retains that weirdness but builds on the first game, making it easier to understand from the start. It’s still a delivery simulator where you traverse a post-apocalyptic landscape to transport goods and people, but now the setting has shifted to Australia, introducing new environmental challenges—hello, sandstorms—and a fresh cast of eccentric characters, featuring talents like Elle Fanning and George Miller. Rest assured, the story remains as enigmatic as ever.

Baby Steps
Bennett Foddy certainly made you feel the “walking” aspect in this intricate walking simulator. In Baby Steps, your mission is to walk, and you do so by controlling every aspect of taking a step, right down to the fine motor skills involved. The result is a hilarious exploration of human psychology, emotional growth, and a newfound appreciation for just how challenging it can be to move a body using nothing but DualSense trigger buttons.

Lumines Arise
When Lumines Arise was first announced, I mistakenly asked if it was part of a series, unaware of Lumines’ legacy as a PSP powerhouse. My gaming elders have never let me forget that slip, so I decided to dive in and see what the game is all about.

Lumines Arise is like an evil mashup of Dr. Tetris Effect and Mean Bean Machine. It involves connecting matching blocks in two-by-two configurations, reminiscent of Mean Bean Machine, while the incredible synth/pop-house soundtrack synced to the action gives it a Tetris Effect vibe, creating an immersive puzzle experience. And it’s challenging! My limited Tetris skills don’t quite translate to Lumines Arise, but I’ve found a flow state. As I play, the shapes of the blocks morph from blocks to eggs to clocks, and I’ve discovered that some patterns are easier to group than others. It’s fascinating and fun to figure out which shapes simplify the game and which ones are a real challenge.