The Best PS5 Games Of 2025 According To Metacritic

We’re more than five years into the PS5 era, and in 2025, Sony’s home console continued to post impressive results. PS5 sales are on par with the PS4, even after a hefty price hike was introduced this year, and there were some big surprises when it came to games this year. Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach were great console exclusives, and with healthy third-party support, there was more than enough to keep PS5 owners engaged.

The strangest thing this year was that several of the best-selling games on PS5 were from Sony’s old console rival, Microsoft. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Forza Horizon 5, and The Outer Worlds 2 were just some of the titles from Xbox Game Studios that arrived on the Sony hardware, and next year will see South of Midnight and Halo: Campaign Evolved head to the PlayStation as part of Microsoft’s new multiplatform release strategy.

You can scroll down to see which of these games were met with critical acclaim, according to review aggregates pulled from our sister-site Metacritic. For more on the best games and genres of 2025, you can check out our features on the best co-op, RPGs, and shooter games of the year. We’ve also got a look at the best PS5-exclusive games of 2025 and the best PS5 games to play right now.

More Best Of 2025:

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 looks like a shoo-in to win several GOTY awards, and for good reason. Sandfall Interactive’s debut title is a magical RPG that keeps players engaged and rewarded through polished gameplay, emotional storytelling, and lush visuals. A love-letter to the past and also an example of just what the RPG genre is capable of, it’s one of the defining games of 2025.

Metascore: 92 | Read our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review

Forza Horizon 5

It’s a sign of the times that one of the year’s best-rated PS5 games is a former Microsoft exclusive. As Team Xbox tears down the partition between console competitors, PlayStation players are the beneficiaries. Forza Horizon has been widely regarded as one of the best racing series for years now, so its debut on PS5 was a momentous occasion and a sign of more good things to come.

Metascore: 92 | Read our Forza Horizon 5 review

Split Fiction

Developer Hazelight’s winning streak continued this year, but it’s hard to imagine how any of its future games will top Split Fiction. A co-op game that raised the bar, Split Fiction’s greatest strength is that it constantly surprises you by rewriting its own rulebook.

Metascore: 91 | Read our Split Fiction review

Hollow Knight: Silksong

The wait was long, but well worth it–Hollow Knight: Silksong takes the formula established in Team Cherry’s 2017 metroidvania and pushes it even further. This time, you play as Hornet, the deuteragonist of the first game, as you climb to the top of a kingdom largely defined by music and song and seemingly infected with mind-controlling silk. The journey is one full of hardship, tests of faith, and one warrior princess’ exploration of her heritage, and it’s one of our favorite stories and experiences of 2025.

Metascore: 90 | Read our Hollow Knight: Silksong review

Dispatch

Dispatch feels like a game from Telltale Games that we simply never got. Its tight and well-paced episodic structure highlights its superb writing, likable characters, and incredible cast of voice talent. You play as Robert, a mechsuit hero now without a working suit, who pulls his life together by becoming a dispatcher at a hero-for-hire company where he can put his talents to work leading and rehabilitating a team of former supervillains.

Metascore: 89 | Read our Dispatch review

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

The beauty of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is that there’s nothing quite like it–even the first game. One moment you’re exploring a time-scarred Australian continent as you deliver crucial supplies, then all of a sudden you’re grappling with loss, ghosts from the past, and an ass-kicking pizza chef. Death Stranding 2 takes wild swings with its story, and while it’s frequently absurd, it’s never anything less than earnest in its exploration of themes and its tale.

Metascore: 89 | Read our Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review

Monster Hunter Wilds

Monster Hunter has become one of Capcom’s biggest franchises over the last couple of years, and Monster Hunter Wilds refines the formula from those previous games into its purest state yet. The art of hunting down monsters feels better than ever, thanks to various points of busywork friction being removed, keeping players focused on the things that matter with this new entry in the franchise.

Metascore: 88 | Read our Monster Hunter Wilds review

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter

Remakes and remasters were everywhere this year, especially in the RPG genre. Fortunately, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a stellar example of how to revive a classic, as it nailed the delicate balance of keeping the essence of the first Trails game intact while tweaking the game just enough. Obviously, the visuals are a step up, but with fine-tuned gameplay and quality-of-life changes under the hood, the first Trails game is once again the perfect entry point to the franchise.

