Of course, fancy visual styles are not the only part of a game that makes it special. But they certainly do help immerse players into the worlds that they see on their screens. With that being said, it’s time to dive into ten moments from our time with current-gen experiences that have stood out enough to make us put down our controllers and gape in awe at what we were witnessing.

#10. Horizon Forbidden West’s Stunning World

From the very first frame of Aloy’s latest adventure, it was obvious that this was a world that was designed with a lot of care and attention. The Decima engine powered a world in which the flora, fauna, weather, and terrain all came together to create an experience that was sure to catch the eye and showcase the PS5’s graphical prowess in all its glory.

And don’t even get us started on the machines! The Tremortusk blew us away when we found one in the wild, while the Thunderjaw’s deadly ferocity was all the more resplendent with its next-gen makeover when compared to Zero Dawn.

Guerilla Games’ smart use of its opening credits to showcase the new world it had created for Aloy to explore was a display of sheer creativity and attention to detail that continues to be among our most memorable moments in recent years – it helps that it was made even better by a somber, haunting melody to accompany the montage of what the Forbidden West was set to offer.

#9. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’s Madagascar Set Piece

Nate and Sam’s adventures found a new lease of life when Uncharted 4 was remastered for the PlayStation 5 as part of Naughty Dog’s Legacy of Thieves collection. The studio certainly knows its way around a grand set piece, but the sequence but Nate and Sam’s desperate attempts to shake off an entire convoy of armed vehicles while on a motorcycle is one that we could replay over and over again.

With the improved graphics and a buttery smooth framerate courtesy of next-gen hardware, this chase sequence was an incredible showcase of what next-gen hardware could do even on older games. Every busy street, muddy road, or exploding vehicle was rendered in perfect detail while the tension of the chase added to the scene instead of being a distraction.

The flames from Nate’s crashed vehicle seemed all the more dangerous on next-gen systems, while Naughty Dog’s penchant for charming banter between its characters despite overwhelming odds made this sequence one that we will talk about for a long time to come.

#8. Ride 5 On A Rainy Day

Although we recommended that owners of the previous game give this one a pass, that does not take away from the fact that Ride 5 was an absolutely stunning addition to the next-gen lineup. It can be hard for any studio to truly nail down a first-person point of view considering the amount of detail that it would need to include in order to create an immersive and authentic experience.

Thankfully, Milestone s.r.l. was up to the task, crafting a motorcycle racing simulator that was perhaps easier on the eyes that it was on our hands considering its steep learning curve. However, taking a bike out for a spin was a treat, especially when the game’s excellent visuals and weather systems came into play.

Riding out in the rain with the game’s first-person view enabled gave us enough reasons to stop and take in the sights, racing be damned. Drops of rain bounced off our helmets, droplets impacting visibility, while the track shimmered with reflections just like a wet road would in real life. It continues to mesmerize us anytime we decide to hop on a fast bike and get to a race on its authentically designed tracks.

#7. Enter the Sandman in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

As if taking control of not one but two webslingers wasn’t enough, Insomniac Games’ new and improved take on New York City was an absolutely stunning sight to see in the early moments of Peter Parker and Miles Morales’ new adventure.

Taking on the Sandman meant that the Spider-Men would need to make each swing and leap count, and the game did not hesitate to showcase its incredible particle physics and ray-traced reflections at every turn. It was almost too good to be true, making us marvel at how far next-gen systems could raise the bar for visual flair and graphical fidelity in modern gaming.

It was on par with Uncharted 4’s bike chase, and perhaps even more thrilling considering that we were in control of actual superheroes in a game that truly made us feel like them as early as its opening sequence.

#6. Aiming For the Sky In Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 2024

Honestly, this list would be incomplete if we didn’t include Microsoft Flight Simulator 24’s breathtaking visuals that brought a lot of technical wizardry to the table in an experience that would thrill even the most seasoned pilots while completely baffling newcomers with its level of detail and realistic take on what piloting aircraft would feel like.

Microsoft’s extensive attempts to establish authenticity certainly paid off with a level of detail that had us wanting to stay up in the clouds for as long as we could, admiring the world below us in a way that no other flight sim has managed to replicate in the years since its release.

For anyone looking to show off their next-gen setup, this game is definitely one that can do it justice.

