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2025 was somewhat of a quiet year for PlayStation. Yes, we got the Game of the Year-nominated Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and Sucker Punch\u2019s exciting sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yotei. But aside from that, there wasn\u2019t really a lot of activity from Sony\u2019s first-party studios. Instead, you had to look to developers outside of Sony\u2019s stables, who thankfully kept the PS5 ticking over with an array of interesting games. Right at the back end of 2024, Infold launched the console-exclusive Infinity Nikki and has been delighting stylists around the globe over the past 12 months, and smaller projects such as Sword of the Sea, Dispatch, and Baby Steps have all been enjoyed on PlayStation 5.<\/p>\n
Of course, the fact that there were not many console exclusives<\/em> didn’t mean there weren’t a whole host of great games to play on our PS5s last year. Quite the opposite, in fact. Awards-sweeper Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong, and acclaimed RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 led the third-party offerings. Plus, 2025 really was the year of Xbox going fully multiplatform with its library, as Forza Horizon 5, Gears of War Reloaded, and The Outer Worlds 2, to name just a few, all made their way to PlayStation. And that\u2019s showing no signs of slowing down in the coming year, either, with a certain Master Chief set to grace a Sony console for the first time.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n
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The Best PlayStation Game of 2025<\/h3>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
The truth is, Sony has just been pretty quiet when it comes to exclusives of its own, with little new to shout about from a hardware perspective, either. And that\u2019s before we even get into the problems Bungie (now a PlayStation Studio, remember) has faced with Marathon. So, are things looking more exciting in 2026? Well, Marathon will certainly be hoping so as it aims to combat PlayStation\u2019s recent live-service travails. Let\u2019s dig into it, as well as everything else to expect from Sony this year.<\/p>\n
First-Party and Exclusives <\/strong><\/h2>\nHeading into 2026, all eyes are on Logan, as Insomniac aims to bolster its long winning streak of Ratchet and Clank and Spider-Man games by taking on another comic book hero. Marvel\u2019s Wolverine is currently pencilled in for a \u201clate 2026\u201d launch, although we\u2019ll see if those plans change at all due to a certain Rockstar game moving to a similar timeframe. Whenever it does release, though, we look to be in for a treat if our first look at gameplay during September\u2019s State of Play is any indication.<\/p>\n
While much is still yet to be revealed about its story, we\u2019re eager to learn more and see just who else from the X-Men and the wider Marvel Universe will be popping into Logan\u2019s world. Mystique and Omega Red have already been confirmed, but surely Sabretooth is a must, as well as a cameo at the very least from either of Insomniac\u2019s Spideys, Peter Parker or Miles Morales. Which of the X-Men do you want to see most? <\/p>\n
<\/p>\nAs for PS5 exclusives that actually have release dates confirmed, there\u2019s only Saros, Nioh 3, and Phantom Blade Zero. The former is Housemarque\u2019s follow-up to the acclaimed Returnal, and looks to be sitting in a similar mould of colourful, particle-filled, challenging shooter within an alien planet shell. Now arriving on April 30 after a slight delay, it will take players on an expedition to a lost colony as we step into the shoes of Rahul Kohli\u2019s Arjun Devraj and kill and die our way to uncovering its mysteries through its repeating, roguelike structure.<\/p>\n
Nioh 3 is a console exclusive for PlayStation, as it’s also arriving on PC when it launches on February 6. A chronological sequel to the events of the series\u2019 first game, Team Ninja is back with a fresh dose of its own brand of punishing soulslike action in feudal Japan. Things are being shaken up this time, though, thanks to the introduction of a \u201cninja playstyle\u201d which promises to control completely differently from the traditional samurai option. Trust a studio called Team Ninja, which is also responsible for the Ninja Gaiden series, to want to add ninjas to Nioh. That’s enough ninjas for one sentence, I think. <\/p>\n
Phantom Blade Zero is a hotly anticipated wuxia action RPG coming from Chinese developer S-Game. The lead character is called Soul, so you can probably guess what genre this project also borrows heavily from, too. I can confirm this myself \u2013 after briefly going hands-on with it at gamescom 2025, I found that there is indeed a punishing combat system with a complex skillset to master. But there are other action game influences, too, so the combat tempo is much higher than in your typical Soulslike. Up for some punishment? Well, you\u2019ll have to hold on a little longer yet, as Phantom Blade Zero will be released on September 9.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nNow onto the stuff we\u2019re led to believe will be coming in 2026, we just don\u2019t know when yet. First up is Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, the new superhero fighting game from Guilty Gear developer Arc System Works. A uniquely stylised interpretation of the Marvel universe, it looks set to be a real contender in the fighting game community if its recent closed betas are anything to go by.<\/p>\n
Freshly revealed at The Game Awards, 4:Loop is a new co-op shooter from Left 4 Dead creator Mike Booth and Bad Robot Games, the video game wing of film director J.J. Abrams’ production company. A PS5 and PC exclusive, it seems to infuse some roguelike elements with a sprinkling of Helldivers and Left 4 Dead. No release date has been given yet, but playtesting will start soon.<\/p>\n
