Sony’s PlayStation 5 is a runaway success, but not all games on the platform get the attention they deserve. If you have a PS5, you’re bound to find one or two games on this list that have flown under the radar.
10Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Perhaps the most under-appreciated game of a generation,Marvel’s Midnight Sunsis a tactical roleplaying game from masters of the genre Firaxis Games. Think of it asXCOMwith Marvel characters and you’re more than halfway there. The game blends turn-based combat with card-based deck-building to deliver an appreciably different experience from past Firaxis games.
In between fights, there’s a whole base to upgrade and additional narratives between characters to explore (which is how the game delivers ability upgrades and new cards). The game freshens up the turn-based tactics genre by incorporating a deeper narrative and the best parts of roguelites likeSlay the Spirewhich makes for a memorable experience.
Though the game was well-received by many reviewers, the game released during a challenging December release window which made it tough to follow the previous month’s releases likeGod of War: Ragnarok,Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, andSonic Frontiers.
9Deathloop
Despite being a PS5-exclusive at the time of release, Arkane Lyon’sDeathloopstill feels overlooked. The game is a heavily stylizedimmersive simulationwith a time-loop gimmick at its core. The more you play and explore the island on which the game takes place, the more is revealed to you about what you need to do to end the loop.
This is a game that gets under your skin and is a must-play for fans of games likeDishonoredandBioshock. The clockwork nature of the interconnected levels, tight stealth and combat mechanics, and the beautifully fleshed-out world in which the game takes place are masterpieces of game design. There’s also a unique and optional multiplayer invasion mechanic to try out (assuming you can find anyone playing the game).
The game was heavily praised upon its release, received a Game of the Year nomination at The Game Awards, and hasn’t been entirely without success. Despite this, it was the worst-performing Arkane game when it launched so there are likely plenty of PS5 owners out there who have yet to pick it up.
8RoboCop: Rogue City
When it was first released in late 2023, you might have written offRoboCop: Rogue Cityas something of an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo. The game received a lot of attention for its visuals, which admittedly look excellent, while the finer points of the game were overlooked. Make no mistake, we’refirmly in “AA game” territory here—and by that I mean thatRogue Citylacks the level of polish that you may expect from a full-priced game.
If you gave the game a wide-berth at launch, there’s still time to right this wrong. This is a genuinely goodRoboCopgame, that leans heavily into what makes the 1987 film so good. Playing asRoboCopfeels weighty, slow, and tank-like whilethe world is grimy and dystopian. By the time you finish the game, you’re mowing down perps without a care in the world. You won’t care about the corny cutscenes or (mostly) terrible voice acting.
Now is a great time to pick upRogue City, since a standalone expansion calledUnfinished Businesshas been announced for summer 2025.
7Guardians of the Galaxy
The officialGuardians of the Galaxygame was easy to write off in the lead-up to its launch in 2021. One year prior to its release comic book fans had been disappointed by the painfully dull and repetitiveMarvel’s Avengers, andGuardians of the Galaxylooked like it could fall into the same officially licensed trap. Thankfully, Eidos-Montréal worked something of a miracle with this one.
Reviewers praised what turned out to be a genuinely good single-player game with an interesting story and meaningful characters. The game doesn’t feature the same actors as the movie series, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing and helps the game stand out as something fairly unique. There’s a good smattering of licensed 80s music, something the series has become known for, and a unique combat system that allows the player to issue commands to members of their party.
Even if you aren’t a fan of the movies, don’t miss out on one of the best action-adventure games to release during the PS5’s COVID era.
6Metro: Exodus
Metro: Exodusis technically a PlayStation 4 game, having initially released in February 2019 a full year and change before the PS5’s release date. That said, there’s one very good reason to pick this game up on the latest Sony console if you haven’t yet played it: theEnhanced Editionupgrade that was released free of charge to all owners in June 2021.
In case you’re unfamiliar, this is the third game in theMetroseries, a post-apocalyptic first-person shooter based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novelMetro 2033. Survive a journey from Moscow through Russia and into Kazakhstan by train, stopping off at various open-world zones along the way.
TheEnhanced Editionis a visually stunning upgrade for an already accomplished game. It brings ray tracing and global illumination to the game, making it aPS4 title that’s absolutely worth revisiting on PS5.
