The highly anticipated PlayStation Showcase has been announced for Thursday, May 24, 2023 — so what games can you expect to be there for your PS5?
Update: We have added a Ghost of Tsushima 2 story to the relevant section.
Rejoice! The PlayStation Showcase for May 2023 has been announced, with Sony running the hour-long PlayStation Showcase event featuring PS5 games on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. With rumors sure to run amuck soon, we're breaking down what you should expect from the event — here's hoping for more potential best PS5 games!
PlayStation Showcase — what PS5 games to expect
The official line on what is coming to the PlayStation Showcase
Let's start with the official line from PlayStation Blog, which notes that there will be tasters of "PS5 and PS VR2 games in development from top studios from around the world. Expect a glimpse at several new creations from PlayStation Studios as well as spellbinding games from our third-party partners and indie creators," reads the post.
Head of global third-party relations, Chris Svensson, tweeted "We will have some great games, big and small, from all over the world." No other Sony staffers are giving anything away.
Conclusions- Note the lack of any mention of PS4 here, suggesting this is the first showcase from Sony where the last generation truly comes last.
- "New PlayStation Studios games" indicates that we will finally get a look at fresh games, not just updates about existing titles already announced — this will be the first batch of new announcements at an event since September 2021 when we saw Marvel's Wolverine and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (unless you count Death Stranding 2, which will likely be published by PlayStation Studios and was announced mid-2022).
- Both the official post and the tweet make it clear we will be getting games of AAA and indie caliber
Potential reveals and announcements
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 release date and gameplay
As the next calendar entry for PlayStation Studios games, you'll be craving the Marvel's Spider-Man 2 trophies by the time this event is done. Insomniac Games must show gameplay and give an official release date since this PS5 title is expected in September 2023. That gives everyone a few months to preorder and gives the team enough time to drum up hype before release — this is just a given.
The Last of Us Part 2 didn't have multiplayer, but it is coming in a separate mode
The Last of Us multiplayer full reveal
Given that this has kind of already been announced by Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann in the most low-key Summer Game Fest reveal last year, The Last of Us multiplayer now seems likely to get a full-scale reveal. Sony has ten live-service games in the making and this is one of them, so the Japanese company needs to get the ball rolling on its multiplayer projects for the PS5 era. While we think you can expect a full name and a trailer, don't expect gameplay or a full release date — though, a release year might be there. We'd be surprised if we didn't see this.
Death Stranding 2 trailer or tease
Hideo Kojima might have the most significant relationship with Summer Game Fest host Geoff Keighley, making this a less likely pick than some of the others in this article, but the truth is we'd expect this PS5-only game to appear in some form at this showcase. You won't be getting any insight into the Death Stranding 2 trophies, but a weird short trailer with a tease for future reveals feels likely. Sony is still helping Kojima out on DS2 development, so the truth is that it will want some marketing rights on a game they have been pumping resources into. Indeed, Sony was visiting the studio just before this showcase with both marketing teams and XDEV, so something fishy is going on.
Ghost of Tsushima 2 on the way
Ghost of Tsushima 2 announcement
You've all wrapped up the Ghost of Tsushima trophies and we all know a Ghost of Tsushima 2 is in development. Sucker Punch has had three years since the release of the first game to work on a PS5 sequel, this year feels like a solid time for an announcement given AAA development cycles. It's also an easy win for Sony because everyone knows it is coming and no one will be disappointed by it, making it an easy fan-hyping reveal.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Konami games finally announced
Silent Hill games are coming, so there is no doubt that they will be at PlayStation Showcase in some wonderfully horrific form. However, rumors about more of Konami's supposed PlayStation exclusives have been rolling around the internet for two years at this point, with no return on investment. Given the rumors are reoccurring, from trusted sources, and were published before anyone knew the showcase was happening — it'd be a little surprising not to see anything from Konami at this PlayStation Showcase. Metal Gear Solid 3 is reportedly being remade and there seems to be something Castlevania-y in the works.
Little Devil Inside release date
It feels a little like a joke bringing up this much-anticipated indie at this point, given it has blown past its missing release date (several times, in fact). However, indie development is hard yards even when you have Sony's support at every PlayStation Showcase. We feel like a release date for when we can start collecting Little Devil Inside trophies must be nigh, surely this is the time?
PS VR2 games have struggled to gain traction in the most played charts
PS VR2's Phase 2
Would you believe it, no one really knows what big games are coming for PS VR2! We had our launch slate of games, but then absolutely nothing. Given the official show description mentioned the virtual reality device, Sony will have to deliver a full outline of what is to come for the system. As of now, it looks so thin we can't help but be a bit disappointed with the way the device has been handled, even if it is a fab bit of kit.
What not to expect at PlayStation Showcase
We have a few things you should be more hesitant about expecting, too. Marvel's Wolverine trophies are not coming any time soon to your PSN account and Insomniac Games, though they have two development teams, won't want to interrupt the Marvel's Spider-Man 2 marketing flow with more Marvel content. In fact, given how quiet Sony is nowadays, we are surprised they announced Marvel's Wolverine at all. So Wolverine might be mentioned, but we'd be pretty shocked if they revealed anything more than a classic "you'll hear more about it soon."
We keep hearing about Santa Monica Studio's reported second game outside of the God of War franchise, possibly led by Cory Balrog — director of God of War (2016). It's possible it appears here, but to us, it seems unlikely. The studio has just wrapped up God of War Ragnarok and, while there might be two teams, the studio will want to balance whatever the future of God of War is with whatever this supposed new IP is. That might require a bit more space from the echoes of the last-minute development scramble to finish Ragnarok.
That wraps up our look at what to expect from the PlayStation Showcase! What are you looking forward to? Let us know what you think will turn up in the comments below and if you think we are wrong, right, or somewhere in between! See you there!