Fortunately, that isn’t the case with the PS5 Pro. There are quite a few titles that make the most of its power, and it’s gamers who win as they get to experience games like never before! Here are a few great titles that have made the most out of Sony’s latest powerhouse, and come out all the better for it.

We’ve put together some of our favorite ones for you to check out. Let’s dive in!

1. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Insomniac’s take on the neighborhood-friendly webslingers is nothing short of a masterpiece on the PS5 Pro, with New York City coming to life on the Performance Pro mode. With full ray tracing via PSSR and a smooth 60fps guiding the action along, swinging across the game’s urban sandbox is a visual treat while making the entire experience feel authentic and immersive.

Of course, the grand set-pieces also benefit from the PS5 Pro’s raw power, making this one a game you shouldn’t miss on the console.

2. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

While the PS5 version of the game was certainly a looker, Insomniac really took things up a notch with the PS5 Pro update on this one. While the Performance Pro mode offered the standard version’s Fidelity mode at 60fps, the new Fidelity Pro mode brings some serious ray-traced goodness to push the visuals to the maximum.

With increased reflections and even pedestrian density in certain areas, this game makes great use of the PS5 Pro’s abilities to make the entire experience look and feel incredible to those of you playing through the iconic characters’ latest adventure.

3. Callisto Protocol

Although Striking Distance’s implementation of its new graphical improvements might not have been as impressive as other titles on this list, there’s no denying that the new ray-traced Performance mode makes the entire experience feel significantly better than the base version.

Additionally, the use of TAAU did make the game perform better, which is always a good thing for an experience that’s as riveting and scary as this one.

4. Gran Turismo 7

Codemaster’s excellent use of PSSR to improve the image quality on offer both on the track and outside of it earns Gran Turismo 7 a place on our list of PS5 Pro games that push the powerhouse to its limits. Diving into a race with the new graphical bells and whistles at 8K is quite immersive, with your car’s interiors now appearing more detailed, and tracks come to life as you blaze through them.

This is a title whose amazing visuals get even better when you play it on the PS5 Pro.

5. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

The developers took advantage of the PS5 Pro’s versatility mode to build on the PS5 version of this sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake, combining the best of the base version’s Quality and Performance modes to make it the definitive way to enjoy Cloud Strife’s adventures.

This is a title that is a great showcase of just how well PSSR can function to bring incredibly designed worlds to life in all their glory.

6. F1 25

Codemaster certainly knows how to make use of the PS5 Pro’s power, with F1 25 bringing three different graphical options to the console. As if running races at 4K/60fps with Quality mode wasn’t enough, Performance Mode took the framerates up to 120fps on compatible displays.

But the real star of the show is Resolution Mode, which bumps things up to 8K/60fps for an experience that comes pretty darn close to the real thing, thanks to ambient occlusion, reflections, and shadows bringing incredible visual details to the track. This is a game that you might use to show off your PS5 Pro’s real power.

7. Death Stranding 2

Hideo Kojima’s follow-up to the original Death Stranding is simply stunning on the PS5 Pro. The Decima engine really shows off its chops in the game’s performance mode, allowing for an experience that you must see to believe.

Sam’s trek across Mexico and Australia is a visual treat that’s made even sweeter on the PS5 Pro, although the base PS5 also does a great job of bringing this new world to life.

8. Assassin’s Creed Shadows

The decision to set the game in Sengoku Japan has been quite well-received, with a solid gameplay loop backing up an intriguing setting. The open world makes the experience even better when it’s played on the PS5 Pro’s Balanced mode, which offers a superb mix between Quality and Performance modes on the base PS5.

With ray tracing and 40fps enabled on compatible 120Hz displays, the PS5 Pro version of Shadows is the best balance of smooth graphics and incredible visuals that push the console to its limits.

9. Alan Wake 2

Remedy Entertainment’s survival horror experience does very well on the PS5 Pro, bringing an almost perfect balance between the base versions’ Performance and Quality modes. While the differences might not be as evident on paper, playing through this title on the new console makes the entire experience feel that much more immersive, drawing you into Alan Wake’s bizarre world right off the bat.

Playing the game at 40fps with ray tracing enabled across the board is something we’d do over and over again, thanks to how great it makes the experience look and feel.

10. Cyberpunk 2077

The PS5 Pro simply brings Night City to life in a way that makes it a very strong option for those of you looking to enjoy CD Projekt Red’s take on a dystopian future. With 40fps on Quality Mode and 80fps in Performance Mode, this is a title that really pushes the PS5 Pro and makes great use of its power.

Cyberpunk 2077 has certainly come a long way from its messy launch and is now a game that’s right up there with modern gaming’s greatest hits.

11. Resident Evil Village

Playing through Ethan Winters’ search for his daughter in the titular village on the PS5 Pro’s 120Hz mode is a great way to let the game’s many horrors terrify you even more than they did on the base console.

The official Pro patch makes good use of PSSR to bring ray-traced immersion and a solid framerate to enable new levels of immersion to the experience on offer, and earns Village a place on this list.

