While the hardware launch of the PlayStation 5 is commanding the spotlight right now, the console will really start to get interesting next year.
Launch titles are often underwhelming affairs, since developers haven’t had a chance to get to know what a console can do, and don’t receive final specs on the system until just a few months before the games come out. But in the coming generation, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Sony and its publishing partners are taking pains to ensure there’s a steady flow of titles for the PS5 in the months to come. Some have a little way to go before they’re ready, but others will be in your hands in the weeks and months to come.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Arguably the most anticipated of any of this year’s launch titles, this follow-up to Insomniac’s PS4 hit showcases the rise of a new generation of Spider-Man.
Miles Morales is already a fan favorite – and the game’s open world will take advantage of the PS5’s fast level loading, making New York feel more fluid. There was some initial confusion about whether this would be DLC to the original game or a stand-alone, but this is its own game — and Miles’ moves are different than Peter Parker’s, meaning this is more than a cosmetic change.
There’s also the addition of Spidey’s feline companion, who helps in battles and has taken the internet by storm. Visually, this will be the title to beat at the start of the next console generation. And Insomniac’s track record makes it the odds-on favorite to beat gameplay-wise as well.
(Release date: November 12, 2020)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
No game demo, to date, has showcased what the PS5 is capable of doing better than Rift Apart. The second by second dimensional hopping showed just how fast the console was capable of loading new levels and opens up new worlds of potential.
Insomniac hasn’t explored this flagship franchise for four years, giving developers plenty of time to hone the experience. The key to the game is the rift tether, which allows Ratchet to grab and open dimensional rifts, then jump through them to teleport, helping him reach different vantage points. Rift Apart will debut in the PS5’s launch window, but Sony has yet to provide a date.
(Release date: TBD)
Deathloop
From Arkane Studios, the creators of Dishonored and Prey, this timed console exclusive is a fusion of Groundhog Day and a first-person shooter. Trapped on an island stuck in a time loop, you’ll work to eliminate eight key targets in a single loop — but their henchmen, and a rival assassin, seek to stop you.
The game is a mix of single and multiplayer. You’ll largely play as Colt, who’s trying to end the loop, but another player can temporarily enter your story as Julianna, the rival assassin, to stop you. (though you can opt-out of this.) It’s a unique take on action games by a developer who has a long history of turning genres on their ear.
(Release date: Q2 2021)
Final Fantasy XVI
Get comfortable if this one’s on your wish list. The long-awaited next entry in the fabled RPG series was confirmed as a PS5 console exclusive in September, but producer Naoki Yoshida says we won’t hear anything else about it until sometime in 2021. Square Enix is playing things close to its chest right now, only saying that the trailer it showed was a blend of battles and cutscenes.
“I expect everyone to have fun speculating, as we have a lot in store — not only for Final Fantasy XVI, but for Final Fantasy XIV, too,” said Yoshida.
(Release date: Your guess is as good as anyone’s)
Horizon: Forbidden West
You’ll return to the land of mechanical dinosaurs and bows and arrows as Aloy explores a new land that contains even bigger and more menacing machines. The land is dying, though, and it’s up to her to once again save Earth from extinction, by restoring order and balance to the planet, while forging new alliances and solving new mysteries.
(Release date: TBD)
