“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.

PS5 players gain access to the Standard Edition of Wild Hearts, Koei Tecmo’s ill-fated action RPG, and Ride 5. On the PS4 side, there are PS Plus re-releases like Watch Dogs 2 and Naruto to Bortuo: Shinobi Striker alongside Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, and Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization.

If that’s not enough SAO, Premium subscribers gain exclusive access to the PS3 version of Sword Art Online: Lost Song, playable on PS4. Everyone else can settle in with TimeSplitters, TimeSplitters 2, and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect for PS4 and PS5. Finally, PS VR/VR2 users can experience Vacation Simulator. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks, especially for titles leaving the service.

In US and Canada, Stellar Blade followed Helldivers 2 on the PS5, with Sea of Thieves taking third place. The EU saw Grand Theft Auto 5 taking second place, followed by Helldivers 2. Check out the full list of the most-downloaded games on PlayStation below.

Since its PS5 release in April, Sea of Thieves has been incredibly successful. The game managed to top download charts for the month despite coming out at the end of April. On release, the game turned out to be the second-best selling game in the US that week.

Sea of Thieves could be considered quite successful on the PS5 even before its official release, since the game saw an incredible response from players during its closed beta, and it managed to top pre-order charts on PlayStation Network.

For more details on Sea of Thieves, check out our review of its PS5 release.

PS5 Games:

PS4 Games:

PlayStation VR2 Games:

PlayStation VR Games:

Free-to-Play Games:

Heading up the list of the most downloaded PS5 games is Hogwarts Legacy in US/Canada, while EU saw EA Sports FC 24, followed by Hogwarts Legacy at second place. A significant portion of the list on the US side is filled with sports games, including Madden NFL 24, NBA 2K24 and MLB The Show 23. Other popular games in the lists include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and Baldur’s Gate 3.

On the PS4 side of things, the US/Canada list is headed up by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, while EU’s digital downloads were seemingly dominated by EA Sports FC 24. The PS4 list features a bit more diversity, including titles like The Forest, Diablo 4, Red Dead Redemption and its sequel, and even Minecraft.

When it comes to PS VR2 games, Pavlov dominated the download charts in both regions, followed by Beat Saber in US/Canada, and Kayak VR: Mirage in EU. Other titles include The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution, Job Simulator, Pistol Whip, and Moss: Book 2. The original PS VR’s charts were headed up by Beat Saber and Job Simulator, followed by Superhot VR, and other titles including Astro Bot Rescue Mission, and Arizona Sunshine.

Wrapping things up is the free-to-play section for both the PS4 and PS5. Both territories were primarily dominated by three titles: Fortnite, Roblox, and Call of Duty: Warzone. Going further down the list, we get to see games like Overwatch 2, Destiny 2, The Sims 4, Fall Guys, and Apex Legends.

Check out the complete lists below:

PS5 Games

PS4 Games

PS VR2 Games

PS VR Games

Free to Play (PS5 + PS4)

The head-mounted display had released on February 22nd and reportedly sold less than 300,000 in the first few weeks, with Sony rumored to cut production plans by 20 percent. Ryan would later commented that it was “too early” to judge the popularity of PlayStation VR2.

In the current presentation, Resident Evil 4 Remake’s VR mode, Behemoth, Beat Saber, and Crossfire: Sierra Squad were hyped as upcoming releases. We could likely see one or more of them appear during the PlayStation Showcase on May 24th at 1 PM PT. The showcase will run for over an hour and feature upcoming PS5 and PlayStation VR2 titles. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

If the trailer didn’t confound you enough, Humanity is about a Shiba Inu who guides crowds of humans through various trippy environments. Depending on your commands, the humans will navigate environments, solve puzzles and even fight bosses. There are over 90 stages to complete as part of the story, but there’s also a Stage Creator for creating and sharing levels online.

You can also try out other players’ creations with various categories like Best of the Week and Beautiful Creations to navigate. Whether you’re looking for more challenging stages or fun distractions, there’s plenty of content available. Head here for more details on the entire game.

Apparently putting a greater emphasis on story than one might expect from a puzzle game, Humanity’s Story Mode will see players waking up as a glowing Shiba Inu, with a voice telling you to guide hordes of mindless humans to the light. That voice, interestingly enough, apparently comes from giant, hovering, shining balls, which are entities known as Cores. Each Core has a series of trials for players, and collectively, the Cores are trying to rebuild humanity bit by bit.

Clearly, there’s plenty going on, and Story Mode will be focusing on its fair share of mysteries and questions. Humanity doesn’t exactly seem like a game that needs to set itself apart from its peers any more than it already is doing, but Story Mode surely seems like another attractive prospect. Check out the trailer below for more details.

Humanity is due out on May 16 for PS5, PS4, and PC. It will also feature PS VR and PS VR2 support, and will be available for PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers via PS Plus Game Catalog at no additional cost.

Humanity will see players playing as an all-powerful glowing Shiba Inu, with your goal being to direct massive hordes of humans through obstacle courses to their end goals. From gaps and chasms to other hazards, there will, of course, be plenty that you will have to deal with, and for that purpose, you’ll be able to issue a number of commands to the aforementioned hordes, including turning in a specific direction, jumping (with different heights of jumps also available), splitting into multiple directions, and more.

Across the levels that you play, you’ll also find collectibles called goldies, and though many of these will be optional, a certain number will be required to progress further in the game. Collecting goldies will also allow you to unlock cosmetics for the humans in your hordes, as well as a variety of features, like being able to fast forward gameplay, a free-moving camera, and more.

Certain stages will also have unique elements and obstacles, like switches that can open new paths, water that humans can swim inside, blocks that can be pushed off of paths, walls that can be climbed, giant fans on the ground that propel humans into the air, and much more. Check out the video below for more details.

Humanity is due out for PS5, PS4, and PC on May 16, and will also feature support for PS VR and PS VR2. It will also be available via PlayStation Game Catalog for PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers at no additional cost at launch.

As a Shiba Inu who must command massive groups of people, Humanity offers over 90 stages with different obstacles and puzzles. Progressing through the campaign, you’ll meet a rival faction, the Others, and a late-game antagonist force in The Machines. There are bosses to fight and even a Stage Creator for generating and sharing content.

It’s an unorthodox game with a unique style since Rez Infinite creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi and visual designer Yugo Nakamura are involved. Stay tuned for more details on Humanity when it releases on May 16th worldwide.

Humanity is about pushing and managing the ebb and flow of the masses. However, you’re a Shiba Inu, which makes it all the more surreal. The idea is to save humanity, and the story mode features 90 stages with various challenges, optional cosmetics and bosses to fight. At times, the crowds of people will even fight each other, which is pretty interesting to watch.

That’s not all – players can create obstacle courses to test their humans. They can also craft puzzles and share them worldwide. A free limited-time demo for Humanity is available today with ten levels, betas for User Stages and Stage Creator, and virtual reality support (though only Meta Quest and its controllers are supported on PC).