Greatness awaits in the great outdoors, but there's a reason Sony's marketing department claims similar things can happen from the comfort of your own living room. With summer temperatures skyrocketing, the weather outside is frightening, but your PlayStation home console is here to be a dear and keep you safe from boredom's thralls.
Okay, maybe that was a bit intense. But the point is PlayStation owners have plenty of good games to keep themselves occupied with while the heat's well and truly unbearable. We've stitched together a neat little list of sterling recommendations, including some cross-gen content. It's not like PS5s grow on trees, after all.
Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy
Square Enix's spin on Peter Quill and his gang of alien misfits had a more uphill climb to find financial success than one might expect from such a popular brand. The proverbial well had been tainted somewhat by the mixed reception to Marvel's Avengers, which launched back in 2020. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, some players reasoned, would surely prove disappointing.
The two games are drastically different, however, so if you weren't over the Moon Knight with developer Crystal Dynamics' take on Tony Stark and friends, you may yet love Guardians of the Galaxy. Whereas Avengers' approach to its main campaign is primarily pitched through the lens of a live service game, Guardians sticks completely to the one-and-done premise of telling a tight, entertaining adventure with all the trademark humor and sass one ought to expect from this gang.
Riders Republic
We've already used the word once, and you'll note that we'll use it several more times going forward: adventure. What is summer, if not a time to — weather and free time permitting — go forth on some escapade, a dream vacation or a local hiking park, or what-have-you.
Ubisoft's Riders Republic won't send you to the stars or introduce you to a smart-talking raccoon, but this sports game offers just as much thrill as any space charade. Mountain biking's a classic summer vibe, and while skiing and snowboarding might drum up more wintry connotations, millions of folks every summer sojourn in colder climes. Most impressive is Riders Republic's wingsuit flying mode.
And if you're in a competitive mindset, Riders Republic even offers up to 64-player "Mass Race" competitions on PS5 and Xbox Series. (Past-gen players are stuck with 20, but that's still pretty neat.)
Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
PlayStation has long been a destination for fans of Japanese role-playing games. From the moment Final Fantasy 7 turned heads on the original PlayStation, Sony's platforms have been synonymous with the genre. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is yet another great JRPG, but it's also something more — by collaborating with Team Ninja, the crafty creators of the fast-paced action-RPG series Nioh, Square has found its own angry answer to Dark Souls.
And make no mistake, this game's protagonist is downright furious. Many a meme has been made in honor of Jack, whose aggressive antics lent Stranger of Paradise's early marketing an unintentionally hilarious edge. But despite the game's heavy focus on technical action combat and customizable job classes, there's still enough of a story here to give mad Jack more than a hint of character growth by the end.
Uncharted: Legacy Of Thieves Collection
Thus far, we've held up a spotlight on summer-savvy PlayStation games that can be enjoyed either on PS5 or its (still!) easier-to-acquire predecessor, PS4. And, in fact, we'll return to that trend shortly. But Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is a special exception. Sort of.
What we have here is a breathtaking remaster of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, PlayStation 4's emotional swan song to the epic adventure (there's that word again) of swashbuckling treasure hunter Nathan Drake. Not long after Uncharted 4's arrival in 2016, a smaller-scale but nevertheless impressive spinoff sequel, Uncharted: Lost Legacy.
Both installments are noteworthy for their series-defining set pieces and sizzling cast chemistry, and PlayStation 5 owners who skipped them in the past or simply wish to see old favorites with a fresh coat of paint won't be disappointed.
Elden Ring
There's a ton of library crossover between the PlayStation and Xbox ecosystems, and when we're thinking about great summer games for one platform, we figure it's best to consider the individual strengths of a multiplatform title and recommend it on that particular side of the fence. That's why our summer Xbox list is mostly separate from this one.
Mostly. It's difficult to overstate just how impactful Elden Ring has been in the first half of 2022. FromSoftware has gone from a household name within the domain of action-loving role-playing game fans, courtesy of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, to simply a household name. Gaming enthusiasts for every genre have stopped and taken note in a way that few RPGs do. The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim? The Witcher 3? The biggest of big leagues.
Just why exactly has Elden Ring left such a mark? Is it the vast and engaging, melancholic world? Is it the further-refined "Soulsborne" combat that challenges unflinchingly but fairly? Is it the deep lore, courtesy of fantasy author and professional frustration-prescriber George RR Martin? It is, of course, all of the above and more.
Horizon Forbidden West
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By now, we've recommended a space adventure, a sports adventure, an adventure about an angry man, an adventure about a debonair man, and the kind of grim and gothic adventure you should probably avoid when half-asleep.
Horizon Forbidden West, the continuing story of 2017's breakout heroine Aloy, eagerly gives us a veritable buffet's worth of a personal favorite — fight-robot-dinosaurs-while-saving-the-world-and-solving-the-mysteries-of-a-fragmented-human-race... adventure. It's a lot to take in, and we certainly recommend playing Horizon Zero Dawn ahead of time, but Horizon Forbidden West makes it all seem so
Aloy learns much and more about what truly happened to mankind in Forbidden West, boasting some much-needed enhancements to her skillset and firepower in the process.
Kena: Bridge Of Spirits
Rounding out this summer's finest PlayStation picks is Kena: Bridge of Spirits, a game that's as much about its memorable atmosphere as any gameplay or narrative aspect. First-time game developer Ember Lab knocked it out of the park with a gorgeous world and captivating soundtrack; in case you weren't aware, Ember Lab's decade-plus history prior to Kena: Bridge of Spirits involves delivering stunning animation and other digital content for companies from Coca-Cola to Crayola.
Kena is all about the charm, and we mean that for its titular protagonist as well. Kena is a young spirit guide, possessed in equal parts of a child's wonder and a guru's wisdom. The characters Kena meets, the environments she explores, and the story's resolution will all resonate with anyone yearning for the next great Miyazaki movie.
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