Update: With Concord and Astro Bot released (and delisted in Concord's case) for PS5, we've updated both Firewalk and Team Asobi's developer rankings!
Welcome to the PlayStation Studios guide of every Sony-owned team making games for PS5. This PlayStation Studios guide features all upcoming games, information about each developer, and a ranking of every team. From Naughty Dog and Bungie's new spin-off team to Firewalk making Concord and Team Asobi making Astro Bot — here are all 21 Sony and PlayStation Studios.
Sony Studios — every PlayStation Studio and the PS5 games they are developing
Sony has 21 developers. Under the PlayStation Studios banner, 20 active teams operate to pump out PS5 games every year.
Some teams are large (like Marvel's Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games), some are medium-sized (like Returnal developer Housemarque), some are mobile or PC port-focused (Neon Koi and Nixxes), and some are support studios (like Valkyrie Entertainment). One developer operates outside this publishing label — Destiny developer Bungie — but we have included the former Halo dev for its close association with the PS Studios label and a part of Sony.
This guide will give you a short synopsis of each team, the PS5 game they currently have in development, their last game, and a ranking for each team based on its current form. We define form as how strong the developers' last game was, current happenings in the news, as well as the potential of the next title.
Without further ado, here are all 21 PlayStation Studios and Sony-owned developers, ranked.
Platinum
A studio that has achieved it all in game development to the highest tier possible
Naughty Dog
- Last game: The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered released in 2024
- Next game(s): The Last of Us Part III and a new fantasy IP
- Known for: Uncharted, The Last of Us, Jak and Daxter, Crash Bandicoot
Naughty Dog has been best in class for cinematics, story, environmental design, set-pieces, characters, and gameplay for a long time now. ‘Greatness Awaits’ is a PlayStation slogan best personified by Naughty Dog. The dev team deserves nothing less than the highest honor in the world of PlayStation: to be called a platinum studio.
However, Naughty Dog's latest The Last of Us multiplayer project was canceled, and its upcoming rumored new single-player games — The Last of Us Part III and a new fantasy IP — might take years. That makes this the trickiest position the studio has been in since the start of the PS3 era, although here's hoping our favorite team pulls through!
Insomniac Games
- Last game: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 released in 2023
- Next game(s): According to a hack of internal documentation we have Marvel's Wolverine (2026), Marvel's Spider-Man 3 (2028), Ratchet & Clank (2029), and Marvel's X-Men (2030)
- Known for: Marvel's Spider-Man, Ratchet & Clank, Resistance, Spyro, Fuse
Insomniac Games continues to roll out ludicrously high-quality games at a lightning-fast pace. Having settled into making great first-party games under Sony's ownership, Insomniac has become invaluable. Giving the dev team a Platinum Studio award for its complete trophy list of abilities, end-product, and fun IP is more than deserved!
However, I give this rank with more caution than I would have done before a recent leak hit the studio. The slate of upcoming games is incredibly Marvel-heavy and — if you are like us at TrueTrophies — the superhero fatigue has settled in. Also, as Lee noted in his Marvel's Spider-Man 2 review, the game was very much of what we've already seen from the series; something that may further lend itself to a growing sense of Insomniac stagnating.
Gold
Great games already notched for the studio and primed to make more
Santa Monica Studio
- Last game: God of War Ragnarök released in 2022 and the Valhalla expansion released in 2023
- Next game(s): More God of War seems likely, alongside a new IP under the stewardship of God of War (2018) director Cory Barlog.
- Known for: God of War, Kinetica
Santa Monica has talent, can make a game feel great, and exudes confidence in our post-Ragnarök world. The team has helped curate fantastic experiences from other development teams in the past, but has not replicated that outstanding God of War-level output over multiple IPs. It might feel like I'm being a little too hard on the game by just giving it a gold studio ranking. Make no mistake though, Studio Santa Monica is a great developer.
