PlayStation’s 30th year was characterised by a stunning selection of original games and returning franchises — and a powerful new addition to the PlayStation 5 console family.
An ASTRO-nomical milestone
On December 3rd 1994, the gaming landscape changed forever with the launch of the original PlayStation console in Japan. 30 years on, PlayStation continues to push boundaries with generation-leading hardware and genre-defining games.
Not content with being 2024’s best-reviewed game*, Team Asobi’s joyful and inventive platformer is a non-stop celebration of PlayStation heritage, featuring cameos from hundreds of Bots inspired by the games that shaped its legacy. Look out for a special 30th anniversary photo opportunity in the Crash Site!
*Based on a Metacritic metascore of 94, accurate as of November 21, 2024
An ongoing series of celebratory special events, activities and giveaways is underway, including a limited-edition range of PS5 consoles and accessories styled on the original PlayStation; the free-to-play My First Gran Turismo; the digital debut of soundtracks from classic PlayStation games and the special addition of The Last of Us Part 1 to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalogue.
Take a look back over the last 30 years of PlayStation with a nostalgic journey through the consoles, games and incredible moments that made us, from PaRappa and polygons to ray tracing and Ragnarök.
2024’s returning favourites
A number of long-running franchises came back in a big way in 2024, with impressive sequels and spiritual successors that honoured their series’ legacies.
The beloved Black Ops iteration of the Call of Duty universe returned for a sixth outing, this time blurring political fact and fiction during the early 1990s. Treyarch and Raven deliver a thrilling cinematic Campaign, comprehensive Multiplayer and the welcome return of Round-Based Zombies, all benefitting from the fluid and versatile new ‘omnimovement’ system.
Spanning generations and oceans, the eighth episode of the Like a Dragon saga brought together the unflappable Ichiban Kasuga and legendary yakuza Kazuma Kiryu for an RPG that’s packed with the series’ trademark blend of high-impact crime drama and out-there humour. Explore Honolulu City and the familiar streets of Yokohama and Kamurochō, battle using an upgraded battle system and indulge in dozens of side activities and minigames.
The King of Iron Fist Tournament has never packed such a mighty punch. Boasting franchise-best graphics powered by Unreal Engine 5 and a vast range of features designed to welcome newcomers and delight veterans alike, Tekken 8 is everything a fighting sequel should be. The Heat System keeps battles aggressive and unpredictable, while the returning Rage Arts can turn the tide of battle at the press of a button.
Formerly known in the West as Dragon Ball Z: Budoaki Tenkaichi, this faithful 3D fighting series based on the forever-popular anime series returned from a 17-year hiatus looking every bit as rejuvenated as Goku after a session in a Medical Machine. With a staggering 180 characters taken from Dragon Ball Z in its various incarnations, it recreates the show’s hyperkinetic and highly destructive battles with approachable controls and dazzling presentation.
Also making a welcome return was Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia, which hadn’t seen a fresh mainline outing for 14 years. The Lost Crown signals a return to the series’ 2D roots, introducing an all-new hero, a shift to ‘search action’ exploration and the most fantasy-infused vision of the game’s world to date. It’s an accomplished adventure that boasts smooth platforming, crunchy combat and inspired Time Powers.
Witness Play Unleashed™
November saw the launch of the latest — and most powerful — addition to the PlayStation family. PS5 Pro makes it possible to play compatible games at 60fps, or up to 120fps, with ray tracing and AI-enhanced 4K resolution using PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) on your 4K TV. Over 50 games already offer PS5 Pro-enhanced experiences, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2 and Hogwarts Legacy, with plenty more to come.
2024’s co-op classics
Joining forces against a common enemy is a great way to spend valuable time with your best gaming buds, especially when the games are this good.
Millions of players chose to enlist in Super Earth’s premier military peacekeeping force when Helldivers 2 hit PS5 and PC in February. Arrowhead Game Studios took all the fundamentals of the 2015 original and crafted a precision-targeted sequel that demands tight cooperation, a cool head under pressure and the willingness to accept that things will inevitably, catastrophically—and often hilariously—go wrong.
First there was the LEGO model of the iconic Tallneck, then came LEGO Horizon Adventures, which imagines Guerrilla’s sci-fi fantasy world if it were constructed from plastic bricks. Tailored for family audiences, the game retells the original game’s story and offers a first for the franchise: co-op play. Two players can team up as Minifigure versions of Aloy, Varl, Teersa and Erend.
Bungie’s planet-hopping shooter sequel finally reached its jaw-dropping conclusion—and it was everything that fans had hoped for. Guardians journeyed into the heart of the series’ iconic Traveller for a climactic confrontation with archvillain The Witness, wielding new weaponry and the highly customisable Prismatic subclass to battle the Dread and end the war between Light and Darkness once and for all.