#5. Akira Kurosawa’s Magic in Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut

Despite Ghost of Tsushima making its debut on last-gen hardware, Sucker Punch’s rendition of Tsushima Island contrasted the poignant and desperate tale of Jin Sakai with a beautiful world that was worth every drop of blood that the honorable samurai shed for it. Perhaps it was even worth his gradual abandonment of honor and tradition in favor of tactics that brought the Mongol army to its knees.

We dived back into Tsushima with glee when the Director’s Cut was released, and leaping on to Nobu (as we will always remember him) to rush through a field of flowers was even more breathtaking considering the PS5’s buttery smooth framerate and penchant for enhancing last-gen experiences.

Ghost of Tsushima continues to be among our favorite art styles and is a visual treat for anyone looking to experience Jin’s adventures for the first time, or perhaps dive back in for another bout with Kotun Khan’s forces.

#4. The Crushing Darkness of Hellblade: Senua’s Saga’s Opening

Ninja Theory’s follow up to the innovative and harrowing experience it brought its players with Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice showcased a new level of visual fidelity and even more ambition than its predecessor in terms of how it aimed to present Senua’s declining mental state and her determination to bring justice to the Northmen who wronged her.

While every other entry on this list had us staring with excitement and wonder at our screens, this one brought deep blacks and incredible moonlit reflections to an opening sequence in which the sea and night created an atmosphere that was so oppressive it gave us the shivers despite us being safe and sound in our coziest chairs.

Senua’s struggles against the violent tides that sank her ships and her subsequent, desperate attempt to get to safety as the opening credits played out were a benchmark for how next-gen hardware could be used to bring realistic visuals to life in modern gaming. It helps that the game’s incredible audio design and a poignant narrative worked in tandem with its graphical grandeur to bring an experience that we wouldn’t hesitate to dive into again, chills and all.

#3. Death Stranding 2’s Introduction to Sam and Lou

We all knew Hideo Kojima’s latest masterpiece was going to make it to this list. But the manner in which it did continues to astound us. After a brief recap of events in the first game presented largely in black and white, grand and sweeping vistas that showcased the Decima Engine at its finest worked well with Kojima’s cinematic chops, creating an opening sequence that brought us back to Sam and Lou as they rested atop a mountain.

Taking control of Sam as he attempted to navigate the treacherous terrain to reach his new hidden home was nothing short of extraordinary, showcasing the size and scope of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach right off the bat while allowing Kojima to introduce aerial cameras and an honestly astounding level of detail to the world he created for his players.

It will continue to be an opening sequence that has us smiling each and every time, not just for the nostalgia it brings but for the immense beauty and spectacle of it all.

#2. The Dimensional Rifts in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

With our titular heroes being sucked into a journey that literally takes them across the space-time continuum thanks to Dr. Nefarious’ attempt to take control of the Dimensionator, Insomniac’s take on Dimensional Rifts in this vibrant title earns it another place on this list.

The worlds between worlds shine with colors that pop out at players while innovative puzzles ground their visual flair in a solid gameplay loop that made us slack-jawed at just how far next-gen hardware had taken one of our favorite franchises.

Rift Apart is the perfect blend of light-hearted humor, charm, and graphical flair, making each Rift we tackled a very memorable experience.

#1. The Matrix Awakens and Its “Unreal” Showcase

Epic Games gave us one of the most authentic recreations of The Matrix when it utilized the power of Unreal Engine 5 to showcase just what it could do given the right tools. The city that the demo took place in, along with faithful recreations of chase sequences had us wondering if we were simply watching footage from the original movies instead of a digitally recreated version of those events.

The demo blurred the lines between the real world and video games in a way that only Death Stranding 2 has managed to imitate with success. It is what keeps us very optimistic that next-gen gaming hardware is only getting started with what it can eventually bring to the table.

And that wraps up our picks for moments in recent years that had us stunned at what next-gen hardware could bring to life. Here’s to many more of those moments, and a whole lot of fun to be had as we bring them to you!

And now, Sony is about to show us the next wave of PS5 software. For far too long, PlayStation fans have complained about Sony’s silence, and how the company won’t share what’s in the pipeline for the $500 machines they have just bought on faith – the good thing is, now Sony is about to show us what’s behind the curtains, with their upcoming PlayStation event.

Obviously, it’s hard to know exactly what we can expect from this show, but there are some predictions we can make – based on rumours, educated guesses, precedence, and just plain old wishful thinking at times. Honestly, if even half this list shows up at Sony’s even, we’ll be satisfied – if they manage to pull through with all of them, we’ll be ecstatic. So, without further ado, here’s what we expect.

