There are quite a number of fantastic games with brilliant stories on the PS5 system. Ranging from third-person shooters to RPGs, there is something for everyone - especially those looking for a game with an in-depth story to get hooked on.
However, while not everyone looks for a strong narrative in their games, for those who do, it can be difficult to find something that sticks with you. These games all provide you with a great story across various genres and differ widely in playtime. Here are some of the best PlayStation 5 games with astounding storylines.
Updated on July 4, 2023, by Dennis Moiseyev: The PlayStation 5 has become much more easily accessible, and with the launch of Diablo 4 and Final Fantasy 16, right now is the perfect time to get your hands on one if you're looking for a spectacular narrative experience. Along with these newer titles, there are many other great narrative-heavy games worth checking out here that are included with Amazon links also attached, should you want to buy them as soon as you read about them.
17 Life Is Strange: True Colors
Release Date: September 10, 2021
Metacritic Score: 81
Approximate Length: 10 Hours
Since 2015, the Life Is Strange series has provided some excellent narrative experiences. The self-contained True Colors is the series at its best due to its powerful storytelling and beautiful visuals. In the game, you play as a young woman named Alex Chen, who visits a small mining town to reunite with her older brother.
She's a very likable protagonist with the supernatural ability to feel other people's emotions. It ends up being a useful power as, after a disaster, she needs to use her skills to uncover the seemingly wholesome towns' dirty secrets.
16 The Medium
Release Date: September 3, 2021
Metacritic Score: 75
Approximate Length: 8 Hours
Even with its shorter length, The Medium's excellent pacing manages to squeeze a complex amount of detail into its horror mystery narrative and leave you with plenty of shocking and disturbing twists. The storytelling style is also unlike anything seen in previous horror games. The main character Marianne not only communicates with the dead but exists within their dimension at the same time via a splitscreen.
The story begins with Marianne's loss of her foster father and builds on the secrets of her family history and the origin of her supernatural ability. Her answers appear to lie somewhere within a haunted resort called Niwa, a place with a dark past echoed by the ghosts whose memories you can access. While you encounter more friendly spirits, such as a sweet young girl named Sadness, the looming threat of a giant hostile entity known as the Maw is not far behind.
15 Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy
Release Date: October 26, 2021
Metacritic Score: 80
Approximate Length: 17.5 Hours
As you'd expect from the title, this game revolves around Marvel comic's hilarious band of misfits. Star-Lord is joined by Rocket, Gamora, Drax, and Groot as the team attempt to stop a mysterious force called The Promise. It's a tale filled with twists and turns, which you get partial control over as the game includes several important choices. Regardless of your decisions, you will still get to witness a mixture of brilliantly written laugh-out-loud and tear-jerking moments delivered by talented voice performances.
From a gameplay standpoint, you primarily control Star-Lord, but you can order your allies to use their special attacks on the litany of enemies you face. Outside of combat, their skills can be used to solve several environment puzzles. Both the gameplay and story are enjoyable to experience.
14 Horizon Forbidden West
Release Date: February 18, 2022
Metacritic Score: 88
Approximate Length: 29 Hours
The basic premise of the second Horizon game is that the protagonist Aloy has to travel into the Forbidden West region in hopes of stopping a dangerous blight. However, the title tells a multi-layered tale featuring a bunch of different sub-plots, many of which focus on the title's brilliant cast of characters.
When you're not watching the game's compelling cutscenes, you're usually participating in some third-person RPG action or exploring the giant open world. In combat, you take on a variety of different animal-like machines, and to defeat them, you must take advantage of their various weak points. It's a clever and unique combat system that complements the engaging narrative.
13 Control: Ultimate Edition
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Metacritic Score: 85
Approximate Length: 12.5 Hours
Control is a great game if you're a fan of a story with mystery and science-fiction elements. It takes place in New York, with you playing a character called Jesse, who is tasked with taking care of a mysterious extra-terrestrial threat called 'the Hiss'. It's similar in style to the BioShock series, but also introduces an amazing physics system which makes it one of the most satisfying gaming experiences in recent years.
The storytelling is a real highlight, and if you don't get lost, it has one of the strongest narratives on the PS5. The characters are great too, and do a lot to cement the charm that oozes out of every part of this unusual game.
