Congratulations: you have a PlayStation 5 in your hands! Nearly three years after launch, the global PS5 shortage is a thing of the past and the console is selling better than ever. Now that you've finally gotten Sony's latest gaming console, there's just one simple question: what will you play on it first? Do not worry. We have the answers.
The PlayStation 5 has amassed a significant library of exciting games since its launch in 2020, from spectacular first-party exclusives to stellar third-party releases. Here at Polygon, we've put together our top picks for which games new PS5 owners should play first to get the most out of their new console.
There are plenty more games to choose from than just what's on this list, as evidenced by our comprehensive list of the best games on PlayStation 5. Here are our recommendations on where to start before you start gaming to your heart's content.
Image: PlayStation/Twitch
Everyone with these two qualities loves Astro's playroom. First of all, they have a copy of it Astro's playroom and second, they played that instance Astro's playroom. Normally there wouldn't be much distance between these two properties; However, Astro's playroom comes bundled with the PlayStation 5 and as a result I often worry that it goes unnoticed because Big AAA Game is the priority.
So I'm here to make sure that you, as someone with refined taste, don't make that mistake. Fire up Astro's playroom and be rewarded with a charming three-hour journey that's equal parts PlayStation 5 tutorial and PlayStation history tour with just enough precise platforming that you might just go back and clean up the mess… make that four, none five hours of. And when, unfortunately, it's all over, you can do that queue the soundtrack on repeat (shout out to “I'm Your GPU”) and begin the long, painful process of waiting for its successor. —Christopher Grant
Image: CD Project Rood
Set in the dystopian world of Mike Pondsmith's Cyberpunk tabletop universe, CD Projekt Red's open-world first-person role-playing game has been on a wild ride over the past three years. An infamous and broken initial release in 2020 turned into a critical reappraisal following the game's 1.5 patch and the exuberant reception of the game's first (and only) expansion. Cyberpunk 2077 has undergone one of the most dramatic redemption arcs seen from any game in recent years. After all that has been said and done, you probably only have two questions: Is Cyberpunk 2077 worth playing? Is the game finally 'fixed'?
The answer to both questions is yes, and there's never been a better time than now to play it. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition comes complete with the original 60-hour base game, in addition to this year's Phantom freedom expansion, as well as any subsequent fixes, updates, and free content added to the game after launch. Make your way through the dark future of the streets of Night City and make a name for yourself as a legend among the city's mercenaries. —Toussaint Egan
Image: Square Enix
The PlayStation 5 glow-up version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake includes not only the award-winning original game, but also the PS5 exclusive DLC starring Yuffie, a hyperactive teenage girl activist with far more emotional energy than the moody Cloud Strife. But if you are a new PS5 owner who hasn't played FF7 remake on the PS4, Intergrade is even more of a must-have. Even though the word 'remake' is in the title, FF7 remake is much more than that, as it is a total reinterpretation of the original 1997 RPG story. —Maddy Myers
Image: SIE San Diego Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment
If you're a baseball fan and own a PS5 (or an Xbox Series But I would highly recommend the 2023 edition regardless of your feelings about the sport, thanks to the great new Storylines mode, which allows players to learn and relive the history of Negro League baseball.
The mode tells the stories of Negro League legends like Satchel Paige through sequences where you play as them in period uniforms and ballparks. These segments are accompanied by educational videos narrated by the charismatic president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Bob Kendrick, that provide more color on the careers and lives of these athletes – without shying away from the terrible reality of life under segregation . Major League Baseball is undertaking one long overdue attempt to acknowledge and grapple with this shameful historyand doing it in a video game MLB The Show 23 a truly special work. —Samit Sarkar
Image: Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon
Recurring is one of the games you absolutely must play on PS5, simply because there is nothing like it on the platform. Honestly, there isn't anything like it anywhere else. Most bullet hell games give you the benefit of a bird's eye view: far enough away that you can swing through the barrage of projectiles from a short distance, hopefully safely. Recurringmeanwhile, throws you right into the middle of it all.
The “fat of it” in this case is an exoplanet whose biomes resemble playable heavy metal album covers. Almost everywhere you go, some alien being draws a ceaseless flood of energy globules towards you. When you think you have dodged everything and eliminated your aggressors, you will undoubtedly die, and then you will die again, and then again (and again). Ultimately, thanks to perseverance and perseverance (and possibly a replacement DualSense controller or two), you won't die. And the subsequent feeling of victory? It is one of a kind. —Ari Notis