12. Dragon’s Dogma 2

Although we were quite impressed by Dragon’s Dogma 2 when it first came out, there’s no denying that the experience needed a lot of improvement on the base PS5. However, the game’s balance mode bought a lot of those improvements and then some to the table.

Performance was nearly locked at 60fps while ray tracing brought a fresh coat of paint to the Arisen’s world, making this one quite the looker on the PS5 Pro.

13. Returnal

How did Housemarquee make an excellent shooter even better? By giving it a free PS5 Pro update that brought a significant resolution boost, along with a buttery smooth 60fps to the table.

The end result is a game that showcases the Pro’s graphical prowess like no other, with the particle physics and visually stunning world and enemies looking their very best, while the gameplay loop keeps its players coming back for more. Returnal is a fun game to play on any platform, and a graphical marvel on the PS5 Pro.

14. Battlefield 6

We’re quite impressed with the graphics on offer in this one, even if its main campaign has drawn a bit of flak since its release. However, the Fidelity mode on offer for PlayStation gamers brings an impressive level of visual detail accompanied by excellent framerates that simply cannot be ignored.

If you’re looking to dive into this one on a console, the PS5 Pro is the one to beat.

15. Ghost of Yotei

Sucker Punch’s follow-up to Jin Sakai’s touching tale brings a lot of meaningful changes to the formula it set up in 2020. Among them is a visually stunning open world that comes alive from the second you first behold its expansive vistas as Atsu.

On the PS5 Pro, Ezo is an absolute stunner, with the RT Pro mode being the option that makes the game blend all of its visual splendor into an experience that can have you spending hours just exploring away while the Yotei Six wonder where the onryo meant to bring them to justice vanished off to.

And that’s a wrap on our picks for the games that push the PS5 Pro to its limits. Were there others that you think deserve a place on this list?

However, some titles have done that job better than others, and we’re bringing our top picks of games with the best graphics on the PS5 to you. Without further ado, let’s get started!

15. Silent Hill f

Konami and NeoBards fresh take on the familiar franchise might be better known for an outstanding take on psychological horror, but Hinako’s adventure must also be given its due for a very immersive take on Japan.

The studio’s attention to detail and outstanding enemy designs deserve credit, bringing the entire story to life in a way that’s both immersive and memorable. Its incredible visuals and art style are quite pivotal in bringing the studio’s intention to present an authentic take on Japanese horror for its players to enjoy. Silent Hill f earns its place on our list, although it does get outshined by the other games here..

14. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Although Forbidden West does present a stunning world for players to explore as Aloy in her second adventure, the remastered version of the tale that started it all is simply too good to be ignored. Bringing a fresh coat of paint to an already stunning game, this remake more than deserves its place among PS5 games with outstanding graphics.

Aloy’s debut adventure makes good use of the Decima engine to bring many useful changes to the table. Re-recorded lines and a level of visual fidelity that matched the second game in Guerilla’s brilliant take on a post-apocalyptic world make this a remaster worth diving into even if you’ve already played through Aloy’s rise to prominence in a world that once shunned her.

13. The Callisto Protocol

Striking Distance Studios’ futuristic survival horror adventure might not have been exclusive to current-gen consoles but earns its place on our list thanks to its outstanding visuals and terrifying enemy designs. The biophages were absolutely terrifying threats to Jacob and Dani’s attempts to navigate Black Iron, and the game’s visuals did a great job at making players feel their terrifying presence.

The Callisto Protocol is a survival horror title that greatly benefits from its excellent visuals, making players feel the terror and panic of their characters as they navigate a world in which they are both the predators and the prey.

12. Battlefield 6

Say what you like about the campaign on offer in this new addition to a long-standing genre, but there’s no denying that Battlefield 6’s visuals are just marvelous. It’s an outstanding level of detail that brings all of the game’s new additions to life, with the new Kinesthetic Combat System being a great example.

Stepping into the shoes of any of Dagger 1-3’s members is a visual treat, making the experience feel very immersive and delightfully engaging. This is a first-person shooter that really lets you feel like you’re on the battlefield, and it definitely belongs on this list.

11. Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater

Konami’s remake of Naked Snake’s origin story is a no-brainer for any list of PS5 titles with great graphics. It’s an absolute step up from the original game on the visual front, with the new level of detail working very well with the many additions that the studio brought over to Kojima’s classic.

Camouflaging Naked Snake is even more immersive than it was in the original release while each member of Cobra Unit was a sight to behold thanks to the new visuals. Delta: Snake Eater is a benchmark for remakes overall, and its visuals are a crucial part of how the game manages to make the title appealing to new players and veterans alike.

10. Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Our first hour in ancient Japan with Naoe and Yasuke made us quite happy that Ubisoft wisely decided to take the time and polish the experience on offer in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The Anvil Engine worked very well with the dynamic weather systems, bringing a take on the Sengoku Era that made full use of the power of current-gen systems.

We found ourselves putting out a hunt for the Shinbakufu on the back burner just to stop, admire the sights, and click a few photos of the stunning vistas in front of us. This one’s visuals make it memorable and engaging in equal measures.