12 Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Release Date: March 2, 2021
Metacritic Score: 86
Approximate Length: 45.5 Hours
Yakuza: Like A Dragon was one of the best RPGs of 2020, and the PS5 version is a fantastic experience for fans of the series and newcomers alike. Set in the underworld of Japan, one minute you'll be bashing heads, and the next you'll be relaxing at the arcades or singing Karaoke.
It's a weird game, but in an era littered with bland, grey adventure games starring middle-aged white guys, Yakuza: Like A Dragon stands out amongst the crowd. Its characters are great, with Ichiban being arguably the best protagonist the series has seen so far. If you have never checked out a Yakuza game, you owe it to yourself to try out Like A Dragon.
11 Uncharted: Legacy Of Thieves Collection
Release Date: January 28, 2022
Metacritic Score: 87
Approximate Length: 20.5 Hours
The Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection bundles the final installments in the Uncharted series, and both games deliver poignant stories featuring incredible action. A Thief's End is a cinematic adventure with some of the best moments and character development. It takes you around the world in search of Henry Avery's treasure and explores the deeper ties into Nathan Drake's family, with his older brother Sam at the center of it all.
On top of new characters, Uncharted 4 introduces many new mechanics, allowing you to drive a car in more open-world areas and swing from a rope during combat and when scaling the landscape. The Lost Legacy sequel follows Drake's acquaintances Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, who are later joined by Sam Drake on the hunt for the Tusk of Ganesh and are up against one of the series' most ruthless villains.
10 The Last Of Us Part 2
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Release Date: June 19, 2020
Metacritic Score: 93
Approximate Length: 24 Hours
The Last of Us Part 2 isn't technically a PS5 game, but after receiving a PS5 upgrade it looks and plays as well as any native game on the system. It takes place just five years after the first game, presenting a new story featuring Ellie - but it moves the narrative in a completely unique direction, creating some incredibly emotional moments, both good and bad. It might not quite top the first game, but it is a worthy successor in every way.
The combat is certainly more refined, and the characterization of the various new people you'll meet on this journey is leaps and bounds above that seen in the original game. It remains a must-play game, not just for its story but for everything that surrounds it.
Get it for PS4 on Amazon here!
9 Marvel's Spider-Man
Release Date: September 7, 2018
Metacritic Score: 87
Approximate Length: 17 Hours
Marvel's Spider-Man received a remaster alongside the release of Miles Morales, and it's every bit as good on PS5 as it was when it originally launched back in 2018. It has one of the best versions of Peter Parker across any media and has a great story full of twists and turns as you swing and web your way to the game's ending. It also has one of the best traversal systems in any game, well, ever.
Insomniac Games let you loose in an incredibly well-made New York City, complete with landmarks like the Empire State Building and Central Park, and the PS5 version is equipped with instant load times and makes great use of the next-generation Dualsense controller. Its story may be a little cheesy at times, but it is a comic book game, so would you really expect anything else?
Get it as part of the Miles Morales Ultimate Edition on Amazon here!
8 Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
Release Date: June 10, 2021
Metacritic Score: 87
Approximate Length: 35 Hours
A remake of one of the greatest RPGs of all time, the Final Fantasy 7 remake makes great use of the additional power offered by the PS5 with performance and graphics-based modes, alongside quicker loading times and Dualsense features. This chapter covers the original story up to the escape from Midgard but includes a lot of extra content and story not seen in the original.
It's the best action RPG available on the PS5, and the exclusive DLC episode is as high a quality as the base game itself. If you're looking for a story to get lost in, look no further than Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
7 A Plague Tale: Innocence
Release Date: July 6, 2021
Metacritic Score: 82
Approximate Length: 11 Hours
A Plague Tale: Innocence is an emotive dive into the relationship between a brother and sister, and it has some fantastic writing and thrilling gameplay that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entirety of your time with it. You spend your time avoiding the Inquisition, as well as the horde of rats that follow your every step, all whilst searching for the cure to Hugo, Amicia's brother who has been ill since birth.
The game's focus on stealth gameplay and player awareness makes it a great proposition if you're looking for a slower experience, with the power balance between you and the antagonists of the game being heavily weighted against you. A Plague Tale: Innocence is a great game; just make sure you have some tissues beside you while playing it.
6 Disco Elysium - The Final Cut
Release Date: March 30, 2021
Metacritic Rating: 89
Approximate Length: 23 Hours
Disco Elysium offers you an unprecedented level of choice in how you play it - every single action or decision you make has a big impact on how the rest of the game plays out. You play as a detective tasked with solving a murder, all whilst trying to put together his own fractured memory. All of this takes place in a world torn apart by a war years before, which has left things in a pretty terrible state.
