2021 is jam-packed full of exciting PS5 games ranging from Harry Potter to Resident Evil, so we’ve put together our picks of the best titles coming this year.
Gamers who’ve managed to get their hands on a PlayStation 5 will no doubt be looking for new experiences to push their next-gen hardware to the limit and show off the features of that epic DualSense controller.
Fortunately, 2021 looks set to offer just that. With a host of top-tier games and exclusives like Deathloop and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart coming to the PS5 throughout 2021, it’s going to be an incredible year to be a gamer.
Some of them don’t have confirmed release dates yet, but here’s a list of games we can’t wait for.
Returnal
Release date: March 19, 2021
Returnal is one of the first true exclusives to come to the PS5, and it’s an exciting one indeed.
Players will take on the role of Selene, an Astra space scout trapped in a loop of endless resurrection after crash-landing on a hostile alien planet. They’ll have to search through the barren landscape for a way to escape, while fighting off ruthless enemies. The planet changes with every cycle, as do the items available.
As they celebrate their 25th anniversary, developers Housmarque will be hoping to recreate the success of their PS4 launch title Resogun, which won awards and critical acclaim, when Returnal launches on PS5.
Deathloop
Release date: May 21, 2021
Deathloop was originally intended to release on PS5 in 2020 but was pushed back to 2021 thanks to the ongoing global situation. It seems like it will be worth the wait, though, as the premise is like nothing we’ve ever played before.
Players take on the role of Colt, an assassin caught in a time loop on the lawless island of Blackreef. They’ll have to take out eight targets before midnight, or the day will start all over again. Unlike everyone else, Colt retains his memories with each reset, meaning he can learn from his opponents’ behaviors and patterns.
Alternatively, players can choose to take on the role of Julianna, an agent who will enter a random player’s game and interfere with their progress in an attempt to protect the time loop.
The game sounds incredibly promising, and is also a timed exclusive, meaning you’ll only be able to get your hands on Deathloop at launch if you’ve got a PS5 or PC. Everyone else will have to wait until 2022.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Release date: First half of 2021
Ratchet & Clank is one of the most beloved PlayStation franchises of all time. Like its fellow nostalgia-inducing series Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, it received a boost in attention following a reimagining of the original game on PS4 in 2016, and now it’s finally getting a proper sequel for the newly-launched PS5.
The third-person action shooter is being handled by acclaimed studio Insomniac Games, and has a suitably out-there premise: Our heroes will be dimension-hopping to take on an evil robotic emperor from another reality as he attempts to exterminate all organic life across the universe.
Players will be able to switch between Ratchet and a mysterious new female Lombax resistance fighter, and they’ll have an arsenal of “outrageous” new weaponry to help them in their mission. The PS5 game also promises to make the most of the DualSense controller’s features. Color us excited.
Horizon: Forbidden West
Release date: Second half of 2021
It was a console-defining game when it released on PS4 in 2017, so there’s no surprise that open-world RPG Horizon: Zero Dawn is getting a follow-up. The original game followed Aloy as she navigated a post-apocalyptic world overrun by machines, and attempted to discover the secrets of her past.
The upcoming sequel looks like it will follow the same formula that made the first game such a huge critical and commercial success, but that’s certainly no bad thing.
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Players will travel to a new land called the Forbidden West to discover the origin of a new plague that kills everything it infects, with the exciting addition of underwater exploration.
Hogwarts Legacy
Release date: 2021
While the Harry Potter franchise has been recreated in video game format countless times over the last two decades – who could forget Lego Harry Potter or The Sorcerer’s Stone on PS1? – the upcoming PS5 game Hogwarts Legacy looks set to be the game fans have truly been longing for.
Yes, an open-world RPG set in the wizarding world sounds like a dream come true. Players will customize their own character and be at the center of their own magical adventure as they master spells, create potions, and battle Dark Wizards, ultimately deciding whether to use their powers for good or evil.
It will be set in the 1800s, though, so don’t expect to see Harry and friends make an appearance here.
God of War: Ragnarok
Release date: 2021
After multiple sequels across various platforms, the flagship PlayStation franchise God of War received a critically-acclaimed (and, some would argue, much-needed) revamp on PS4 in 2018, which renewed interest in the series and introduced Spartan warrior Kratos to a new generation of gamers.
Now, there’s a sequel called Ragnarok on the way for PS5. We don’t know too much about the game, but if the name is anything to go by, it’s going to be epic; in Norse mythology, Ragnarok is a prophecy that leads to the death of many Gods. It’s predicted by fans that Thor will be the main antagonist in the sequel.
GhostWire: Tokyo
Release date: 2021
A paranormal action-adventure game set in Tokyo? We’re already sold. GhostWire: Tokyo comes from Bethesda Softworks, the creators of acclaimed horror The Evil Within, and takes players to an original (and downright creepy) version of Tokyo on their PS5.
After 99% of the population vanishes in the Japanese capital, it’s up to you to take down the deadly supernatural forces that have overrun the city and uncover the mystery surrounding them. You’ll have a powerful arsenal of spectral abilities, and the demons you’ll encounter look terrifying.
Resident Evil 8: Village
Release date: 2021
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard took the classic franchise back to its terrifying roots, and won plenty of praise from both fans and critics in the process. The upcoming sequel, Village, looks to follow in its footsteps, as Ethan returns for another round of survival horror.
Set three years after Biohazard, the upcoming PS5 game will see Ethan cross paths with a familiar face to fans of the franchise: Chris Redfield. While the iconic character has typically been a protagonist, his appearance here is something more sinister, leading Ethan on a journey to a mysterious and dangerous village in Europe.
Capcom have described the village location as a “living, breathing character in its own right” with mysteries to uncover and terrors to escape from – one of them presumably being the horrifying werewolf that appeared in the game’s trailer.
Far Cry 6
Release date: 2021
The latest entry into Ubisoft’s popular franchise Far Cry takes players to the fictional tropical island of Yara, which is said to be “stuck in time”. They’ll control Dani Rojas, a guerrilla fighter leading a resistance to free the island from its tyrannical ruler Antón Castillo and his son Diego.
Far Cry 6 will feature a co-op mode that will allow up to four players to complete side quests together. It’s currently unknown if the main campaign will feature co-op play, although it seems unlikely.
We don’t know much else about the PS5 game yet. While a release date hasn’t been confirmed, a previous leak suggests it will arrive May 25, 2021, following delays from its original February release.
