Alright, let's make one thing clear — I'm not happy with the current gaming generation when it comes to consoles. As an exclusive PlayStation-plus-PC guy since the PS4, I was quick to buy a PS5, and slow to realize just how terribly short the list of true exclusives on that console was. Am I happy that a lot of PlayStation games are now on PC where I can enjoy them with better framerates and mods? Absolutely. At the same time, there's just something special about kicking back on the La-Z-Boy and taking in a brilliant 'PlayStation exclusive'.

Now, that list may be short, and I'm really hoping it picks up in the next two years before the next PlayStation reportedly arrives, but until then, there are still some great exclusive games Sony has given us on the PS5. Out of all of them, very few have really stuck the landing, while others have sort of faded into obscurity already.

10 Destruction AllStars (2021)

Doomed from the start?

If ever there was a game that suffered because of its "PS5-exclusive" tag, it's Destruction AllStars. On paper, it's an idea that's very easy to love. Chaotic car combat mixed with on-foot gameplay, and unique vehicles? I was definitely interested in this, until the game dropped, that is. The flashy presentation may have screamed "next-gen", but it's the execution where Sony fumbled the game.

Sure, Destruction AllStars was enjoyable for a hot minute, but locking it behind PlayStation Plus instantly killed its momentum, not to mention the fact that it went from a full $70 game according to initial plans, to becoming a free PS Plus game, and then went for $20. Talk about a weird pricing cycle.

The truth is, online-only games live and die by their player count, and opening the game to PC players at the very least could have helped the game remain afloat. It's sad, too, because I will always believe the game held incredible promise, and yet, with its servers shutting down in 2024, there's nothing more to be said about this failed PS5 exclusive.

9 Stellar Blade (2024)

An immensely satisfying combat system propels this game above the others

I know Stellar Blade is playable on PC today, and, of course, I know about the mods, but Korean developer Shift Up's first AAA game, Stellar Blade, was a PS5 exclusive for fourteen months before coming to PC. And what a fantastic fourteen months that was, with the game becoming a sleeper hit on the console.

Sure, I'm not going to pretend that the overtly sexualized female characters didn't help sales, but pull all that away and underneath, there's a solid Soulslike game with infinitely rewarding combat. Could the story have done better? Yes, but that doesn't take away from the fact that, as a game, Stellar Blade is nothing short of absolutely stellar (the pun was right there, I'm sorry).

8 Returnal (2021)

A great roguelike that never had enough to warrant revisits

When Returnal dropped, it was meant to be one of those true PS5 experiences that was fast, beautiful, and punishing at the same time. In many ways, it certainly delivered on that promise, and the gunplay in the game was tight, the visuals were sick, and the core gameplay loop was remarkably impressive. Here's the problem though — it ran out of steam pretty quickly. For a roguelike, the pool of biomes, weapons, and upgrades felt limited to me, and that ended up making a lot of my runs feel repetitive instead of evolutionary.

At launch, there were problems with saving, too, and for players new to roguelikes or bullet-hell games, Returnal was a tough game to like and love. It found a second wind on PC, yes, but when the PS5 desperately needed defining launch titles, Returnal really felt more like a stopgap, because it was far from a system seller. I'd be happy to revisit Returnal today for a quick bout or two, but it's still not a game people will be talking about when they look back on the PS5 era.

7 Horizon Forbidden West (2022)

Aloy went to Hollywood, but the first game's charm didn't follow

On a technical level, Horizon Forbidden West is an absolute marvel of a game. Guerrilla Games really took Aloy to Hollywood, and the new setting was breathtaking. This was a genuine evolution of the Horizon Zero Dawn formula, and for all intents and purposes, it really worked. The problem? It never quite captured the same magic, because where Zero Dawn felt revolutionary on the PS4, Forbidden West felt... familiar. The beautiful open-world was bigger and flashier, yes, but was it as memorable? Sadly, no.