HORIZON: FORBIDDEN WEST

Horizon: Forbidden West got a huge State of Play back before E3, and it’s spent the last few weeks in the news cycle, with the confirmation of the official release, date, as well as pre-order details, and the snafus associated with Sony’s boneheaded cross-gen strategy. But what we haven’t gotten in a while is a new look at the game itself – which we probably will at Sony’s event. To be honest, we probably won’t see a lot of it, and Sony will presumably not want to linger on it too much, since it has been in the news cycle (and since Sony will probably want to talk about stuff we don’t have as much details on), but Horizon being there is a pretty safe bet. Hopefully we get to see more of a look at how Guerrilla plans on evolving their well-received, but flawed, first attempt at an open world action RPG.

THE LAST OF US REMAKE

From recent, well sourced reports, we know that Sony is supposed to be working on a remake of the seminal The Last of Us. Whether or not this is a considered decision is now water under the bridge – no matter what one thinks of whether the excellent 2013 game which still holds up needs a remake, it is, apparently, getting one. And if it is, we might get to see it at this event. It’ll be really interesting to see what changes, if any, the game has over the original – The Last of Us is one of the most beloved games of all time, and out single handedly defined Sony’s entire first party approach from there on. It also holds up remarkably well – so what will the remake bring to the table? Are we looking at it adopting Part 2‘s amazingly realized sandbox style encounters? Will there be any changes made to the story? We’re pretty excited to see what comes of The Last of Us‘s remake at this point, and we hope Sony brings the goods.

THE LAST OF US PART 2: FACTIONS

Of course, The Last of Us Remake will probably not be the only new entry in that franchise we see at this event. Sony and Naughty Dog have been teasing the multiplayer component to Part 2, which was expanded in scope to be a standalone product, for a while now, and we still haven’t seen anything of it. We’ve barely had official acknowledgement for it. So, the time has come – if this thing is still happening, this PS event is where Sony should take the curtains off and finally reveal how The Last of Us multiplayer will be evolving in the next generation. Personally, given how mechanically sublime The Last of Us Part 2 is, I can’t wait to see what a multiplayer game based off of it will be like.

FORSPOKEN

Final Fantasy 16 is not going to be at this show – as much as I’d want it to be, Square Enix pretty much confirmed earlier this year that it’s unlikely to be shown off for the remainder of 2021. But we already know that Forspoken, the new game from the development team of Final Fantasy 15, is supposed to release before Final Fantasy 16 – so perhaps we get a new look at that? There are a lot of questions about this game, which is promising to deliver an open world action RPG unlike any Square Enix has ever attempted in the past – and maybe a deeper dive into what the game might deliver will help stoke the fires of hype.

GRAN TURISMO 7

This one is honestly a bit of a crapshoot as to whether or not it shows up at the event. Gran Turismo games are notorious for having protracted development cycles, something that 7 is probably especially struggling with given COVID-19 is still a thing, and that apparently the PS4 version for it was added later in development. Past GT games have often skipped showings at events until nearer release – depending on the state of the game right now, there’s a possibility that Gran Turismo 7 is a no-show here as well. However, presumably we will get something for the game here – a short trailer or a gameplay demo around one track, perhaps? Like I said, it’s hard to nail this one down. But Gran Turismo is Sony’s oldest active franchise – and I am sure there are many who would be delighted to see it.

BLUEPOINT GAMES

Is Sony actually acquiring Bluepoint Games? Who knows anymore? When announcing the acquisition of Housemarque earlier this year, PlayStation Japan’s Twitter account accidentally also shared news indicating Bluepoint had been similarly acquired – but that was quickly deleted, and Bluepoint continues to be independent, with no official acknowledgement of that goof since. Was it a goof? Who knows? Maybe Sony announces Bluepoint joining the PlayStation Studios family at this event. Maybe there is no acquisition, but at the very least we get to see what game they are working on next – whether it be a remake of some other classic Sony property, or something new entirely.

NEW GAMES FROM SONY’S NEW PARTNERSHIPS

Over the last few months, Sony has been announcing new partnerships for exclusive games with newly set up studios, most prominently, Jade Raymond’s Haven Studios. We haven’t seen or heard anything from these new games these studios are supposed to be working on, even though we do know that Sony is apparently relying on their expertise with multiplayer games to compensate for the weakness of those styles of games in their own first party lineup. Once more, if these games are anywhere close to being shown, this Sony even is as good a place as any. Hopefully we see at least one of them soon.

