10 Best PlayStation Games of the 2020s So Far, Ranked

Published Jul 18, 2026, 6:02 AM EDT Writing from the Chicagoland area in Illinois, Robert is an avid movie watcher and will take just about any excuse to find time to go to his local movie theaters. Robert graduated from Bradley University with degrees in Journalism and Game Design with a minor in Film Studies. Robert tries his best to keep up with all the latest movie releases, from those released in theaters to those released on streaming. While he doesn't always keep up with the latest TV shows, he makes it a goal to watch nearly every major new release possible. He has been honing his craft and following any and all movie news all his life, leading up to now, where he has a vast knowledge of film and film history. He also logs every movie that he watches on his Letterboxd page, and has hosted a weekly online movie night with his closest friends for over 6 years. Sign in to your Collider account Ever since Sony's debut into the video game market with the PlayStation in 1994, they have been a dominating presence in the video game industry and at the forefront of exceptional home console gaming for generations. This stature and legacy have largely continued into the modern day, with the PlayStation 5 and various compelling original games making it one of the best ways to play games in the modern era. The various games released for PlayStation consoles in the modern era play a major part in the brand's continued success and longevity. While several of these games have gone from initially being exclusive to having ports on the likes of PC and even Nintendo Switch, they are still fundamentally PlayStation experiences at their core, especially when many of them are funded by and developed by Sony and studios owned or in partnership with Sony. PlayStation, as an icon this decade, has been defined by these well-crafted gaming experiences, several of them arguably being some of the best games this decade. 10 'Death Stranding 2: On the Beach' (2025) The original Death Stranding was already a massively ambitious and uniquely distinctive video game experience, with legendary video game director Hideo Kojima going all out in his signature dynamic, symbolic, and cinematic scope for gaming. Many of the same strengths can be attributed to the sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, although its execution shows Kojima to be much more comfortable and fluid with the world and characters of Death Stranding. Death Stranding 2 certainly has the feel and look of a massive arthouse blockbuster, complete with recognizable Hollywood stars like the returning Norman Reedus and Léa Seydoux, joined by new characters played by the likes of Elle Fanning, Debra Wilson, and more. While it might not be as strikingly original as the previous game, it more effectively homes in on the strengths of the original game to create something as fun as it is insightful and thought-provoking; exactly what a player wants out of a Hideo Kojima experience. 9 'Demon's Souls' (2020) Considering just how much the Soulsborne formula has grown and evolved in the decade since the release of the original Demon's Souls, it seemed only inevitable that Hidetaka Miyazaki's original action RPG masterpiece would be revisited in the modern age. However, even without Miyazaki at the helm, this modern remake of the first true Soulsborne game effectively evolves the world and gameplay to the modern era, making it the premier launch title for the PS5 that is still one of its few exclusives that hasn't yet been ported to PC. Much like the Soulsborne games that would come to follow, Demon's Souls is defined by an overwhelming brutality in its difficulty, asking the player to truly commit in order to defeat the daunting obstacles and find pure catharsis in success. It maintains a lot of the charm and effectiveness of the original game while doing a great job of upgrading its visuals with modern technology. It stands as the definitive way to experience this massively influential game and is a must-play for fans of the Soulsborne formula. 8 'Final Fantasy XVI' (2023) Image via Square Enix While not originally a PlayStation-exclusive franchise, Final Fantasy has grown to be one of the most pivotal and important series for the PlayStation brand, with a long line of prominent and celebrated games that have elevated the consoles in their success. Final Fantasy XVI is simply the latest in a line of masterfully crafted RPGs, seamlessly evolving the classic Final Fantasy formula to the modern age of action RPGs and real-time combat. This exceptional modern fantasy video game feels wholly different from any other Final Fantasy game while also being completely in line with the series' signature tone and style of storytelling. It's easily the must-play RPG experience for the PlayStation 5 and helps further the legacy of Final Fantasy as the definitive RPG franchise in video game history. With a sprawling magical world and a compelling story at its center, the game's pure polish from beginning to end makes it an absolute joy to experience. 7 'Ghost of Tsushima' (2020) An exceptional action-adventure game from longtime PlayStation developers Sucker Punch Productions, Ghost of Tsushima was one of the last true must-play experiences released on PlayStation 4 before the shift to the next generation occurred at the end of the year. This strikingly beautiful and endlessly engaging game about a samurai fighting to protect his island from an impending invasion prides itself on player choice and versatility in its gameplay. Players are given two distinct options for nearly every interaction and confrontation in the game, as they can choose to go full action hero and fight off hordes of enemies with their katana, or they can utilize stealth to assassinate enemies one by one. It's this versatility and endless replayability of its gameplay styles that make the game so fun to play, as it encourages creativity and dynamic decision-making from the player in a way rarely seen in other PlayStation action games. 