Surprisingly for an RPG, Disco Elysium has no combat, instead, focusing on decision-making and having you respond appropriately to events that take place within the world. It's a lot of reading, but The Final Cut includes a brilliantly performed narrator for every bit of dialogue. Disco Elysium has one of the best stories in modern gaming and is a refreshing addition to the PS5 lineup.
5 Hades
Release Date: August 13, 2021
Metacritic Score: 93
Approximate Length: 22.5 Hours
Hades is a tough roguelite and one of the best the genre has ever seen. For a roguelite, it has a surprisingly deep narrative, with layers of story to untangle, as well as all the relationships between the game's numerous characters. The visual style is gorgeous too, with each of the Underworld's locales having unique and rich environments for you to explore - there is even the chance to rest between areas and take it all in.
On top of the near-limitless levels of content to find and unlock, it will take you ten complete runs if you intend to find Hades' real final ending - this isn't a small game by any means. The focus on Greek mythology is brilliantly done too, with characters such as Hades, Zagreus, and Aphrodite all being brought to life in this fantastic take on one of gaming's fastest-growing genres.
4 Stray
Release Date: July 19, 2022
Metacritic Score: 83
Approximate Length: 5 Hours
A game doesn’t need an expansive cast or intense dialogue to tell a powerful story. When done correctly, something beautiful can be found in nothing more than a lost cat. Stray takes that concept and refines it into something truly memorable. You play as a cat in a world where humans no longer exist. After falling down some ruins, you find yourself deep in an underground city, where the robotic servants of the now-gone people continue to live and operate. Your only goal is to get back to the surface.
Where Stray really shines is in the environment you explore throughout the story. Concepts blend seamlessly, creating an awe-inspiring backdrop of steam, rust, and neon lights. Your goal may be simple, but you’ll see a vibrant and living world telling its own story along the way.
3 Diablo 4
Release Date: June 6, 2023
Metacritic Score: 88
Approximate Length: 23 Hours
With a narrative campaign that stands on its own, Diablo 4 eases you into its established world and lore, soon leaving you enthralled even if you haven't touched any of the previous games in the series. The vivid exploration of dark and disturbing atmospheric settings during main and side quests, the gorgeous cinematics, excellent writing, and powerful voice acting certainly don't disappoint.
You may be called a Wanderer in Diablo 4, but you're not a hapless character that's defenseless. You can choose from one of five classes, like Druid or Necromancer, and then further level up to gain new gear and be your best against enemies. Sanctuary is also a pretty wide space filled with many allies, in addition to the threat of Lilith and her followers that are wreaking havoc on the land.
2 God Of War Ragnarok
Release Date: November 9, 2022
Metacritic Score: 94
Approximate Length: 26 Hours
2018's God of War showed how the series can seamlessly pivot from a traditional hack-and-slash to a narrative masterpiece, and the sequel comes back with a story presenting higher stakes and a lot more dramatic elements than a father-son journey to Jotunheim. The prophecy of Ragnarok has begun, and Kratos is left to assemble allies to thwart the impending doom and Odin's legions while also trying to fix the crumbling relationship that now stands between him and Atreus.
The new story in God of War Ragnarok will take you to each of the nine realms, bringing with them droves of well-designed enemy encounters and stunning locations. There's also an increase in the challenging main bosses you face that make it feel as though you're back to the older entries but with a more elevated narrative style. And your time with Mimir remains as enjoyable as ever.
1 Final Fantasy 16
Release Date: June 22, 2023
Metacritic Score: 88
Approximate Length: 32.5 Hours
If you enjoy pure high fantasy revolving around warring nations, mythical beasts, and sorcery in a historical period, Final Fantasy 16 delivers on all fronts in an epic and cinematic way. This entry has already gotten comparisons to one of the biggest fantasy hits of all time, Game of Thrones, primarily due to its more mature storytelling and shocking amounts of gore in a world that shares similar qualities and themes like usurping power.
At the forefront of this tale is Clive Rosfield, a soldier in an empire that betrayed his family and older brother to Joshua Rosfield, who wields the power to transform into a giant phoenix Eikon creature. As the usual case with Final Fantasy, the quests are plenty here, but what's even more plenty are the lengthy cutscenes you get immersed in, with cinematic strikes and evasions also factoring into the gameplay combat.
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