9. Gran Turismo 7

Taking to the tracks in this 2022 addition to the Gran Turismo franchise had us staring slack jawed at the astounding level of detail on offer. You might be convinced you’re actually at the track in the absence of a screen thanks to Polyphony Digital’s excellent work recreating them.

Dynamic time and weather effects make the overall experience so visually realistic and pleasing that you might be tempted to just stop at the side of the track and admire the sights, racing be damned!

8. God of War Ragnarök

With its grand scale and stunning visual fidelity, Ragnarök is quite an obvious contender among the most graphically powerful PS5 titles. With more of the realms open to our protagonist duo this time around, Santa Monica Studio did a stellar job of bringing in a variety of biomes to the table.

The enemy designs, bosses, and of course, epic battles were made even better by the brilliant use of color palettes and a level of visual fidelity that made this one a very memorable title indeed!

7. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Demetrian Titus’s return to the Ultramarines was an absolutely stunning game, bringing the noble warrior in contact with the Tyrnaids across a variety of locations that were beautiful to behold despite hordes of monstrous enemies coming at us with ferocious intensity.

Space Marine 2 did a great job at bringing the Warhammer 40k universe to life in ways that made the franchise feel familiar yet fresh, and this new chapter in Titus’ story was made even better thanks to its outstanding visual presentation.

6. Cyberpunk 2077

From being removed from the PlayStation Store to becoming an iconic presence among the ranks of visually brilliant PS5 titles, CD Projekt Red’s take on a dystopian future in which the apathy of corporate greed has permeated life on the streets is so immersive it’s almost unbelievable.

Night City may not be a happy place to live in but it certainly is a beautiful one. The immersion you can get from this title is owed in part to its excellent story but that’s backed up by the incredible graphics that bring it to life.

5. Alan Wake 2

The much-anticipated sequel to novelist Alan Wake’s alternate reality-spanning adventure really did a number on us with its visual fidelity and level of detail! Remedy’s fastest selling game takes its players to surprising corners of its protagonist’s mind, using its unique visual style to make it quite an unforgettable experience.

It’s surreal, bizarre, and riveting, and the excellent graphics on this one work very well with everything else that’s good about it. Alan Wake 2 is definitely among our favorite PS5 games with brilliant graphics.

4. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

From the very first encounter with SandMan with Peter Parker and Miles Morales working together in a fight that functioned as an incredible set piece, we knew that Insomniac’s take on New York city in the webslingers’ second adventure was going to be a stunner.

Things only got better from there, and the new story was a visual masterpiece, bringing ray-traced reflections, incredibly designed traversal mechanics, and a level of visual flair that made excellent use of the PS5’s power. You could be forgiven for just whipping out Peter’s camera and forgetting about the members of his rogue’s gallery several times during your adventure.

3. Ghost of Yōtei

Once again, this was an experience that had us spellbound from the very first moment we were introduced to its open world. Sucker Punch’s dedication to creating a visually resplendent and authentic take on ancient Japan is there for all to see.

The incredible draw distances, gorgeous vistas, fields, forests, and locations make Atsu’s time on Ezo a visual treat while also working well to bring an open world experience that encourages its players to just ride off into the distance and see what’s waiting for you along the way.

2. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II

Ninja Theory’s PS5 port of the cinematic presentation of Senua’s harrowing attempts to bring peace to her people, and herself, is nothing short of a masterpiece. Despite a few issues with its combat, this game did an amazing job at bringing Senua’s inner turmoil to life and had us fully invested in the adventure at every moment.

This is an experience that’s visually visceral, and makes you truly invested in its heroine’s inner turmoil.

1. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Just boot up this title and witness Kojima’s take on Sam Porter’s latest adventure, and you’re going to see exactly why On the Beach has taken the top spot among PS5 titles that boast incredible graphics.

This is hands down the best graphical experiences you can take on in 2025, and a brilliant showcase of what the Decima engine can really do.

And that wraps up our list of the best graphical experiences among PS5 games you can find. Are there titles you think deserve a spot on our list? Let us know in the comments.

Speaking about AAA development, Schofield also spoke about the challenges that came with the development of The Callisto Protocol, including things like having to start up a new studio. This, he believes, was a big reason for the budget for The Callisto Protocol being considered as huge as it is.

“They couldn’t believe that we spent $100 million,” explained Schofield. “We had to start everything new. We started a studio in the United States, and all those costs are lumped in there. Then we were PS4, and they go ‘We got to switch to PS5’. I come back a few weeks later with the cost, and they were like: ‘What? You’re just going to PS4 to PS5?’ And I’m like: ‘Are you kidding? You want to do that at no cost?’”

“And then we had to build a publishing company. They did have one, but it had only done PUBG. So, we built one from scratch and put them in Striking Distance. That was a major overhead.”

When it comes to the sales of The Callisto Protocol, Schofield also admitted that he doesn’t have the sales figures himself. Despite this, however, he believes that the game made back the money that was spent on its development.

“From what I heard, the game sold between six and seven million copies,” said Schofield. “It made a lot of money for a first game. I’ve heard those numbers a couple of times. But even if it’s five million, it’s made its money.”

