Sony will launch its PlayStation 5 console in the holiday season of 2020, about seven years after the launch of the PS4. The PS5 will bring with it the next-generation of video game consoles, which is expected to be dominated by cloud streaming, significant visual advancements, the virtual elimination of load times, and more. These technological advances should result in brand new gameplay experiences never before possible, and video game enthusiasts are no doubt excited to see what the PS5 will bring to the table.
Sony will be looking to the PS5 launch titles to give fans a taste of what the new console can do. While it's unlikely any of the PS5 launch titles will be groundbreaking, must-have experiences, they should do a good job of showing off the console's next-gen graphics and other unique capabilities. With the PS5 still being a year or so away from release, it's no surprise that Sony hasn't announced its launch titles yet, but we should have a full list by this time next year. Even so, the current state of the video game industry and Sony's past console launches can still give us a pretty good idea of what to expect from the PS5 launch titles.
Here's everything we know about the PS5 launch titles.
Annual Franchises
Whenever a new video game console comes out, it's a safe bet that its launch library will be padded by annual game franchises. This means titles like Call of Duty 2020, rumored to be Black Ops 5, will almost assuredly be a PS5 launch title. Other games that we wouldn't be surprised to see include annual sports titles like FIFA, NBA 2K, Madden, and the rest. And while Assassin's Creed is no longer an annual franchise, rumors point to a new Assassin's Creed game about vikings expected out next year. If such a game does exist, it would be shocking if it wasn't a PS5 launch title.
Cross-Gen Games
Most of the annual game franchises we expect to see on the PS5 as launch titles will be cross-gen games. This means that they won't really take full advantage of the PS5's hardware, as they will also be developed with the PS4 in mind. In the transition from the PS3 to PS4, we saw many examples of cross-gen titles, more than any other gaming generation before. The result was games that looked and ran slightly better, though didn't feel like true next-gen experiences.
Chances are we will see the exact same thing with the PS5, though if the PS5 is backward compatible with PS4 as rumored, maybe not. Regardless, there will definitely be at least some cross-gen games on the PS5 at launch, and to get an idea of what those games may be, we just have to look at all the big releases coming in the first half of 2020.
For the video game industry, the first half of 2020 is extremely crowded. It will include games like The Last of Us 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel's Avengers, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, just to name a handful. It wouldn't be surprising to see most of these big games, if not all of them, get enhanced PS5 ports. Final Fantasy 7 Remake and The Last of Us 2 especially seem like prime candidates to make the transition from PS4 to PS5.
We also believe current-gen free-to-play games will make the transition to PS5. One obvious candidate is the battle royale game Fortnite, which will likely keep its spot as one of the most popular video games in the world by the time the PS5 launches next year.
Rumored PS5 Launch Titles
While Sony just recently revealed the PS5 release window, that hasn't stopped some rumors from popping up online claiming to reveal the new console's launch titles. According to these supposed "leaks," the PS5 will launch with a VR-supported Gran Turismo 7, free-to-play PUBG, an enhanced port of The Last of Us 2, and an enhanced port of Ghost of Tsushima. Additionally, the leaker said that the PS5 will launch with two to three more triple-A games that have yet to be revealed, with one likely candidate being Horizon Zero Dawn 2 and another being PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2. Presumably, these games will be revealed when we actually see the PS5 itself, which could happen as early as February 2020, according to some rumors.
Some other PS5 launch title leaks are a bit harder to believe, like the one that claims Grand Theft Auto 6 will be a launch title. The reality is that Sony itself probably doesn't have a clear vision of the PS5 launch library, and likely won't until we are much closer to the console's release.
Past PlayStation Launch Titles
When it comes to predicting anything about the PS5, whether it be the PS5 price point or whatever else, it helps to look at Sony's past. Past PlayStation launch lineups may give fans an idea as to what to expect from the PS5 launch games, so we've compiled them all here (focusing on the consoles' North American releases).
PS1 Launch Titles
- Battle Arena Toshinden
- ESPN Extreme Games
- Kileak - The DNA Imperative
- NBA Jam Tournament Edition
- Power Serve 3D Tennis
- Raiden Project
- Rayman
- Ridge Racer
- Street Fighter: The Movie
- Total Eclipse Turbo
- Twisted Metal
PS2 Launch Titles
- Armored Core 2
- Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore
- Dynasty Warriors 2
- ESPN International Track & Field
- ESPN Winter X Games Snowboarding
- Eternal Ring
- Evergrace
- FantaVision
- Gungriffon Blaze
- Kessen
- Madden NFL 2001
- Midnight Club: Street Racing
- MotoGP
- NHL 2001
- Orphen: Scion of Sorcery
- Q-Ball: Billiards Master
- Rayman Revolution
- Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2
- Ridge Racer V
- Silent Scope
- Smuggler's Run
- SSX
- Street Fighter EX3
- Summoner
- Swing Away Golf
- Tekken Tag Tournament
- TimeSplitters
- Unreal Tournament
- Wild Wild Racing
- X-Squad
PS3 Launch Titles
- Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
- Call of Duty 3
- Genji: Days of the Blade
- Madden NFL 07
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
- NBA 2K7
- NHL 2K7
- Resistance: Fall of Man
- Ridge Racer 7
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
- Tony Hawk's Project 8
- Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
PS4 Launch Titles
- Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
- Angry Birds Star Wars
- Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
- Battlefield 4
- Blacklight: Retribution
- Call of Duty: Ghosts
- Contrast
- DC Universe Online
- DiveKick
- FIFA 14
- Flower
- Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition
- Just Dance 2014
- Killzone Shadow Fall
- Knack
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
- Madden NFL 25
- NBA 2K14
- NBA Live 14
- Need for Speed Rivals
- PlayRoom
- Resogun
- Skylanders Swap Force
- Sound Shapes
- Super Motherload
- Trine 2: The Complete Story
- Warframe
What we can learn from past PlayStation launches is that Sony will definitely have some exclusive first-party games available for the PS5 at launch. These early PS5 games will likely be more akin to tech demos than full-fledged gaming experiences. Sony and Microsoft don't seem to care much about giving their consoles a killer app right out of the gate, which is in stark contrast to Nintendo, as most of the Big N's consoles have launched with critically-acclaimed, groundbreaking games.
Considering this, those who decide to wait on picking up the PS5 may not necessarily be missing out on a whole lot. As evidenced by the PS4 launch lineup, it's quite likely that many PS5 launch titles will be available on the PS4, and the ones that aren't may not be all that compelling. Of course, Sony could swerve fans and reveal that one of its major first-party studios have been working on a huge PS5 launch title, like the rumored PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2 or Horizon Zero Dawn 2, but that remains to be seen.
When Will We Learn About the PS5 Launch Titles?
If Sony plans on attending E3 2020 next June, chances are good that we will learn about the PS5 launch titles at that point. However, there's a precedent for the full list of launch titles for a new console to be confirmed a bit closer to the console's launch. After all, games could still be delayed and plans could change, which could dramatically change the PS5's launch titles from E3 2020 to whenever the PS5 release date ends up being.
While a specific list of PS5 launch titles likely won't come until a few months out from the console's launch, we will likely get our first looks at the PS5 launch titles when Sony decides to show off the console's design. Whether or not it retains the V-shape of the PS5 dev kits remains to be seen, but we should find out at some point in 2020.