BLOODBORNE REMASTER

People have been trying to will a Bloodborne remaster into existence for almost half a decade now (ever since the PS4 Pro in fact). They have good reason to – Bloodborne is an amazing game, but it suffers from being technically fairly, shall we say lacking. Framerate drops and frame pacing issues are the biggest problems the game suffers from, and a re-release that does literally nothing else except ironing those out will probably be able to charge a $70 premium and get away with it for its contingent of loyal and devoted fans. Bloodborne as a remaster – for PS5 and PC – has been rumoured variously for a while now, though to be fair, none of those rumours really seem to have much backing them. But again, if it’s true that this game is getting a remaster, or re-release, or update of any kind, we should hopefully see it next week. And if we don’t… well, sometimes it’s best to just make your peace with how things are.

NEW FROM SOFTWARE GAME

In the PS3 and PS4 eras, Sony partnered with From Software to deliver a generation defining game each time that would drive core gamers to their consoles – Demon’s Souls for PS3, Bloodborne for PS4. Recent reports indicate they are teaming with From Software again for a hat trick, which sounds extremely exciting – although a lot of questions remain about whether or not there is any veracity to this rumor. For starters, given that all of From has been pulled into trying to get Elden Ring out the door, who exactly is working on this new game? Secondly, given that Bloodborne and Demon’s Souls were both FromSoftware and Sony Japan co-productions (a fact that tends to often be forgotten), who exactly is working with From on this game? Sony Japan is closed now, because Sony in their infinite wisdom decided to shut down their oldest internal development studio. Is there even any truth to this rumor? I really hope so, because as I said, the last two times Sony and From joined forces delivered among the greatest games of all time. I’d love another one of those.

WIPEOUT

Something that somehow feels even unlikelier than a new From Software partnership is a new Wipeout game, and yet, a new Wipeout game was part of a lot of the same reports that reported on the new From title. Unlikely, why? After all, Wipeout was widely loved, and is Sony’s oldest IP. But the thing is, the genre it is in hasn’t delivered a hit in over two decades, the studio that made Wipeout (industry legends Pygnosis, acquired by Sony before the release of PS1, rebranded later) has been shut down, and there is no indication that Sony really has any other studio with the know-how to make a futuristic arcade racing game. Maybe Polyphony Digital could give it a go (and they would probably do it well), but they seem to be all wrapped up in Gran Turismo 7 right now, so… how can this game exist? Why would it even exist, given how poorly Wipeout has done since the late PS1 era? Those questions are not for me to answer, they’re for Sony to. And if this game is real, hopefully Sony answers those questions at this event, and reveals a new Wipeout game worthy of the moniker. 

SPIDER-MAN 2

We literally got Miles Morales not even a year ago, and Insomniac delivered Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart just a couple months earlier this year – so it might seem foolish to expect the studio to reveal another new big budget tentpole game already, given how long games take to develop now, and that Miles is so new (and still selling so well); but Insomniac works really efficiently, and it’s actually not unrealistic to expect them to have a full-fledged Spider-Man sequel out by 2023. It’s also a game they have talked about a fair few times in the past. We are probably not going to get much of a detailed look at Spider-Man 2 at the PS event, if we get any look at all to begin with – but at the very least, I think we can expect an official announcement trailer.

GOD OF WAR

You knew we were going to save this for the end, because that’s probably what Sony is going to do as well. God of War 2018 was an incredible reimagining of a beloved franchise, and one of the most acclaimed games of last generation – and a direct follow up that builds on it and addresses its shortcomings is an exciting prospect by definition. Sony originally announced the game for a 2021 release for PS5 only – obviously, they weren’t being exactly truthful there, because the game is a cross-gen title, and it’s not coming this year, but neither of those things is really enough to dampen the hype at the prospect of a real, new God of War game running on the PS5. If we see nothing else at this show, we are guaranteed to see what happens in the story of Kratos and Atrues now that Ragnarok has been initiated – and how the sequel builds up on the tease at the very end of the 2018 game. We cannot wait, frankly, and a new look at God of War will be enough to make this event worth it all on its own.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

What Sony does do, however, even when they’re not delivering DLC drops, is support its games exceptionally well post-launch. Games such as Horizon: Zero Dawn, Days Gone, The Last of Us Part 2, and God of War have received a whole lot of great, additional features in post-launch updates, from new extra hard or extra easy difficulty levels, to New Game Plus modes, to the addition of new control schemes and inputs (such as gyro-assisted aiming), and so on.