Interestingly, Schofield expressed some regret at releasing The Callisto Protocol when he did. Looking at how the title did in hindsight, he believes that the rush to get the game out in time for Christmas 2022 led to the game’s poorly-optimised state on PC.

“I freaking love making games,” said Schofield. “I don’t like when the politics get in the way, which they did with Krafton. There was no doubt about it. They told me that the game has to ship in December because of the Korean stock market. I should have just shut it down right there. I’m mad of myself on that one. When it came out it was a s*** show on PC. So, we got labelled with that. And we should. I was upset.”

“[Krafton] stopped talking to me on December 10, right after ship. And didn’t talk to me again until next May. During that time, I took the team and we did all our DLC. We did 86 patches. We had a regiment every time we were going to do a patch. 12 of us would get in a room, every department, and if all 12 didn’t raise their hand that it was ready, we didn’t send it out.”

Schofield also spoke about the new project that he was working with alongside his daughter, and how his efforts to get it funded weren’t working out. Before this project, however, he was working on another one – dubbed Hellion – for which he was looking for $100 million in funding.

Neither Hellion nor his daughter’s projects ended up getting funded, and Schofield had spoken about this back in July, noting that he might be done with directing games, at least for the time being.

“Over the past eight months, I’ve been quietly working with my daughter, Nicole, on a new game idea,” wrote Schofield. “She came to me with it, and I immediately loved the idea. Something I hadn’t seen before. We’ve been calling it a new sub-genre of horror—not just horror, but something more.”

While Schofield had decided on a budget of $17 million to develop the project fully and had developed a prototype with a small crew to try and get it funded, he ultimately hit a roadblock when it came to actually getting financing for the game. Quite a bit of the feedback, according to Schofield, came down to the budgeting, with potential investors asking him to “get it to $10 million”, and then later, dropping the budget down to $2 to $5 million.

“So last month, we decided to walk away. Some ideas are better left untouched than done cheap,” he continued. “We had a team of six here in the States and a full crew in the UK. Now, everyone’s looking for work. They’re all talented folks—if you’re hiring, let me know.”

“As for me—I’ve worked on games of every size. From 2 of us to over 300 devs. Spent the last 15–20 years making big AAA titles with great teams. That’s what I do. That’s what I love. But with the industry on pause, AAA feels like it’s a long ways away.”

Ultimately, Schofield has said that he will be taking a break from directing new projects, and instead going back to work on his own art. He has also mentioned that he might end up never directing another game again. This, however, isn’t set in stone.

“I’m still around, making art, writing stories and ideas and still cheering the industry on,” he wrote. “But maybe I’ve directed my last game. Who knows? If so thank you playing my games.”

The last major title that Schofield had worked on as a director was The Callisto Protocol. However, the title didn’t do as well commercially as publisher Krafton wanted, and Schofield ultimately left the studio he had co-founded—Striking Distance Studios—with his role being taken over by Steve Papoutsis.

“Glen’s contributions during his time at Krafton have been invaluable,” wrote Krafton in a statement back in 2023. “He built an ace team of talents at Striking Distance Studios and set a high standard for the work they did together every day. We’re confident in the team’s continued success because of the significant impact Glen has had, and for that we owe him our deepest gratitude.”

The Callisto Protocol was released on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Since its original release, the game has seen several updates, including one late last year that brought in PS5 Pro enhancements. Check out our review of the original for more details about the game.

The Callisto Protocol now features two modes on PS5 Pro- a Performance mode that runs at 4K and 60 FPS, and a Quality Mode that runs at 8K and 30 FPS. Both modes also feature full ray tracing, which, on a base PS5, is only available in Quality Mode.

The Callisto Protocol can be a rough experience, to say the very least, and there are certainly far better horror titles out there that are easier to recommend. It does, however, look undeniably impressive, so the prospect of improvements to both graphics and performance on PS5 Pro is an enticing one. If nothing else, players might be tempted to dive back into the game and get a taste of its offerings. 

15. Tekken 8

The Tekken series has always been at the cutting edge in terms of graphics, and the latest in line Tekken 8 is no different in this regard. Whether it is the high-quality character models the multitude of carefully curated stages or the cinematics, Tekken 8 flaunts some of the highest-quality UE 5 visuals of this generation – and it’s an absolute feast for the eyes. And the best part is that it achieves all that without having to compromise on fluid and responsive performance.

June 12, meanwhile, MeowNature and Gamera Games’ fan-favourite Call of Cthulhu-inspired tabletop RPG Depersonalization will join Game Pass for subscribers on PC, with BlackMill Games’ World War 1 first-person shooter Isonzo following on June 13 for subscribers on console, cloud, and PC. The following day, on June 13, Striking Distance Studios and Krafton’s survival horror game The Callisto Protocol will join the service on all platforms.

Finally, June 18 will bring the day one Game Pass release of Still Wakes the Deep, The Chinese Room’s first-person narrative-driven horror adventure game, or Xbox Series X/S, PC, and cloud.

30. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

The fact that the world of Mirror’s Edge had such untapped potential, to the point that many desired a sequel years after its launch, is a testament to its impact. The first-person parkour model would be in other titles, most notably Dying Light, but the focus on platforming and skill-based jumping, not to mention the gorgeous dystopian world, helped it stand out.

