All PS5 Exclusive Games Ranked
It’s hard to believe, but the PlayStation 5 is already five years old. Sony’s latest console has proven to be a massive commercial success, with the PS5 home to some of the absolute best games released in the last five years. But a key difference between the PS5 and previous Sony consoles is that exclusive releases haven’t been nearly as big of a focus.
In the early years of the PS5’s life, many of its more notable games were cross-gen releases with the PS4. Sony has also made a concerted effort to bring many of its once-exclusive games to PC, and the end result is that, five years after launch, the PS5 only has eight exclusive games to its name that do not require extra hardware like the PlayStation VR2 headset.
PS5 Games That Practically Hand You An Easy Platinum Trophy
Ready for a Platinum trophy hunt? Well, if you are looking for some easy prey, these PS5 games will get you there quite quickly.
I have played all eight of the PS5 exclusives released so far and decided to rank them. If you are someone that just recently received a PS5 for the holidays or are wondering which exclusives are worth playing, I highly recommend checking out the titles that top this list.
I decided not to include PlayStation 5 exclusive games that require PSVR2, like Horizon: Call of the Mountain and Synapse, because I wanted to focus on games that people can play with just their console. That being said, if you have a PlayStation VR2, both of those games have earned relatively high review scores and should be safe bets. Remasters and enhanced ports were also left off this list.
8
Quantum Error
By far the worst PS5 exclusive released to date is the disastrous Quantum Error. A bizarre cosmic horror game where you shoot at enemies that stand out in the open and wait to get shot and then immediately collapse with hardly any animation, Quantum Error also lets you put out fires. The checkpoints are atrocious, the game is ugly, and it’s a borderline unplayable mess. It’s supposedly coming to PC and Xbox at some point down the line, and if that ever happens, the PS5 exclusive lineup will look a lot better. I got this on sale for $7.99 and still feel ripped off.
- Released
-
November 3, 2023
- ESRB
-
m
7
Destruction AllStars
When Destruction AllStars first released, it did so as a day one PS Plus game. At the time of launch, there was some fun to be had with its over-the-top vehicular combat, but fast-forward to 2025 and the online is completely dead. There are still offline modes to check out, but online was a big selling point of Destruction AllStars. Getting it for free through PS Plus was one thing, but I can’t imagine paying the current $39.99 asking price for it.
- Released
-
February 2, 2021
- ESRB
-
T For Teen due to Fantasy, Violence
6
Silent Hill: The Short Message
Silent Hill: The Short Message is free to download and play in its entirety, which makes it a little easier to recommend, but that doesn’t mean it’s a particularly good game. Silent Hill: The Short Message lasts for a couple of hours and deals with heavy themes rather clumsily, but at least it has a few genuine scares and it looks good doing it. The Short Message is a visually impressive game, and it also makes solid use of the DualSense’s unique features, particularly the microphone, but it’s also fairly boring most of the time.
- Released
-
January 31, 2024
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Strong Language, Violence
5
Astro’s Playroom
Quantum Error, Destruction AllStars, and Silent Hill: The Short Message are all what I would consider the “bad” PS5 exclusives. Everything from here on out is leagues better, starting with Astro’s Playroom. Effectively a tech demo for the PS5 and the DualSense controller in particular, Astro’s Playroom comes free with every console. It’s a fun little platformer oozing with personality and would rank higher on the list if it wasn’t so short.
- Released
-
November 12, 2020
- ESRB
-
E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Team Asobi
4
Demon’s Souls (2020)
Demon’s Souls would also rank higher if it wasn’t a remake of a PS3 game, but even though it was a PS5 launch title, it’s still one of the best-looking games released for the system. Developed by Bluepoint Games and based on FromSoftware’s groundbreaking 2009 game, the Demon’s Souls remake is a graphical masterpiece that successfully brings the originator of the Soulslike genre to modern standards. It can sometimes feel a little barebones compared to the Soulslike games that followed it, but it’s still an easy recommendation for fans of the genre.
- Released
-
November 12, 2020
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
3
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
I love most of Hideo Kojima’s work, so it broke my heart when I played the original Death Stranding and hated it. I went into Death Stranding 2: On the Beach expecting a similar experience, but instead, I walked away wildly impressed. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a graphical powerhouse with a photo-realistic game world and a much more exciting and engaging story than its predecessor. Death Stranding 2 doesn’t forget to put the “fun” in the game, and for me, it felt like major redemption for Kojima.
- Released
-
June 26, 2025
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Publisher(s)
-
Sony Interactive Entertainment
2
Ghost of Yotei
Ghost of Tsushima is one of the most popular PS4 exclusive games, and so expectations were high for Ghost of Yotei. Luckily, Ghost of Yotei not only met those expectations, but arguably exceeded them. An open world samurai epic, Ghost of Yotei features an engrossing revenge story with intense fights and some of the best music the PS5 has seen to date. Ghost of Yotei is full of worthwhile content and will keep PS5 gamers busy for hours on end — as far as exclusives go, it’s a must-have.
- Released
-
October 2, 2025
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol
- Publisher(s)
-
Sony Interactive Entertainment
1
Astro Bot
The best PS5 exclusive is, without a doubt, 2024 Game of the Year winner Astro Bot. A full-sized follow-up to the brilliant pack-in game Astro’s Playroom, Astro Bot is an incredible 3D platforming adventure that is one of the best the genre has ever seen. It’s a non-stop barrage of genius ideas, with no bad level in the bunch. Finding all the cameo bots makes going for 100% that much more satisfying, plus the game was updated post-launch with extra-challenging stages and potentially the best Christmas level of all time. Astro Bot can’t be played anywhere else, and in my opinion, it’s the best reason to go out and buy a PS5.
- Released
-
September 6, 2024
- ESRB
-
E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Team Asobi
- Publisher(s)
-
Sony Interactive Entertainment