The 5 best exclusive PlayStation 5 games

5. Black Myth: Wukong

Games we refer to as Souls-like can be frustrating in many ways. While the high level of difficulty is often the main talking point, things like clunky controls and limited stamina can be rather off-putting too, but Black Myth: Wukong has a slightly different approach. Sure, it's still hard as hell, but it's also quick and agile, with our monkey acrobatically doing everything he can to avoid punches that can kill you faster than you can blink.

• Check out our review of Black Myth: Wukong

It's not just good controls that makes Wukong special, however. Where the first level is a display of visual brilliance but also quite tight and linear, the game continues with chapters that are anything but. It's set against a backdrop where Chinese mythology adds a huge amount of atmosphere, it's occasionally laid back in terms of narrative, but still full of elements that break things up and give the boss-rush concept a much-needed break. Yet it's that sense of achievement that the game does best.

When you get a big beating but still get up, because you know victory is within reach. So you try again. They say it's madness to do the same thing over and over again and imagine a different result. So, you adjust and get better. When that boss finally keels over and submits, it's pure euphoria and Black Myth: Wukong stands as one of the best looking and best action games in a very long time.

4. God of War: Ragnarök

Ragnarök was rolled out simultaneously for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, which many people note when discussing exclusive PS5 games and of course there is no denying it. At the same time, like Gran Turismo 7, it's a game that looks infinitely better on Sony's latest system than on the now dated PS4, and despite dual compatibility, Ragnarök is still one of the best-looking games you can find for any platform, regardless of genre.

• Check out our review of God of War: Ragnarök

Clever, environment-based puzzles, fantastic continuation of an already stellar story, memorable characters, and brutally satisfying third-person action make Ragnarök a winner and a lock for this list. Is it as good as 2018's masterpiece? No, it isn't. Is it a brilliant action game, regardless? Without a doubt.

3. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

Many of us have a special relationship with Cloud and the gang. So, when Square Enix finally announced that remake we'd been dreaming of for so long, it was a happy day. However, the announcement that they were going to stretch it out into a trilogy felt a bit like when Peter Jackson thought a children's book of just under 100,000 words would be perfect to be turned into three films totalling nine hours in his The Hobbit adaptation. Fortunately, there wasn't as much madness in the JRPG's case as the developers managed to cobble together and expand the adventures of Avalanche in a good way.

• Check out our review of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

When Rebirth arrived earlier in the year, it was in many ways a much freer, more open, and more fleshed out game than its predecessor. It was almost jaw dropping in many ways, and when you left the town of Kalm and looked out over the vast grasslands, there was every expectation of an epic adventure. Yet it's hard to summarise Rebirth like this, in a concentrated way. It is an adventure that offers so much and where all the elements add up to a whole that is comprehensive, grand and fantastic. For those of us who love a classic road trip, Rebirth is the perfect adventure. And for all of us who love Japanese role-playing games with all that entails. Cloud, Barret, Tifa and the others' journey is just as memorable as one could hope for and the only real problem is that we have to wait a few more years for its conclusion.

2. The Last of Us: Part I

Yes, yes, yes... The Last of Us is a 2013 PlayStation 3 game. We know, we know. But it was remade to look outrageously better for the PlayStation 5 and, minus initial concerns with optimisation, today it is of course one of those PS5 titles that everyone should experience.

• Check out our review of The Last of Us: Part I

Joel and Ellie's journey through a devastated, post-apocalyptic America remains one of the absolute best games ever made and an experience that changed the way we all look at gaming as a form of entertainment. Gripping, dark, exciting, challenging, and packed with humanity, Naughty Dog's title remains as relevant today as it was 11 years ago.

1. Astro Bot

September has been the most release-heavy month of the year so far, but the rest of the autumn still has plenty left in store, which is why it would be downright reckless, foolhardy and of course premature to call Sony's latest platform effort the Game of the Year for 2024. However, and with this being said, Astro Bot is so unashamedly, unbelievably good that it feels almost unrealistic that any game will be able to beat it as we trudge toward the awards season.

• Check out our review of Astro Bot

We all know how much "game magic" is tucked into Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy. That kind of effortlessly-charming, super-varied brilliance is in abundance in Team Asobi's acclaimed game, and that's why we already consider it the absolute best (exclusive) PS5 title on the market today.