What's next for the PS5 in 2025? With the 30th anniversary of PlayStation as a platform behind us, and the PS5 entering its fifth year, the middle of a console generation is truly underway. Yet, at the same time, it still feels like we're just getting started. There's plenty of upcoming PS5 games to look forward to playing this year but it's not just software that'll prove vital for PlayStation this year. More than simply releases, 2025 is a pivotal moment for charting the course ahead, and, importantly, communicating as much to the PlayStation playerbase.
Just as there are some great first-party games in development from some of PlayStation's best studios, it also feels like there's plenty still up in the air. In our PlayStation 2024 year in review there was much to celebrate, but also more than a few stumbles for the publisher to learn from. For every Astro Bot there was a Concord to match it. But, going over what we know begins to paint a picture for what's in store.
Getting in the game
Without a doubt, the biggest game for PlayStation this year is Ghost of Yotei from Sucker Punch Productions. This Ghost of Tsushima sequel doesn't rest on its sakura-leaf laurels, with a big change in setting both physically and chronologically, as well as a change of protagonist as Atsu takes on the mantle of The Ghost hundreds of years later. Ghost of Tsushima was one of the PS4's greatest showpieces, as is its native PS5 version of the newer console – you can expect Ghost of Yotei to be a new benchmark once again.
That's mostly it in terms of actual first-party releases, but PlayStation is primed to give plenty of updates on what's looking to be the second half of PS5's life cycle. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, from Uncharted and The Last of Us studio Naughty Dog, announced at the end of last year, is now positioned as one of the publisher's biggest plays. Beyond a stunning reveal, the way it's pitched as a "new franchise" makes PlayStation's intentions clear: it wants to continue to be the home for the gaming equivalent of cinematic blockbusters.
While plenty of sequels are sure to be in the works, it's notable that unannounced projects from God of War Ragnarok developer Santa Monica Studio, Demon's Souls remake developer Bluepoint Studios, and Days Gone developer Bend Studio all seem to be new IPs. Insomniac Games, on the other hand, is set to not only continue the Marvel's Spider-Man series, but expand PlayStation's exclusive range of games from the comic book titan with Marvel's Wolverine, and a rumored slew of other titles set in the same universe. I'm expecting to hear plenty on the former later this year. If 2025 doesn't bring updates on what these studios are working on, then that in and of itself is big news.
Meanwhile, PlayStation CEO Herman Hulst has said that the company is "looking at opportunities to leverage past IP". Great news for anyone who loved Astro Bot but felt deflated that the myriad cameos reminded them of how many iconic PlayStation series have been absent for a decade or more. At the very least, more games get added to PS Plus' catalog of titles monthly, including classic games. More PS1 and PS2 titles will be made available to play natively on PS4 and PS5 in 2025, with continued rumors suggesting that native PS3 emulation could enter the arena. PlayStation's rich history remains one of its strongest weapons.
What remains far more nebulous, though, is the role live service titles will play in PlayStation's portfolio going forward. After a big commitment to rolling out several of these, the massive failure of Concord – shuttered within a couple of weeks of launch – doesn't make a great impression. Yet, you also can't ignore the equally massive success of Helldivers 2 earlier. Now owning Bungie, Destiny 2 will continue to grow this year alongside further Helldivers 2 updates throughout 2025, but it's what we hear next regarding multiplayer heister Fairgames and Bungie's Marathon revival, that will set the tone for its strategy with the busy-yet-bountiful genre to come.
Making friends
In terms of third-party partners, there's plenty that'll be working in PlayStation's favor this year. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is the biggie, this apocalyptic delivery sequel seeing Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima really push the boat out with how weird he's willing to get. Babies in jars and inky invisible monsters return, joined by the likes of rip-roaring electric guitar battles and even a living puppet ally. All of that punctuated by navigating more varied and complex terrain, no doubt making full use of the PS5 technology. Death Stranding was a PS4 stunner that only improved with its native PS5 port, so we've already gotten a taste of how spectacular this sequel could be.
The way other big relationships will mature and grow throughout 2025 which will be vital for setting PlayStation's course going forward. Long-time partner Square Enix feels due for several announcements, especially when it comes to Final Fantasy – news of the final part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy would be welcomed, as would information on what will follow-on from Final Fantasy 16 now the DLC is completed.
