Sony's hour-long PlayStation Showcase has been heavily anticipated with fans taking to the internet to make predictions and share their hopes for what games or announcements PlayStation could choose to exhibit for its PS5 and PSVR 2 consoles. The event was held on May 24, 2023, at 4pm Eastern/1pm Pacific Time, with new creations from PlayStation Studios as well as other games from third-party developers and indie titles all included in the Showcase.
With only weeks left before the release of Final Fantasy 16 and several other large games on the horizon, these titles will come as no shock to have mentioned during the broadcast. Many new surprises, including a new IP, have been teased before the event as well, however, which have many enthusiastic to learn more about them.
11 Helldivers 2
The sequel to the popular shooter about a dystopian future was officially announced. The original Helldivers was released in 2015 and this sequel has expanded significantly from its initial concept.
Rather than sticking to the original's top-down format, Helldivers 2 takes on a third-person shooter perspective with all new aliens to destroy and environments to experience. The trailer shown gives hints that the game could include a co-op multiplayer mode.
10 The Talos Principle 2
A surprise trailer was shown for the epic sequel to The Talos Principle with a release date of later this year. The sci-fi first-person puzzle game by Croteam was somewhat of a philosophical experience. Though The Talos Principle 2 was originally announced in 2021, details about the game had been relatively scarce prior to this presentation trailer.
9 Sword Of The Sea
A brand-new game made its debut at the PlayStation Showcase: Sword of the Sea. This adventure is made by the developers of Journey and ABZU and is an artistic game that allows players to experience using a Hoversword in a fashion similar to a snowboard. Its Creative Director, Matt Nava, describes it on the PlayStation Blog as "a skating game with an emotional core."
8 PlayStation Dedicated Game Streaming Device
A new dedicated remote play device is in development to allow players to steam any PS5 game to a handheld device for on-the-go gaming. Currently being dubbed Project Q, it will feature an eight-inch HD screen with two halves of a DualSense controller on either side, very similar to the Nintendo Switch in handheld mode. Additionally, PlayStation is going to be releasing new wireless Bluetooth earbuds to be used with the PS5 and Project Q systems.
7 Phantom Blade 0
Phantom Blade 0 showed off a cinematic trailer for its hack-and-slash RPG gameplay. This martial arts game did not give much in terms of specifics but gives a dark and moody feeling mixed with ARPG combat. No release date was given, but the game will be available on PC and PS5.
6 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Remake
Both a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and a Master Collection Vol. 1 for Metal Gear Solid were announced to be coming to PS5. The trailer for the remake of Metal Gear Solid 3 demonstrated that the graphics will be greatly improved for the PS5. Additionally, a new Master Collection Vol. 1 is going to be released in Autumn 2023 with ports of the first three games - Metal Gear Solid, MGS2: Sons of Liberty, and MGS3: Snake Eater - included in it for the PS5.
5 Final Fantasy 16
With just one month left before Final Fantasy 16 is going to be released, a new trailer was revealed at the PlayStation Showcase. This trailer, titled Salvation, offers players another look at what they can expect with gameplay footage and a new look at Clive Rosfield and the darker tone that players will get from this new Final Fantasy game.
4 Alan Wake 2
A new trailer for Alan Wake 2 debuted along with a release date confirmation of October 17, 2023. The survival horror game is a sequel to Alan Wake which was dubbed as a third-person shooter game with themes of psychological horror. This sequel will continue with the third-person perspective but is expected to lean more heavily into the survival horror aspect and be less about combat.
3 Assassin's Creed Mirage
The release date for Assassin's Creed Mirage has been confirmed along with an exciting new trailer for the game. The game is a direct successor to Valhalla and follows the story of Basim Ibn Ishaq in 9th-Century Baghdad. The trailer gave new gameplay footage and confirmed that the official launch date for the game will be October 12, 2023. Mirage is expected to harken back to the series' original gameplay scope, focusing on parkour and social stealth, rather than the expansive RPGs Assassin's Creed's mainline games have become.
2 Dragon's Dogma 2
A trailer for Dragon's Dogma 2 debuted with the announcement that this sequel is officially in development now. No release date was given, but this open-world ARPG showed new footage during the PlayStation Showcase and is likely to be released in 2024 or 2025. This will be the first mainline Dragon's Dogma game to be released in over a decade.
1 Marvel's Spider-Man 2
As many had predicted, the star of the 2023 PlayStation Showcase was Marvel's Spider-Man 2, with a new trailer showing off an incredible amount of gameplay footage including Peter using new powers in a symbiote suit. The game's villain, Kraven the Hunter, opened the trailer with a preamble delineating his trip to New York in search of a "great hunt." Though no specific release date was given, as had been hoped, it will be released sometime in the fall of 2023.
Although there were many hoped-for announcements and trailers which did not land a spot in the 2023 Sony PlayStation Showcase, the hour-plus-long broadcast showed numerous titles. Many PSVR 2 games were also shown, including a Resident Evil 4 VR and a VR FPS Synapse. Five Nights at Freddy's Help Wanted 2 was given a release window of late 2023, along with many more teasers and trailers.
Source: PlayStation/YouTube, PlayStation Blog