What We Can Expect From PlayStation In 2023: Thanks to the launches of God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, and Stray, PlayStation had a perfect combination of critical acclaim, blockbuster sales, and indie darlings to celebrate in 2022.
This trend is expected to continue over the upcoming 12 months as Sony tries to expand its already impressive game collection. PlayStation appears to be in for a busy 2023, with plenty to be excited about in the near future, as well as an impending next step into virtual reality.
Games Of All Shapes And Sizes
One of the most popular PlayStation games of 2022, Horizon Forbidden West is returning in 2023 with new content. On April 19, the Burning Shores DLC will be released, taking Aloy to the inundated, volcanic remains of Los Angeles. If The Frozen Wilds, the Zero Dawn expansion, is any indication, the Horizon tale will receive a large and action-packed addition.
PS5-only gaming console As New Yorker Frey discovers herself in a wondrous world full of magic, dragons, and demons in Square Enix’s action role-playing game Forspoken, which debuts on January 24th, a modern spin on the traditional Alice in Wonderland story.
Final Fantasy XVI debuts exclusively on the PlayStation 5 on June 22nd, nearly six years after the previous mainstream game. Although the series is returning to its high fantasy roots, Ryota Suzuki, the combat director of Devil May Cry 5 and Dragon’s Dogma, makes fast-paced action the main focus instead of turn-based battle.
Expected Release Dates Of New Games
When it comes to intense fighting, nothing beats the Spider-Man video games from Insomniac. In 2023, the PlayStation 5 exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will fly onto our screens.
The company has confirmed a late 2023 release timeframe, and there are rumors that both Peter Parker and Miles Morales will be playable, in addition to the addition of Venom.
Even though Marvel and Insomniac are working together on Wolverine, we don’t think it will release in 2023. Only a 50-second teaser has been released thus far, but you never know.
The PS5 exclusive Silent Hill 2 remake by Bloober Team has taken 21 years to complete. Although there is no official release date set, there have been rumors about this Unreal 5-powered horror for years.
Considering those rumors and the extended video that was unveiled earlier this year, we’re convinced that Silent Hill will be back in 2023.
However, Hideo Kojima will come back with Death Stranding 2, which was just revealed at The Game Awards, even though he won’t be making a return to Silent Hill anytime soon. Who knows when we’ll play this, but one thing is for certain: it will be strange, lovely, and unlike anything else.
Stellar Blade, a Korean acrobatic action game that was previously known as Project Eve, is another PS5 exclusive that we are aware of. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this one as it’s aiming for a 2023 release and has a Nier vibe to it.
Indies To Be On The Look Out For
Of course, as Sony continues its effort to highlight games from diverse genres and creators, there are also dozens of independent titles to keep an eye out for.
There are too many to mention, but a few standouts are Season: A Letter to the Future, a bicycle road ride through a planet on the brink of calamity, the tropical open world of Tchia, and the narrative adventure Goodbye Volcano High.
We don’t really understand what many of the PlayStation Studios are working on when it comes to Sony’s first parties. On the one hand, it’s exciting—it might lead to some major revelations in the summer—but on the other, whatever’s in the works is probably years away.
Naughty Dog is now working on the future Last of Us multiplayer game, so we at least have a general notion of what they are up to. The only information that is known is that it is “as massive as any of our single-player games,” according to Neil Druckman and that it is set in San Francisco, according to a piece of concept art.
What We Can Expect From PlayStation In 2023
We do know that starting on January 15th, we’ll be watching HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us, starring Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. The Gran Turismo movie, directed by Neil Blomkamp, will also include David Harbour and Orlando Bloom as PlayStation Productions wants to expand after the success of 2022’s Uncharted.
This Sony game is not the only one getting the live-action treatment, though. Along with TV shows for Twisted Metal, God of War, and Horizon, Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, Gravity Rush, and Jak and Daxter are also in development, but none of these are projected to hit theaters in 2023.
Of course, there are also the non-exclusive games from third-party developers and third-party studios that will be released on the PS5 in 2023, such as the Armored Core 6 remake, the Dead Space remake, the Resident Evil 4 remake, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Hogwarts Legacy, Street Fighter 6 remake, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League remake and Resident Evil 4 remake. In 2023, there won’t be a lack of entertainment options.
New Era, New Technology
Only three years had passed since the original PlayStation 4’s release before the Slim and Pro models were made available. We will have reached that stage for the PlayStation 5 by the end of 2023, so it’s possible that a new version of the console will be released within the next 12 months.
For those who struggle to put the present one beneath their TV, a slim version would be welcome. Sony’s priority may still be on ensuring a consistent supply of its base models is being created, rather than striving to release a new version, as PS5s are only now starting to become more commonplace sights on store shelves.
One thing we do know is that PSVR2 is on the road. As early as February 22nd, players will be holding and wearing Sony’s second attempt at virtual reality. With its remarkable tech, there is hope that it will succeed where its predecessor failed in the virtual world.
With an OLED panel, 110-degree field of view, inside-out tracking using built-in cameras, and revolutionary Sense Technology that integrates eye tracking, headset feedback, and 3D Audio, it offers VR in 4K HDR. A built-in motor in PSVR2 provides the wearer with physical feedback. “PlayStation VR2, luckily, brings things up to parity,” we stated in our hands-on preview.
Thanks to inside-out headset-based tracking, room-scale VR is available here, and the controllers seem on par with Meta’s newest.
Although PSVR2’s specifications are comparable to those of the Oculus Quest 2 and Valve Index, it is still a tethered headset that needs a PlayStation 5 to operate. With a steep $549.99 / £529.99 price tag on top of the cost of already owning a PS5, the game lineup may end up being a key selling point for prospective consumers.
In addition to more than 20 games, PSVR2 will debut with Horizon: Call of the Mountain, a stand-alone VR experience set in the post-postapocalyptic, mechanical beast-filled world designed by Guerilla. No Man’s Sky and The Dark Pictures: Switchback, a horror series spinoff with an on-rails shooter, will be among the titles that will join it.
Resident Evil Village and the original Resident Evil 4 will both soon be available in virtual reality. Sony’s upcoming foray into virtual reality may or may not be a success, but it stands to benefit from a solid lineup of first-party showcases and marquee exclusives.
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