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The most anticipated games coming to your console in the next few months
This year is set to be a big one for the PlayStation 5, thanks to new games from the worlds of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Spider-Man and Resident Evil, plus virtual-reality titles created for the all-new PS VR2 headset arriving in late February.
With PS5 stock levels finally under control after a couple of years of shortages and inflated prices on the grey market, now is the time to pick up Sony’s latest video game console and look forward to the next-generation titles due out over the coming weeks and months.
Whether you’re excited for Hogwarts Legacy and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor or Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy 16, there’s something for everyone coming in 2023.
The year will also see several reboots and remakes, bringing old favourites up to scratch with new graphics to make the most of the PS5’s power. Such remakes coming this year include Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic.
Continue reading this article for our lowdown of the 10 biggest PS5 games to get excited about in 2023.
Sci-fi horror games set against the abysmal backdrop of space are like buses – you wait for one then two come along in quick succession. Hot on the heels of The Callisto Protocol, Dead Space is an upcoming remake of the original 2008 title, which sees unlucky systems engineer Isaac Clarke trapped on the USG Ishimura with a hoard of hungry necromorphs that have decimated the crew.
With little more than some steel-capped boots and a makeshift arsenal of futuristic DIY equipment that would be the envy of any Screwfix catalogue, Isaac must fend off the shambling, shrieking alien creatures long enough to find a way off the ship.
The game has been completely rebuilt from the ground up, with improved lighting, as well as the removal of the original’s timely loading screens.
Read our pre-order guide for the Dead Space remake to find out more
Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world tie-in to the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Interactive this game will take students into the ever-changing halls of Hogwarts as we’ve never seen them before. The game was delayed but, according to the game’s developers, is now scheduled to be released in early February.
The game is set before the events of Fantastic Beasts, and players will attend Hogwarts in the 19th century, as a customisable student in one of the four main houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.
Set to be the headline act for the launch of the PS VR2 headset, Horizon Call of the Mountain comes from the same series as hit PS5 game Horizon Forbidden West. Sony invites gamers to enter a living, breathing world of dangerous machines, tribal lore, exciting quests and new and returning characters. With the VR headset and new controllers, gamers can move their hands to climb, hunt, shoot and craft. This is sure to be the game for showing off your shiny new PS VR2.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was first shown as part of the Star Wars Celebration event that took place in May 2022, with fans treated to a new trailer showing returning characters such as Cal Kestis and his droid companion BD-1.
The game will follow protagonist Cal after the events of the first Star Wars Jedi game. Survivor takes place five years after the events of Fallen Order – which, in turn, took place five years after the events of Episode III. In the current Star Wars timeline, that would place it within the same time frame as the recent Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+.
The original Resident Evil 4 was released on the Nintendo GameCube in 2005 and has since been ported to just about every modern platform under the sun. There’s even been a version of the game released for virtual-reality platforms.
The original game has long been considered one of the best ever made, and the fourth mainline entry into the series was revolutionary in third-person shooters as well as taking Resident Evil in a new action-oriented direction. Now the title is getting a similar treatment to Resident Evil 2 and 3, being remade using the RE engine with updated graphics, gameplay and even a PS VR2 mode on the way.
Remember when Dead Island 2 was originally supposed to be released in 2015? No, neither do we. But much like the hoards it depicts in its trailer, it looks like the game is back from the dead.
Set against the sunny backdrop of downtown Los Angeles (which, last time we looked at a map, was definitely not an island), players must face off against zombies with melee weapons, guns and more.
Final Fantasy XVI will introduce players to an all-new story in a dark fantasy setting that takes place in the realm of Valisthea. Gamers will encounter a complex tale of revenge, power struggles and unavoidable tragedy, publisher Square Enix says. The game’s Eikons creatures are housed within Dominants – men and women who inherit immense power from birth.
Gamers will play as Clive Rosfield, First Shield of Rosaria and guardian of his younger brother Joshua, the Dominant of the Eikon Phoenix.
The next title in the Assassin’s Creed series was announced in September 2022 and looks set to return to the series’ action-adventure roots, after an extended stint as a role-playing game.
While smaller in scope than recent titles, Mirage will primarily take place in Baghdad, and will see a large, vibrant city broken down into four core sections, including the industrial district of Karkh and the lush gardens of the round city. Mirage doesn’t have a release date just yet, but is due before the end of 2023.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will see players step into the role of the ring-obsessive as he navigates his way through the land of Mordor after being captured by Sauron’s forces. The game is set to venture further into the reaches of Middle-earth with unique quest lines, new characters to meet and a dual personality that will see players make choices as either Gollum or Smeagol. As an action-stealth adventure, it looks like one of the most interesting licensed The Lord of the Rings properties and will apparently stay true to Tolkien’s vision of his fantasy setting.
The game was originally slated for a September 2022 release but has since been pushed back “by a few months” according to the game’s developer. No exact date has been given but we’ll keep you updated as soon as we hear more information.
Excited for Sony’s new PlayStation 5 virtual-reality headset? Head to our PS VR2 guide for everything we know so far