Sure, it may have only been on the market for 8 months, but already the PlayStation 5 has proven itself well-equipped to push the idea of play further than before. Playing PS5 using the DualSense controller is a vastly superior experience than gaming on PS4. However, all this excitement and brilliance would mean nothing were it not for the games, and already there are a small selection of the best PS5 exclusives that play and look great, making Sony’s next-gen console worth a purchase.
The following is a list of the best PS5 exclusives (our opinions). On no other console will you be able to play and enjoy these PS5 exclusive games, as all have been developed specifically for the console. Next-gen features like super-fast loading, haptic feedback and 4K HDR have fully been taken advantage of, all in the hopes of ushering PS5 players into the next generation of gaming. Let’s take a look…
Best PS5 Exclusives: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
The iconic PlayStation duo’s latest intergalactic adventure is the PS5 exclusive to play for anyone wanting to showcase the power of their next-gen console. Harnessing the PlayStation 5 console’s super-fast SSD to instantly load in and transport the pair to new areas, Ratchet &Clank: Rift Apart is a game developed with the PS5 in mind. It’s the same satisfying mix of Ratchet & Clank hilarity long-time fans love, only now with a much faster pace and even more astonishing visuals.
Ratchet & Clank is a series known for its eclectic and creative selection of weapons. Rift Apart harnesses the haptic feedback potential of the DualSense controller to give all of them a different function and feel. It’ll rumble and click to all-new levels depending on what gun you use, with most having alternate fire functions depending on how far down you hold R2. None of this is possible on any other console platform, hence why Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a must-play PS5 exclusive game.
Best PS5 Exclusives:Demon’s Souls
After previously wowing players with its ground-up remake of Team Ico’s Shadow of the Colossus for PlayStation 4, the team over at BluePoint Games then set their sights on another Japanese cult classic. The Demon’s Souls remake for PlayStation 5 authentically translates and updates From Software’s original for a new generation of players, overhauling the visuals and gameplay while streamlining load times to mere seconds. Suddenly, it’s no longer irksome to die and be sent back to the beginning of a level.
You can choose to play the Demon’s Souls remake in either 4K/30fps visuals or at a silky smooth 60 fps in 1440p resolution. Both modes do well to present the darkly gothic world of Boletaria more vividly than ever before, giving those familiar with the game a reason to return in addition to enticing over new players on PS5. Demon’s Souls might be punishingly difficult, but over ten years on from the PS3 original, this is a PS5 exclusive game primed to delight and intrigue any brave soul.
Best PS5 Exclusives: Returnal
Developed from the same team behind Dead Nation and PS4 launch exclusive Resogun, Returnal takes everything Housemarque learned from the twin-stick shooter genre and blends this bullet hell action with horror elements and a new third-person perspective. The result is a challenging roguelike that will test your ability to survive and keep moving, all as a near infinite amount of alien enemies try to take you down. Being a PS5 exclusive game it looks and plays beautifully, instantly getting you back into the action thanks to fast level loading and an addictive gameplay loop.
Returnal is primarily the story of Selene, a middle-aged space cadet who finds herself trapped within a loop on a barren planet. Breaking the cycle involves powering herself up using hidden-away upgrades and learning the attack patterns of foes. Every weapon features a unique haptic sensation on the PS5’s Dualsense controller, complete with second firing functions that helps you stay ahead of enemies. PS5 exclusive games don’t get more challenging or thought-provoking than in this hard Sci-Fi tale.
Best PS5 Exclusives: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
While technically also available on PS4, only on PS5 can players experience all the improved features and enhancements of that the Intergrade version of Final Fantasy VII remake introduces. Included in this is the new Yuffie DLC, which runs parallel alongside the events of the main campaign. That’s why we’ve deemed it worthy of a place on our list of best PS5 exclusive games. The good news is that the main Final Fantasy VII campaign looks and plays just as beautifully as ever, presenting the first part of Cloud’s story through a modernised perspective while retaining the essence of the PS One original.
Only on PS5, however, can players experience the story of fan-favourite character Yuffie, re-exploring familiar areas in a way that has more meaning and lends extra texture to the mainline story being told. Final Fantasy VII remake Intergrade also takes full advantage of the PS5 console’s extra oomph, letting players run through Midgar in either a 4K “graphics” mode or 60 fps “performance” mode. This is a PS5 exclusive game designed to envelop and immerse you – now with added content exclusive to Intergrade.
Best PS5 Exclusives: Godfall
Easily winning the award for the shiniest game on PS5, Godfall is a self-proclaimed “looter-slasher” that allows teams of three to wade through legions of enemies in the effort to track down better loot and gear. You do so as a range of different titan-like classes each with their own unique weapons and attack types. Godfall’s combat is strictly limited to melee weapons, meaning you’ll have to think tactically about how to approach enemies
The game supports seamless three-player online co-op, though you can be alone, and you’ll need the extra help if you wish to tackle the endgame quests and bosses. Only by investing in your favourite classes and upgrading them fully can you hope to stand a chance. Whether you prefer fighting with a two-handed Warhammer, dual blades or a traditional longsword, Godfall is a fun third-person actioner with friends set in a unique high fantasy setting. You can also pick it up rather cheaply for a PS5 exclusive game.
Best PS5 Exclusives: Destruction All Stars
Originally intended as a PS5 launch title, Destruction All Stars was eventually delayed before being made a PlayStation Plus freebie back in February 2021. Despite these handful of drawbacks, however, the resulting car combat game can be a lot of fun. Your ultimate goal is to deal the most damage to rival vehicles in the hopes of destroying the most. It’s an online multiplayer PS5 exclusive game with a lot of personality and style, encouraging you to try out all the different All Stars while harnessing the unique function touted by each’s vehicle.
Gameplay in Destruction All Stars has a lot of crunch to it, especially as you ram vehicles on the side or from behind. The PS5 DualSense controller also does a lot of work whenever your character must pounce out of one car and hop straight into the other. Combine such sensations with how it fails to blaze a trail of fire or render yourself invisible, and this is a car combat game that handles and plays great on PS5. Rev up your engine and dominate online!
Best PS5 Exclusives: Deathloop
Deathloop is an PS5 exclusive game from the makers of Prey and Dishonored. Different this time around, however, is the fact that protagonist Colt has found himself within an infinite time loop, a situation he can only escape my taking down eight different targets. How you go about doing this will be entirely up to you. Will you go in all guns blazing and hope you make it out alive? Alternatively, you can strategically deploy supernatural abilities like Karnesis, Aether and Shift to catch your targets off guard.
This wacky slate of powers is an element only made possible by the power of PlayStation 5. Plus, having a mixture of traditional firearms with such unique moves makes for a first-person action game set to play unlike many others. Arkane Studios is a developer known for defying genre expectations and Deathloop seems to be no different. The game released on September 14th, 2021.
