Sony's PlayStation Showcase for May 2023 gave us fresh looks at over 30 upcoming PS5 games, including Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake.
The May 2023 PlayStation Showcase livestream has finally granted PS5 owners a glimpse at what's to come in 2023 and beyond, and it turns out there's a lot more than Final Fantasy XVI trophies and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 trophies on the horizon. There were over 30 new PS5 game trailers revealed at the PlayStation Showcase, and we've ranked them all from hot to cold. Let's look at some potential additions to the best PS5 games list below!
Hot
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Let's get the obvious out of the way — the Marvel's Spider-Man 2 gameplay announcement was hot. What it might have lacked in novelty, it more than made up for in spectacle and intrigue. Peter Parker merging with Venom? Miles Morales' new electro-beam powers? An expanded New York area with GTA V-esque player-swapping mechanics? Marvel's Spider-Man 2 looks set to astound when it launches on PS5 sometime in Fall 2023.
Project Q
For a brief second, the joy of E3-era surprise reveals was alive in the PlayStation Showcase as head honcho Jim Ryan popped by to cooly deliver the Project Q announcement. Confirming the long-gestating Sony patent of a screen sandwiched between two halves of a DualSense controller, Project Q looks set to be Sony's streaming equivalent of the Nintendo Switch. The online requirements might disappoint some, but the idea of playing PS5 games while lying horizontally wins out regardless.
Assassin's Creed Mirage
We can't hide it here at TrueTrophies, we're big Assassin's Creed nerds — you can see for yourselves with our best Assassin's Creed games ranked list. The wait for Assassin's Creed Mirage trophies has been arduous, but to finally see the game get both a release date and a stunning gameplay trailer is enough to bump it way up the list.
Helldivers 2
We're also fans of Arrowhead Games' Helldivers here, so to finally see Helldivers 2 announced at the PlayStation Showcase was a big get for us. Turning the arcade co-op action of the original game into a third-person shooter bodes very well for this series, and to find out those Helldivers 2 trophies are dropping sometime in 2023 was an incredible surprise.
Dragon's Dogma 2
After so many years, we don't blame you if you need to watch Dragon Dogma 2's reveal trailer a couple of times just to believe the game is real. It's clear Capcom is not messing around with the fantasy sequel either, as what we've seen of the game's graphics and gameplay so far look stellar. Count us in for Dragon Dogma 2 trophies whenever that PS5 release date gets announced.
Warm
Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater
While we might have been a little confused by the awkward triangle in the logo, its officially been confirmed: Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater trophies are on their way to PS5. If we had seen just a glimpse of gameplay, this would have been number one on this list with a bullet, but hopes are high regardless.
Alan Wake 2
The wait for Alan Wake 2 trophies has been long, but the latest trailer shows we're almost there. Visually, the game looks stunning, and while the actual gameplay footage was a little light, what we did see was more than enough to spark our curiosity. All eyes are on this one when its PS5 launch rolls around October 17th, 2023.
Ghostrunner 2
You have to hand it to whatever creative genius played the original Ghostrunner and thought "you know what might improve this? A motorbike." That genius was correct, and now here we are, ranking Ghostrunner 2 and the prospect of earning Ghostrunner 2 trophies above the latest Final Fantasy XVI trailer. Behold the power of space-jumping motorbikes, game designers.
Final Fantasy XVI
Hot off the back of our glowing Final Fantasy XVI preview, the PlayStation Showcase made its token reminder that we are very close to this PS5 exclusive's June 22nd, 2023 release date. As far as trailers go, though, it was a touch blander than previous efforts as Square Enix looks to avoid spoiling any more of the game. This might have been higher had it simply been fifteen seconds long, frankly.
Synapse
A small segment of the PlayStation Showcase was dedicated to new PS VR2 games, and from the lot it was the prospect of collecting Synapse trophies that held the most promise. Shooting fools with one hand and Force-slamming objects into them with the other might not sound too novel gameplay-wise, but throw PS VR2 into the mix and we have ourselves a good time on the periphery.
