“It was an amazing project because we made it without any expectations,” said Doucet, talking about the fun experimentation that the studio was able to partake in during the development of Astro Bot Rescue Mission. “All we wanted was to do the best possible evolution of that prototype and help VR show people VR can do this, this, this, and that. We were trying to come up with as many original ideas as possible.”

“We had no idea it would actually be a profitable game and even take us some awards,” he continued. “So that was really, really nice.”

Doucet also spoke about working on the next Astro Bot title: Astro’s Playroom. “We made some demos once again and showed them to the world, same kind of thing,” said Doucet.

He also recently revealed in an interview with Famitsu that one of Astro Bot‘s most beloved features – its VIP Stages – were originally planned to be mini-stages. For context, VIP stages are the ones that feature characters from classic PlayStation franchises, like God of War’s Kratos and the monkeys from Ape Escape.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission was essentially the debut of the franchise. Released in 2018 exclusively for the PS4’s VR headset, PlayStation VR, the game was a showcase of just about every kind of gameplay trick possible with the unique medium.

The whole game was designed around the DualShock 4 controller and the VR headset and allowed players to experience a third-person platformer game from a unique perspective. Players would interact with the game’s environment in unique ways as well, such as smashing walls with headbutts.

Astro’s Playroom, on the other hand, was designed as a simpler 3D platforming experience, this time around showcasing the various features of the PS5. All its levels were designed around one of the PS5’s features, including its internal hardware and the DualSense. Despite essentially being a tech demo, Astro’s Playroom got quite a bit of praise for being a genuinely fun and accessible platformer.

More recently, Astro’s Bot has been incredibly successful developer Team Asobi. The PS5-exclusive title was well-received and even ended up being the highest-rated game on Metacritic for 2024. Check out our own review for more details about the title.

Thanks to the new outer vents, players must purchase new console covers as they become available (release dates have yet to be confirmed). A vertical stand must be purchased separately and the same goes for a disc drive. The PS5 Pro supports Ultra HD Blu-Ray Disc Drives, including the one currently available for the PS5 Slim.

It also includes a DualSense wireless controller, a solid-state drive with 2 TB of space, and Astro’s Playroom. All current accessories are compatible with the Pro, from PlayStation VR2 and DualSense Edge to the Access controller and PlayStation Portal.

PS5 Pro launches on November 7th for $699.99. Check out some PS5 titles that will receive free patches to take advantage of its features here.

The fourth and final special bot is coming in September, and based on the silhouette, it should make Ape Escape fans happy. All these bots can transfer to Astro Bot when it launches next month. Since Astro’s Playroom is free for every PS5 player (and only takes about 4-5 hours to complete), this is the perfect yet completely optional way to prepare.

Astro Bot releases on September 6th for PS5 for $59.99. It’s a much bigger title than Playroom, with over 80 levels, 300 bots to rescue and more than 15 new abilities for Astro. Some new demo gameplay debuted during ChinaJoy 2024 – check it out here.

Start your engines — Special Bot #3 has appeared in the Cooling Springs stage of Astro’s Playroom!

Rescue the Bot to transfer them over to your Astro Bot save file on September 6: https://t.co/X4jOOlx486 pic.twitter.com/fq3dzFniJV

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) August 2, 2024

Anyone needing help getting the bot here’s how to make it appear I don’t know the solution yet though pic.twitter.com/ogqmc7mwmG

— Robert Arthur (@ThatGuyRobert2) August 2, 2024

Of course, as the PlayStation Blog notes, it won’t be easy – players must solve a riddle first. Given how community members successfully unlocked Lady Maria in less than three hours, Selene may be more challenging to pinpoint. New artefacts are also available at PlayStation Labo, so that’s worth checking out.

Two more Bots are coming in August and September, and by unlocking them, players can carry them over into Astro Bot as their starting crew. If you want to skip the entire exercise, that’s fine since the latter has more than 300 Bots to collect, with over 150 from PlayStation franchises through the years.

Astro Bot launches on September 6th for PS5. Check out our feature for more details.

