As Christmas – and, indeed, 2023 – recede into the distance, it’s time to start looking ahead to January 2024 and the beginning of a brand new year.
Traditionally, January isn’t the most exciting month for game releases; often, games that launch in January tend to be more niche or independent fare, with few triple-A releases landing in this month.
January 2024 is pretty scant as far as PS5 games go, but there are still a few games with which you can have some fun if you’ve got a PS5, so don’t despair if you’ve already run out of games to play in the post-Christmas period.
Here are the best PS5 games heading your way in January 2024.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (January 18th)
While many gamers may have grown up with the impression that Prince of Persia is a 3D series, the fact is that the franchise actually got its start as a 2D cinematic platformer.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will return to something approaching that gameplay style, although naturally, it’ll be slicker and smoother than the original Prince of Persia was.
You’ll play as Sargon, a warrior tasked with rescuing Prince Ghassan, who’s been kidnapped. Looks like the Prince of Persia the title’s referring to isn’t actually you this time, which is a breath of fresh air.
The Lost Crown sees you leaping and fighting your way through a series of expertly-tuned 2.5D platforming challenges, and some of it looks very fiendish indeed, calling to mind Hollow Knight’s White Palace or even games like Super Meat Boy.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered (January 19th)
In much the same way it did for the original The Last of Us, Sony is remastering The Last of Us Part 2 for PS5, which might represent the quickest turnaround for a remake-slash-remaster in Sony’s history.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered boasts improved visuals, better performance, and improved loading times, as well as DualSense features to get you more immersed in the action.
You can also look forward to enjoying the new No Return roguelike mode, which pits you against a series of increasingly difficult battles and allows you to unlock new characters as you go.
While the original The Last of Us Part 2 is enhanced to some degree on PS5, this package promises to be the definitive way to experience Naughty Dog’s followup to the critically-acclaimed original.
Howl (January 23rd)
Those looking for something outside the usual triple-A studio system should definitely give Howl a chance, because it promises to be an exciting and innovative indie title.
Developed by The Lion’s Song creator Mi’pu’mi Games, Howl describes itself as a “turn-based tactical folktale set in mediaeval times”, so if you like games like The Banner Saga, it sounds like you’ll dig this one too.
Howl is set in a time when plague is ravaging the land, and you play as a young deaf girl who must discover a cure. To do so, you’ll have to delve into situations fraught with peril, as the plague transforms those who catch it into ravening beasts.
Mi’pu’mi promises the ability to plan “up to six steps in advance” during Howl’s tactical combat engagements, so it sounds perfect for anyone who likes to outthink and outfox their opponents rather than to win with brute force.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (January 25th)
Okay, so we’re cheating a little bit with this one, because Apollo Justice isn’t actually a PS5 game; rather, it’s being released for the PS4, but you can still play it thanks to backwards compatibility.
This excellent trilogy of adventure games comprises the original Apollo Justice, as well as 3DS followups Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies and Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice. Together, the three tell the story of Apollo Justice, Phoenix Wright’s attorney successor.
As well as the main episodes, this trilogy will also pack in the DLC episodes from both Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice, allowing you to experience stories you no longer have the chance to purchase due to the Nintendo eShop’s closure in 2023.
If you’ve only played the Phoenix Wright-centric Ace Attorney games, do yourself a favour and check out Apollo Justice as well. It’s the same gameplay and storytelling you’ve come to know and love, but with a brand new character focus.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (January 26th)
Infinite Wealth is the second game in the newly-rechristened Like a Dragon series to revolve around the plucky Ichiban Kasuga as protagonist, rather than longtime series mainstay Kazuma Kiryu.
This time, though, Kiryu appears to be the secondary protagonist. He’s fallen ill, and so he must now rely on his friends to help him do battle rather than shouldering the whole burden by himself as he usually does.
Infinite Wealth will return to the turn-based style adopted by Yakuza: Like a Dragon, in keeping with Kasuga’s obsession with turn-based RPG franchise Dragon Quest and his insistence on viewing his own world in the same way.
Surprisingly, turn-based combat suits Like a Dragon, so we’re excited to see where Ichiban’s adventures will take him next and how he and his friends will deal with Kiryu’s condition.
Tekken 8 (January 26th)
This one feels like it’s been a long time coming. The last mainline Tekken game was released in 2015 on arcades, making its way to the PS4 in June 2017, so we’ve been waiting more than six years for a new Tekken.
It’s finally almost here, though, and it’s got everything we could want from Tekken; new and returning characters, references to old-school Tekken games, and crunchy fighting that should help settle more than a few arguments.
The new story mode promises exactly the kind of melodramatic narrative we’ve come to expect from Tekken, and the return of the Tekken Ball mode should help to while away a few minutes while you’re waiting for a match.
In short, Tekken 8 looks like it’s going to be exactly what we want from this long-running franchise.