So when DICE finally announced Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, which offered a more open world, the excitement was palpable, even if it was revealed to be a reboot. While it retained the fluid movement and responsive controls, the world felt barren, the story rudimentary and the ending inane. DICE has no plans to return to the franchise, and for all its appealing aspects, Mirror’s Edge is pretty much dead.

29. Rise of the Ronin

As a fan of Team Ninja’s Nioh series and even finding some enjoyment in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, it’s sad to see how Rise of the Ronin turned out. On the one hand, it’s earned some praise for its combat and even the directions you can take the story. On the other hand, critics have expressed disappointment with its open world, English voice acting, story and visuals.

While there were plenty of comparisons to Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima, I feel that they’re both distinct enough and trying to do their own thing. So why is Rise of the Ronin so underwhelming? Well, for starters, it’s a PS5 exclusive in development for seven years, with Sony’s support, which lends certain expectations. This isn’t to say that all reviews were equally hard on the game, as indicated by the 76 Metascore, but ranking fifth in physical sales for the UK at launch and dropping to 14th place the next week is nothing short of disappointing.

28. Need for Speed (2015)

Years of requests for a new Need for Speed Underground title and Electronic Arts delivered…sort of. Employing real-world legends like Ken Block, it was ultimately about a cast of street racers struggling to get noticed. While the customization and visuals received praise, the uninteresting story, AI prone to rubberbanding, multiplayer and lack of certain features (including drag racing) soured fans. There was also the always-online requirement with no option to pause. It would have qualified as one of the weaker games in the franchise, but then Payback happened and drastically lowered the bar.

27. Biomutant

When a game like Biomutant promises a massive world with choices and consequences, extensive character customization, vehicles, deep combat mechanics and much more, it’s hard to not get hyped. The fact that it was five years in the making, with Experiment 101 consisting of former Just Cause developers, further contributed to this. However, all those intriguing bits turned out to be incredibly shallow, from the story and combat to the mission design and annoying narrator. An update helped improve things, and with a million units sold in a few months, it was far from a flop, but it still has a ways to go.

26. The Order: 1886

Ready at Dawn’s The Order: 1886 received extensive attention for its graphics, with gorgeous facial animation and lighting. The presentation also received significant praise, but everything else left much to be desired. The campaign was ephemeral, with the disappointing story (despite such an intriguing setting and premise) and over-reliance on quick-time events bogging down the overall gameplay. Ending on a cliffhanger with no prospects for a sequel didn’t help either.

25. Exoprimal

Piloting exosuits to battle hordes of dinosaurs sounds like a good idea in theory, but what is live service? The developer’s to join the trend resulted in Exoprimal, which featured a story focused on time traveling, simulations run by a rogue AI called Leviathan, and so much dino slaying. The story felt disjointed, with the characters getting little development, and the lackluster map variety and repetitive objectives brought the experience down. The developer has expanded on the different modes at least while also adding new Alpha variants of Exosuits (Beta variants are coming soon), but its launch state was just so underwhelming.

24. Star Fox Zero

Not that Star Fox had the best run since peaking with Star Fox 64, but Zero had PlatinumGames involved. Surely, the Wii U controls would allow for a compelling shoot-’em-up experience. As you’ve probably guessed, that isn’t the case, as the controls were criticized for their unwieldiness. It also didn’t help that the experience heavily mirrored Star Fox 64, though some critics enjoyed the approach. With less than 500,000 copies sold, it flopped hard, and there hasn’t been a follow-up ever since.

23. Thief (2014)

One of the most beloved cult classic stealth series of all time, Thief was considered as revolutionary for PC players as Metal Gear Solid for consoles. So when Eidos Montreal announced a reboot, there was excitement and perhaps a little trepidation, especially after Garrett’s old voice actor was replaced. A dull performance was the least of the game’s problems, with the level design, AI and story all feeling out of sorts. While opinions settled more on the slightly above side, Thief (2014) couldn’t match up to the original games in player freedom and choice.

22. Days Gone

The praise for Days Gone, Bend Studio’s open-world zombie survival title, cropped up most when it was free on PlayStation Plus. Full credit to the team for sticking with it and adding sizable new content and features, but that’s not the launch version. The latter was roundly criticized for its excessive bugs, performance issues and loading screens (that too after delays for more polish), to say nothing of the bland story and awful dialogue. The open world, the motorcycle maintenance mechanics, the shooting – nearly everything had its downsides.

Make no mistake – there were some positives, from the immense undead hordes to the progression, and it notched up some impressive sales numbers, topping the UK physical charts for three weeks in a row and outselling the combined total of Bend’s previous games. However, it was nowhere near the high bar set by first-party Sony titles. Perhaps for this reason, the publisher didn’t greenlight a sequel and directors John Garvin and Jeff Ross subsequently left the studio. As beloved as it is now, there’s no denying that Days Gone underwhelmed at launch.