Then we have Marathon, the new extraction shooter from Destiny developer Bungie, which was initially meant to arrive in 2025, but had a rough year to say the least. Delayed into this year and now coming out in March, the studio will be hoping for a big comeback story this year and buck the trend of recently failed Sony live-service shooter offerings such as Concord. Instead, it\u2019ll be looking to the likes of the wildly successful Arc Raiders and PlayStation\u2019s very own Helldivers 2 for a template to follow. Shooter pedigree doesn\u2019t come much stronger than Bungie, so fingers crossed that it can turn around those initial impressions. <\/p>\n
Speaking of live-service shooters, Fairgames is reportedly still in development at Haven Studios despite the departure of its founder, Jade Raymond, in May of 2025, and even more recently, the game\u2019s creative director, Daniel Drapeau, leaving in September. With still no gameplay to be seen and no sign of a release date for this \u201ccompetitive heist shooter\u201d, serious questions now have to be raised about whether it will ever see the light of day.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nLaser swords more your cup of tea? Well, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet might be the one for you. We\u2019re very much dreaming if we think this is coming any earlier than 2027, but hopefully, we get a good look at gameplay for Naughty Dog\u2019s new sci-fi game over the next 12 months. Expectations are high from one of Sony\u2019s most beloved developers, though, with creator Neil Druckmann calling it the \u201cmost ambitious game\u201d they\u2019ve ever made.<\/p>\n
But what about all of those other PlayStation studios cooking up exclusives? Well, Guerrilla may not be developing the recently revealed mobile MMORPG Horizon: Steel Frontiers itself, but has been recruiting for its own multiplayer entry into Aloy\u2019s universe. Could we see that in 2026? What about Santa Monica\u2019s next project? Is it finally time to see what Cory Barlog\u2019s mystery game is, if a new God of War isn\u2019t imminent? All good questions. None of which I have the answers for.<\/p>\n
I could run through each of the remaining Sony studios here, but, truthfully, I did that back in August, and very little has changed since. So, you can read that here<\/u>.<\/p>\nThird-Party and Multiplatform<\/strong><\/h2>\nAnother look forward to the year ahead in games, and another opportunity for me to say how excited I am for GTA 6. Surely, <\/em>after its most recent delay to November, 2026 is the year we finally get our hands on the latest Grand Theft Auto. Please, Rockstar, don\u2019t do it to us again.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n
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99 Details in the GTA 6 Trailer – Slideshow<\/h3>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
Our loss is a bunch of games\u2019 gain, though, with Spring opening up wide for a fair few to fill that GTA-shaped void. These include Capcom\u2019s latest entry into its legendary horror series, Resident Evil Requiem and IO Interactive\u2019s first non-Hitman project in a long time, James Bond adventure, 007 First Light. Plus, Pearl Abyss\u2019 expansive open-world action of Crimson Desert will be soaring onto consoles and PC in March as well. Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is looking to pick up where Rocksteady\u2019s Arkham trilogy left off and infuse its satisfying melee combat with that indelible minifig charm when it launches on May 29. <\/p>\n
But so much of 2026 remains uncertain \u2014 likely largely due to GTA shifting around more than James Brown did on stage in the \u201870s. Let\u2019s start with some multiplatform games we are pretty confident are coming this year, before moving on to ones that will likely remain rooted in our dreams.<\/p>\n
Yes, Master Chief will soon be controlled by a DualSense. Halo: Campaign Evolved is heading to the PS5 in 2026 as Microsoft continues to unleash its library onto other platforms. This Unreal Engine 5 remake of the 2001 Xbox classic could prove the spectre at the feast for Bungie, the original developers of Halo: Combat Evolved, if its own Marathon launch doesn\u2019t go as planned. At least it won\u2019t be competing in the multiplayer market, as this new edition of Halo only includes the story campaign.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydra recently shifted out of its original window of early 2026 to \u201cbeyond early 2026\u201d, so your guess is as good as mine as to when we\u2019ll be playing Amy Hennig\u2019s Captain America and Black Panther in World War 2 story. Legendary PlayStation hero Lara Croft will be returning in a \u201creimagining\u201d of her original game, titled Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and Finnish developer Remedy is back with another entry in its connected universe, Control: Resonant. Also announced at The Game Awards was the pleasantly surprising Star Wars: Galactic Racer from the makers of Burnout and Need For Speed that is scheduled to drop in 2026.<\/p>\n
Capcom is also set for a big year outside of Resident Evil, with Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Pragmata both set to hit. As was the way in 2025, 2026 also looks set to keep you happy if you\u2019re a fan of katanas and unnerving robots. As it will for vampire fans too, with The Blood of Dawnwalker looking really promising thanks to a non-linear narrative and sandbox-like structure, crafted by a team led by former Witcher 3 devs. Then there\u2019s Mixtape, a game I\u2019ve added to this list as one of my personally most anticipated of 2026. The sophomore project from The Artful Escape studio Beethoven & Dinosaur, this 80s-inspired coming-of-age adventure is definitely one to keep on your radar.<\/p>\n
Is 2026 finally the year we get to play a new Ken Levine game? The Bioshock creator hasn\u2019t given us one since 2013\u2019s Infinite, and Judas has been in development for a long <\/em>time now. Let\u2019s hope this is the year, because it\u2019s something I need in my life. As is The Witcher 4, but even I\u2019m not foolish enough to believe that CD Projekt Red\u2019s Ciri-led RPG is coming anytime soon. But feel free to surprise me. I\u2019d love that. <\/p>\n