Sony unveiled a packed slate of new PS5 games at its latest PlayStation State of Play presentation on Tuesday (September 24).
The highlights included a sequel to the stunning samurai epic Ghost of Tsushima, a remastered collection of the first two Legacy of Kain games, and expansions for must-play titles Astro Bot and Alan Wake 2.
The event encompassed more than 20 updates and announcements for PS5 and PS VR2 games. PlayStation lynchpin Mark Cerny also reminded viewers about the upcoming PS5 Pro, which will be available to pre-order on Thursday (September 26).
Sony had much to prove with the new State of Play. The show came after it was forced to remove its online multiplayer game Concord from stores due to a lack of players. Meanwhile, the PS5 Pro’s steep price has turned off plenty of gamers. But, boy did Sony deliver the goods.
State of Play: the biggest games and trailers
Here are the State of Play games you can look forward to playing this year and next, alongside their trailers.
Ghost of Yotei
Release date: 2025
Developer Sucker Punch is painting on a fresh canvas with the Ghost of Tsushima sequel.
The new game, set 300 years after the events of the original in 1601, introduces a change of scenery and a new protagonist. Atsu, a female warrior, replaces Jin Sakai as the new roving hero hunted by ruthless ronins.
While we’re still in ancient Japan, the game is now set in the foothills of Mount Yotei, an area filled with grasslands and snow tundras, which will soon be streaked with blood.
The first trailer is filled with familiar sights, from bone-shaking swordfights to breathtaking scenes on horseback.
Next year is already bursting with new blockbusters, led by GTA 6 and Borderlands 4, but Yotei will be up there with the best of them.
Astro Bot DLC
Release date: Autumn
Sony’s answer to Mario is a frenetic platformer that will have you marvelling at its level design and cursing its difficulty in equal measure.
As recently teased by developer Team Asobi, Astro Bot is getting a free expansion this autumn, with five new speedrun levels and 10 more bots to rescue, including a Helldiver and Eve from Stellar Blade.
More DLCs are also on the cards by the sounds of things.
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
Release date: October 31
Seven years after its release, Horizon Zero Dawn is getting an upgrade designed to bring its visuals in line with its sequel, 2022’s Horizon Forbidden West. Together, the two games tell the story of Aloy, a skilled hunter navigating a post-apocalyptic US dominated by robotic animals, where humanity has been forced into a prehistoric state.
The remastered version promises graphically enhanced characters, with 10 hours of re-recorded motion capture for dialogue.
Although games don’t age as quickly as they used to, the upgrade should still be a good entry point for newcomers.
And if you already own the original, Sony is offering the remaster for just a tenner. Additionally, your saved data will be transferred, allowing you to continue your journey seamlessly.
Lego Horizon Adventures
Release date: November 14
Aloy lives out her dreams of becoming a DJ in Lego Horizon Adventures, a tongue-in-cheek take on the action-packed RPG.
Depending on your mood, the robot slaying may take a back seat to building your village and trying new outfits.
Oh, and did we mention it has rollercoasters?
Alan Wake 2: The Lake House
Release date: October
The second expansion to the eerie detective yarn, Alan Wake 2, will see players probing a haunted research facility.
The site in question sits on the outskirts of Bright Falls, the Twin Peaks-style town where the game takes place, on the shores of Cauldron Lake. Players will control special agent Kiran Estevez as she investigates the aftermath of a horrific event at the dimly lit depot established by the game’s paranormal bureau, the FBC.
The first trailer, with its corridor of butchered corpses, looks like Silent Hill by way of an episode of the X-Files directed by gore-meister Fede Alvarez.
Hell is Us
Release date: 2025
Hideo Kojima’s fingerprints are all over this supernatural action game, despite the Metal Gear Solid creator not being involved.
Even the main character, with his Gore-Tex overcoat and accompanying drone, looks like Norman Reedus’s delivery driver in Death Stranding. Fans of that game should lap this up, thanks to its desolate, fog-shrouded setting and unsettling, face-less monsters.
