Summertime is very nearly upon us, and what better way to celebrate longer days and shorter nights than with some excellent PS5 games? Okay, so maybe staying indoors and playing video games isn’t necessarily what you want to do when the weather outside is so nice, but there’s a pretty excellent lineup of games headed your way this month, so you’d be missing out if you didn’t at least dabble in the world of gaming. Let’s take a look at the best PS5 games coming to Sony’s current-gen console in June 2023.
Street Fighter 6 (June 2nd)
As is often the case with major franchises, Street Fighter 6 is definitely not the sixth Street Fighter game, but these kinds of numbering systems tend to point towards a sort of definitive statement – “this is the sixth evolution of the Street Fighter formula”. That’s exactly what Street Fighter 6 feels like, at least going on the demo that’s available to try out right now. Fast, fluid, and exciting, Street Fighter 6 will be a must-play for anyone who’s a one-on-one fighter fan.
Diablo 4 (June 6th)
The fourth Diablo game has been a long time coming, especially since the mobile game Diablo Immortal proved to be so disappointing. This mainline game looks to be getting back to the franchise’s grisly, Gothic best, offering the chance to hack apart hordes of bad guys in return for some sweet, sweet loot. Diablo 4 also returns to the series’ classic pseudo-realistic visual style after the divisive aesthetic that Diablo 3 had, so if you’re a fan of the franchise, you’ll be getting your money’s worth from this one.
Goodbye Volcano High (June 15th)
This sweet-natured indie adventure game casts you as Fang, a young dinosaur who’s trying to figure out what they want from life. Unfortunately, the world around them is about to collapse, and so Fang must navigate their tricky adolescence while also trying to understand what’s happening in the wider world. The developers promise that your choices will matter in Goodbye Volcano High’s narrative, and while we’ve heard that promise before, the earnest presentation plus the endearing animal high-school narrative have us rather excited to see where this one goes.
Park Beyond (June 16th)
It’s fair to say that the world of theme park management sims has been somewhat underwhelming recently. With the Rollercoaster Tycoon franchise seemingly content to recycle endless mobile games and spin-offs and the Theme Park games nowhere to be seen, Frontier’s Planet Coaster has been the only viable sim for those who love to tinker, but that’s all coming to an end on June 16th. Bandai Namco’s Park Beyond looks like a colourful, imaginative park sim that will satisfy both fans of simulations and those who want a more story-based experience.
Aliens: Dark Descent (June 20th)
It’s a wonder that a more tactical Aliens experience hasn’t been tried before now, or hasn’t reached the level of mainstream exposure that Aliens: Dark Descent has, at any rate. This real-time tactical experience will see you guiding a squad of marines through locations infested with xenomorphs, and you’ll have to use your squad’s strengths to their fullest if you want to survive. A pseudo-pause feature will let you slow the action down to a crawl so that you can issue commands, too.
Crash Team Rumble (June 20th)
On the other side of the spectrum to Aliens: Dark Descent, Crash Team Rumble finally makes its debut on June 20th. This multiplayer-only game sees teams of four competing against one another to collect as much Wumpa fruit as possible. You can play either the heroes or the villains, so if you’ve ever entertained fantasies of crushing that meddlesome bandicoot as the deliciously evil Dr. Neo Cortex, then this game will offer the chance to do just that.
Final Fantasy XVI (June 22nd)
After seven years, the next mainline instalment of Final Fantasy is almost upon us. 2016’s Final Fantasy XV was a mixed experience; its road trip vibe and more down-to-earth setup were compelling, but its lacklustre combat and spiralling plot left us disappointed. Final Fantasy XVI is helmed by the creative team behind the excellent MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, and it looks far more focused than its predecessor, telling a dark, Game of Thrones-inspired story of politics and monsters.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (June 27th)
The Story of Seasons franchise is essentially the progenitor of the modern farming sim. If you’ve played games like Stardew Valley or My Time at Portia and enjoyed them, then you have Story of Seasons (formerly known as Harvest Moon – it’s complicated) to thank for that. A Wonderful Life is a remake of the classic PS2-era game, and it’ll bring new mechanics, improved visuals, and a whole lot more to the original experience. Pick this one up if you need something to relax with after Final Fantasy and Aliens.
Layers of Fear (June TBA)
Bloober Team’s latest horror offering is an odd duck. Originally announced as Layers of Fears, the comparisons that title drew with Metalocalypse’s Skwisgaar Skwigelf likely did the game no favours, and it was summarily renamed to the more sensible (if more confusing) Layers of Fear. This first-person horror experience is a sort of reimagining of the first two Layers of Fear games, and it also contains a narrative coda that promises to tie everything together. We’ll see about that.