Sony has pushed a new update for Astro’s Playroom, the free game that is packed in with every PS5 console, which has added new content and Trophies to the game. Where the former is concerned, a message shown upon booting up the game will direct players to “a mysterious portal” that has appeared “in the center of the PS LABO”, which is related to Astro’s upcoming adventure in Astro Bot. New gachas have also been made available.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned new Bronze Trophies are unlocked by finding and rescuing Special Bots in each of the game’s four main areas, with a Silver Trophy being awarded upon finding all four. This, too, is tied to the upcoming Astro Bot.

Developer Team Asobi has described Astro Bot as a “really, really big game”. It will feature over 80 levels, more than 15 new abilities, upwards of 70 new enemy types, and no microtransactions. It launches on September 6 for PS5, and will be sold at a price of $60. Pre-orders are live now, with a digital deluxe edition also available for $70.

Astro’s Playroom has a new game update:

New collection of gatchas and a mysterious portal addedhttps://t.co/aS0LDSCt4D pic.twitter.com/5iGSQkbTFh

— Wario64 (@Wario64) June 7, 2024

30. WWE 2K23

It’s easy to forget the slump that the WWE 2K series saw, especially with how much WWE 2K20 was rightfully panned, but that’s why subsequent entries, like WWE 2K23, are even more impressive. It builds on the polish and combat systems in WWE 2K22 while improving the visuals further and adding new features like War Games, a new Showcase and updates to existing modes. Plus, the Royal Rumble now supports up to eight players online.

Iceberg Lounge – Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham City is a great game with plenty of high points, but the Iceberg Lounge isn’t one of those. And the reason behind it is simply how uninventive this section is to play, since it requires pulling the Dark Knight across an iced out pool of water through the Batclaw. If something goes awry during this process, a shark will come out of the water and eat you and you’ll have to do it all over again. In addition to this, you only get to fight a few goons during this section – so it’s also pretty light on the action as well. All in all, it’s not difficult or very frustrating, but it can be surprisingly unremarkable – which is why it deserves its rightful place in this list.

While demo discs have faded away from mainstream popularity in recent years, more and more developers are starting to give fans a taste of the final product through demos – both free and otherwise. To that end, we present some of the best PS5 demos that we have all played time and time again.

Astro’s Playroom

Astro’s Playroom comes pre-installed with every PS5, and it’s highly likely that it was the first game that you booted when you unsheathed your shiny new console. And while it’s meant as a showcase of the PS5’s DualSense capabilities, it ends up being so much more than that. In so many ways, Astro’s Playroom is a celebration of everything PlayStation – and those who have grown up with the brand would surely have been overcome with nostalgia as they explored every nook and cranny of 4 sprawling levels set in the console’s internals. Astro’s Playroom is filled to the brim with mementos of the past and easter eggs for some of the best PlayStation games of all time.

But even those who haven’t grown alongside PlayStation would have a fun time regardless since the platforming is pretty fun as well with well-designed controls and fun level design. And then of course, there’s the impeccable use of the DualSense’s haptics which alter vibrations to reflect the intensity of an incoming sandstorm or the shattering of a glass among other things. Despite the short runtime of less than an hour – it ends up having a long-lasting impact on the player.

Ghostrunner

Ghostrunner is one of the most mechanically sound games of the last couple of years, and this journey through the rain-soaked streets of Dharma City constantly throws new challenges on top of its already brutal one-hit one-kill design. The short demo takes you through the opening moments of the game, and it’s a perfect introduction of Ghostrunner’s parkour elements and combat mechanics.

Ghostrunner is a game that demands mastery of its mechanics to be better at the game, and replaying the same sections over and over really pays off as you gain a better understanding of the encounters and your cyberninja’s moveset and pull off slick stunts that you previously thought were impossible. And then it becomes a well-earned power fantasy.

Outriders

While Outriders may not have been the game that many might have expected it to be, its demo slice of gameplay was a really fun one. People Can Fly’s latest shooter featured plenty of content for a free demo, and it comes with the entire first chapter of the game. This means you get the much-needed exposition alongside plenty of main missions and side missions which help you get a taste of the gameplay and build out your character better as you prepare for the final encounter.

