This article was originally published in June.

Sony has finally shown what the highly anticipated PlayStation 5 looks like. But what about the games? Well, the company certainly didn’t pull any punches on that front either, previewing more than 20 titles that are already in the works for the next-generation console.

Out of the games that Sony showcased in The Future of Gaming, here are the 10 titles that we’re most excited to play on the monster gaming console:


10. Astro’s Playroom

The followup to the PlayStation VR hit Astro Bot: Rescue Mission comes pre-loaded into every PS5 machine.

Based on the trailer though, this cute platformer is probably not a VR game like its predecessor. Instead, it looks like it’s designed more to demonstrate the console’s innovative haptic sensations via its new DualSense controller. From shaking along with the rumble and tumble of changing terrains to feeling the chills of blowing breezes and falling rain, this ought to be a fun introduction to the definitive PS5 “feel.”


9. Gran Turismo 7

“The Real Driving Simulator” is releasing a new title for the first time since 2017’s Gran Turismo Sport (not to mention the first numbered sequel since 2013’s Gran Turismo 6). With the PS5 promising a more complete gaming experience with better integrated audio and haptic effects, this game looks poised to be the definitive racing title in the foreseeable future. 


8. Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online

Sure, it’s a remaster. But it’s a remaster for a critically acclaimed title that also happens to be the second best-selling video game of all time. There’s no better way to compare how next-gen gaming compares to previous gaming experiences than by playing a classic. 

On PS5, Grand Theft Auto V will boast “technical improvements, visual upgrades, and performance enhancements” designed to maximize the PS5’s muscle. A new standalone version of GTA Online will also be available — free for three months — when the game launches.


7. Demon’s Souls

Speaking of remasters, here’s another PS3 classic that’s expected to make waves on the PS5 platform. BluePoint Software is rebuilding the challenging 2009 action RPG by FromSoftware from the ground up for the next generation of gamers. We can’t wait to see whether the PS5’s visual graphics prowess and enhanced game experience can make this game’s torturous difficulty worth enduring anew.


6. Bugsnax

Due to be released in time for the PS5’s launch, Bugsnax is perfect for us aficionados of the weird and whimsical. The game sends players off into an adventure on a mysterious island where half-bug, half-snack (not a typo) creatures dwell. We really can’t expect any less from the folks who created Octodad, a game where an octopus goes undercover as a human… well, dad.



5. NBA 2K21

2K Sports teased us with a very hyped up (and very sweaty) virtual Zion Williamson practice session to build the hype for NBA 2K21. There isn’t much to see from the game at this point, which is currently at its “pre-alpha” development stage. Still, we’re excited to see what the flagship NBA title has to offer through PS5’s next-generation video game rendering muscle.


4. Stray

Very little is known about this indie title from BlueTwelve Studio and Annapurna Interactive. But here, you get to play a cat untangling a mystery in a cyberpunk, robot-run future world. So yeah, we’re 100% sold.


3. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Building on the massive success of Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PS4, Insomniac Games is looking to tap into the PlayStation 5’s groundbreaking technology to introduce the Miles Morales version of everyone’s friendly neighborhood wall-crawler. 

The exciting, new action-adventure title will be ready to bring all the web-swinging thrills, high-octane combat, and deep character drama of the Spider-Verse to the PS5 as soon as the console launches. Like the 2018 Spidey title, the Miles Morales game will be a PlayStation exclusive. 


2. Returnal

This PS5-exclusive third-person shooter has us quite intrigued by its time loop-heavy premise — reminiscent of movies like Groundhog Day and Edge of Tomorrow. The story finds the space-faring protagonist struggling to keep her sanity as she relives traumatic events on repeat. Even worse, she’s trying to survive hostile alien environments that change every time she “dies.” Returnal lays out this suspenseful roguelike gameplay experience amidst exquisite renders of the unknown planet.


1. Horizon: Forbidden West

The sequel to Horizon: Zero Dawn brings back protagonist Aloy as she heads west across a far-future American landscape. The trailer showcases an incredible amount of visual detail in both close-up shots of characters and creatures, as well as a variety of rich terrestrial and aquatic environments. 

Clocking in at three and a half minutes, this open-world adventure title boasts one of the meatier previews in Sony’s event and looks like the visual benchmark for PS5 games so far. 


Honorable mentions: GhostWire: Tokyo, Pragmata, Destruction AllStars, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Goodbye Volcano High


The Sony PlayStation 5 is due out for the 2020 holiday season. The console will come in two versions — a standard edition that features the traditional physical disc drive, and a sleek, discless digital edition.

READ MORE: Sony unveils the PlayStation 5