On the recently launched PS5 website, Sony promised that “the upcoming roster of PS5 launch games” will be revealed soon. At the time of this writing, there have been no launch title exclusives announced for the PlayStation 5. But the fact that Sony has been so tight-lipped about its next-gen console’s launch lineup has us hopeful that the company has some major surprises in stores for gamers this year.
Until then, we’ve put together our own dream selection of PS5 launch titles. Working on the assumption that Sony will have some big exclusive launch titles to draw players over to its new platform, we’ve tried to keep this list to AAA exclusives (or at least timed exclusives) to tie in with the PS5 launch.
There’s very little chance that all eight of the games on our wishlist are even in active development right now, but even if Sony is only working on one or two of these for the PS5 launch, we’d be very happy…
Horizon Zero Dawn 2
Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the most visually stunning game worlds of the PS4 era, and a sequel on PS5 would provide Sony with an early opportunity to show how much more this new hardware can offer in terms of visuals and scope. And since the first game and all of its DLC was released in 2017, it seems reasonable that the developers at Guerrilla Games could be quite far along in developing a sequel.
Advertisement
In terms of what a new Horizon Zero Dawn game could entail, we’d expect to see some new eye-catching locations and a new world-encompassing conflict to set Aloy on another adventure. Stepping back into Aloy’s armor would be amazing, but we’d also welcome some new playable characters in this world.
A New Ratchet & Clank Game
There hasn’t been a fully-fledged Ratchet & Clank game since 2016’s movie tie-in title. A new installment in the iconic platforming shooter franchise could be a good way to welcome existing fans and young new players onto the PS5. It’s unlikely that Insomniac Games has the capacity to work on this franchise now that it’s hard at work on the Spider-Man games, but that doesn’t mean another studio couldn’t usher in the return of this legendary duo. It would be refreshing to have a charming third-person platformer like this on PS5, reminding the AAA games industry that games don’t have to be enormous open-world affairs to be fun.
Infamous 4
The Infamous franchise has remained dormant since 2014 when Second Son introduced a new protagonist to the series. And now, the launch of the PS5 could provide the perfect launchpad to host the series’ comeback.
On the flip side of that equation, a new Infamous entry could do wonders for the console itself: traversing a city and using epic superpowers is exactly the kind of showcase that could convince the early adopters of the PS5. This idea seems a little unlikely, though, since the Infamous developers at Sucker Punch Productions are working on Ghost of Tsushima at the moment.
Astro Bot 2
With rumors insisting that Sony has developed a new VR headset for the PS5, it seems plausible that there could be some new VR games in the offing to go with it. 2018’s Astro Bot Rescue Mission is widely regarded as one of the best experiences among the first wave of PSVR games, and a next-gen sequel to the immersive 3D platformer would surely be welcomed by many. And since SIE Japan Studio’s ASOBI! Team hasn’t announced its next project yet, it’s possible that the studio has secretly been working on Astro Bot 2 for the PS5 for a while now. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.
God of War 2
Many consider the PS4’s shining achievement to be God of War, a brave sequel that reimagined Kratos as the father to a young son. We don’t know what the team at SIE Santa Monica Studio has been up to since the game’s April 2018 release, so it doesn’t seem like totally wishful thinking to predict that the studio could be cooking something up for the PS5. And since the last God of War game ended with the suggestion of a showdown with Thor, it’s easy to see where the story could go. What better way to kick off the PS5 era than with such a highly-anticipated sequel?
A New Jak and Daxter Game
Jak and Daxter haven’t gone on any new adventures since the Jak and Daxter Collection was re-released on PS4 in 2017. The last major installment, The Lost Frontier, launched in 2009, so this one feels like a bit of a longshot. But still, much like Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter is a prime example of a PlayStation-exclusive platformer franchise that could prove appealing to both young gamers and seasoned fans and would help break up what will likely be a slate of big open-world epics, sports games, and shooters.
Bloodborne 2
The developers at FromSoftware are working on Elden Ring with George R.R. Martin at the moment, but let’s take a moment to imagine what the launch of the PS5 would be like if it also featured a sequel to the awesome Gothic horror action RPG Bloodborne. This grueling Souls-like action game was an early and effective PS4 exclusive when it released in 2014, and the launch of the PS5 is a perfect opportunity to give fans a follow-up. And it wouldn’t be a Sony console launch without some form of OTT Japanese action, right?
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
It’s been well over a year since Spider-Man swung onto PS4 and picked up glowing reviews and sizeable sales in the process, but Insomniac is yet to announce that it is working on a follow-up. We can only imagine Sony execs would jump at the prospect of launching a new console with a brand new Spidey game, especially given the company’s cinematic links to Marvel’s iconic wall-crawler.
Considering the global appeal of ol’ web-head and the fact that kids and grown-ups both love Peter Parker’s alter-ego, a PS5-exclusive Spider-Man game would surely convince a lot of people to jump straight onto the new console. Whether Spidey’s inevitable sequel is ready in time for launch will probably depend on if Insomniac has been working on the game in secret this entire time.