With God of War still full of potential in the future and the God of War Valhalla DLC proving the team can produce in small doses, the future looks bright. In particular, the fact that director Cory Barlog is possibly working on a secret new IP has us more excited for the future of Studio Santa Monica than any other team!
Team Asobi
- Last game: Astro Bot released in 2024
- Next game: Unknown
- Known for: Astro Bot, Astro's Playroom, Astrobot Rescue Mission
Team Asobi has made a Game of the Year contender with Astro Bot for PS5. Only the top tiers of PlayStation Studios can achieve such a feat, so, naturally, we find this tiny team among the big dogs of PlayStation gaming in the gold tier.
With Astro's Playroom for PS5 and Astro Bot Rescue Mission on the PS VR, Team Asobi now has a history of producing excellent games, too. I think that there is only room for this team to grow and thanks to Astro Bot, the team is already a fan favorite!
Guerrilla Games
- Last game: Horizon Forbidden West released in 2022 and expansion Horizon Burning Shores released in 2023
- Next game(s): publishing LEGO Horizon Adventures in 2024, a Horizon multiplayer project was leaked, and Horizon 3 looks likely
- Known for: Horizon, Killzone, Shellshock: Nam '67
Guerrilla Games made a success of the PS4 generation and compounded its high-level output with Horizon Forbidden West. The team is now home base for PlayStation operations in Europe. With a great PS5 game and an essential role in PlayStation's European operations, this studio is just below Studio Santa Monica in the gold trophy ranking.
Naturally, the studio was caught up in the live-service games initiative from Sony. While I will hold judgment until the game is out, co-op machine hunting sounds like a fairly sensible fit even if I am slightly bored of the live-service scene. Horizon 3 holds plenty of promise too, especially if it wraps up the PS5 generation with a bang just as Horizon Zero Dawn did for the PS4 before it.
San Diego Studio
- Last game: MLB The Show 24 released in 2024
- Next game: a MLB The Show 25 will inevitably release in 2025
- Known for: MLB The Show
San Diego Studio is a team of talented developers capable of making great baseball games but is often forgotten about amongst the PlayStation Studios. With MLB The Show 24, the team continues to pump out high-quality sports games. Once again, their classic baseball sim has rocked the park even if it remains looks very familiar. That shoots San Diego Studio into the gold studio tier and it will be retained unless there is a substantial drop-off in quality.
Silver
Made a great game, has plenty of potential, or serves a vital purpose
Sucker Punch
- Last game: Ghost of Tsushima released in 2020
- Next game: a Ghost of Tsushima sequel looks like it be next
- Known for: Ghost of Tsushima, Infamous, Sly Cooper
Sucker Punch is an interesting studio to rank because it has made solid games without ever missing. If I could give Sucker Punch something in between the silver and gold studio ranks, I would. I feel like the team needs to replicate the quality of Ghost of Tsushima and deliver a little more than a ‘refined’ classic Ubisoft-style open-world game to reach the gold tier, so until then it remains a silver studio in my books.
Housemarque
- Last game: Returnal released in 2021
- Next game: a new IP as of yet unconfirmed
- Known for: Returnal, Resogun, Dead Nation, Super Stardust
Housemarque's amazing arcade games have been staples of every iteration of the modern PlayStation console: everlasting gobstoppers that don’t ever age badly. Returnal was the perfect step into the world of AAA-looking PS5 games.
With a new IP in the works, the team holds a lot of promise for the future, too! However, after years of struggle with Stormdivers and the slight imperfections with Returnal, I think a strong silver ranking feels like a suitable spot.
Polyphony Digital
- Last game: Gran Turismo 7 released in 2022
- Next game: it will inevitably be Gran Turismo 8
- Known for: Gran Turismo, Tourist Trophy
Gran Turismo 7 had a rocky launch and, while it has its loyal followers, it is behind the pace of other competitive GT racers like Assetto Corsa and iRacing. Polyphony Digital is a little too slow at making games, possibly because of the very passion that drives the studio to success.
