We are approaching our 5th anniversary. playstation 5The worldwide release of has caused many to reflect on the console's performance so far. As anyone with any interest in gaming media or online gaming forums already knows, sentiment toward the PS5 hasn't been entirely positive. There were criticisms that its output was poor and that there was a seemingly smaller leap in visuals and performance compared to previous console generations.
It's clear that the PS5 is more powerful than its predecessor. There are many cross-generational games that demonstrate these differences. However, this is at least not as important as the actual game available to the average consumer. Really, in the end, it's all about what kind of experiences people can have on the platform, and how those experiences compare to the experiences they might be missing on the Nintendo Switch. So is it true that “there are no games on PS5”? How does it compare to the first five years of the PS4, which is considered one of the best exclusive lineups of all time?
PS4 vs PS5: Which console will have more compelling exclusives in five years? With so many PlayStation games coming to PC either the same day or years after release, the “Timed Exclusive” column in the following table indicates that there are games out there that are. only After release, it was ported to other consoles (Xbox, Nintendo Switch).
Notable Exclusives from PS4's First Five Years
|
game |
OpenCritic Top Critic Average |
time limited exclusive |
Single/Multiplayer |
Remake/Remaster |
Year of release |
PSVR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission |
90 |
no |
single player |
no |
2018 |
yes |
|
Bloodborne |
91 |
no |
single player |
no |
2015 |
no |
|
boundary |
71 |
no |
single player |
no |
2016 |
no |
|
Detroit: Be Human |
79 |
no |
single player |
no |
2018 |
no |
|
drawn to death |
56 |
no |
multiplayer |
no |
2017 |
no |
|
drive club |
71 |
no |
multiplayer |
no |
2014 |
no |
|
god of war |
94 |
no |
single player |
no |
2018 |
no |
|
gravity rush 2 |
81 |
no |
single player |
no |
2017 |
no |
|
horizon zero dawn |
89 |
no |
single player |
no |
2017 |
no |
|
Notorious: First Light |
73 |
no |
single player |
no |
2014 |
no |
|
Notorious: Second Son |
82 |
no |
single player |
no |
2014 |
no |
|
Killzone: Shadow Fall |
73 |
no |
single player |
no |
2013 |
no |
|
artifice |
54 |
no |
both |
no |
2013 |
no |
|
Trick 2 |
69 |
no |
both |
no |
2017 |
no |
|
MLB: The Show 17 |
85 |
yes |
both |
no |
2017 |
no |
|
MLB: The Show 18 |
82 |
yes |
both |
no |
2018 |
no |
|
Marvel's Spider-Man |
88 |
no |
single player |
no |
2018 |
no |
|
Nio |
88 |
yes |
single player |
no |
2017 |
no |
|
P.T. |
Not applicable |
no |
single player |
no |
2014 |
no |
|
Ratchet and Clank |
85 |
no |
single player |
no |
2016 |
no |
|
shadow of the beast |
64 |
no |
single player |
yes |
2016 |
no |
|
shadow of the colossus |
91 |
no |
single player |
yes |
2018 |
no |
|
last guardian |
81 |
no |
single player |
no |
2016 |
no |
|
The Last of Us Remastering |
94 |
no |
both |
yes |
2014 |
no |
|
Order: 1886 |
63 |
no |
single player |
no |
2015 |
no |
|
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End |
93 |
no |
both |
no |
2016 |
no |
|
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy |
85 |
no |
both |
no |
2017 |
no |
|
until dawn |
79 |
no |
single player |
no |
2015 |
no |
|
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood |
72 |
no |
single player |
no |
2016 |
yes |
|
Yakuza 6: Song of Life |
83 |
yes |
single player |
no |
2018 |
no |
Notable exclusives from PS5's first five years of release
|
game |
OpenCritic Top Critic Average |
time limited exclusive |
Single/Multiplayer |
Remake/Remaster |
Year of release |
PSVR |
intergenerational |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Astrobot |
95 |
no |
single player |
no |
2024 |
no |
no |
|
Astro's Playroom |
84 |
no |
single player |
no |
2020 |
no |
no |
|
Days Gone Remastered |
81 |
no |
single player |
yes |
2025 |
no |
no |
|
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach |
90 |
no |
single player |
no |
2025 |
no |
no |
|
Death Stranding Director's Cut |
86 |
yes |
