What makes a great game? It’s always a hotly debated topic, and everyone has their own opinion. Some gamers focus more on a game’s story, others on how it plays or even the impact it has on them as they’re playing through, or long after the credits roll. It all comes down to personal preference but, if you’re looking for a little inspiration, I’ve picked out what I think are the top 10 PS5 games ever made.
There are a mix of first- and third-party titles here, with the requirement being they must play natively on PS5. For those that have played through some or all of these games, you’ll more than likely disagree with the order and even the inclusions or omissions of certain titles, as I’ve taken into account critic and fan reviews as well as my own experience. But that’s okay, as we’ve all got different tastes and opinions. Overall, Elden Ring (£25.95, Amazon.co.uk) takes the top spot for me, but there are plenty of other great titles that I’ve enjoyed playing, too.
Some of these titles appear in a different order to the top 100 best games of all time list I co-wrote for indy100. That’s partly because that list was collaborative, and partly because I’ve revisited a few of these games since. With all that said, here’s my list of the best PS5 games you need to play in 2025.
How I tested
Jake Brigstock has picked out the top 10 PS5 games of all time (Jake Brigstock/indy100/The Independent)
I’ve spent thousands of hours playing through a significant number of PS5 games. I got my OG PS5 in December 2021 and have always kept up to date with the latest releases, checking out not just the biggest and best ones but also a number of smaller, indie titles. If releases have passed me by, for example with the PS5 first releasing a year before I managed to get one, I’ve always revisited anything that looked good but might have initially missed. When playing through games, analytically there are three main things I always focus on:
- Story or game modes: I always consider whether the story is interesting and keeps me gripped. If a game does not have a story – sports titles, for example – I will focus more on how good the different modes are.
- Presentation: I focus on how the game looks, runs and sounds, to assess the overall experience for players.
- Gameplay: This is about how good the game itself is to play, what you do and what the mechanics of the game are really like.
The best PS5 games of all time are:
- Best overall – Elden Ring: £25.95, Amazon.co.uk
- Best storyline – The Last of Us Part 1: £69.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best superhero game – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: £69.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best family-friendly game – Astro Bot: £59.99, Amazon.co.uk