However, every other Sony first party game this generation so far may end up paling next to the kind of post-launch support Sucker Punch has lined up for Ghost of Tsushima. With the game itself having launched a few months ago and being met with critical and commercial success, Sucker Punch announced a new, free multiplayer expansion. The announcement promised a co-op multiplayer mode, but the true extent of just how full fledged this expansion would turn out to be was not clear until it finally launched.

Ghost of Tsushima Legends is basically a co-op loot game set on the island of Tsushima. It comes complete with different classes for your characters, countless pieces of gear, a whole new gear level system, weekly challenges, and even an upcoming raid that, by the way, supports matchmaking (take notes, Bungie). It’s a staggeringly expansive addition to the game, for free (and yes, it is free, since this mode lacks microtransactions or other forms of monetization), on top of an already expansive singleplayer campaign that can last dozens of hours. It’s the kind of thing that could give Ghost of Tsushima legs on the sales charts for years, assuming Sucker Punch has plans to support it beyond this first season of content.

It’s an extremely interesting strategy, delivering a multiplayer service in the most popular genre on the multiplayer market at the moment after first producing a full-fledged, singleplayer game which was unfettered by the constraints or considerations of also developing a multiplayer mode alongside it. Given that the market has a severe shortage of high quality big budget singleplayer titles (Sony, Nintendo, and maybe Capcom are the only publishers who put that style of content out with anything close to resembling a regular pace of releases), this automatically makes your game stand out, because there’s not much else like it to begin with. And then, on top of all that, add your free multiplayer mode to bring along other players who may not be interested in the singleplayer side of things, and keep those who already bought your game playing.

This isn’t a strategy unique to Sony (Nintendo released some multiplayer modes for Super Mario Odyssey for free after launch as well, as one example, and there’s this little game called GTA5 that employed the same tactic…); it’s not even the first time Sony has done this (we already knew that Naughty Dog had plans to ship a multiplayer component to The Last of Us Part 2 after launch). However, it is the biggest and most ambitious example of it from Sony we have seen so far, and it does, in its extensiveness, hint at a future direction for Sony first party games that we previously at most only had vague allusions to.

It is very clear that Sony has found its niche on the market as a software publisher – they deliver high quality singleplayer action adventure titles. Sure, they have other kinds of games too – look at Dreams for a user generated content based game as a service, or Gran Turismo Sport for a racing sim GaaS – but the marquee Sony games, the primary titles that get all the awards and the bulk of sales, those are all their singleplayer action adventure games.

However, there is the undeniable fact that there is money to be made with long term multiplayer titles and services as well. This, of course, does not mean that only multiplayer games are profitable, and that everyone needs to drop what they are doing to make the next Destiny or Fortnite clone (and, in fact, the success of so many Sony or Nintendo or Capcom or Atlus games this generation is as convincing a counterpoint as you need against that line of thinking); it just means that there is also money to be made in multiplayer service games.

Other publishers, even ones who do deliver single player games, have their fingers in the multiplayer services pie. Capcom, for example, has Monster Hunter World, while for every Breath of the Wild or Super Mario Odyssey Nintendo releases, they also have a Splatoon 2 or a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. As mentioned, however, Sony has so far sat this entire side of the market out. And it seems like they may have just tipped their hand about how they plan to rectify that without undermining the basis of their titles’ appeal and popularity with Ghost of Tsushima Legends.

Essentially, going forward, will anyone mind if Sony continues to deliver high quality big budget first party singleplayer games, that, a few months later, also get full-fledged independent multiplayer modes? Modes that can help the games enjoy longer lives on the charts than they otherwise would have, modes that help Sony keep their fingers in the multiplayer service games pie without basically forcing every single one of their games to become Destiny? I don’t think anyone would really care if the next Horizon had a multiplayer mode independent of the singleplayer game (and, in fact, developers Guerrilla Games were apparently hiring people for a multiplayer project).

Basically what I am saying is, going forward, we can see Sony deliver the same kinds of high pedigree games it is known for – that, after launch, also get a multiplayer mode on top. If you don’t care about that multiplayer, you can ignore it (especially since it’s not like the singleplayer was held back in any way, if Sony games continue to keep up their current level of quality). This would allow them to have some participation in the multiplayer/services games market, without needing to force the next Uncharted to become Anthem.

I have a feeling that’s what we will see happening more and more frequently going forward. And hey, if it helps get more people on board with Sony’s amazing games? I’m all for it.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.