5Pacific Drive
Available on Windows and PlayStation 5 (at the time of writing),Pacific Driveputs a new spin on theroguelite formula. Hop in your car, explore and gather resources, then head home and make upgrades so you can do it all over again. The more runs you make, the more upgrades you can perform, and the more of the game’s bizarre world you will experience.
Set in the Pacific Northwest, the game has you roam Washington state’s “Olympic Exclusion Zone,” the site of strange phenomena known as “anomalies.” The game has big 80s movie energy, complete with an exhaustively customizable station wagon. It’s a masterful combination of run-based progress and driving mechanics, and it looks beautiful to boot.
The game received great reviews but being a smaller game from an indie studio, likely has flown under the radar for many. Now’s your chance to give it a shot!
4Returnal
You might be thinking thatReturnalis a well-known, big-budget release from a proven studio that previously enjoyed success with games likeResogunandNex Machina. While you’d be right, there are plenty of reasons that many players missed this one the first time around. Chief among them is the fact that the game was released in early 2021, at a time when PS5 consoles were still hard to get hold of.
If you joined the PS5 party late, you might not have realized what an excellent (yet challenging) timeReturnalis. This is another time-loop game, where you find yourself crashed on an alien planet and must battle your way through four separate areas in order to reach the end.
The game combines challenging bullet hell gameplay with roguelite elements while weaving an interesting and at times grim and surreal story. It’s also got a banging soundtrack.
3A Plague Tale: Requiem
Requiemis the secondPlague Talegame, released in 2022 to critical acclaim and even garnering a Game of the Year nomination at The Game Awards. To me, thePlague Taleseries feels like one of those franchises that most people agree is good and that they should definitely experience, but one they somehow never actually get around to playing.
The game is set in 1349, during the Black Death in Europe. It takes the form of an action-adventure where you take control of a character called Amicia who must protect her brother as they hunt for a cure to the disease that ails him. Combat has been vastly expanded in the second game, as have the “rat physics” which sees hundreds of vermin on-screen at a time. Use abilities like stealth, some gnarly combat moves, and your brother’s mysterious connection to the plague to overcome adversity against all odds.
The game tells an emotionally charged narrative and is fraught with pestilence and violent encounters. Don’t miss it ifyou’re fond of linear progression, stealth mechanics, or games set during the medieval period.
2Hardspace: Shipbreaker
Hardspace: Shipbreakeris one of those games that I thought I would probably enjoy, but held off on playing at launch because I read a few iffy reviews. This is perhaps the strongest argument againstputting too much stock into mainstream game reviews, because I became hopelessly addicted as soon as I eventually got my hands on it. This is a game that is quite literally about breaking up spaceships for salvage.
It’s repetitive yet rewarding, as the game drip-feeds you upgrades to help you take on bigger and more challenging vessels. There’s a whole “worker’s rights” narrative going on between missions, and a space Western soundtrack that made me feel like I was an extra inSerenityorFireflythe whole time.
Arguably the best thing aboutShipbreakeris how it gamifies movement in zero gravity. With a bit of practice, you’ll be jetting around with precision and dumping huge chunks of metal in the right bin like a pro.
1SnowRunner
SnowRunneris another PlayStation 4 game that received the much-needed next-generation treatment. This is the sequel toMudRunner, which itself is a do-over of the originalSpintires, and it’s a great jumping-on point for anyone new to the hostile driving simulation genre.SnowRunneris a game all about exploring the wilderness, hauling heavy loads, and expanding your fleet of diesel-chugging behemoths as you help a region recover and grow.
At the heart of the game is an advanced driving model that reacts differently to a variety of conditions. Loose surfaces like wet mud and snow will need care and the right equipment, while the routes you pick will depend on the size of your truck and what you’re hauling. There’s a heap of DLC available if you find yourself craving more, and a dedicated modding community to boot.
If you’re thinking about giving this sort of game a shot, this is the place to start (I’d avoidExpeditions, andMudRunnernever got a PS5 patch). The game runs in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, with support for DualSense haptics too.
Hopefully, you’ve found or rediscovered a new favorite. If you also have a Microsoft console, check out some of thebest Xbox games you might have missed. For Nintendo gamers, we also have a list ofSwitch games that are worth a second glance.