Revenant Hill
The stunning Night in the Woods is getting a follow-up from The Glory Society, a new studio from the game's writers and surviving designers Scott Benson and Bethany Hockenberry (the third lead designer, Alec Holowka, tragically passed back in 2019). We've seen very little of the game so far, but Revenant Hill has got that distinctive art style, the original creatives on board, and cartoon animals moving left to right — it feels safe to say the follow-up is in safe hands.
Room Temperature
Resident Evil 4 PS VR2
Players who have only just earned all of those trying Resident Evil 4 trophies might be a little burned out by the game right now, but the potential for this PS VR2 adaptation to be excellent is sky-high. Here's hoping we see a little more of how it's all going to work next time around.
The Plucky Squire
We've been looking forward to earning The Plucky Squire trophies for a while now — the game was announced last year, it looked good then, and it looks good now. We got a better look at the game's expanded party, a few shifts in gameplay we didn't quite expect, and all-in-all we're thinking: yeah, let's be having this now.
Phantom Blade Zero
We need to remind ourselves at times that a trailer like Phantom Blade Zero's just five years ago would have blown our collective minds. It's not the game's fault that we've been very well served these few years when it comes to gloomy action games set in a distinctively Eastern environment — though we didn't see too much that really wowed us either. Here's hoping the Phantom Blade Zero trophies will make for a fair challenge at least.
Marathon
Bungie's Marathon reveal trailer announcement was slick, cool, and a little lacking in distinct flavor. Maybe when we see a little more of the game we'll be pumped to start collecting Marathon trophies on PS5 someday, but right now it sits firmly in the 'neat' section of the list.
The Talos Principle 2
Hopefully The Talos Principle 2 trophies can match the twisty brilliance of their forebearer — the trailer certainly sets it up to be another brain-twisting affair. Maybe if we had seen a few more exciting puzzles, this would have been a little higher, but as it stands we imagine most viewers were left wondering what they were even looking at.
Ultros
Personally, the Ultros trailer immediately reminded me of Drinkbox Studios' Severed and Guacamelee, which is certainly a fast-track to my heart. This Metroidvania is actually coming from the new Swedish studio Hadoque, so the indie spirit is certainly alive and well. We're eager to see more of this one in a future trailer.
Neva
If the beautiful art and emotional tale of Gris broke your heart back in 2018, then chances are the reveal trailer for Neva might legitimately kill you. Besides the crystal-clear Princess Mononoke inspiration, however, we have no idea what to expect from the game or the inevitable Neva trophies — it's all just vibes and raw feels right now.
Sword of the Sea
Look, Sword of the Sea — you can't just bandy the word Journey around here and expect to jump to the top of every list we make. Maybe Journey's dunes + snowboarding across on a sword is the magic combination that makes this our game of whatever year it comes out, though we'd need to see a bit more to decide. Hell, just confirm that those Sword of the Sea trophies will have a platinum and we'll be firmly on board.
Towers of Aghasba
As the hero of Towers of Aghasba sails wistfully between flying sky fish, we're certain many players were wondering when this PlayStation Showcase was due to end so they could go back to playing Tears of the Kingdom — it's a tough time to launch a new Breath of the Wild-like. That said, if the phrase "Towers of Aghasba trophies" stays in our brains past tomorrow, consider us intrigued for this in the future.
Crossfire Sierra Squad
The upcoming Crossfire Sierra Squad trophies are very likely to be the next most engrossing thing you can sink your teeth into with your PS VR2 headset, and impressions for the game have been pretty good up to now. That said, that one part in the trailer where a guy takes nearly ten automatic sniper bullets before dying certainly raised an eyebrow.
Tepid
Immortals of Aveum
The Immortals of Aveum trophies are set to launch alongside the game sometime this year, and to be perfectly honest, we're still to be convinced. The latest trailer was gameplay heavy, and we're hoping it's charitable to say that the gameplay doesn't translate perfectly to extensive footage, because it left a very stiff-looking impression.
Concord
Thrilled as we are to finally see something of Firewalk Studios' first project with the Concord announcement, we'd be a lot more excited if we had more than a logo to work with.