single player |
yes |
2021 |
no |
no |
|
devil's soul |
92 |
no |
both |
yes |
2020 |
no |
no |
|
Destruction All Stars |
62 |
no |
multiplayer |
no |
2021 |
no |
no |
|
Fantasy Vision 202X |
Not applicable |
no |
both |
yes |
2023 |
yes |
no |
|
final fantasy 16 |
87 |
yes |
single player |
no |
2023 |
no |
no |
|
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth |
92 |
yes |
single player |
yes |
2024 |
no |
no |
|
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut |
87 |
no |
single player |
yes |
2021 |
no |
yes |
|
Ghost of Yotei |
87 |
no |
single player |
no |
2025 |
no |
no |
|
god of war ragnarok |
92 |
no |
single player |
no |
2023 |
no |
yes |
|
Gran Turismo 7 |
87 |
no |
both |
no |
2022 |
yes |
yes |
|
Helldiver 2 |
83 |
yes |
multiplayer |
no |
2024 |
no |
no |
|
Mountain Horizon Call |
80 |
no |
single player |
no |
2023 |
yes |
no |
|
Horizon Forbidden West |
88 |
no |
single player |
no |
2022 |
no |
yes |
|
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered |
84 |
no |
single player |
yes |
2024 |
no |
no |
|
Lost souls are separate |
63 |
no |
single player |
no |
2025 |
no |
no |
|
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 |
88 |
no |
single player |
no |
2024 |
no |
no |
|
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales |
85 |
no |
single player |
no |
2020 |
no |
yes |
|
Ratchet and Clank: Lift Apart |
88 |
no |
single player |
no |
2021 |
no |
no |
|
returns |
86 |
no |
single player |
no |
2021 |
no |
no |
|
Rise of Ronin |
77 |
yes |
both |
no |
2024 |
no |
no |
|
Sackboy: Big Adventure |
80 |
no |
both |
no |
2020 |
no |
yes |
|
Silent Hill 2 |
87 |
yes |
single player |
yes |
2024 |
no |
no |
|
Silent Hill: A Short Message |
55 |
no |
single player |
no |
2024 |
no |
no |
|
Stella Blade |
81 |
yes |
single player |
no |
2024 |
no |
no |
|
sword of the sea |
87 |
no |
single player |
no |
2025 |
no |
no |
|
synapse |
78 |
no |
single player |
no |
2023 |
yes |
no |
|
the last of us part 1 |
82 |
no |
single player |
yes |
2022 |
no |
no |
|
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered |
89 |
no |
single player |
yes |
2024 |
no |
no |
|
until dawn |
69 |
no |
single player |
yes |
2024 |
no |
no |
The PS5 holds its own, but the PS4's first five years were clearly better.
Before writing this list, I expected the PlayStation 4 to clear the PlayStation 5's lineup of exclusives without a hitch, but the PS5 actually wasn't as far behind as I had expected. The obvious highlights of the latest console exclusives include: Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2: On the Beachand AstrobotThis all pushes the hardware to its limits and delivers experiences hard to find on older consoles (DS2 It has particularly excellent graphics, with some gamers jokingly calling it “the first PS5 game.” Other notable PS5 exclusives from the past five years include: Marvel's Spider-Man 2, returnsand Ratchet and Clank: Lift Apart.
But these are essentially the only major “true” exclusives that make the PS5 worthy of its name. Horizon Forbidden West and god of war ragnarokis also available on PS4, albeit at a lower resolution, lower FPS cap, and longer load times. Additionally, many of the biggest PS5 exclusives so far have been limited-time exclusives or remakes that release on other platforms a year or so later. Consoles were also released together devil's soulThis is a major remake of the 2009 classic.
Compare this to PlayStation 4's five-year exclusive lineup of much more ambitious, genre-defining projects. horizon zero dawn, Bloodborneand god of war. Crucially, these games weren't released on PS3 and probably couldn't run on that platform. The game took full advantage of the hardware performance improvements from previous hardware lines, making it feel like a truly “next-gen” experience. We're just starting to see clear and immediate differences between PS5 and PS4 games. Uncharted 4 and Uncharted 3 It was amazing and undeniable. Maybe history will look kinder on the PS5's catalog of lifetime exclusives, but for now, it seems clear that the first five years of the PS4 were more exciting, boundary-pushing, and technologically important.
