2021 may have been a relatively quiet year for Sony's PlayStation 5, with relatively few exclusive games releasing, but 2022 is going to be much busier. The PS5 had some great titles like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Returnal, but it wasn't the big debut that maybe some fans had expected. A number of games were delayed to 2022, meaning Sony's big introduction to the console has essentially been split across two years.
As of right now, Sony is looking to have a strong year across the board with many highly anticipated sequels and possibly some other surprises that have yet to be announced. Fans are still eagerly awaiting more info on the Last of Us multiplayer spin-off, whether or not Naughty Dog will release it in 2022 or have some sort of playable beta or alpha remains to be seen, but it seems like it's coming sooner rather than later. The Last of Us Part II was intended to have a multiplayer mode, but the team stopped working on it seemingly around 2019. Whether they started from scratch for this new version is unclear, but one has to imagine the core of The Last of Us Part 2 is the foundation of the mode.
Even if Naughty Dog doesn't make the 2022 cut, there's still a number of other games for fans to look forward to. Sony is starting to rev up the marketing machine for Horizon Forbidden West with new screenshots and trailers, a game that was meant to launch in 2021, but got delayed. As a result, Sony had a very quiet holiday season for the PS5, but given it's still difficult to attain the console, it may be more beneficial to wait for more players to get their hands on the machine. With all of that said, it doesn't seem like there will be a bad time to jump on the PS5 train in 2022 as the year is looking pretty stacked so far.
Horizon Forbidden West Comes To PS5 & PS4 February 18, 2022
As already mentioned, Sony is gearing up to release Horizon Forbidden West - the sequel to Zero Dawn - in February. Horizon Forbidden West was delayed, allowing Guerrilla Games the extra time it needs to polish the game. This is one of the first truly massive PS5 games, as its predecessor is widely regarded as one of the PS4's most defining titles.
Protagonist Aloy has left the snow-covered mountains to find the source of a mysterious plague in the ruins of the west coast. This new setting will not only allow fans to see a different side of the post-apocalyptic world, but introduce new mechanics such as swimming. Players who haven't been able to get a PS5 yet won't have to miss out on the fun either as the game will also come to PS4. It's unclear how big of a disparity there will be between the versions, but at least fans won't have to miss out or have the story spoiled for them.
Gran Turismo 7 Comes To PS5 & PS4 March 4, 2022
Sony's defining racing franchise returns with Gran Turismo 7, boasting over 400 cars with its PS5 debut. It's been about five years since Gran Turismo Sport and almost a decade since Gran Turismo 6, so there's some new demand for a new racing game on PlayStation. It will be the first entry on PS5 and feature a lot of the features and gameplay mechanics the series is known for while being pushed much further by the PS5's hardware.
Games like Ratchet & Clank have harnessed that power in a notable way already, but this will be one of the biggest technical showcases for the console to date. Racing games are usually great at demonstrating the power of different consoles, whether that be on Xbox with Forza or with PlayStation and Gran Turismo. GT7 should hopefully be as impressive, and provide an indication of just how powerful the new current-gen of consoles actually is.
Forspoken Releases For PS5 And PC May 24, 2022
Forspoken is a new magic-focused open world IP from Square Enix that follows Frey, a girl from New York City, as she gets transported to a fantastical world known as Athia. In some ways, it's a bit like Alice in Wonderland with the stranger in a strange world element. In her efforts to get home, Frey will learn more about the mythical world, wield magic, and fight otherworldly creatures. This PS5 exclusive is also pretty notable as it has a lot of talent backing it. Star Wars: Rogue One writer Gary Whitta and Uncharted 1 -3 director Amy Hennig helped pen the game's story, so it looks incredibly promising.
God Of War Ragnarok Releases For PS5 & PS4 In 2022
Much to the dismay of fans, God of War Ragnarok was also delayed to 2022. Sony had previously announced the game for 2021 after a cryptic teaser at the end of 2020. Many were skeptical that the game would be able to hit that window, as the teaser trailer didn't have any gameplay let alone an official title. There's still no concrete release date for the highly anticipated PS5 sequel, but it seems likely it'll come in the second half of the year.
God of War Ragnarok follows Kratos and Atreus three years after the events of the first game with the apocalyptic event known as Ragnarok approaching. Sony is still keeping a lot of details under wraps, but the duo will collide with Norse god Thor as Atreus attempts to learn more about his true identity and much more. God of War Ragnarok may be the end of this story, so for those expecting a trilogy, this may just be a two-parter.
GhostWire: Tokyo Releases For PS5 And PC In 2022
Yet another 2021 game that was pushed to 2022, GhostWire: Tokyo is expected to release in 2022. The game doesn't have a release date right now, but will likely be the last Bethesda game to release on PlayStation for the foreseeable future. Sony was able to lock this down as a timed exclusive before Xbox acquired the massive gaming publisher. GhostWire: Tokyo comes from developer Tango Gameworks, the team behind The Evil Within. Players will experience a first-person adventure set in Tokyo after it has been consumed by supernatural entities. Almost all of the citizens of the city have vanished and it's up to the player to take the city back and uncover what led to this freakish encounter.
There may be more PS5 games that have yet to be revealed for 2022, but the year's already looking incredibly promising. Sony has also announced games for 2023 and beyond like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Marvel's Wolverine, so fans shouldn't hold their breath for some of these games. Nonetheless, the PlayStation 5 line-up over the next few years is looking like it could easily rival PS4's catalog of exclusives.