What to expect from PlayStation in 2023

[ad_1]

PlayStation has had a nice mix of critical successes, top sellers, and indie darlings to celebrate in 2022, thanks to the releases of God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, and Stray. This pattern is set to continue over the next 12 months as Sony looks to add to its growing library of great games. With so many enthusiasts on the horizon, as well as the imminent next step in virtual reality, PlayStation looks set for a busy 2023.

Games of all shapes and sizes

Horizon Forbidden West was one of PlayStation’s biggest hits of 2022 and it’s back for more in 2023. The Burning Shores DLC arrives April 19th and takes Aloy to the flooded volcanic ruins of Los Angeles. If Zero Dawn’s expansion, The Frozen Wilds, is anything to go by, we’re in for a great, action-packed addition to the Horizon story.

A PS5 exclusive, Forspoken launches on January 24. Square Enix’s action RPG is a modern take on the classic Alice in Wonderland story, as New Yorker Frey finds herself in a fantasy world filled with magic, dragons, and demons.

Almost six years after the last major game, Final Fantasy XVI launches exclusively on PS5 on June 22nd. It’s a return to the series’ high fantasy roots, but that doesn’t mean the return of turn-based combat, as the fast-paced action takes center stage with Devil May Cry 5 and Dragon’s Dogma’s Ryota Suzuki holding the reins as combat director.

Final Fantasy XVI launches exclusively on PS5 on June 22nd.

“

Speaking of first-rate combat, it doesn’t get any more satisfying than in Insomniac’s Spidey games. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a PlayStation 5 exclusive hitting our screens in 2023. With rumors that both Peter Parker and Miles Morales will be playable, as well as the introduction of Venom, this all points to a very exciting direction as the studio has confirmed being late. Release window 2023.

Marvel and Insomniac are also teaming up for Wolverine, but we’re not convinced it’ll be out in 2023. So far, we’ve only seen a 50-second teaser, but you never know…

The biggest games of 2023

Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 remake is a PS5 exclusive with 21 years in the making. While no release date has been announced, rumors of this unrealistic 5 action thriller have been circulating for years, and combined with the lengthy trailer released earlier this year, we’re confident we’ll be back in Silent Hill in 2023.

And while Hideo Kojima won’t be returning to Silent Hill anytime soon, he will be back with Death Stranding 2, which was announced recently at The Game Awards. Who really knows when we’ll be playing this, but one thing we’re pretty sure of is that it’s going to be weird and beautiful and unlike anything else.

Another PS5 exclusive we know of is the Korean stunt game Stellar Blade, formerly known as Project Eve. We’re aiming for a 2023 release and with some positive vibes for Nier still going, this one is definitely going to stay on our radar.

There are also dozens of indies to look out for.

“

Of course, there are also dozens of indie games to look out for as well as Sony continues its mission to showcase games of all genres and developers. There are too many to list, but highlights include the tropical open world of Tchia, the narrative adventure Goodbye Volcano High, and Season: A Letter to the Future, a bike ride through a world on the brink of disaster.

As for Sony’s first parties, we have no understanding of what many PlayStation studios are planning. On the one hand, it’s exciting—it could lead to big summer finds—but on the other hand, whatever you’re cooking is likely to be years away. We at least have a rough idea of ​​what Naughty Dog is working on, with the upcoming Last of Us multiplayer game appearing at some point. But very few details are known, other than Neil Druckmann saying it’s “as big as any of our individual games” and a piece of concept art suggesting it takes place in San Francisco.

Something we do know is that we’ll be seeing the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us starring Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie when the show premieres on January 15th. It’s not the only Sony game getting the live-action treatment either, as David Harbor and Orlando Bloom are set to star in Neil Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo as PlayStation Productions looks to spread its wings further after 2022’s Uncharted. Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, Gravity Rush, and Jak and Daxter are also in the works, as well as TV series for Twisted Metal, God of War, and Horizon, but they are unlikely to launch in 2023.

Of course, there are also third-party studios and a slew of non-exclusive games coming to PS5 in 2023, including a Dead Space remake, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Hogwarts Legacy, Street Fighter 6, and Suicide Squad: Kill Justice League, Diablo 4, and Armored Core 6 to name a few. There certainly won’t be a shortage of things to play in 2023.

New year, new technology

The PlayStation 4 Slim and Pro were released just three years after the launch of the original PS4. By the end of 2023, we’ll have reached that period for PS5, so it may not be entirely out of the question we could see a new PlayStation 5 release sometime in the next 12 months. The slim version is sure to do no wrong for those who struggle to fit the current version under their TV. However, with PS5s now more regularly on store shelves, Sony’s focus may remain on making sure it produces a steady supply of its core models, rather than working to get a new version out the door.

One thing we know is on the way is PSVR2. Sony’s second stab at VR will be in the hands and heads of gamers from February 22nd. Filled with impressive technologies, there is optimism that it may make the virtual world what it previously failed to achieve.

Offering VR in 4K HDR, it has a 110-degree field of view with an OLED display, inside-out tracking using cameras built into the VR headset, and new Sense technology that combines eye tracking, headset feedback, and 3D audio. PSVR2 also includes a built-in engine that gives the wearer physical feedback. In our hands-on preview, we said, “Happily, PlayStation VR2 makes for par. Room-wide VR technology is here thanks to headphone-based internal tracking, and the consoles feel on par with the latest Meta hardware.”

While the PSVR2’s specs rival Oculus Quest 2 and Valve Index, it’s still a wired headset and requires PlayStation 5 to use it. With a hefty price tag of $549.99 / £529.99 on top of what the PS5 actually costs to own, the range of games could prove to be a huge deciding factor for potential buyers.

PSVR2 is set to launch with over 20 games including Horizon: Call of the Mountain – a standalone VR adventure set in a post-apocalyptic, monster-infested mechanical world created by Guerilla. He will be joined by the likes of No Man’s Sky and The Dark Pictures: Switchback, the spin-off shooter from the horror series. The original VR versions of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village are also coming. While the success of Sony’s next VR immersion remains to be seen, its solid roster of first-party offerings and big-name exclusives can only help its cause.

With so many games to play, a new era of PlayStation VR, and so much more, it looks like Sony is ready to build on the successes of 2022. What are they most excited about? Let us know in the comments.

Simon Cardy can’t wait to get trampled by Thunderjaw in VR. Follow him on Twitter at @CardySimon.

[ad_2]