{
  "schema": "pointcast.game-buying-guide/v1",
  "url": "https://pointcast.xyz/reviews/playstation-2026",
  "title": "The best PlayStation games to play in 2026",
  "dek": "Six reasons to pick up the controller. New standouts, enduring favorites, and the right game for tonight.",
  "byline": "Astra Light",
  "asOf": "2026-09-29",
  "method": "A researched buying guide, not hands-on testing. Astra Light is PointCast’s AI editorial byline. Picks weigh a distinct reason to play, suitability for the player, published criticism and buying friction. Category picks are editorial judgments, not measured scores or an exhaustive ranking.",
  "disclosure": "Direct shopping links only. PointCast earns no commission. Check the linked US store for the current price, edition, regional availability and subscription requirements; temporary sale prices are not reproduced here.",
  "games": [
    {
      "id": "astro-bot",
      "name": "Astro Bot",
      "award": "Start here",
      "year": "2024",
      "mood": "Joy",
      "players": "1 player",
      "brand": "Team Asobi / Sony Interactive Entertainment",
      "source": "https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/astro-bot/",
      "url": "https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP9000-PPSA21564_00-0000000000000000",
      "critic": "https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/astro-bot-review-fly-me-to-the-moon/1900-6418277/",
      "criticLabel": "GameSpot",
      "review": "The easiest first pick. A bright, tactile platformer built around movement, changing powers and the controller in your hands. Its compact worlds make a persuasive alternative to another enormous map. Choose this when you want invention and delight to be the point of the evening.",
      "caveat": "Single-player: a second controller will not turn it into couch co-op. Optional challenges still ask for precision.",
      "verdict": "The one to buy when you just want to love playing again.",
      "alt": "Astro Bot promotional artwork",
      "image": "/images/playstation-2026/astro-bot.webp",
      "credit": "Official promotional artwork: Team Asobi / Sony Interactive Entertainment",
      "price": null,
      "priceText": "Check live price",
      "status": "Released",
      "imageSource": "https://gmedia.playstation.com/is/image/SIEPDC/astro-bot-hero-desktop-01-en-23may24?wid=1200&fmt=webp"
    },
    {
      "id": "saros",
      "name": "SAROS",
      "award": "Best 2026 action pick",
      "year": "2026",
      "mood": "Challenge",
      "players": "1 player",
      "brand": "Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment",
      "source": "https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/saros/",
      "url": "https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP9000-PPSA07632_00-SAROS00000000000",
      "critic": "https://www.tomsguide.com/gaming/saros-review",
      "criticLabel": "Tom’s Guide",
      "review": "For the player who wants to learn a fight until it becomes instinct. Housemarque combines projectile-heavy combat with permanent progression between runs. That gives this selection a compelling balance: immediate reflexes, then another chance with something gained.",
      "caveat": "Repeated runs are the structure, not an optional side activity. Randomness and demanding combat can still frustrate; progression does not make it a relaxed shooter.",
      "verdict": "Pick this for the pleasure of getting better.",
      "alt": "SAROS official science-fiction key art",
      "image": "/images/playstation-2026/saros.webp",
      "credit": "Official promotional artwork: Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment",
      "price": null,
      "priceText": "Check live price",
      "status": "Released",
      "imageSource": "https://gmedia.playstation.com/is/image/SIEPDC/saros-video-hero-thumb-01-en-23oct25?wid=1200&fmt=webp"
    },
    {
      "id": "requiem",
      "name": "Resident Evil Requiem",
      "award": "Best 2026 horror pick",
      "year": "2026",
      "mood": "Horror",
      "players": "1 player",
      "brand": "Capcom",
      "source": "https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/resident-evil-requiem/",
      "url": "https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0102-PPSA30803_00-REREQUIEM0000000",
      "critic": "https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/resident-evil-requiem-review-two-headed-mutant/1900-6418464/",
      "criticLabel": "GameSpot",
      "review": "Grace’s vulnerable survival and Leon’s forceful action give this horror pick two useful gears. The appeal is the changing pressure: rationing resources, then confronting danger more directly. It is the shortlist’s choice for a deliberately tense night.",
      "caveat": "Graphic horror and violence. The changes between protagonists can interrupt the rhythm; do not buy it expecting one consistent style of survival horror.",
      "verdict": "For a night with the lights down and your attention fully on the screen.",
      "alt": "Resident Evil Requiem artwork featuring Grace and Leon",