Fairgames
Similarly to Concord, we're thrilled to finally put a face to a name, and the Fairgames announcement does finally show us a little of what Haven Studios has been working on after becoming a PlayStation Studio. Without gameplay or even really a key hook, however, we're going to need a much better look some other time to rate this any higher.
Tower of Fantasy
Tower of Fantasy is an anime game with a lot of laser beams in the trailer, and aside from being the second game showcased with 'Tower' in the title, there wasn't a lot that stood out about it. It looks good, sure, but then anime-looking games have been pretty much flawless looking for years now, so maybe a bit more of a hook was needed this time around.
Granblue Fantasy Relink
Announced eons ago for the PS4 as a PlatinumGames title before the developers passed the game on, Granblue Fantasy Relink finally emerges from development hell with some flashy graphics and not a lot else to really stand out from the waves of actions games on PS5 these days. Perhaps a soundtrack with contributions from classic Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu will ultimately sway us, but we can't say Granblue Fantasy Relink is setting our world on fire.
Destiny 2 The Final Shape
Destiny 2 got a new trailer featuring the return of Cayde-6 — a thrilling reveal for Destiny fans and Nathan Fillon fans alike. That said, I mean, we've either all got the Destiny 2 trophies by now or we don't, it's still hardly headline news.
Street Fighter 6
Don't get us wrong, Street Fighter 6 looks immaculate and we can't wait to sink our teeth into those upcoming Street Fighter 6 trophies on June 2nd, 2023. That said, we've seen plenty of Street Fighter 6 by this point, and if the action didn't sell you before, we hardly imagine the "story" is going to.
Ice Cold
Arizona Sunshine 2
Arizona Sunshine 2 actually has a pretty good trailer — it's not exactly funny, but it's at least cute. Though if you're going to pitch us a PS VR2 zombie shooter, you at least have to show us some gameplay, especially when it's supposed to be out later this year. Otherwise, it might look like you've got something to hide.
Teardown
Teardown was a remarkably successful indie game from 2022 and we're thrilled to see Teardown trophies coming to PS5, but it's a hard game to sell in a trailer. The feats that make the game technically impressive, like its freeform destruction physics, are more thrilling in action than in supercut format, and in the middle of a PS5 showcase it looked awkward.
Beat Saber
Virtual reality musical savants will be thrilled that Beat Saber trophies are coming to PS VR2, but see one Beat Saber trailer, seen them all.
Cat Quest Pirates of the Purribean
Personally, I'm thrilled that the adorable Cat Quest is getting a sequel, but I'm not going to pretend that the promise of earning Cat Quest Pirates of the Purrbean trophies on PS5 warranted a spot anywhere near this PlayStation Showcase. Cat Quest was one of those games you picked up in a sale that turned out to be quite good — that doesn't mean its sequel required the full spotlight to sell.
Five Nights at Freddy's Help Wanted 2
The Five Nights at Freddy's VR spin-offs are certainly welcome to keep existing, but hogging precious real estate in a PlayStation Showcase smacks of filler. From the trailer, we learned that the new Five Nights at Freddy's game will be another Five Nights at Freddy's game — thrilling stuff. Surely the cross-section of people who own a PS VR2 and who want to play another one of these games must be abysmally low.
Foamstars
Lord, Square Enix — where to even start with this one? Foamstar immediately gets our bones itching with the stiff Fortnite aesthetic, and then in a speculator show of false confidence, it reveals it's taking shots at Splatoon's crown. If we found out that this game was inspired by a conversation two Square Enix execs had at a foam party, we wouldn't be shocked in the slightest — that ominous whiff of corporate trend-chasing and out-of-touch moon logic couldn't be more evident.
The publisher's previous live-service attempt ended in tears when Babylon's Fall's platinum trophy became unobtainable, so confidence in Foamstar's success couldn't be lower. Hopefully, this is just the last throes of the dying AAA live-service push, the last game Square Enix needs shoved out and taken offline before developers can go back to trying anything else.
What were your highlights and lowlights from the PlayStation Showcase? Is there anything on our list you disagree with? Were you hoping for more reveals? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!