But then Outriders’ gameplay changes significantly with your player class, so once you get through the roughly 3-hour demo with one class – you could do it again with a different class to see how that shakes up things and see what suits your style for your full playthrough.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Ninja Theory is evolving its signature take on the Souls formula with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, a new game set against the backdrop of the Han Dynasty. The demo gives you access to a giant area where you must make your way through hordes of enemies to the final boss. While that may sound limiting in scope, it’s anything but. The starting area is vast in scope, and you get to face different kinds of enemies and even a couple of mini-boss encounters before facing the big baddie – which by the way has 2 different phases and swift attacks.

The fast-paced combat feels like an evolution of Nioh’s combat system, and new elements like the Morale Rank system and companion beasts are useful additions to the experience. Plus, you also get to experiment with different weapon combinations and classes which also encourage you to go through it all over again.

Destroy All Humans!

Black Forest Games’ Destroy All Humans! successfully translates this cult classic experience into something that’s more palatable for the modern generation. The demo is inarguably the best way to get a taste of the full game. The visuals look superb and the changes to the gameplay really add up for a wonderful experience, and while the content may be on the shorter end of the stick with only the first mission being available in the package – it’s quality stuff regardless. But on the more positive side, you also get a bonus challenge to play as well.

Resident Evil: Village

Much like Astro’s Playroom that we discussed before, Resident Evil: Village is a celebration of everything Resident Evil as it effortlessly dances between different shades of horror ranging from psychological to survival to full-blown action. And while the game’s demo might not be as versatile as the final game, it’s really amazing nevertheless. You start out in a dimly-lit dungeon in Castle Dimitrescu which is undoubtedly one of the best sections of the game, and you make your way through it all by solving puzzles.

The game constantly plays on your fear of the unknown, with abnormal sounds and spooky notes about the dungeon’s inhabitants – but in actuality, you don’t face any mortal threats throughout the short duration of the demo. And when you reach the end, you see Lady Dimitrescu towering above you like a giant and you know it’s not going to end well. And this was just the one PS5 exclusive Maiden demo, and other demos that were released prior to launch are equally fun and scary as well.

Forspoken

Forspoken isn’t out until early next year, but it already has us excited about what’s in store – thanks to the recently released demo. It puts you in the middle of the action after a short tutorial, and you need to complete five different objectives to complete the demo. These range from combat encounters to crafting to open-world activities, and these tasks help you in getting a feel for how the combat, traversal, and player progression works.

Of course, you’re free to roam around these landscapes as well – and veering away from the main path will reward you with treasure boxes and useful resources for upgrading Frey. And once you are done with the main objectives, you also get a final boss encounter as a bonus which is just like an icing on the top of this cake. It only takes around an hour to complete if you rush through it, but you could easily stretch it to much longer if you want.

Tormented Souls

Tormented Souls is a love letter to the original Resident Evil games, and everything from the tank controls to spooky mansions to item-based puzzles is the game carrying that influence proudly on its sleeves. The demo takes you through a small slice of the game, but it’s enough to prove the sheer love and appreciation that the developer has for the source material. And since we couldn’t wait for the final release back then, we were playing through it over and over again.

God of War: Ragnarok

Sony Santa Monica’s latest God of War: Ragnarok is easily a more than worthy sequel to the stellar original that was released back in 2018, and that statement alone speaks volumes about the game’s quality. The continuation of Kratos and Atreus’ tale through the Norse realms is grand and filled to the brim with a buffet of high-adrenaline moments and spectacular boss fights. The combat and exploration have been polished to an immaculate sheen, which makes God of War: Ragnarok perhaps the best game to play on your shiny new console.

One year later, we’re looking back on the 25 best games released thus far for the PS5. So without further ado, let’s get into it.

Hades

Hades is many things. It’s a showcase of Supergiant Games’ deft character writing with a litany of well-written characters based on Greek mythology, each with hundreds of lines and dozens of interactions. It’s an incredible rogue-lite which balances its progression with the story, slowly unraveling more plot details with each escape attempt. And most importantly, it’s a great action game with stellar variety thanks to Boons and weapon upgrades that you want to jump into again and again, especially at 4K/60 FPS on the PS5.