Hey, credit where credit is due though — three years after its launch, Horizon Forbidden West is still the best-looking PS5 exclusive game out there, thanks to whatever sorcery the Decima engine is capable of. At its highest highs, Forbidden West really is a phenomenal game that brings a smile to your face, but it just couldn't quite escape the shadow of its predecessor. And to make matters worse, the story this time genuinely felt contrived, bending over itself to find a reason to make a sequel. Compare that to the emotionally charged narrative of Zero Dawn where Aloy needs to know where she came from and her connection to her mom, and Forbidden West, at least narratively, fails to stand neck-and-neck with its own predecessor.

6 Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (2023)

A fantastic game, but not a great sequel

Marvel's Spider-Man in 2018 was the first game I ever pre-ordered and received on day one, and I still remember the absolute thrill and joy of playing as the webhead on the PlayStation 4. With the PS5, we got Miles Morales as a phenomenal launch title, which, despite its shorter campaign, was an 8/10 game.

With Spider-Man 2, I had all the high hopes in the world, because Insomniac was now ready to give us both Spider-Men in a bigger map with newer abilities, and, of course, the PS5's true capabilities. The core gameplay, however, remained the same, but with the 2018 game being the definitive Spider-Man story, it was only natural to expect the sequel's narrative to be just as good, if not better.

Sadly, it was neither, and the second half of the game was an immense drag. I couldn't believe it when I caught myself wondering when the game would be over, because, let's face it, Insomniac did jump the gun with Harry Osborne's Venom arc, and getting rid of the entire A-list of Spider-Man's rogues gallery was certainly... a decision. Between the terrible pacing of the second half and barely any new innovations in gameplay outside of the instant switch between the two superheroes and gliding as a mechanic, there was really nothing Marvel's Spider-Man 2 had to offer. It's a shame that despite its grand scale, brilliant graphics and smooth gameplay, the game does remain a disappointment in the bigger picture. Here's hoping the finale works everything out... and that it lands on the PS5 instead of the PS6.

5 Gran Turismo 7 (2022)

I wish this had been a launch title

I'll say this outright — Polyphony Digital is one studio with very few bad games, if any. Gran Turismo 7? That's proof that the "real driving simulator" is still the king on consoles, even with Forza Motorsport rebranding itself and pushing hard for the top spot. On the PlayStation 5, GT7 is one hundred percent the culmination of everything the series has ever done right. The handling is precise. The visuals are absurdly realistic, and the car roster? It shows an immense love for all things automotive from the team.

Here's the kicker, though. Put on a PSVR 2 headset, and suddenly, Gran Turismo 7 becomes untouchable. No other racing experience on any platform today comes close, because when you're sitting in the cockpit of a hypercar that only exists as an official concept in the real world, flying down a track at full speed, the VR immersion truly takes you to the tarmac. It's pure magic, and everyone must experience GT7 in VR at least once in their lives. I myself might be the kind of gamer who wants a story-driven narrative in his racing games, but even without one, Gran Turismo 7 is the definitive sim racer of this generation, and definitely one of the greatest games on the PlayStation 5.

4 Demon's Souls (2020)

A perfect remake that replaces the original completely

Another fantastic launch title that has held up the test of time half-a-decade later, Demon's Souls on the PS5 is a remake of FromSoft's game that birthed the Soulsborne genre as we know it, all the way back in 2009 for the PlayStation 3. It's the closest thing we have to a FromSoftware game exclusive to this generation, too, since Shadow of the Erdtree was a cross-generational release. Demon's Souls may have been remade by an entirely new team, but it does belong only on the PS5, and it clearly shows. Every texture, every shadow, and every grotesque enemy design feels painstakingly recreated, and all of that served to elevate an already legendary game into a modern masterpiece.

The game mechanics remain faithful to their (clunky) roots, but the visual upgrade? That made the game feel fresh for all Demon's Souls veterans, and a fantastic first Soulsborne experience for someone like me, who may never have played the original game, but loved every minute of this perfect remake.

