If youre just discovering PlayStation 5 a few years after its debut, youve arrived at a great time. Sonys in-house studios have produced some of their best work in this generation, exploiting the technical prowess of the console while crafting vast narratives and interesting characters. Meanwhile, both major third-party studios and tiny indie developers have exploited the machine and its innovative controller to astounding effect.Astro BotLuscious Astro Bot. Photograph: Sony/Team AsobiSonys luscious 3D platformer sees the eponymous space robot stranded on a distant planet with his hundreds of adorable companions. All the parts of his mothership are guarded by a colourful array of bosses, and you must put it back together.Why we love it: Its one of the best platformers Ive ever played and, as a child of the 90s, I truly have played a ton of them. Read the full review.Baldurs Gate 3One of the greatest role-playing fantasy games of the modern era Baldurs Gate 3. Photograph: Larian StudiosOne of the greatest role-playing fantasy games of the modern era, providing players with almost as much narrative and imaginative freedom as a table-top D&D adventure as they face off against the mighty mind-flayers.Why we love it: Its a towering landmark of an RPG. Bustling with life, brimming with scope, and bursting with imagination. Read the full review.CocoonThe game the world didnt know it needed Cocoon. Photograph: Geometric Interactive/AnnapurnaThe world didnt know it needed a video game about a beetle that can traverse distant worlds in order to solve intergalactic puzzles but it turns out we did. A beautiful, strange, gloopily organic mystery tour.Why we love it: Self-assured, understated, impactful sound and visuals support the most quietly brilliant puzzle game to emerge in years.Death StrandingUnlike anything else Death Stranding. Photograph: Sony Computer EntertainmentHideo Kojimas elegiac science-fiction adventure is like nothing else youll ever play: a post-apocalyptic quest to save humanity, following a parcel courier with an extremely valuable and unlikely parcel.Why we love it: This uncompromising, unashamedly political work of artistic intent is 2019s most interesting blockbuster game by a distance. Read the full review.Demons SoulsEndlessly rewarding Demons Souls. Photograph: SonyBefore Dark Souls came FromSoftwares original hacknslash masterwork: a dark, dread-filled brawl through the ruined kingdom of Boletaria. This remake carefully updates the visuals, combat and structure to forge something new and equally deadly.Why we love it: One of the most quietly significant games of the 00s has been transformed here into a visually incredible, endlessly rewarding dark fantasy.Elden RingSpectacular landscapes Elden Ring. Photograph: Bandai NamcoA grandiose fantasy opera from the makers of Dark Souls, filled with spectacular landscapes, bizarre characters and seemingly insurmountable bosses. Complete with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC its a challenging and engrossing open world like no other.Why we love it: This is a massive world, astonishingly rendered (the sun and moon wheel in the sky, casting each scene anew) and seemingly limitless in its creative diversity. It is an unrivalled feat of design and inventiveness. Read the full review.Final Fantasy VII RemakeRevolutionary Final Fantasy VII Remake. Photograph: Square EnixThe first in an epic reimagining of Squares revolutionary role-playing adventure from 1997, with lavish new visuals and extended sequences.Why we love it: Final Fantasy VII Remake elevates the original to new heights. It looks spectacularly good, but, more importantly, its gameplay has acquired a modern sheen without losing what made the game distinct in the first place. Read the full review.God of War RagnarkGripping, detailed and imaginative God of War: Ragnark. Photograph: APThe sequel to Sony Santa Monicas incredible reboot of the revered mythological action adventure series. This time, hero Kratos and his teenage son must explore the frozen landscapes of Scandinavia to find a lost god and prevent the end of the world.Why we love it: There havent been many interpretations of ancient mythology as gripping, detailed and imaginative as this, in video games or any other medium. Read the full review.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionGran Turismo 7A stunning 4K makeover Gran Turismo 7. Photograph: Sony Interactive EntertainmentThe landmark PlayStation driving simulator gets a stunning 4K makeover and a vast array of meticulously modelled super cars.Why we love it: This is a jaw-slackeningly beautiful game. Each vehicle is fettled in obsessive detail, down to the exact arrangement of reflective elements in an individual cars headlights. Read the full review.Helldivers 2Everything about this game is ridiculous including how good it is Helldivers 2. Photograph: Sony Computer EntertainmentA thrilling co-op space shooter and a glorious pastiche of Starship Troopers, in which players land on a series of planets to blow deadly robots, giant insects and other alien scum to smithereens.Why we love it: It is so precise, its gunplay so invigorating, its feedback and effects so generous. Everything about this game is ridiculous, including how good it is. Read the full review.The Last of Us Parts I and II RemasteredA landmark for the industry The Last of Us Part II Remastered. Photograph: Sony Computer EntertainmentVulnerable teen Ellie and cynical survivor Joel fight their way through the apocalyptic states of America looking for the cure to a zombifying fungal infection and then must deal with the consequences of what they discover. Updated for PS5, Naughty Dogs brutal yet beautiful adventure games are industry landmarks.Why we love it: Experiencing this brutal adventure once again, in a visually and haptically enhanced format, was a bludgeoning experience, as exhausting, moving and invigorating as my first playthrough. Read the full review.Marvels Spider-Man 2Lovingly envisaged Marvels Spider-Man 2. Photograph: SonyPeter Parker and Miles Morales team up to defeat Venom and a cabal of super villains threatening to destroy their lives, loved ones and the entire city of New York.Why we love it: It is a genuine pleasure to play something that has been so lovingly envisaged, and which is so true to its source material. Its a game everyone with a PS5 should experience. Read the full review.Ratchet & Clank: Rift ApartA shower of sensory feedback Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. Photograph: Insomniac GamesTwo furry heroes warp between worlds to defeat an evil galactic emperor in a visually astounding multiverse adventure.Why we love it: This is a blissfully uncomplicated cartoon science-fiction escapade Everything you do feels good and showers you with sensory feedback, whether visually, aurally or through the controllers haptic rumble. Read the full review.ReturnalGlorious to play Returnal. Photograph: Sony Computer EntertainmentAfter crash-landing on a hostile alien planet, sole-survivor Selene must escape a nightmarish cycle of life and death if she is to get away. A merciless time loop shooter.Why we love it: Its unforgiving and sometimes dispiriting, but also intriguing, mysterious, and just glorious to play. Read the full review.Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves CollectionRollicking fun Uncharted 4. Photograph: Sony Computer EntertainmentNathan Drake hunts for a lost pirate treasure in Uncharted 4, while high-class thief Chloe Frazer searches India for the fabled Tusk of Ganesh in The Lost Legacy. Two wonderful globe-trotting adventures, remastered for PS5.Why we love it: Uncharted 4 is a rollicking, globe-trotting adventure that manages to be funny and exciting, yet also touched with sadness. Read the full review.