Metascore: 88 | Read our Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter review

Ball x Pit

Ball x Pit is a straightforward delight, combining Vampire Survivors-inspired gameplay with classic pinball action and seasoning it with a few Arkanoid elements and some city-building fun. That’s an eclectic mix of ideas, but they all complement each other smoothly in this innovative gem.

Metascore: 88 | Read our Ball x Pit review

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

2025 had no shortage of remakes, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles was a fun return to the ’90s. The PlayStation game hasn’t lost a step in the decades since its release, but it never got any sort of update. That’s where The Ivalice Chronicles shines, as it fixes troublesome parts of the original–like its clunky combat and dialogue–and updates it for the modern age with just the right amount of tweaks.

Metascore: 88 | Read our Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles review

Sword of the Sea

Sword of the Sea is the kind of game that you can play on autopilot. That’s a compliment, because within the first few minutes of starting it, it encourages you to let go and absorb the beauty of its world. It’s a serene, contemplative game, and with a short playtime, spending an afternoon mastering sword-surfing is time well spent in this zen-like adventure.

Metascore: 88

Kingdom Come II: Deliverance

Kingdom Come’s sequel launched the series into a new tier for open-world fans and RPG fans who may (or may not) have known about the series much beforehand. With an incredibly immersive, reactive world and a roster deep with memorable characters, KCD2 turned this former hidden-gem RPG into a household name in 2025.

Metascore: 88 | Read our Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

PS5 gamers are enjoying the best that Xbox and PC have to offer now that Microsoft is bringing more of its titles to the Sony platform, and it doesn’t get much better than Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Two-fisted archeology, sharp performances, and whip-smart gameplay capture everything that makes the film series so special, and this is the single best Indy adventure since The Last Crusade.

Metascore: 88 | Read our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

We’re going to go out on a limb and say that 2025 was the year of the ninja, as we had not one but four great games featuring the legendary warriors. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance resurrected Sega’s ninja master for a new generation, with developer LizardCube delivering a game that offered tight metroidvania exploration and edge-of-your-seat ninja combat.

Metascore: 87 | Read our Shinobi: Art of Vengeance review

Absolum

Set in a fantasy world where magic has been outlawed, Absolum is one of this year’s most underappreciated hits. Imagine Streets of Rage with a deep Hades influence, and you’ve got a brawler that’s instantly deep and challenging, encouraging you to master arcane ass-kicking arts to save the day in this beautifully crafted beat-’em-up.

Metascore: 87 | Read our Absolum review

Lumines Arise

Injecting classic puzzle game Lumines with a heaping dose of Tetris Effect inspiration was always going to be a winning formula, but no one expected this fusion to be this good. Lumines Arise isn’t just a feast for the senses; it’s a successful blend of fiendishly engaging puzzles and synesthesia that makes every move feel like a grand explosion of color and sound.

Metascore: 87 | Read our Lumines Arise review

Ghost of Yotei

Ghost of Yotei plays like your typical PS5 console exclusive. Its take on feudal Japan is gorgeous, there’s a mountain of things to do when you go off the beaten path, and it sticks close to the script set by its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima. That creates a sense of comfortable familiarity, as Ghost of Yotei offers a superbly polished open-world environment full of beauty and violence.

Metascore: 86 | Read our Ghost of Yotei review

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector sees you play as an android whose body is on the fritz, forcing you to manage your time and resources in a desperate bid to survive long enough to escape an asteroid belt-located settlement before your former owners track you down. It’s a lot of dice rolls, consequence-driven choices, and tense roleplaying. It’s also a lot of fun.

Metascore: 86

Silent Hill F

Silent Hill 2–both the original and the remake–are considered to be the games to surpass in this franchise, but it looks like Silent Hill F has finally dethroned the king, or at least reached it. Undeniably the high point of the franchise’s recent revival, Silent Hill F is an atmospheric masterpiece of survival-horror, raising the bar for the series.