Stomping around in power armour alongside two fellow Ultramarines proved irresistible for action game fans, even those unfamiliar with the rich lore of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. While you can battle the hideous Tyranid hordes in single player, Space Marine 2’s intense mix of ranged and melee combat is also a blast with friends in co-op multiplayer, as you coordinate the strengths of your respective classes to survive against overwhelming odds.
Discover the best upcoming games for PlayStation 5 that you can look forward to playing in the year ahead.
2024’s finest fantasies
Fantasy fans were spoiled for choice in 2024, from the triumphant return of Bioware’s Dragon Age to the debut of a stylish new action icon in Stellar Blade.
With a story of corrupted Elven Gods threatening an entire continent, the long-awaited comeback of Dragon Age didn’t do things by halves. The fourth game in the series is an epic in the truest sense, tasking your fully customisable hero Rook with recruiting the titular Veilguard and taking a stand against dark deities. Shape your character and story, making game-changing decisions that lead to a spectacular finale.
The creators of Persona brought their talent for stylish presentation, likeable characters and creative combat to a new fantasy realm. While key members of the United Kingdom of Euchronia vie to rule over the land, your protagonist and his fairy ally embark on a quest to lift a curse from the true heir to the throne. Fans of RPGs will find lots to admire here.
Few characters made as big an impact in 2024 as the graceful and powerful Eve, star of this critically acclaimed PS5-exclusive action-adventure from Korean developers Shift Up. Explore a ruined Earth and utilise a fluid, tactile combat system to take on the monstrous Naytibas, with plenty of thrilling boss encounters designed to put your skills to the test.
The myth of the god-defying Sun Wukong, as first depicted in the celebrated Chinese novel Journey to the West, has inspired countless films, TV shows, anime and games. With Black Myth: Wukong, Game Science put its own stunning spin on the tale, transforming it into an approachable action RPG that boasts breathtaking environments, imaginative character design and deep, rewarding combat.
2024's best indie games
It was another strong year for PlayStation Indies, as evidenced by this selection of unmissable games chosen by our in-house experts.
2024’s awesome open-world adventures
When it came to spectacular open worlds, PlayStation 5 console owners were spoilt for choice, from 19th Century Japan to the Land of Shadow.
Team Ninja, the studio behind Nioh, returned to tell a historically inspired samurai tale set during Japan’s tumultuous Bakumatsu Period. Your nameless, masterless samurai plays a pivotal role in Japan’s future, utilising multiple varieties of bladed weapons, each with a variety of combat styles to deploy against some seriously stiff opposition. Better still, certain missions are built for co-op play, allowing two online friends to accompany you in battle.
Arriving almost 12 years after the original, Capcom’s sprawling fantasy sequel lost none of its predecessor’s idiosyncratic charm. As the Arisen, a fully customisable protagonist of your making, you explore a sprawling, monster-filled fantasy world alongside helpful, AI-controlled companions called Pawns, taking on dynamic quests and battling mythical beasts in thrilling real-time encounters. With 10 selectable vocations that drastically change the way you play and unpredictable emergent moments, it’s a world to lose yourself in completely.
The long-awaited expansion for FromSoftware’s fantasy open-world smash hit took players beyond the Lands Between and into the Land of Shadow, in search of the demigod Miquella. This vast new environment housed hundreds of new items, dozens of breathtaking locations and over 40 new bosses designed to challenge even the most seasoned Tarnished.
At the end of August, Ubisoft brought us the first-ever open world Star Wars game. Outlaws tells an “original scoundrel story” set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and stars brand-new character Kay Vess and her sidekick, the axolotl-like Nix. Delving into the dark underbelly of the Star Wars universe as Kay takes on thrilling missions from crime syndicates proved to be a hit with players and critics alike.
2024 remasters and remakes
It was a huge year for gaming glow-ups, from retouched gems that play just how you remember them, to dramatic remakes that faithfully preserve the spirit of their source material.
First released on PlayStation 2 in 2001, Konami’s classic psychological horror returned with a stunning, ground-up remake for PS5 consoles. The story still follows James Sunderland’s disturbing journey to find his deceased wife while greatly expanding its nightmarish world, digging deeper into its tortured characters, reworking the combat and puzzles, and amping up the tension and terror.
The second part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake project sees Cloud and his companions exploring the expanses of the Planet, in their continuing crusade to take down evil megacorp Shinra and renegade SOLDIER Sephiroth. FFVII Rebirth retains the original game’s staggering sense of scale, offering a diverse variety of vast, activity-packed areas to explore with a wider cast of playable characters. The real-time combat is polished, the narrative stakes are high, and the hugely replayable minigames are plentiful.
The PS5 rebuild of 2015’s cinematic, slasher flick-inspired horror utilises the powerful Unreal® Engine 5 to portray Blackwood Mountain and the game’s star-studded cast in incredible new detail. Determine the fates of eight friends when their winter getaway descends into an inescapable nightmare, with your actions and choices leading to dozens of possible outcomes. The definitive version of a contemporary horror classic.
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