Armed with only a sword, you’ll have to get close to the tortured beings to defeat them.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered
Release Date: December 10
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered is heading to PS5 and PS4 to mark the series’s silver jubilee. With the days getting shorter and the nights longer, December is the perfect time to experience the story of Raziel, a vampire out for revenge against one of his kind.
You’ll encounter puzzles and mutated enemies as you jump between the martial and spectral realms. By ditching loading screens, the originals were hailed as groundbreaking during their time.
The trailer for the new bundle featured plenty of screen wipes to show off the improved visuals. Alas, this isn’t a remake so don’t expect a massive overhaul. But, it should scratch that itch for PS1 fans.
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, the first title in the series, is also being added to the PS Plus Premium library, with fellow classic Dino Crisis, later this year.
ArcheAge Chronicles
Release date: 2025
It looks like the creators of the ArcheAge series have been taking tips from Elden Ring and Fable. Everything looks bigger and darker this time round.
Developer XLGAMES promises a vast open world dotted by forests, deserts, cities, and oceans. Of course, there’s a revamped combat system that should appeal to players raised on a diet of fiendishly difficult Soulslikes.
Plus, an entire in-game economy revolves around crafting possessions and building homesteads.
Is it overpromising to stand out in a cluttered field of fantasy RPGs? We’ll find out when ArcheAge Chronicles arrives next year.
Fear the Spotlight
Release date: October 22
The first title from Blumhouse Games, the prolific horror movie studio’s gaming unit, is drenched in late-nineties nostalgia.
The pixelated graphics are plucked straight from PS1; a girl, who looks the spitting image of the teen from the Japanese horror flick Ringum, roams the halls; and was that a Ouija board mini-game we spotted?
It’s even set in a high school called Sunnyside High, which sounds like the type of place you’d rub shoulders with Buffy and Sidney from Scream. Best of all, it’s out in time for Halloween.
Towers of Aghasba
Release date: November
This city-building, monster-hunting open-world adventure resembles a mashup of some of the last decade’s best RPGs and life sims. Think Zelda: Breath of the Wild meets Stardew Valley.
Restoring life to a barren landscape, you can build out your villages for your growing tribe and even visit your mates’ creations in multiplayer.
The game will be released for early access on PS5 and PC in November.
PS5 Pro
Naturally, the souped-up PS5 Pro appeared during the State of Play presentation, with system architect Mark Cerny on hand to lead us through a new montage trailer.
The clip showed off more than a dozen titles running on the more powerful hardware. The games included Alan Wake 2, Demon’s Souls, Star Wars Jedi Survivor, The First Descendant, Dragon’s Dogma 2, and more.
Everything else
Alongside the big new games, there were a smattering of new trailers for previously announced titles and upcoming DLCs. We’ve listed them in full below:
- Palword is out now for the PS5
- Stellar Blade is getting a Nier Automata-themed expansion
- The Midnight Walk is a claymation-style dark fantasy for PS5 and PS VR2
- Lego Fortnite is getting split-screen support
- TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge - Radical Reptiles introduces two new characters to the game (Mondo Gecko and Mona Lisa)
- Sonic x Shadow Generations is getting a DLC inspired by the upcoming Sonic 3 movie.
- The PS5 Chroma Collection features shimmering neon console panels and controllers
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard has a new trailer that showcases more of its action and combat.
- Dynasty Warriors Origins is out on January 17, 2025.
- Monster Hunter Wilds’ new trailer stars a flagship beast named the White Wraith.
- Lunar Remastered Collection combines Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete in one epic JRPG package - it’s out in Spring 2025.
- Metro Awakening is a new PS VR 2 horror action game scheduled for November 7.
- Hitman World of Assassination is a PS VR 2 spinoff featuring 21 locations and is out in December.
- Fantasian Neo Dimension, from Final Fantasy lynchpin Hironobu Sakaguchi, arrives December 5.