Metascore: 86 | Read our Silent Hill F review

Arc Raiders

The brilliance of Arc Raiders is best expressed in how open-ended a round can become. Even if you’ve played other extraction shooters before, Arc Raiders is going above and beyond what has made those memorable, thanks to smart AI enemies, surprising player-to-player interactions, and an irresistible, “just one more round” quality to the whole package.

Metascore: 86 | Read our Arc Raiders review

Triangle Strategy

This truly was the best year to be an RPG fan, thanks to releases like Triangle Strategy on PS5. Heavy on the storytelling and requiring players to engage in 4D chess with some of its more challenging battles, Triangle Strategy made a successful leap to modern consoles this year.

Metascore: 85

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

Konami played it safe with its remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, but it just goes to show how good and timeless the original was. Equipped with a fresh coat of jungle camouflage and modern controls, it’s everything you’d expect from a remake and still a delightful drop into enemy territory.

Metascore: 85 | Read our Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater review

Promise Mascot Agency

Kaizen Game Works reached a new level of absurdity this year with Promise Mascot Agency, a game about a disgraced Yakuza managing a mascot agency populated by creatures that should not exist. It revels in being weird, but, to its credit, it does so with well-constructed, polished gameplay systems that make it a blast to play.

Metascore: 85

Blue Prince

An early breakout hit, Blue Prince excels at rewarding your curiosity. On paper, it’s a game about architectural drafting and claiming your inheritance, but that core gameplay loop is so exquisitely crafted that it’s hard not to find yourself caught up in the wee hours of the morning, aiming for a perfect run. Few games can draw you into their fold as Blue Prince can, and that’s what makes it so memorable.

Metascore: 85 | Read our Blue Prince review

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake

While it has fans outside Japan, Dragon Quest has often struggled to find its footing elsewhere. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake proves just how instrumental this series was in laying the foundation for big JRPG franchises like Final Fantasy, with these games serving as terrific entry points. It’s Dragon Quest fine-tuned for the modern era, mostly free from old-school jank and looking better than ever.

Metascore: 84 | Read our Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake review

Gradius Origins

A tribute to classic shoot-’em-up games, Gradius Origins is a lovingly crafted compilation. Largely focused on the underrated Salamander series, developer M2 has created arcade-perfect replicas that can be customized to feel like a walk in the park or a descent into bullet-hell territory that’ll leave you breathless.

Metascore: 84

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II

Beautiful to behold and improved for its new lease of life on PS5, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is still a fascinating descent into dark territory. The PS5 version benefits from significantly improved combat and graphical overhauls, while the challenging Dark Rot mode and creator commentary keep you coming back for more after you complete the short campaign.

Metascore: 84 | Read our Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 review

Lies of P: Overture

Who needs Bloodborne 2 when you’ve got developers like Round8 Studios crafting excellent spiritual successors like Lies of P? The Overture expansion proved that the first game was no flash in the pan, as it builds on the original’s foundation and surpasses it with some of the best souls-like boss fights to date, inventive gameplay twists, and a gripping story that ties up neatly.

Metascore: 84 | Read our Lies of P: Overture review

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection

Games preservation has evolved over the years, and compilations like Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection shows just how good the efforts to make the past as accessible as possible can be. Not just a curated selection of Mortal Kombat’s best–and not so great–games, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is a treasure trove of insight into one of gaming’s greatest fighting-game franchises.

Metascore: 84 | Read our Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection review

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

Between a polished remaster and a new mainline entry, you’d think a Ninja Gaiden game that’s directly inspired by the NES games of the series would have its work cut out for it. That’s where you’d be wrong, as Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound was a serious challenger in a year full of great ninja games. Taking the best aspects of the classic series and updating them for the modern age, Ragebound is a delightful retro-inspired action game without any of the baggage from the past.

Metascore: 84 | Read our Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound review

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a beautiful game with incredibly vivid cinematics that features realistic rendered characters. It’s also a fun stealth experience in which you guide Hanna and her allies through isometric levels in search of Herman, Hanna’s lost brother. Set in the early 1900s amidst a Scandinavian-inspired city, The Stolen Dream’s various puzzle boxes reward critical thinking and quick reflexes, and you’ll be eager to complete them all to see how its engrossing story ultimately concludes.