21. RAGE 2

For its time, RAGE was trying to do something technologically ahead of its time courtesy of id Tech 5. However, it faced criticism for its overall story and forgettable characters, not to mention the aggravating cliffhanger at the end. The fact that it launched after the more successful Borderlands, which captured the Mad Max feel of a post-apocalyptic wasteland far better, also didn’t help. Nevertheless, it did receive some praise for its visuals, combat, side missions and AI.

With RAGE 2, Avalanche Studios decided to go for a more traditional open-world first-person shooter with vehicles. You had the usual enemy camps to clear, some points of interest and enemy convoys to assault, while the story was a paint-by-numbers “gather the MacGuffins” before a showdown with the big bad. The combat and visuals were still worthy of praise, but everything else felt further downgraded over the original, and it had microtransactions.

20. Immortals of Aveum

Coming from a new team with a five-year development cycle and emphasis on a single-player campaign with no microtransactions, Immortals of Aveum was a noble endeavor. Problems arose with the overall story, graphical issues on consoles, iffy dialogue (with the cast trying its very best to elevate it), and controls. With the emphasis on fast-paced mage combat, encounters could feel repetitive, ultimately underwhelming despite some impressive set pieces. Again, it received updates and new content while attracting a following, but Immortals of Aveum failed to leave a mark.

19. Shenmue 3

A sequel that fans (and creator Yu Suzuki) craved since the second game’s release in 2001. An announcement years in the making with $6 million in crowd-funding. A launch finally happening four years later, mired in controversy due to Epic Games Store exclusivity and a publishing deal with Deep Silver. Shenmue 3 finally arrived in 2015 and was panned for its outdated mechanics and storyline that ended on yet another cliffhanger. While some found the antiquated mechanics to be the appeal, it ended up feeling inconsequential and just another chapter in the ongoing story which would likely end.

18. The Callisto Protocol

Spiritual successors to classics from the original creators never fail to generate attention, as seen with Striking Distance’s The Callisto Protocol. This Dead Space tribute sported gorgeous visuals punctuated by over-the-top and grotesque death sequences. Delays and declarations of crunch didn’t help, nor did the performance issues at launch. Of course, despite all that, the experience was dragged for being overtly linear with shoddy melee combat, no option to skip the death scenes, a short playtime, heaps of unrealized potential and ultimately, not measuring up to the legacy of Dead Space.

17. Rainbow Six Extraction

After the success of the limited-time mode Outbreak in Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft did what any self-serving publisher would do – spin it off into a new game and monetize it. Extraction would take a while to launch, initially announced as Rainbow Six Quarantine in 2019 (and eventually abandoning the name for obvious reasons).

It would finally arrive in January 2022 after multiple delays and revealed itself as a session of interconnected areas with procedurally generated objectives and enemies. The sparse content, terrible objectives, bad AI, laughable story and repetition sadly made for a dull experience. While the developer would tout three million players in the first week (likely in no small part thanks to Game Pass), you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who remembered it past the first month.

16. Crackdown 3

Before Microsoft pushed cloud gaming via Game Pass, it hyped the computational powers of the same and how they would revolutionize gaming. Crackdown 3 was an example, touted as having a fully destructible open world. It eventually relegated into a separate mode, which quickly died out, while the base campaign launched after years of delay and generated ire for its archaic, repetitive design. Could you have some mindless fun? Sure, but it was a far cry from what Microsoft hyped the project to be and far from the next big leap for the franchise.

15. Resident Evil 3 (2020)

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis has always occupied a weird place due to its shorter length and unorthodox features (like the titular villain). Releasing in the shadow of the brilliant Resident Evil 2 didn’t help – unfortunately, that same fate awaited Resident Evil 3 remake. Despite some fantastic visuals and combat, it was more notable for omitting areas (city hall, the clock tower and more were nowhere to be seen) or changing some of the original’s most iconic moments.

Barring the final sequence, none of them felt like an improvement. The fact that Mercenaries wasn’t included, but we got Resistance, a terrible asymmetrical multiplayer mode, didn’t help. Even with sales at 8.4 million, Resident Evil 3 is considered the weakest of the modern remakes.

14. Wolfenstein Youngblood

MachineGames delivered not one but two excellent Wolfenstein titles, reviving the franchise for a new generation with some incredibly cinematic storytelling that remains impressive to this day. How did it follow these up? Why, with a co-op title focusing on B.J. Blazkowicz’s daughters, Jessie and Zofia. The initial gameplay showings weren’t terrible, and the prospect of venturing to Paris to take out Nazis was appealing.

Unfortunately, Wolfenstein Youngblood fundamentally failed to capture what made the previous games so successful. Enemies were bullet sponges, causing players to constantly run out of ammo, and the missions were forgettable, with bizarre hub-like stages that felt utterly unnecessary to the campaign’s flow. Throw in terrible AI when playing solo and microtransactions, and it felt like a poorly conceived side story rather than a proper follow-up to MachineGames’ hits.

13. Forspoken

You want to believe that Luminous Productions had good intentions when designing Forspoken, first announced as Project Athia. Boasting a premier writing staff and billed as a two-year PS5 exclusive, it could have been the developer’s next big thing. While the combat wasn’t terrible, it did little to uplift the barren open world and dull activities.