3 Astro Bot (2024)

Not Kratos, not Aloy, and definitely not Sam Porter Bridges. It ended up being a cute little white robot with a squeaky voice that ended up becoming the mascot for PlayStation, and hey, he also got them a Game of the Year award. Astro Bot is a phenomenal game, and here, I can't stress the word 'game' enough. I'll admit I wasn't sold on it at first, but after trying it out, I couldn't believe just how much my cheeks hurt from smiling all the damn time while playing this game. It's also one of the first games I made my partner play, who's new to gaming.

It all started as a tech demo to show off the DualSense's capabilities, but ended up becoming a full-blown love letter to PlayStation's history, chock-full of charm, creativity, and more 'aww' moments than we could count. The best description for Astro Bot is that it feels like playing Super Mario 64 — a 3D platformer that feels so new and so good to play, with an insane level of polish and endearment involved. Forget the DualSense for a minute, and Astro Bot still manages to be a fantastic single-player adventure that manages to bring out the childlike joy in you that you'd forgotten you had during the SNES or N64 era.

2 God of War Ragnarök (2022)

An emotionally-charged masterpiece that's the best of the PlayStation

Sure, Ragnarök was another cross-platform release, but let's not kid ourselves — it's a PS5 game through and through. Santa Monica Studio somehow pulled off the impossible. They followed up 2018's God of War, a perfect revival of the storied franchise, and they made it bigger, bolder, and every bit as emotionally-charged as the first game. From the word go, Ragnarök grabbed players by the throat and never let go, giving us jaw-dropping set-pieces with tight, satisfying combat that could go toe-to-toe with any combat game in the business.

Then, there's the story — the real hero of the game. Leave it to Sony's first-party exclusives to tell a story that resonates across player bases and for years to come, and with Ragnarök, Santa Monica did just that. The game balanced epic, world-ending stakes with such intimate and heartfelt moments between so many different characters that I'm confident when I say it is one of the greatest single-player games ever made.

Each realm you visit, each world you see, is intricately crafted, making it clear as day that every frame was a labor of love and passion. From the gameplay and visuals, to the music and writing, and right down to one of the greatest plot twists ever in gaming, God of War Ragnarök remains, and will remain, one of the defining experiences of this generation.

1 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (2025)

This generation's reason to buy a PlayStation 5

The latest and the greatest, Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding 2: On the Beach isn't just the best PlayStation 5 exclusive game this generation, but hands down one of the best titles the medium has ever seen. Dealing brilliantly with deep, human themes like connection, loss, grief, while tackling larger issues like globalization and refugee crises, Death Stranding 2 never forgets that it's a game first and foremost.

The best part? It's a game that learned from the failings of its predecessor, and transformed into a perfect sequel. There's a level of polish here that only maturity can bring, and that means the accessibility, playability, and overall enjoyability of the game in its traversal, combat, and missions, are all ramped up to 11. Heck, I even prefer the story in this one to the original, and it left me with a powerful lesson I won't soon forget.

Between all of that and the usual Kojima-ness in terms of weird names and plot points that you fully understand yet can't help but laugh at, Death Stranding 2 is an amazing experience that is a showcase of what this medium we love is truly capable of. And all of that is before I even get to describing just how breathtaking the game looks, even on a base PS5. In fact, it even convinced me to trade in my base PlayStation 5 for a PS5 Pro, and I can't wait to have my second playthrough of Death Stranding 2 on the 'professional' console.

PlayStation exclusives have always given us unforgettable moments

Slim or not, the PS5's exclusives deliver unforgettable highs.

It's clear that the PS5 doesn't have the deepest true-exclusive lineup compared to the past PlayStation generations, but what it does have are unforgettable moments that have stayed with players, and always will. Sure, I'd like to see this awfully short list of true PS5 exclusives get longer in the next two years until the next one comes along, but until then, there's no denying the sheer quality of the exclusives we've had so far.

So far, it does feel drought-like in the months and years between each major exclusive, but when a major first-party title does drop? It does a fantastic job of reminding us just why PlayStation exclusives still matter. They may be slim, sure, but the PlayStation 5 exclusive games deliver unforgettable highs that most other platforms would be envious of.