The PS5 is an incredible console. A key reason for this is the sheer amount of games you can play on it, which is only going to increase with each passing year.
With the PS5, we should see Sony offer more games than any previous PlayStation console. Here are five reasons why...
1. Sony Has Lots of Original IPs in the Works
So far, we've yet to play a slew of brand-new PS5 games. This is understandable, given we've all been in a global pandemic. But, things are looking to change. New titles will arrive, both in terms of content we know and original content we've yet to see.
Early in 2021, Sony announced that it has over 25 PS5 games in the works, nearly half of which are original ideas. The PlayStation Showcase 2021 further confirmed original PS5 games, teasing titles such as Marvel's Wolverine, Forspoken, and GhostWire: Tokyo on top of franchise games, such as God of War Ragnarok and Gran Turismo 7. We also saw some remakes and remasters of much-loved titles (ahem, KOTOR).
It's safe to say that while the PS5 doesn't have a diverse first-party gaming library in 2021, there's a ton of exciting content to follow.
2. Sony Is Acquiring More Games Studios
In 2021, we've seen that Sony has acquired games studios such as Bluepoint Games, Housemarque, and Firesprite. This means that not only will we see more excellent games from these developers, but these games will be tailormade for the PS5.
We all know the gaming greatness Sony has achieved in the past with its first-party titles. With its acquisitions of quality games studios, we're likely to see the trend of outstanding first-party Sony games continue for the PS5.
This further supports the previous point; we can expect more original PS5 content. The PS4 opened up some brilliant franchises, and we're going to see successors to these games with the PS5. But, with Sony acquiring these new games studios, it's clear that the gaming giant wants to bring more original and exciting ideas to the PlayStation family and not just build upon existing franchises.
Sony is gearing up for a diverse selection of PS5 games as it acquires games studios; it's exciting to anticipate a PS5 gaming library that showcases both quality and quantity.
3. The PS Store Offers a Wide Range of Games for You to Play on Your PS5
So far we've looked at what the PS5 will offer in the future as it aims to give players the most games out of any PlayStation console thus far. Now, let's take a look at what you can already play on your PS5.
Just because Sony's new console hasn't got an expansive list of first-party titles, it doesn't mean that you can only play a small number of games on it.
Let's start with the PlayStation store, Sony's digital storefront where you can purchase and download digital content for your PS5. The PS store offers a bunch of games for you to download digitally, with a variety of titles only available on the PS store.
There are also games from previous generations that you can download and play on your PS5, which you couldn't otherwise experience on Sony's latest console. The numerous sales also help boost your PS5 gaming library in a cost-effective way, saving you a backlog of titles for a rainy day.
Though it isn't perfect, the PS store adds another string to the bow that is the PS5 gaming library, giving you access to games from multiple PlayStation consoles, both retro and modern, and a ton of digital-only games.
4. The PS5 Is Backward Compatible With Almost All PS4 Games
Fixing a big problem the PS4 had, Sony has made the PS5 backward compatible with almost every PS4 game!
Not only does this mean that the PS5 offers essentially all last-gen content, but it also makes your gameplay experience on most PS4 games better, and, in some cases, silently remasters them.
Over 99% of PS4 games are playable on your PS5, with select games receiving some much-welcome enhancements, such as a resolution upgrade, quicker load times, and—best of all—a performance boost to 60FPS.
If you've missed out on smash-hit PS4 titles like Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, or The Last of Us Part II, you know should that all these games (amongst others) feature some glorious enhancements on the PS5. Definitely play them there.
The PS4's gaming library was one of the best we've ever seen: it's pretty cool, then, that you can experience it on your PS5, with free upgrades to boot.
5. You Can Stream Past-Gen Games on Your PS5 With PS Now
A fifth way the PS5 offers more games than ever before is PS Now, Sony's cloud gaming service. With PS Now, you have access to hundreds—yes, hundreds—of games spanning multiple console generations.
PS Now is maybe the most cost-effective way for you to play as many games as you want; for $60/year, you've got unlimited access to stream all the games you like and download select titles, with new games appearing each month.
This means that with PS Now, you can play hundreds of games from the PS2, PS3, or PS4 era on your PS5, and explore different genres, franchises, and more.
In a Few Years, the PS5 Might Showcase a Truly Incredible Gaming Library
Looking at everything, the PS5 has lots of originals games coming, plays almost every PS4 game, can stream hundreds of games on PS Now, and can download games across multiple PlayStation consoles via the PS Store. Not bad, right?
While other PlayStation consoles can do a few of these things, only the PS5 can do them all this well, giving you the biggest gaming library of any PlayStation console to date.
And, in a few years, the PS5 might also give us the best first-party gaming library of any Sony console. It's an exciting time for PlayStation fans.