6 'Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart' (2021) The latest explosive action-platformer from one of PlayStation's longest-running and most consistent franchises, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart upgrades the franchise to the modern age with exceptional usage of the PlayStation 5's technology to be the best game in the franchise since the PS2 days. The game sees the iconic duo facing a multiversal threat, being thrust into a mysterious alternate dimension that parallels their own, except their version of Dr. Nefarious has been a ruthless universal dictator. The immediate strength that set Rift Apart from previous Ratchet and Clank games was how it made use of the PlayStation 5 technology, with transitions between levels being seamless and without a loading screen, constantly keeping players engaged without any visible downtime. Even aside from the flourishes and polish, the game features the same engaging gameplay loop that has made the franchise a fan-favorite for decades. Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you'd actually make it out of alive. 💊The Matrix 🔥Mad Max 🌧️Blade Runner 🏜️Dune 🚀Star Wars TEST YOUR SURVIVAL → 01 You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one. APull on every thread until I understand the system — then figure out how to break it. BStop asking questions and start stockpiling — food, fuel, weapons. Questions don't keep you alive. CKeep my head down, observe carefully, and trust no one until I know who's pulling the strings. DStudy the patterns. Every system has a rhythm — learn it, and you learn how to survive it. EFind the people fighting back and join them. You can't fix a broken galaxy alone. NEXT QUESTION → 02 In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires. AKnowledge. If you understand the system, you don't need resources — you can generate them. BFuel. Everything else — movement, power, escape — runs on it. CTrust. In a world of fakes and informants, a truly reliable ally is rarer than any commodity. DWater. And after water, information — the two things empires are truly built on. EShips and credits. The galaxy is big — you survive it by being able to move through it freely. NEXT QUESTION → 03 What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of. AThat reality itself is a lie — that everything I experience has been constructed to keep me compliant. BA raid. No warning, no mercy — just the roar of engines and then nothing left. CBeing identified. Once someone with power decides you're a problem, you're already out of time. DBeing outmanoeuvred — losing a political game I didn't even know I was playing. EThe Empire tightening its grip until there's nowhere left to run. NEXT QUESTION → 04 How do you deal with authority you don't trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything. ASubvert it from the inside — learn its rules well enough to weaponise them against it. BIgnore it and stay out of its reach. The further from any power structure, the better. CAppear to comply while doing exactly what I need to do. Visibility is the enemy. DManoeuvre within it carefully. You can't beat a system you refuse to understand. EResist openly when I have to. Some things are worth the risk of being seen. NEXT QUESTION → 05 Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn't just tactical — it's physical, psychological, and very much about where you are. AUnderground bunkers and server rooms — cramped, artificial, but with access to everything that matters. BOpen wasteland — brutal sun, no shelter, constant movement. At least the threat is honest. CA dense, rain-soaked city where you can disappear into the crowd and nobody asks questions. DMerciless desert — extreme heat, no water, and something enormous living beneath the sand. EThe fringe — backwater planets and busy spaceports where the Empire's attention rarely reaches. NEXT QUESTION → 06 Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are. AA tight crew of believers who've seen behind the curtain and have nothing left to lose. BOne or two people I'd trust with my life. Any more than that and someone talks. CNobody, ideally. Alliances are liabilities. I work alone unless I have no choice. DA community bound by shared hardship and mutual survival — people who need each other to last. EA ragtag team with wildly different skills and total commitment when it counts. NEXT QUESTION → 07 Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they're actually made of. AI won't harm the innocent — even the ones who'd report me without hesitation. BI do what I have to to protect the people I've chosen. Everything else is negotiable. CThe line shifts depending on who's asking and what's at stake. DI draw a long-term line — nothing that compromises my people's future, even if it'd help now. ESome lines, once crossed, can't be uncrossed. I know which ones they are. NEXT QUESTION → 08 What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another. AWaking others up — dismantling the illusion so no one else has to live inside it. BFinding somewhere — or someone — worth protecting. A reason to keep moving. CAnswers. Understanding what I am, what any of this means, before time runs out. DLegacy — shaping the future in a way that outlasts me by generations. EFreedom — for myself, for others, for every world still living under someone else's boot. REVEAL MY WORLD → Your Fate Has Been Calculated You'd Survive In…Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for. The MatrixYou took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You're a systems thinker who can't help but notice the seams in things. You're drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it. You'd find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines' worst nightmare. You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it. The Matrix built an airtight prison. You'd be the one probing the walls for the door. Mad MaxThe wasteland doesn't reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That's you. You don't need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon. You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you're good at all three. You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider. In the wasteland, that distinction is everything. Blade RunnerYou'd survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely. You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer. In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional. You're not a hero. But you're not lost, either. In Blade Runner's world, that distinction is everything. DuneArrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards. Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they're survival tools. You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory. Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You'd learn its logic and earn its respect. In time, you wouldn't just survive Arrakis — you'd begin to reshape it. Star WarsThe galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn't have it any other way. You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion. You'd gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire's grip can be broken. You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn't something you're capable of. In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 5 'The Last of Us Part II' (2020) Image via Naughty Dog Considering the fact that the original The Last of Us was the defining must-play PlayStation experience that defined their legacy in the 2010s, it only made sense that it would be a follow-up to continue the powerful story and legacy of these characters. While certainly rife with more controversy compared to the first game, The Last of Us Part II still stands as one of the best cinematic video games not just on PlayStation, but in modern video game history. Building upon the world and shocking character developments of the original game, The Last of Us Part II is a game defined by pain and the sorrow of loss, following different characters and perspectives in how they operate around such painful loss in a world already rife with death around every corner. Considered by critics of the era to be Naughty Dog's magnum opus, the game easily lives up to the legacy and stature set by the original masterpiece, acting as about as perfect a swan song as the PS4 could ask for. 4 'Final Fantasy VII Remake' (2020) Image via Sqaure Enix The first part of the modern remake trilogy of one of the most influential and important PlayStation releases of all time, Final Fantasy VII Remake does an excellent job of translating and evolving the magic and prowess of the original PS1 game to the modern age. The game largely translates the initial act of the game, following Cloud Strife and the other members of Avalanche on their journey to put a stop to Shinra's sickening actions of siphoning the planet's life essence. As opposed to the turn-based combat that defined the original game, Final Fantasy VII Remake utilizes a mixture of real-time action with RPG elements, adding a greater sense of scale and excitement to the battles that make each moment a hit. Especially considering just how much hype had been built up for the remake after years of excitement and anticipation, the game largely lived up to the lofty expectations and glory of both its elongated release and the legacy of the original game. 3 'Marvel's Spider-Man 2' (2023) Insomniac's original open-world action-game adaptation of the iconic wall-crawling superhero was already one of the most acclaimed and beloved games in the 2010s, and while Spider-Man: Miles Morales tidied fans over for a while, there was a real, palpable excitement for how the eventual sequel would fare. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 isn't just an exceptional video game portrayal of one of the most celebrated superheroes out there, but might just be the choice for the best superhero video game ever made. The streets of New York are vast and full of character; there is a clear expression and fluidity to the combat that never gets tiring, and the story is surprisingly effective and compelling, even by the standards of traditional superhero storytelling. The game builds upon the strengths of the original game, which, when combined with the technical improvements of the PlayStation 5, makes for a true leap forward for the franchise and superhero action games as a whole. 2 'Astro Bot' (2024) Image via Team ASOBI While the character of Astro was originally meant to be little more than a tech-demo buy-in title for the PS5 in Astro's Playroom, the game proved to be so inventive and fun that there was enough enthusiasm and excitement for a full game in Astro Bot. Now, with the full scope and scale of a complete experience, Astro Bot proves to be one of the best platformers of the modern era, a glorious love letter to PlayStation as a brand, and even the coveted award of Game of the Year. What makes Astro Bot so especially joyous is just how much it fundamentally understands the tenet of fun factor above all else when playing a video game. Jumping around and toying with so many fun gameplay mechanics and inventive level designs, it's an exceptionally well-made 3D platformer that takes inspiration from the best titans of the genre to create the definitive modern evolution of the genre. It also stands as easily the best PS5 exclusive that cannot be played anywhere else, not even being ported to PC. 1 'God of War Ragnarök' (2022) Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment Building upon the masterful scale of storytelling and action that made God of War (2016) such a formative leap forward for the franchise, God of War Ragnarök doesn't just deliver the same God of War greatness, but is the new height of the franchise with its exceptional blending of narrative and cathartic action. The game continues Kratos' journeys across ancient Scandinavia, instilling good values within his son Atreus while battling against Norse mythology figures to prevent the nine realms from being destroyed by Ragnarök. If the previous game was a proof of concept for Kratos and the God of War world fitting within the modern, cinematic approach for PlayStation games, God of War Ragnarök is the game that goes all out in delivering the most emotional, exciting, and enthralling modern God of War experience imaginable. The character writing and storytelling are as effective as ever, the action combat manages to be just as fluid and effective as the previous game, and every other aspect of the game is brimming with polish and masterful craft.