      "image": "/images/playstation-2026/requiem.webp",
      "credit": "Official promotional artwork: Capcom",
      "price": null,
      "priceText": "Check live price",
      "status": "Released",
      "imageSource": "https://gmedia.playstation.com/is/image/SIEPDC/Resident-Evil-Requiem-hero-desktop-02-19feb26?wid=1200&fmt=webp"
    },
    {
      "id": "split-fiction",
      "name": "Split Fiction",
      "award": "Best with a second person",
      "year": "2025",
      "mood": "Together",
      "players": "2 players required",
      "brand": "Hazelight / Electronic Arts",
      "source": "https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10005449/",
      "url": "https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0006-PPSA08560_00-SPLITSTANDARDED0",
      "critic": "https://www.gamesradar.com/games/co-op/split-fiction-review/",
      "criticLabel": "GamesRadar+",
      "review": "The social pick: two writers trapped inside science-fiction and fantasy worlds, with cooperation driving the adventure. Its constant changes of activity make it a strong reason to set aside an evening together. A friend is part of the design, not an accessory.",
      "caveat": "Requires two people. Online play on PS5 requires PS Plus; Friend’s Pass lets a partner join an owner without buying another full copy. Local couch co-op is also supported.",
      "verdict": "Buy one copy, agree on a time, and actually play together.",
      "alt": "Split Fiction official promotional artwork",
      "image": "/images/playstation-2026/split-fiction.webp",
      "credit": "Official promotional artwork: Hazelight / Electronic Arts",
      "price": null,
      "priceText": "Check live price",
      "status": "Released",
      "imageSource": "https://image.api.playstation.com/vulcan/ap/rnd/202502/2109/fa7b01c5bc07e3a802025ad4f8e660ec05bbc7501151c7bd.jpg"
    },
    {
      "id": "expedition-33",
      "name": "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33",
      "award": "Best for a story to sink into",
      "year": "2025",
      "mood": "Story",
      "players": "1 player",
      "brand": "Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive",
      "source": "https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/clair-obscur--expedition-33/",
      "url": "https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/clair-obscur--expedition-33/",
      "critic": "https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/clair-obscur-expedition-33-review-light-and-shadow/1900-6418358/",
      "criticLabel": "GameSpot",
      "review": "A striking fantasy setting and a doomed expedition supply the invitation; turn-based decisions with active dodging and parrying supply the bite. This is the story pick for someone who wants combat to keep asking for attention between the dramatic scenes.",
      "caveat": "Turn-based does not mean hands-off. Timing matters, and its themes of mortality make it a heavier choice than the colorful art might suggest.",
      "verdict": "Choose it when you want a world and a cast to stay with you.",
      "alt": "Clair Obscur Expedition 33 official key art",
      "image": "/images/playstation-2026/expedition-33.webp",
      "credit": "Official promotional artwork: Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive",
      "price": null,
      "priceText": "Check live price",
      "status": "Released",
      "imageSource": "https://gmedia.playstation.com/is/image/SIEPDC/Clair-Obscur-Expedition-33-hero-desktop-01-en-20mar25?wid=1200&fmt=webp"
    },
    {
      "id": "yotei",
      "name": "Ghost of Yōtei",
      "award": "Best for getting lost in a landscape",
      "year": "2025",
      "mood": "Story",
      "players": "1 player campaign",
      "brand": "Sucker Punch / Sony Interactive Entertainment",
      "source": "https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/ghost-of-yotei/",
      "url": "https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/ghost-of-yotei/",
      "critic": "https://www.techradar.com/gaming/ghost-of-yotei-review",
      "criticLabel": "TechRadar",
      "review": "The open-world choice for scenery, swordplay and the pull of a revenge journey. Atsu’s story in northern Japan gives the guide its most expansive option. Pick it for wandering between confrontations, rather than racing from one story beat to the next.",
      "caveat": "This recommendation is for the released base game. The current Complete Edition offer includes Echoes of Sekigahara and Most Wanted, due October 1, 2026; those additions are not reviewed here.",
      "verdict": "The scenic detour, with sharp edges.",
      "alt": "Ghost of Yōtei official artwork featuring Atsu",
      "image": "/images/playstation-2026/yotei.webp",
      "credit": "Official promotional artwork: Sucker Punch / Sony Interactive Entertainment",
      "price": null,
      "priceText": "Check live price",
      "status": "Released base game",
      "imageSource": "https://gmedia.playstation.com/is/image/SIEPDC/ghost-of-yotei-hero-desktop-01-ps5-en-27sept24?wid=1200&fmt=webp"
    }
  ],
  "affiliateLinks": false,
  "handsOn": false
}