The PlayStation 5 has been a great console to grace the line-up of a presence in modern gaming that has constantly evolved as a brand. And while it has had its problems over the past five years, it has established itself as a solid console with excellent features and performance.
Add some excellent exclusives into the mix and it’s easy to see why the console has earned its reputation as a platform for great experiences, and perhaps even more of a value add than its pricey mid-gen upgrade.
But after owning one for nearly five years now, is the PS5 still worth it? The answer is not binary, and we’re going to have to dive a little deeper.
A Current-Gen Powerhouse
As far as the promise of a console that can deliver astounding resolutions or buttery smooth framerates goes, the PS5 continues to deliver, with many of 2025’s greatest experiences looking amazing on the console in their Quality modes, or running like charms in their Performance modes.
Although the trade-off continues to sting, it does make sense for the base PS5 to have that limitation as a reason to encourage the upgrade to a PS5 Pro. But for those of you who don’t mind choosing between resolutions and framerates, the PS5 continues to be a solid console whose build quality and hardware remains ever capable of bringing even the most demanding experiences to life without a hitch.
And despite Sony’s revised stance on its console exclusives, there have been some great platform-exclusive blockbusters on the PS5 that have made it a worthwhile purchase over half a decade. Horizon Forbidden West took great advantage of the console’s feature set and the new DualSense controller to bring Aloy’s foray into a new land quite immersive and fun.
We watched in awe as a meaner, more menacing version of a Thunderjaw prowled the plain in front of us, while the new machines in the game had us pausing to take a photo more often than we’d have liked thanks to a story that resolved some plot threads while raising up others.
The Decima Engine really came to life on this one, and Guerrilla’s first-party relationship with Sony did wonders for the franchise’s second title, and the remastered version of the first one that eventually came along. But Aloy was not the only poster child in the PS5’s lineup of exclusives. Atreus and Kratos returned for another bout in Ragnarok, taking on various enemies and their companions in a confrontation that resolved Kratos’ story while setting Atreus on the path to his own. It was an excellent chapter to its proganist’s respective arcs while its exploration and combat remained among the best on offer.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was another great showcase of the PS5’s power, with set-pieces that really showed off what the console could do. Ghost of Yotei has been another one that gives people a reason to buy a PS5, with its excellent use of all the Dualsense has to offer helping you step into the role of a wandering mercenary on a quest for vengeance even faster.
And then there was Death Stranding 2. Kojima’s latest masterpiece might have begun to push the PS5 to its limits, and did so with style. The very first moments of the game showcase its visual splendor while meaningful changes to the Strand franchise’s core gameplay loop helped expand the size and scope of Kojima’s vision and present an experience that is simply astounding.
Of course, many of these games came with enhancements for the PS5 Pro but the mid-gen upgrade’s prohibitive price makes the PS5 more than a viable option for players who may not want to stretch their budgets beyond a certain limit. While we’re quite partial to Performance modes in our games thanks to 60fps being high on our priorities, Quality modes do bring a lot to like in most games and the choice to switch is always going to work well with the console’s blindingly fast loading times.
As far as its exclusives go, the PS5 has done well. It’s even done well to bring in exclusives from other platforms, with Hi-Fi Rush, Forza Horizon 5, Gears of War, and Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga being notable instances of developers choosing to bring their best titles to the PlayStation platform. It’s even done well on the multiplayer front, having Elden Ring Nightreign, Where Winds Meet, and so many other titles to choose from. Also, the support from third parties has remained strong as ever, and they even managed to bag a few timed exclusives like Silent Hill 2 and Helldivers 2 along the way.
But it hasn’t all been great for the console, and Sony has faced down problems both in and out of its control over the past five years. Has the Japanese giant managed to recover well enough and sustain the PS5’s value additions? Let’s find out.
Challenges Both Within and Without
The earliest obstacle the PS5 had to overcome was of course, the giant one placed between Sony and its potential customers thanks to the pandemic. With supply chains thrown into chaos, the PS5 couldn’t get to its players fast enough, while scalpers thrived in the chaos.
Sony did manage to get back up from that initial setback quite well, and the PS5 began to flex its muscles. Of course, there was the disastrous launch of Cyberpunk 2077, and the numerous complaints of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla going cross-gen, but those were factors outside of Sony’s control.
However, the same can’t be said for the disappearance of Bluepoint Games after an excellent remake of Demon’s Souls which was quite the console exclusive launch title for the PS5. Sony’s multiplayer push has unfortunately wasted five years of the studio’s time, with the rumored multiplayer title now fated to fade into the ether.
It wasn’t just Bluepoint, too. Concord and the eventual fate of Firewalk Studios is another black mark on Sony’s five-year record. The PS5’s multiplayer potential continues to rely on third-party developers for the moment despite its 2022 acquisition of Bungie. With Destiny 2 failing to meet targets according to recent official statements, and Marathon’s reboot hit with a delay until March 2026, recent changes over at Bungee don’t bode well for its future.
Sony’s determination to position the PS5 as a device that’s equally capable of great multiplayer experiences and live service ones. has largely backfired on the company in the wake of Concord, and cancellations, layoffs, and closures have seen its reputation take a hit. For starters, it has slowed down the release of first-party exclusives while affecting studios negatively. It has also resulted in a division of PlayStation’s focus, and perhaps risked diluting its positioning as the place to go for great single-player blockbusters. Not to mention the fact they haven’t done anything noticeable with popular franchises like Days Gone and Bloodborne.
It might be a good idea to take a rather necessary detour into the PlayStation Network, PSVR2, and the PlayStation Portal at this point. PSN’s offerings and PS Plus continue to hold down the fort on the digital front, offering their subscribers enough to retain brand loyalty, while Xbox Game Pass’s pricing revisions might have even worked to Sony’s advantage.
The PS5 continues to welcome great releases across the board, while its compatibility with the PS VR2 works well thanks to a long list of titles currently available for it. Along with the PlayStation Portal and its recent update allowing PS+ Premium users to stream games from their own libraries, the PS5 is an excellent centerpiece in a gaming ecosystem that continues to offer a lot of value. The DualSense Elite and the Pulse headsets round things out quite well too.
However, Sony’s successes have managed to balance things out, and it seems to have learned some important lessons as it looks to the future of the PS5 and beyond.
But what will the next year look like for the PS5?
The PS5’s Next Chapter
We must acknowledge the fact that the PS5 is currently in the middle of its life cycle. With rumors of the PS6 already beginning to make their rounds, we can’t help but wonder what the next year is going to look like for the console.
Well, there’s good news on that front. Most of the next year’s great titles are already on the PS5, while it does have a few great exclusives lined up. There’s Housemarquee’s Saros which is shaping up to put some new and interesting twists on Returnal’s gameplay loop. There’s also Marathon, but considering how Sony’s latest position on that one seems to err on the side of caution, that could go either way.
There’s also Intergalactic, a brand new IP from Naughty Dog that could very well see the PS5 be the first port of call for a brand new adventure that carries over into the platform’s future.However, we are not sure whether that will be released next year. And of course, there is a long-awaited adventure with Wolverine on the cards in a title from Insomniac that could see a lot of Marvel fans flocking to Sony’s doors when that one is available to play.
It’s looking good for PS5 owners, and with the console holding up quite well under the strain of 2025’s latest releases, this powerhouse continues to be among Sony’s biggest wins in the recent half-decade, and has perhaps even carried the company through some tough times. Not to mention the fact that it has sold over 84 million units at the time of writing this feature.
It’s going to be interesting to see what the future brings to the table but until then, the PS5 still retains its place of honor among the current generation of consoles.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