We'll also continue to see third-party live service games like HoYoverse's line-up (Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero) continue to flourish on the platform, though with more competitors like Infinity Nikki on the scene it'll be an interesting year for live service titles in general – even as PlayStation themselves struggle to find their way in the genre.
As well as long-time agreements, though, are new ones, and 2025 will see PlayStation continue to become an Xbox (in the latter company's marketing parlance), as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – released in December last year across Xbox and PC – will arrive on PS5 in spring. Which means one of the best games on PS5 in 2025 will be an Xbox game. Go figure. It'll be fascinating to see how this relationship grows. Should we expect more Xbox developed games to end up on PlayStation? I don't see how we can't.
Amongst it all, though, is Grand Theft Auto 6. It's no exaggeration to say that some of the vaguer elements of 2025 are due to GTA 6 itself. Nobody wants to pit a release next to this surefire titan if they can help it. No doubt PlayStation is abuzz trying to work out the best deal possible to ensure that as many players as possible choose to experience it on PS5. After all, for a lot of people who mostly play GTA 5 and GTA Online, the need to upgrade their console from a PS4 to a PS5 at all has not been urgent. GTA 6 will mark a major milestone in converting a portion of players to the current-gen. It's more important than ever even this far into the console generation, as with cross-gen behemoths like Fortnite and GTA Online a major moment like this is going to be the thing to shake people loose from the older ecosystems. For many, the PS5 generation won't truly begin until they boot up GTA 6 on the white obelisk for the first time.
Off the beaten cable
"A Ghost of Tsushima anime adaptation has just been announced."
The games themselves – whether releasing in 2025 or simply being elaborated on – may be important. But how PlayStation continues to evolve outside of that is crucial as well. Hardware, however, might see a bit of a lull this year. Sure, there are rumors of PlayStation re-entering the handheld space (and when isn't there for a PS Vita fan like myself). But, with the premium-tier PS5 Pro released last year as well as the PS Portal streaming device, and waning support for the PlayStation VR 2, a lot of hardware cards have already been played. If past generations are anything to go by, we're still a couple of years off hearing about a PlayStation 6.
Given the cloud streaming support added to the PS Portal at the end of last year, it's worth watching out for how PlayStation continues to grow its non-console reliant offerings. After all, cloud gaming is now a massive part of Xbox's own plans – and while PlayStation can diverge from its primary competitor in a lot of ways, there's no doubt there will be further exploration in this field in the near future.
PlayStation is also keen to continue to push its franchises beyond gaming entirely, as well. HBO's The Last Of Us season 2, following on from the critically acclaimed adaptation is set for a spring 2025 release. While the series is one of the biggest in gaming, the reach of a successful TV show like this only paves the way for those not immersed in the gaming landscape to engage with the property – and maybe even give playing it a go for themselves when they might not otherwise (now, imagine doing so via cloud streaming with no upfront hardware investment required – you see how it's going).
As well as live action television, Sony has continued to buy anime companies in recent years (it owns both Crunchyroll and Funimation). A recent deal with Kadokawa – who also owns Dark Souls and Elden Ring developer FromSoftware – continues that trend. Sucker Punch's series keeps earning its keep, too, as a Ghost of Tsushima anime adaptation has just been announced. Across the likes of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Castlevania, and more, anime has proven to be a successful avenue for gaming adaptations. Several films have also been announced, with a Horizon: Zero Dawn movie and Helldivers movie joining the mix. While a lot of these are likely far off releasing, like its gaming slate, 2025 will be a year where we continue to see updates for this direction from PlayStation.
2025, then, looks like it'll have a lot of question marks – but any answers PlayStation can provide to those will be important not just for the platform, but the gaming industry as a whole. Yet, at the heart of it all, PlayStation's strong commitment to delivering some truly incredible games created by truly incredible developers remains a winning strategy – even if a slew of layoffs last year (and across the wider industry) revealed some holes in a previously armor-clad strategy. The PS5 finds itself in the middle of a long and strange hardware generation, but there's still plenty of great gaming to be had on the system. At the very least, whatever happens next, it'll be fascinating.
Looking for what games are coming out this year? Check out our new games 2025 list for a collection of all those that should be on your (ahem) radar.
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