In my opinion, the Gran Turismo series needs a kick of innovation to succeed in the future despite how good the last entry was on the track. So, I've demoted Polyphony from the gold to silver rank until the team shifts up another gear.
Bluepoint Games
- Last game: Demon's Souls released in 2020
- Next game: a new IP, supposedly
- Known for: High-quality remakes including Uncharted The Nathan Drake Collection, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, and more
That gold ranking feels on the cusp for Bluepoint, having hit it out of the park with the Demon’s Souls (2020) remake and Shadow of the Colossus (2018) remakes. However, recent news about the team making “original content” seems risky given the fact that it hasn't yet made anything original (aside from a PS3 Mini called Blast Factor in 2006).
Honestly, if it was only making remakes and remasters then Bluepoint would be higher up the ranking. Therefore, I am putting the team at the silver rank until the team can be fully assessed in this new frontier.
Bronze
One of the less-prominent studios, or one that is as-of-yet unproven
Bend Studio
- Last game: Day's Gone released in 2019
- Next game: new IP, reportedly
- Known for: Day's Gone, Syphon Filter
What a strange old studio! With Bend's long history with Syphon Filter and nearly as long downtime between recent projects, it appears to be back on track. So, I'm excited for the future of Bend Studio, but wish that the team had not been messed around by Sony after Days Gone. As a reflection of the current situation at the studio, it is a bronze ranking with plenty of room to maneuver.
Firesprite
- Last game: Horizon Call of the Mountain released in 2023
- Next game: Unknown
- Known for: Horizon Call of the Mountain, The Persistance, The Playroom VR
Liverpool-based team Firesprite has been primarily operating as a VR developer, but the next project mightn't be of that ilk. Reportedly, a Twisted Metal project was canceled by Sony, though that unpublished work can't detract from Firesprite's work on Horizon Call of the Mountain (which offers some of PS VR2's best gaming).
Indeed, considering the humongous amount of staff on the team, it does feel like the team is prepping for something big. We feel comfortable plopping Firesprite in the bronze tier until further assessment can be made after Horizon Call of the Mountain's moderate success.
Bungie
- Last game: Destiny 2 released in 2017, most recent expansion The Final Shape released in 2024
- Next game: Marathon at an unknown date
- Known for: Halo, Marathon, Destiny
Bungie is a Sony-owned team, but it isn't a PlayStation Studio and is functionally independent making multiplatform games. The team was once 900-strong but has faced a multitude of massive layoffs and will be integrated into Sony (and possibly PS Studios) after reports of total mismanagement. The result is that Bungie, at the moment, looks like it has very little of the identity that brought it success in the first place.
With Destiny 2's The Final Shape expansion out on PS5, the reception was good with some great last-chapter content. The live-service dreams Sony harbored seemed to rest with Bungie's ability to deliver, but that hasn't materialized and they seem to have taken several strides backward. Therefore, we can't rank Bungie higher than functioning PlayStation Studios. It's left Bungie relying on extraction shooter Marathon having lost nearly a third of its staff.
Firewalk Studios
- Last game: Concord released for PS5 and PC in 2024
- Next game: Unknown as Firewalk Studios works on the next steps for Concord
- Known for: Producing a spectacular live-service failure that dies in two weeks
Firewalk Studios was acquired by Sony to make a live-service arena shooter. While the team certainly made a game with sci-fi 5v5 game Concord, it was immediately roundly rejected by pretty much everyone. That led to one of the most spectacular moves in Sony history: recalling the game after two weeks and refunding everybody.
Even though Concord was fine (not good, fine), that kind of failure cannot get you higher than a bronze trophy. Firewalk only ranks higher than Media Molecule because it managed to make and publish a game for PS5. Hopefully, Firewalk can claim a higher spot with a Concord rerelease that fixes all the issues!