The initially awful dialogue and plot also weighed it down, but even as things improved over time, the story was over quickly. It wasn’t long before the developer declared that Forspoken’s sales were “lackluster” and by May, Luminous was reorganized and merged into the publisher.

12. Mighty No. 9

Also considered one of the worst games ever made, Mighty No. 9’s development history would have suggested otherwise. It was helmed by a new team at Comcept who promised a spiritual successor to the Mega Man franchise when the developer had effectively kept the series on the back burner.

Then the delays happened, and that whole second Kickstarter campaign to fund a completely different project. By the time Mighty No. 9 launched, it was beset by performance issues, terrible voice acting, lack of content and an overall feel that screamed “cheap imitation” rather than spiritual successor.

11. Skull and Bones

Before its multitude of delays that whittled any faith that anyone had in the developer to deliver a competent pirate game, Skull and Bones had some potential. Its first announcement trailer gave the vibe of an Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag but a stronger focus on naval combat that fans had demanded for years. Of course, then the delays happened, followed by reports of reboots, behind-the-scenes issues, incompetent upper management, leadership departures, etc. When Skull and Bones was close to launching – for real this time – Yves Guillemot made the baffling decision to call it a quadruple-A game instead of the tried and true “triple-A.”

Upon launch, and to no one’s surprise, Skull and Bones was a live service grind for “loot”, punctuated by increasingly dull missions and tedious back and forth. Good thing it sold for $70 and included microtransactions. The results were telling – less than one-fourth of Sea of Thieves’ launch sales in the UK and allegedly 850,000 players, including those who played the free trial.

10. Marvel’s Avengers

Marvel’s Avengers didn’t have the best of reveals, competing against the first-ever gameplay of Final Fantasy 7 Remake on the same E3 showcase. Nevertheless, despite how many felt about the lack of resemblance to the Marvel Cinematic Universe actors, it didn’t look terrible either. Live service was seeing a downturn, but with Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal at the helm, how could it go wrong?

Cut to the underwhelming beta and full release, and the distinction between Marvel’s Avengers and a title like Marvel’s Spider-Man became clearer. Despite unique kits for its heroes and some decent visuals, the mission design, objectives and loot were subpar. Post-launch support added some new heroes and content, which did little to raise the player count, and it was subsequently delisted from storefronts in September 2023.

9. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

While one may joke that Call of Duty is a disappointment year in and year out, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 felt especially egregious. Reports indicated that it was to be an expansion to Modern Warfare 2 focusing on the Mexican cartel that underwent a reboot into a full-fledged game. Calling it that feels dirty due to the painfully short campaign with its lackluster and ultimately inconsequential story that sets up yet another sequel.

Perhaps even worse is the Open Combat Missions, promising sandbox-style action but coming off as lazy with simplistic objectives. Multiplayer was knee-capped out of the gate with the focus on remastered maps for its core 6v6 modes, and despite some solid gameplay, the age-old issues of skill-based matchmaking (or at least how COD approaches it) and connection issues still cropped up. Zombies was the only good thing about this release, but that’s been abandoned after some lackluster updates. At least the microtransactions continue to roll in.

8. Anthem

After the mess of Mass Effect Andromeda, it was the turn of the main BioWare team to produce something special. It was…a live service looter shooter, which emphasized co-op over the developer’s tried and true single-player story-driven approach. As impressive as the initial gameplay reveal seemed, it was reportedly fake – Anthem’s development period was plagued with issues, from crunch to terrible management.

The result is a mess, with poor characterization and dialogue, bad mission design and objectives, a baffling lack of quality of life, performance issues, bugs, glitches, unimaginative loot and a barren endgame. Despite changes and updates, Anthem’s attempt at a do-over was ultimately rejected by EA, and support is effectively dead (though servers remain available).

7. Ghost Recon Breakpoint

Speaking of an underwhelming launch, we have the developer going from Ghost Recon Wildlands, which grew into something great to Ghost Recon Breakpoint and its removal of AI teammates, looter shooter elements, bland open world, bullet sponge drones, bugs, glitches, the list goes on. Why did the developer suddenly want to adopt a shared world shooter approach with the franchise (besides live service revenue)? No one knows, but it was disastrous. The developer would eventually claw a good game out of it, one that still fell short of Wildlands, but at least offered a more tactical experience without worrying about gear scores.

6. Resident Evil 6

After Resident Evil 5, impressions of the franchise weren’t exactly the most positive, with many feeling it veered too much into a more action-heavy approach. Even if Resident Evil 6’s trailers were full of action, there was still the hype behind seeing so many fan favorite characters (and Jake) tearing it up together. The result offered some pretty good combat but flopped in multiple ways. The characters felt off, and the overall pacing of walk a few feet, cutscene, rinse, repeat was a killer. While Resident Evil 6 saw decent sales, its critical reception was in the gutter, but thankfully, it led to the rebooting in Resident Evil 7: biohazard.

5. Payday 3

Considering the ups and downs that Payday 2 saw, it was in a pretty good spot by the time Starbreeze stopped producing new content. Payday 3 would have been the perfect opportunity to start over with a fresh new slate, avoiding its predecessor’s mistakes while ushering in a new age of heist-focused co-op gameplay. Of course, it wasn’t to be with the always-online requirement and lack of an offline mode souring fans early.

This would come back to bite the development team when server and matchmaking issues ensured fans couldn’t play for days. Even after their resolution, the sequel faced heavy criticism for removing features present in Payday 2, whether it was the pre-heist planning map, text chat, or just the option to unready. Sales were below expectations, and given the poor reception, Starbreeze has replaced its CEO to try and turn the ship around. Thus far, it doesn’t look like it’s happening anytime soon.

4. Redfall

Arkane Austin, which specialized in immersive sims like Dishonored and Prey – didn’t inspire too much confidence when it was revealed to be working on a co-op looter shooter. The lack of an offline mode or progress for other players except the host in co-op also didn’t help. On the bright side, the state of Redfall made both issues feel like water under the bridge.

Horrendous AI, performance issues, bugs galore (including catchy music playing during serious scenes), horrible bosses, a dull story, lackluster characterization, bad mission design – everything went wrong. You may argue that expectations were low, but Redfall sunk lower, and still flounders despite some major updates.

3. Battlefield 2042

This one hurt for longtime fans of the franchise, especially coming off of a relatively disappointing Battlefield 5. With no campaign, Battlefield 2042 promised a return to everything that made the series great, wrapped in the veneer of modern combat and massive 128-player battles. Reports emerged of troubled development, and the beta earned some ire, but fans were still hopeful.

Cue the disappointment and savage response on Steam, with the sequel becoming one of the lowest-rated games in the platform’s history overnight. From the removal of the class system to the visuals, destructibility, map design and the scoreboard – that damned scoreboard – Battlefield 2042 was a letdown in every way. It’s improved over the years but is still a far cry from the series’ peak.

2. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Before it was revealed as a live service looter shooter with a boring mission design, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League had a suitable amount of hype. How could fans not be excited when it was Rocksteady’s first new game since 2015’s Batman: Arkham Knight? After its disastrous showing last year, it was delayed almost a year from its original release. Maybe it would add an offline mode and tone down its live service elements, including but not limited to microtransactions and a battle pass.

As it turns out, none of these things happened, and when Suicide Squad launched, it was begrudged for its terrible mission design, repetitive gameplay and boring endgame. After Warner Bros. admitted that it fell short of expectations, Rocksteady would focus on fixing the plethora of network issues and bugs while prepping the first post-launch season. Unsurprisingly, Season of the Joker was another miserable disappointment with its utter lack of story content, boring “new” missions, annoying grind to unlock the Joker as a playable character and audacity to charge for immediate access.

1. Mass Effect Andromeda

Of all the games to disappoint over the years, this one probably hurt the most. It’s not like Mass Effect Andromeda was the next mainline title in the franchise or one that had the budget and resources of Mass Effect 2 and 3. However, as the first new entry in five years, fans looked forward to it all the same. The potential for a new story and setting with an open-world twist also sparked interest. When Andromeda launched, it was quickly clowned for its bugs, facial animation and dialogue.

Those who dived deeper discovered barren planets, uninteresting characters who couldn’t hold a candle to the original heroes and a low-stakes plot. The underwhelming critical reception and sales wouldn’t outright kill the franchise entirely (as evidenced by the recent Legendary Edition and upcoming sequel), but it was the first time that fans began to question BioWare. Of course, Anthem happened, and the rest is history, but Mass Effect Andromeda hurt more.

Employing a comic book-esque visual style and an overhead perspective akin to titles like Hades, Project Birdseye (which isn’t the final name) started as a “passion project” for a small group at the studio obsessed with “easy-to-pick-up and play but fun to master roguelikes.”

Striking Distance clarified that it isn’t The Callisto Protocol but more of a “side quest” that the team wanted to work on while expanding on the game’s world. It won’t affect the development of its next triple-A title ( which a job ad indicated to be in development on Unreal Engine 5). The early announcement is to “see if the concept clicks with you as much as it has with us.”

Project Birdseye doesn’t have a release window or platforms, so stay tuned for future updates. The Callisto Protocol is available for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. It received mixed reviews at launch due to several performance and design issues – check out our thoughts here. You can also read our review for the DLC, Final Transmission.

Taking to social media platform X, Schofield has said that he has kept quite busy since work on The Callisto Protocol was completed, and that while he has taken some time off, he has been working on something “new and exciting” in games.

“Although I’ve taken some time off, I’ve been extremely busy & not just drawing,” he said in the post. “Something in games that’s new and exciting. Can’t wait to share more after the New Year!”

Schofield last worked on The Callisto Protocol with Striking Distance Studios. The game has seen quite a turbulent launch with a lukewarm critical and commercial response, however, which eventually led to a shake-up of the studio’s staff. Along with reports indicating that over 30 employees were laid off from the studio, Schofield also departed from his role as CEO.

For more details, check out our review of The Callisto Protocol, as well as our review of its final story-based DLC.

Although I’ve taken some time off, I’ve been extremely busy & not just drawing. Something in games that’s new and exciting. Can’t wait to share more after the New Year!

— Glen A. Schofield (@GlenSchofield) December 17, 2023