2023 is indeed a banger year for Sony and its PlayStation gaming brand.

It’s also a good time to subscribe to PlayStation Plus, where you’ll gain access to some free games. Of course, these are temporary additions which is why it’s better to get some titles permanently.

Here are our top 10 gaming picks, be it 2023’s heavy hitters to some classics of years past.

#1. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (RM299)

We’ll start big: Insomniac’s big superhero comic book game is one good reason to buy a PlayStation 5. This superhero-filled action-adventure open-world title puts you in the suit of not just one Spider-Man, but two of them!

Play as either Peter Parker or Miles Morales, each with their own set of crime-fighting skills and powers, as they take on a new threat involving a new criminal organization muscling into town. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s version of New York is bigger and more packed with focused questlines and activities, not to mention new supervillains from Spider-Man lore to defeat.

#2. Final Fantasy XVI (RM299)

The sixteenth mothership entry in the long-running Japanese RPG series is out and exclusive for PlayStation, much like how previous Final Fantasy games were during the OG PlayStation and PlayStation 2 days. Final Fantasy XVI leans toward the character action route not unlike your Devil May Cry titles, where you play as Clive who is good at both swordplay, juggle combos, and using Eikons (Summons) as magical attacks.

FFXVI’s story is also engaging, opting for a dark fantasy motif and touching on heavy themes. Most importantly, the game’s spectacle and music are pushing boundaries in tech, with near-instant loading, smooth transitions from cutscenes to gameplay (and vice versa), and a ton of spell-related fireworks. It may not be a conventional JRPG, but this Final Fantasy sure is fun and worth your 30+ hours. Especially with the now-available Echoes of the Fallen DLC and upcoming 2024 DLC that promises more than 10 hours of new content.

#3. Baldur’s Gate 3 (RM249)

Larian Studios’ version of a Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game campaign is realized in its ultimate form with Baldur’s Gate 3. The sequel to the critically acclaimed Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Ahm, Baldur’s Gate 3 has you and your CRPG party exploring the annals of Faerun to stop a mindflayer invasion, all the while being corrupted by the fantasy alien race.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has it all: a cinematic narrative experience where your choices affect the story and outcome, well-written characters & questlines, a meaty turn-based combat system that will appeal to fans of XCOM and Final Fantasy Tactics (but with current D&D rules and dice-rolling), and multiplayer with friends. Don’t want to play alone in the holiday season? Get three other pals to form a party for the Baldur’s Gate 3 campaign!

The PlayStation 5 version of Baldur’s Gate 3 features a unique radial menu scheme that works well with the PlayStation DualSense controller’s analog stick. This makes the menus more accessible on-the-fly and perfect for your RPG couch-gaming tendencies! If you rather give it a test run before you commit to a wondrous D&D experience, you can try out 2 hours of the game via the PlayStation Plus Deluxe.

#4. Horizon Forbidden West & The Burning Shores Expansion (RM169)

If slaying fantasy beasts and rogue magicians isn’t your jam, how about wreaking havoc upon robot animals and dinosaurs? Horizon: Forbidden West and its Burning Shores DLC will let you do that, and all in a glorious no-loading open-world wasteland with deserts, snow, and lush forests.

Play as Aloy as she gathers allies and uncovers the secrets behind the ever-present threat to the earth she’s on, with ancient enemies popping up to steal from her and the populace just living their lives. With plenty of avenues for weapon-crafting and gearing up, to getting new skills for overriding machines, as well as finding new giant threats like a robot mammoth and giant bat, you’ll have a blast!

And even when you finished the base game, you can play through the follow-up DLC The Burning Shores where Aloy teams up with another hunter to fight new threats in former Los Angeles. That’s another 10 hours’ worth of machine-hunting and jungle trekking.

Note: Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition, which comes with the base game and Burning Shores DLC, will be on sale from now until RM169.

#5. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (RM179)

While we’re on the subject of Final Fantasy in this gift guide, how about a throwback game with current-gen graphics and action RPG systems to fiddle with?

Square Enix’s action RPG remake (of sorts) is perfect if you want to steel yourself for next year’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Play as main character Cloud as he teams up with freedom fighter AVALANCHE to liberate the city of Midgar from a conglomerate’s grasp, but with a good number of conspiracies in play. Add in spellcasting, swordfighting with giant blades straight out of a dark fantasy anime series, a gritty-but-fantastical steampunk world, and some minigames to ease the tension, and you have one-third of a quintessential Final Fantasy-for-this-generation’s experience.

If you rather play it for free, you can experience the remake via the PlayStation Plus Extra.

#6. Returnal

Fancy a bigger challenge than all the games mentioned? Need to test yourself further and do single playthroughs through hell and back with no remorse? Then Returnal will scratch that masochistic itch.

