Top Five 2026 PS5 Games We Can’t Wait For, Excluding GTA 6
Some potential classics
For many the console wars happily seem to be a bit of a thing of the past, so we can enjoy our favourite consoles and platforms without feeling like we're locked in a permanent battle to protect our brand of choice from other nerds.
I've managed to get my hands on both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 over the years, and both undoubtedly have their own strengths, with 2026 also looking like a very exciting year for both platforms.
But it's the PlayStation 5 that brings us here today, and with a ton of exciting projects to choose from, we've selected the five games that could make the biggest splash once next year gets underway (not including GTA VI which, let's be honest, might get pushed into 2027 anyway.)
Marvel's Wolverine
Easily the most anticipated release in an increasingly thin selection of console exclusives (again, a good thing for the consumer), Marvel's Wolverine is the latest effort from developer Rocksteady, who most of you will know as the team behind the excellent Arkham Games. The really exciting thing about that pedigree is just how heavy and brutal they managed to make the combat feel in those Batman games.
Advert
It bodes well for what will be Wolverine's first solo outing in almost two decades, as a hero who is famous for his savage approach to combat. We don't know too much of what the story is going to be about, though the developer did share a very small tidbit, saying, "As he searches for answers about his past, Wolverine will do whatever it takes – unleashing brutal claw combat, violent rage and relentless determination – to cut through the mystery of the man he used to be."
Vague though that summary may be, the developer's credentials and the stunning trailer are more than enough to have us counting down the days to the release of this one.
Saros
It's testament to some cool development teams that this list of five contains two original ideas and IPs, the first of which is Saros, a dark sci-fi adventure from the creators of the excellent 2021 release Returnal.
The game stars Rahul Kohli as Arjun Devraj, a Soltari Enforcer who is hellbent on his "search for answers" on the shapeshifting world of Carcosa, a planet which sits in the shadow of an ominous eclipse, a celestial phenomena that may or may not have an effect on how the game plays out (they haven't said just yet).
The game is a third-person action game at its core, but it draws on elements from some of the most popular genres around, adding features from roguelites, bullet hells and third-person shooters to produce a final product that really doesn't look like anything else out there right now. If the game can deliver on its potential, it could easily be one of the best games of next year, regardless of platform.
Resident Evil Requiem
The Resident Evil series doesn't need any introduction at this point, but the next game in the series is on the way and it looks like an absolute cracker, even if recent revelations have proved divisive with the existing fan base.
Though it has technically never been a PlayStation exclusive, all the way back to its earliest days, when the first game also released for the Sega Saturn, Resident Evil has always felt very much at home on the PlayStation, and there's little doubt that this upcoming release will do very well on the console.
The Game Awards gave us a much better look at Resident Evil Requiem and what we can expect, with the big reveal undoubtedly being the return of Leon, who we will be playing as almost as much as the game's main protagonist. Though some are concerned this may move the game too far away from survival horror and towards action, I have every faith that Capcom will get the balance right for this one.
Nioh 3
It's been five years since the release of Nioh 2, which was a prequel to the first game, so this is the first chance we'll get to follow the events after the original via a true, and highly ambitious, sequel.
Developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo, Nioh 3 is an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective, that put players into the shoes of protagonist Tokugawa Takechiyo, the grandson of the first Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, and fierce warrior in his own right.
The game world in Nioh is inhabited by supernatural creatures and spirits from Japanese folklore known as Yokai, many of which you'll be fighting along the way to the game's inevitable conclusion.
Gameplay and combat are split into two relatively distinct styles for the first time in series history. The classic Samurai style returns again, giving players access to three stances and powerful attacks that consume Ki as a resource. On the flipside of that, the development team is introducing a Ninja style of gameplay, which is much more focused on dodging, aerial and ranged attacks, rather than simple brute force.
It's a spectacular looking game with a lot of potential on the PS5, so here's hoping Team Ninja can round off a trilogy of previously very good games in the way that they deserve.
The Blood of Dawnwalker
Made by a team of former Witcher developers, The Blood of Dawnwalker looks like one of the most interesting genre prospects we've had over the last decade or so. For me, it's absolutely the premise that draws me in on this one, which the developer summarises, saying, "14th-century Europe. Bloody conflicts sweep the lands, and the Black Death comes for the survivors. It's a moment of weakness - and that's all they needed. Vampires seize their opportunity to walk out of the shadows and claim what they've been denied for centuries: freedom, and the power that comes with it. Other creatures of the night follow their lead. Legends turn into reality, and history as we know it will never be the same."
The design aesthetics of The Witcher are immediately apparent, thanks to a similar medieval fantasy setting, but there are a lot of elements to this game that take it beyond anything we have seen in that series so far.
The game is extremely open-ended and it encourages player freedom in a big way, allowing you to basically play however you want within its open world. If you don't want to bother with the main quest, you don't have to. Or, you can go and try and take on the game's hardest enemies right away. They will be there, you just might not last very long in front of them.
That's our list! We'll be getting all of the games on this list, the first chance we get, so we hope you do as well.
Topics: Games, PlayStation 5, Resident Evil