Following Sony’s reveal of the PS5 Pro but with a lack of new releases to show it off, the latest edition of State of Play (24th September, 11pm BST) comes at a good time, while also occurring ahead of Tokyo Game Show later this week.
Of the 20-odd trailers in the 40-minute presentation, which you can watch in full here, there’s admittedly some old fare that doesn’t quite manage to muster enthusiasm – a remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn with more conversational mocap, really? There’s even what you might call a remaster of the PS5 Pro reveal from two weeks ago, although a sizzle reel of old and upcoming games enhanced for this exorbitant hardware refresh is probably hard to appreciate in fast cuts and compressed video form.
Not that there aren’t some welcoming trailers for games you already know that now have confirmed release dates, such as Monster Hunter Wilds, which continues to look jaw-droppingly excellent. But let’s face it, you crave the new reveals, and the point here is to highlight those for you. Better yet, some of them even have release windows so that you know when you can expect to play them.
1) Ghost of Yōtei
Saved until last but by far the biggest highlight is the official reveal of a sequel to 2020’s open world samurai action adventure Ghost of Tsushima. There’s fortunately no number at the end because this isn’t a direct narrative follow-up but instead jumps a few hundred years further in Japan’s history in 1603 at the dawn of the Edo period.
This also puts Ghost of Yōtei a few years ahead of the events of this year’s Emmy-winning smash hit Shōgun. That said, this game is about a thousand miles away from that show’s political intrigue, and is set in the remote region of Ezo, a land was outside of the rule of Japan at the time, though is known today as Hokkaido. At its heart is the titular mountain where the action takes place and with that a new ‘Ghost’ protagonist named Atsu.
The trailer doesn’t reveal too much of story and gameplay, but as this is built from the ground up for PS5, it looks absolutely gorgeous with not just stunning vistas but more details – just look at all those horses galloping through the field! If first party studio Sucker Punch can hone its combat and rein in those Kurosawa fetishes, this could be something special.
Release date: 2025
2) The Midnight Walk
It’s always refreshing to see games that have a unique aesthetic beyond hyper realism, so The Midnight Walk is a great example. While there have been games with a handcrafted claymation look to it, all the assets you see in this dark fantasy adventure was actually first physically sculpted in clay before being 3D-scanned into the game, so you can literally see the artists’ fingerprints.
You’ll play as Potboy as they journey through the titular nightmarish highway, surviving five strange tales about fire, outsmarting ghoulish enemies and meeting a fantasical cast of companions, all of them beautifully hand-crafted and brought to life with stop-motion style animation. Better yet the game will be available to play on PS5 as well as PSVR2.
Release date: Spring 2025
3) Hell is Us
There’s been many Soulslikes over the years, which usually just becomes an excuse for being masochistically difficult, but newly announced action adventure Hell is Us set in a war-torn nation focuses on another aspect. It takes an old school approach and gets rid of the hand-holding elements of so many modern games, instead letting players figure things out for themselves.
With no quest markers, lore drops or world maps, this ‘Player-Plattering’ design is about getting you to explore the world as you see it and connecting the dots, while paying attention to what other characters might tell you. A game with none of the dreaded yellow paint? Sign me up! Publisher Nacon will also be providing a deeper dive into the gameplayon Monday 30th September at 4pm BST via its YouTube channel.
Release date: 2025
4) ArcheAge Chronicles
At first glance, ArcheAge Chronicles looks like it has all the visual spectacle and kinetic action as Final Fantasy XVI, with the difference being that it’s one you’ll experience with other players. It’s actually a follow-up to a decade-old Korean MMO, but while this trailer focuses on its action combat with epic large-scale raids against fearsome bosses, there’s plenty else to get involved in.
As such, housing will play a big part, allowing you to build and customise your own homes, with a variety of other life skills to learn, such as farming, crafting or trading. It’s just one part of this forgotten land of Auroria where you’ll have vast natural environments to explore and ancient ruins to uncover.
Release date: 2025
5) Alan Wake 2 – Lake House Expansion
Last year’s critically acclaimed Alan Wake 2 has already had some excellent DLC earlier this year, which incidentally didn’t have you play as the titular novelist. Its upcoming expansion follows suit as you’ll be playing as Kiran Estevez, an agent for the Federal Bureau of Control, set in an eerie new location called the Lake House on the shores of Cauldron Lake.
This teaser doesn’t give much away but you can definitely expect vibes of palpable dread and the odd jump scare. Besides, you won’t have to wait long as it’s set to drop next month during spooky season. In any case, it feels like the perfect bridge to Remedy’s confirmed follow-up to Control.
Release date: October
6) Everything else
For those less convinced by the PS5 Pro, there’s other new accessories you can opt for, as Sony also revealed the Chroma Collection, giving three new mesmerising colours – Chroma Pearl, Chroma Indigo, and Chroma Teal – available for the DualSense controller and PS5 console covers, matching the design of the PS5 Slim. The Pearl and Indigo versions are available from 7th November while you’ll have to wait until next year on 23rd January to get your hands on Teal.
With a fair share of DLC and updates, the choice pick has to be for the delightful Astro Bot, which is getting a Speedrun and Special Bots Add-on later this autumn, and best of all for free. One of those new bots happens to be Stellar Blade protagonist Eve with a much more family-friendly design. Speaking of Stellar Blade, the PS5 exclusive is also getting DLC in the form of a Nier: Automata crossover.
With classic games also getting remasters or added to the PlayStation Plus library, the one that surely has heads turning is Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered, the closest games have to a mature 3D Zelda-like of its time from two decades ago, which you’ll be able to experience again or for the first time on 10th December (fun fact: these games were directed by Uncharted creator Amy Hennig).
Of the few PSVR2 offerings shown, Hitman: World of Assassination VR is an undoubted highlight. While Hitman 3 had a VR mode, that was within the confines of the limited PSVR1 hardware. So it’s going to be special to be able to make full of immersive dual-wielding and intuitive gestures while fully immersed in all 21 maps from the acclaimed trilogy.
And if you’re looking for a shadow drop, then this year’s early access runaway hit PalWorld is out now on PS5. Too bad that this comes just as the ‘Pokémon with guns’ open world survival game has been hit with a lawsuit from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Ouch.