Media Molecule
- Last game: Dreams released in 2020
- Next game: Unknown
- Known for: LittleBigPlanet, Tearaway, Dreams
You are mad at me for putting Media Molecule at the bottom of the ranking, I get it. I'm a huge LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway fan, too! The problem that explains this ranking is just how entwined Media Molecule's success was with the failed game-making game Dreams (a great idea that was poorly thought out). Like Bungie and Firesprite under Sony's banner, Media Molecule has felt mismanaged.
Can you imagine if Dreams had been a multi-platform game on PC, Game Pass, and as a PS5 pack-in? I'm sad I can't recognize the talent residing in the knitting basket of Media Molecule with the ranking. However, with Dreams' support canceled and no forthcoming project, the future of Media Molecule is not looking good.
Unearned
Has yet to show its talent
Haven Studios
- Last game: No game released yet
- Next game: Fairgames to be released in 2024/25
- Known for: being Sony's first Canadian studio
Haven Studios, headed by industry veteran Jade Raymond, is leading the charge on the Canada-based development scene. The team is making a heist-style live-service social game called Fairgames. It's about robbing the pesky billionaires running society with your mates. However, without anything playable or released for Fairgames yet, I am placing them in the unearned ranking.
Bungie Incubation Studio
Bungie Incubation Studio
- Last game: No game released yet
- Next game: a team-based sci-fi fantasy action game
- Known for: surviving the Bungie fallout
With Bungie going off the rails, Sony decided to create a new Bungie spin-off studio from one of its intubation teams. It will be folded into the PlayStation Studios group while working on a new sci-fi fantasy game that sounds very much like a live-service title. For the moment, though, it's impossible to rate the team!
Neon Koi
- Last game: No game released yet
- Next game: unknown mobile game
- Known for: leading Sony's new mobile initiative
Neon Koi (formerly Savage Game Studios) is a mobile developer and has been bought by Sony. It was seemingly based on an attempt to expand into the mobile sector, though we've heard nothing about that initiative for a while now. Without any game development history — the studio was only formed in 2020 — and without any announced projects, Neon Koi remains in the unearned ranking.
Hidden
There is something there, but harder work is needed to unearth it
Nixxes Software
- Games worked on: Horizon Forbidden West for PC (2024) Marvel's Spider-Man for PC (2022), Ghost of Tsushima for PC (2024)
- Next games: Unknown
- Role in PlayStation Studios: porting PS5 games to PC
Nixxes Software has produced some solid PC ports and, interestingly, the PlayStation Studios PC games published without Nixxes' help have suffered from a noticeable drop in quality (The Last of Us Part 1, Horizon Zero Dawn). This makes us think the team seems talented at what it does: PC porting. So, while Nixxes remains in the shadowy hidden tier, it certainly does great work for PlayStation Studios.
XDEV
- Games worked on: Sackboy A Big Adventure (2020) Returnal (2021), Rise of the Ronin (2024), Stellar Blade (2024)
- Next games: Unknown
- Role in PlayStation Studios: establishing connections with third- and second-party partners, assisting in development
XDEV has a very different role from any other PlayStation Studio on this list. Thinking about the team in a development capacity is limiting. XDEV is more like the connective tissue between different components of PlayStation, Sony, and the development teams. Since the team isn't quite an outright developer we've given them a hidden ranking.
Valkyrie Entertainment
- Games worked on: God of War Ragnarök (2020) Returnal (2021), Rise of the Ronin (2024)
- Next game: Unknown
- Role in PlayStation Studios: Support studio
Valkyrie works with art assets and development assistance and has done so in the shadows of big AAA games. We can't help but think this team loves to graft. Now, under the PlayStation Studios label, we hope it finds some fun in helping with a concentrated batch of PlayStation talent on a variety of projects. We might never understand the hard work going on at this studio, so let this hidden ranking reflect the mysterious talent of Valkyrie!
PlayStation Studios — the teams behind some of the
best PS5 games so far! Are there any upcoming PS5 exclusives catching your eye? Remember to comment with your version of the tier list for the studios, or any observations. See you down there, TrueTrophies team!