Returnal pits you as Selene the space explorer as she explores different biomes shooting aliens to death while avoiding bullet hell in a 3D third-person setting. You have spot-on controls, power-ups, and a plethora of weapons on your side. The enemies have numbers, deathtraps, and procedurally-generated stages. If you die at any time, you have to restart at the beginning, with only your knowledge of the land and collected important relics staying on.

With the plethora of updates available like a co-op mode and new trials, now’s a good time as any to find out why this is developer Housemarque’s best shooter roguelike game around. It’s available for free if you have a PlayStation Plus Extra subscription.

#7. God of War (2018), God Of War: Ragnarok (RM169)

Another PlayStation exclusive, these should be bought in a pair for the complete action-adventure experience featuring a dad-and-son deity-murdering combo. The first game in 2018 starts the journey, while the 2022 sequel ends it in the most bad-ass way possible.

These two God of War games use a 3rd person perspective but retain the hardcore combat from past titles. Kratos has his Leviathan Axe and other new weapons he can use at his disposal, dealing a lot of hurt towards the Norse-themed undead and fantastical creatures in tow, with his son Atreus helping him out with support bow-and-arrow attacks and feats of acrobatics. The game’s story also complements the action very well, with an emotional tale featuring a father bonding with his son, and the mythical journey they take together filled with tons of bloodshed and revelations.

You can test out the first three hours of God of War Ragnarok via a PlayStation Plus Deluxe subscription. But trust us when we say it’s worth the money to see the father-and-son story to the end. With the sequel’s free DLC already out, God of War Ragnarok Valhalla, you’ll get a few hours’ worth of additional post-game content and more story gems concerning the titular character. Now’s a great time as any to experience the end of the world with Kratos and Atreus.

Note: God of War: Ragnarok will go on sale from now until 31st December. 

#8. PSVR 2 & Horizon: Call of the Mountain (RM2,999)

Set in the sci-fi post-apocalyptic world of the Horizon series, you play as a Ryas who has to do a bunch of jobs for series mainstay Blameless Marad and Aloy. And all of it involves mountain-climbing, platforming, and shooting down robot beasts with your bow and arrow, all in first-person virtual-reality glory. The game does a great job of immersing you in the world, making you work for your entertainment with the climbing and hiking portions. Thankfully you can opt to sit down and do all the hand gestures with the game’s accessibility options. And if you want to take a breather and just see the VR sights and sounds of the Horizon world, there’s also a Safari Tour mode where you just sit on a boat and see all of the game’s bestiary come to life in VR vision.

This sensational experience does require you to own a PlayStation 5 since the game requires a PlayStation VR2 peripheral that needs the console’s power to run. If budget isn’t an issue, Horizon: Call of the Mountain and the PSVR2 are must-buys for that first-person thrill-ride experience for all ages. And if you need more VR games that play better via the PSVR2, here are our other bonus recommendations:

• Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge
• Moss 2
• Gran Turismo 7
• Resident Evil Village
• Tetris Effect
• Beat Saber
• Pistol Whip. Note: Pistol Whip is US-region only at the moment; no word on when it’ll be out on Asia PSN stores.

#9. Astro’s Playroom (Free)

If you rather play in a dream world that’s PlayStation and Sony-themed, and revel in a place that’s all-ages and family-friendly, then you should play the default game on your newly-owned PlayStation 5: Astro’s Playroom. Part charming all-ages 3D platformer, part PlayStation 5 welcome wagon, Astro’s Playroom has tons of classic nods to past PlayStation titles, and even a rest area with PlayStation consoles decked out. It also showcases what your PlayStation 5 DualSense analogue pad can do, while revelling in a celebration that’s all things PlayStation.

#10. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (RM238)

Before its Nintendo Switch port, this Vanillaware-made PlayStation 4 exclusive was the talk of the town during its release back in 2020. You play the role of 13 high-school students as their stories converge in an 80s era where giant monsters invade Earth and robots called Sentinels are deployed to protect it. True to anime fashion, your heroes somehow develop the innate ability to pilot Sentinels. To treat this game as just a mecha anime narrative is just scratching the surface, as developer Vanillaware made sure its tale goes beyond conventional sci-fi tropes.

Yes, it’s still a full-price game but its quality is immeasurable by price. It’s a visual novel sci-fi epic that is comparable to your Asimovs, Gibsons, and K. Dicks, married with real-time strategy mecha combat presented in a unique “geometric” fashion. You’ll have a grand time with it, and is also a gift worth sharing with others since there isn’t quite another title quite like it out there.

If you have a PlayStation Plus Extra subscription, you can play this epic sci-fi tale for free!

Of course, one can’t go about playing PlayStation games in the best way available without a PlayStation 5, which you can get for RM2,499. Here are a few extras you should buy:

PlayStation 5 DualSense Controllers (RM349)

There’s no such thing as too many DualSense Controllers, right? Buy one of each colour to fit your mood and playstyle: default White, Midnight Black, Nova Pink, Cosmic Red, Galactic Purple, Volcanic Red, Cobalt Blue, