2024 PS5 Gift Guide – Great PS5 Games To Buy For Friends, Family This Year

2024 PS5 Gift Guide – Great PS5 Games To Buy Your Friends And Family – With the holiday season now upon us, there is no shortage of great PlayStation games that you can give to your loved ones. Including only the very greatest PS4 games and PS5 games, our 2024 PS5 gift guide will ensure that you get the best gifts this holiday season. Also don’t forget all PS4 games mentioned in this guide can be played on PS5 too! For further reading, you can check out our in-depth PS5 guide, PS4 games that give free PS5 upgrades guide, all the best PS5 games available, all PS5 games that have enhanced graphics, PS5 games that support crossplay, PS4 games that run at 60 FPS on PS5 and our feature which details all the PS5 games that perform better than the Xbox Series X versions. Finally, you can catch our previews of the best upcoming PS5 games coming soon in 2024 as well as 2024 release date calendar too.

2024 Gift Guide – Great PS5 Games To Buy This Year

Alan Wake 2: Deluxe Edition

• What is it – The long awaited sequel to 2010’s survival horror effort Alan Wake (which only recently saw a PS4 and PS5 release in 2021 as Alan Wake Remastered), Alan Wake 2 surpasses its beloved predecessor in just about every way. Leveraging a dual narrative mechanic where players take control of troubled writer Alan Wake and FBI agent Saga Anderson, Alan Wake 2 goes in heavy on the atmosphere, survival horror gameplay beats and some of the best visuals you’ll see this year. Not only that, but this physical deluxe edition of Alan Wake 2 also packs in all of the story expansion DLC to date as well, which is y’know, nice.
• Who would like it – Fans of Alan Wake, survival horror games and horror movies.
• Available on: PS5 only

Astro Bot

• What is it – An obscenely polished and soul-affirming triumph from every angle, Astro Bot isn’t just an unabashed celebration of all things PlayStation, it’s a deeply passionate celebration of everything you could and should love about a video game. There are no microtransactions, no season passes and no busywork padding – just precisely engineered 3D platforming with an overabundance of joy on offer. Astro Bot is a big, warm hug of a videogame that also happens to be not just one of the best platform games ever made, but one of the best PS5 games ever made, too.
• Who would like it – Players who love platforming games.
• Available on: PS5

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

• What is it – The latest and certainly most glossy entry in the world famous Call of Duty franchise, Call Of Duty Black Ops 6 gets the legendary FPS series back to doing what it does best. With a solid multiplayer foundation, a refocused zombies mode that understands what fans enjoy about that game mode, and an absolutely stellar campaign, this is Call of Duty at its best and a must-have for shooter and CoD fans everywhere.
• Who would like it – Players who love Call of Duty and FPS games.
• Available on: PS4, PS5

Diablo IV & Vessel Of Hatred Expansion

• What is it – The next entry in Activision Blizzard’s dungeon crawling behemoth, Diablo IV encourages players to pick up their sword, prepare their spells and join forces with their friends as they head into the mouth of Hell to tackle Lilith, the resurgent Mother of Hatred. Boasting a massive visual uplift over its predecessor, together with the ability to use mounts and a range of all new foes to tackle and monsters to destroy, Diablo IV is catnip for anybody that either enjoyed the Diablo games or just has a penchant for dungeon crawlers in general. More than that, the recent Vessel of Hatred expansion introduces new characters, masses of new quests and gear, together with hundreds of new quests to tackle along or with friends. Whoever you buy this for, tell them that they will be giving up potentially hundreds of hours to this demon-slaying epic.
• Who would like it – Players who love Diablo II and Diablo III, in addition to hack and slash games.
• Available on: PS4, PS5

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

• What is it – With a decade between the previous game in the series, Dragon Age: Inquisition and its shiny sequel, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, it’s clear that EA had its work cut out for it in being able to rally players around its latest effort. And yet, that’s precisely what they were able to do with a vast, epic RPG spectacle filled with memorable characters, superlative combat and great stories. Though players can play Dragon Age: The Veilguard without having played Dragon Age: Inquisition, it is strongly recommended that whomever you’re buying this for has at least completed Veilguard’s aforementioned predecessor first.
• Who would like it – Players who love the Dragon Age games and RPGs.
• Available on: PS5

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero

• What is it – Essentially a spiritual successor to the much beloved Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi series, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero brings all of the over the top combat and larger-than-life fighters from the Dragon Ball saga kicking and screaming onto your PS5. With more than 180 different fighters to choose from, battles which take in key moments from Dragon Ball lore and some jaw-dropping 3D anime visuals, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is an easy recommendation for fans of Dragon Ball everywhere.
• Who would like it – Players who love the Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Z games.
• Available on: PS5

Dragon’s Dogma 2

• What is it – Capcom’s long-awaited sequel to Dragon’s Dogma is here and absolutely delivers one of the best action RPGs of the year. Dragon’s Dogma 2 doesn’t just give players more of what they loved back in 2012 with an extra shiny sheen on top, it also meaningfully builds upon those solid foundations with a massive new world, stunning boss encounters that are rife with spectacle, entirely reworked enemy AI and the sort of sophisticated, skill-based combat that would make Elden Ring developer FROM Software blush. With the fourteen year wait now over, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the sort of dark action RPG sequel that will surely draw new fans to the franchise and reinvigorate the action RPG genre in the process.
• Who would like it – Players who love Dragon’s Dogma and action RPGs.
• Available on: PS5

EA Sports College Football 25

• What is it – With more than eleven years on the clock since the last college football game, EA Sports College Football 25 has been long overdue indeed. A streamlined gridiron effort, EA Sports College Football 25 not only brings just a quartet of modes to the table (a newly reinvigorated Dynasty mode being one of them), but it provides a much more slimline gameplay engine too that simultaneously captures all of the pitch tactics of the main Madden series all the while unleashing a much crunchier and more accessible game on the pitch. For football fans who want to get stuck back into college football or just experience a football game that feels different to the annual Madden games (you can actually export your EA Sports College Football 25 players to Madden NFL 25), EA’s return to college football is precisely the ticket.
• Who would like it – Fans of college football, NFL and the EA Madden games.

EA Sports NHL 25

• What is it – Sitting at the cutting edge of EA Sports NHL franchise, EA Sports NHL 25 introduces entirely reworked animation and gameplay systems, making EA’s latest hockey effort look closer to the real-life spectacle than ever before. Not only that, EA Sports NHL 25 also brings a reinvigorated franchise mode to the table too, encouraging players to take teams through their rookie years forward and onto championship glory. For fans of hockey and EA’s NHL games, EA Sports NHL 25 would make a great gift this holiday season.
• Who would like it – Fans of NHL and the EA Sports NHL games.

EA Sports WRC

• What is it – Representing a fast and furious return to the motorsport of rallying, EA Sports WRC excels in just about every way a rally game can. Developed by Codemasters, the same team that also worked on the excellent DiRT Rally series, EA Sports WRC not only boasts a precise car handling model and a cutting edge audiovisual presentation, but so too does it also bring cross play with PC and Xbox player to the fore. Beyond that, EA Sports WRC also allows wannabe rally enthusiasts to build and design their own rally car from the ground up. For rally fans who are hungering for their next mud-spattered effort, EA Sports WRC absolutely fits the bill.
• Who would like it – Fans of rallying and WRC games

F1 24

• What is it – Striding out into the pole position of Formula 1 racing games, F1 24 combines an accurate physics simulation of the real-life spectacle with a completely revamped career mode to create a sterling genre effort. Easily one of the best F1 games of recent times, bolstered by on-going free updates and seasonal content, F1 24 is an easy recommendation for petrolheads and F1 fans alike.
• Who would like it – Players who enjoy Formula 1 racing and have enjoyed previous F1 racing games.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

• What is it – The second in a planned trilogy of games that looks to comprehensively remake its 1997 source material, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth doesn’t just bring the first lot of post-Midgar acts kicking and screaming into 2024, but so too does it look set to take some different directions with the narrative (no spoilers here – but suffice to say if you’ve played the thoroughly great Final Fantasy VII Remake, you’ll know what to expect). Whisking players off to the Golden Saucer, the streets of Nibelheim and lands far beyond in shiny 4K is arguably one of 2024’s most tantalising gaming treats but really, the move to a much more open-world twinned with its predecessor’s superb combat and pristine presentation is the most compelling part of what already is a sure-fire Game of the Year candidate for 2024. Final Fantasy VII Remake is as essential as it gets, quite simply.
• Who would like it – Players who have owned and played Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy games and JRPG games in general.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink

• What is it – A long time coming to say the least (and not to be confused with the superb Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising fighting game), Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a gorgeously presented action RPG that combines scintillating real-time combat with an epic narrative and cast of characters that has players defending a fantastical sky kingdom from the forces of darkness. Throw in online co-op play for up to four players and it’s clear that Granblue Fantasy: Relink is one of the more impressive and ambitious adventures of the year and a must-have for fans of JRPGs everywhere.
• Who would like it – Fans of the Granblue Fantasy games and fans of JRPGs.

Helldivers 2

• What is it – As a broad initiator for those who have found themselves unlucky enough to not have indulged themselves in the original Helldivers, Helldivers 2 follows the exact same design through-line where up to four players can team up together to take on hordes of violent aliens, mutants and cyborgs in a galaxy-spanning conflict that never ends. Invariably a squad shooter at its very core, Helldivers 2 isn’t just about rampaging around each map and laying waste to your foes – there’s also a sizable chunk of strategy embedded in there too which absolutely detaches Helldivers 2 from immediate comparisons to its genre peers. Helldivers 2 is a supremely fun, frequently unintentionally hilarious and bombastic squad shooter that builds upon its predecessor and deftly sets up a long-term future in the process. Though the lack of split-screen is keenly felt and Helldivers 2 is by and large identical to its predecessor in so many ways, Arrowhead Studios highly anticipated sequel nonetheless does a great job of repackaging a shooter that not nearly enough people played into a thunderous current-gen offering that sets a new bar for extraction shooters everywhere.
• Who would like it – Fans of the Starship Troopers movies and online co-op squad shooters.

It Takes Two

• What is it – From the same developers that conjured up the great Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons and much more recent (but no less brilliant) co-op effort A Way Out, It Takes Two is easily one of the best split screen games you can buy right now on any system. With each player cast as a squabbling parent that has been transformed into a diminutive child’s doll, It Takes Two riffs on Honey I Shrunk The Kids as it presents players with a series of unique and deeply fun challenges that have you facing off with a band of rebellious squirrels, a deeply sarcastic book that’s trying to help (but really isn’t) and much more besides. The absolute embodiment of great split-screen gaming, It Takes Two is simply sublime and remains a sure-fire hit for some co-op fun over the Holiday period.
• Who would like it – Fans of co-op games, local multiplayer games and platform games.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

• What is it – Described as one of the ‘longest’ Like A Dragon/Yakuza titles ever made, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth looks to be the long-running series most ambitious effort to date. Not only does it have a massive 80 plus hour campaign stuffed with all of the side quests, side activities and general offbeat hilarity one would expect, but so too does Infinite Wealth also pack in a new roguelike mode, an Animal Crossing style side activity and a map that is three times(!) the size of the world seen in 2020’s Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Throw in some tremendous celebrity guests (see Danny Trejo below), a completely new Hawaiian set adventure and what looks to be the final time around the block for the series long-time protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, and it looks like Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth could well define the franchise for years to come.
• Who would like it – Fans of the Yakuza and Like A Dragon games and fans of JRPGs.

Persona 3 Reload

• What is it – A full-blooded remake of beloved JRPG Persona 3, Persona 3 Reload not only completely revamps the visual presentation of one of the most highly regarded JRPGs in recent memory, but so too does it also bring all new scenes, character interactions and redone voice over work. Put simply, if for whatever reason you haven’t played Persona 3 (where you have been??) but are a fan of JRPG titles, then Persona 3 Reload isn’t just absolutely essential to say the least, but one of the very best PS5 JRPG games money can buy.
• Who would like it – Fans of the Persona games and JRPG games in general.

Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown

• What is it – Marking the first truly new Prince of Persia title in more than a decade, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a stylishly thrilling hybrid of traditional 2D platforming and the time manipulation mechanic seen in Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, as players embark on a mystical adventure in fantastical Persia. Bolstered by some stunning art and animation (which runs at up to 4K resolution and at 120 FPS no less) and hugely satisfying platforming, exploration and combat, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is easily one of the best Prince of Persia games in, well, decades.
• Who would like it – Fans of the Prince of Persia games and platforming games.

Sonic X Shadow Generations

• What is it – A full-tilt remaster of 2011’s superb Sonic Generations, Sonic X Shadow Generations doesn’t just bring that game bang up to date with much improved visual detail and higher framerates, but so too does it also boast an entirely new subset of levels that star the enigmatic Shadow the Hedgehog, too. A pitch perfect mix of 2D and 3D platforming played out at breckneck speed like only Sonic Team can engineer, Sonic X Shadow Generations is shaping up to be a must-have Sonic title for series fans everywhere when it releases on October 25, 2024.
• Who would like it – Fans of Sonic the Hedgehog games, movies and platforming games.

Stellar Blade

• What is it – One of the most stylish looking action games of the year, Stellar Blade comes from Korean developer Shift Up and essentially casts the player as an augmented warrior in a far future setting as they attempt to fend off an alien invasion. A third-person action adventure that leans heavily into hyperkinetic genre efforts like Devil May Cry 5, Stellar Blade doesn’t just place a premium on high octane hybrid melee and ranged combat, but so too does it also emphasise verticality too, with Eve able to wall-run, scale walls use swinging ropes and more besides. With a new Devil May Cry yet to be announced by Capcom, Stellar Blade fills that niche rather nicely indeed.
• Who would like it – Fans of Devil May Cry and action adventure games.

Tekken 8

• What is it – The latest entry in a fighting franchise will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2024, Tekken 8 looks every bit like the super-powered next entry in the series that fighting fans have long craved. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, Tekken 8 isn’t set to be one of the best looking fighting games ever, but so too does it meaningfully expand on previous entries in the series with expanded per-character story modes, a lobby style battle mode called Arcade Quest, more destructive environments and a new Heat combat system which opens up a range of new moves and combo potential. The King of the Iron First Tournament has returned and genre fans and Tekken fans alike will not want to miss it.
• Who would like it – Fans of the Tekken games and fighting games in general.

The Last Of Us Part 2 Remastered

• What is it – Much more than just a layer of added current-gen sheen to arguably one of the best games of the past decade, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered really should have been ditched the ‘remastered’ suffix for ‘director’s cut’ instead. This is because not only do you get that gloriously nihilistic and grim single-player campaign that dominated GOTY discussions in 2020, but so too do you get an added ‘No Return’ roguelike mode which provides hours of entertainment in and of itself – not to mention the additional making of materials and behind the scenes content. As adventures go, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is the most definitive version of arguably one of the best games of the last decade and certainly the last console generation.
• Who would like it – Fans of The Last of Us Part 1, The Last of Us HBO TV series and survival horror games.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft

• What is it – An unexpected but welcome surprise, the first three of the PS1/PSOne Tomb Raider games have been dusted off and re-released on PS5 in a handy remastered collection. A true blast from the past, though all three games have had a number of visual improvements including higher resolution, improved framerate, better lighting and more detailed textures and character models (complete with the option to revert to the ‘old’ visuals in each game), they are each fundamentally the same games as they were back in 1996, 1997 and 1998 respectively. As an additional bonus each game also includes the additional expansion missions that were released later on. One for Tomb Raider fans and old crusties like me that have fond memories of playing the original Tomb Raider on the very first PlayStation console, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft (I’m not sure who else it would star?) is an enticing trip down memory lane for Tomb Raider fans everywhere.
• Who would like it – Fans of the Tomb Raider games and action adventure titles.

Visions of Mana

• What is it – An entirely new entry in the legendary Mana JRPG series, Visions of Mana is a beautifully crafted and often visually stunning adventure that tasks players with exploring the world and attempting to stave off an elemental invasion. With highly satisfying combat, anime style visuals and a massive, overarching epic quest, Visions of Mana is an easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys JRPG games or has experience with the Mana series of games.
• Who would like it – JPRGs, Secret of Mana games

WWE 2K24

• What is it – The highest rated wrestling game in more than a decade, WWE 2K24 sits at the head of the table as the best wrestling game on the market by a country mile. Continuing to refine the core aspects of the series and adding a layer of realism that is needed in a simulation game, WWE 2K24 brings an array of modes, including the highly addictive MyGM, a refreshed MyRise mode that includes a dual campaign for both male and female custom superstars, an improved Showcase mode that spans forty years of WrestleMania, Special Referee mode, an online Royal Rumble mode that includes up to thirty superstars and an extensive creation suite to top off the entire package. A massive, all-encompassing take on the WWE pro-wrestling spectacle, fans of both the real-life WWE broadcast and wrestling games in general, will find themselves absolutely giddy with what WWE 2K24 brings to the table.
• Who would like it – Fans of WWE, pro wrestling and WWE 2K games.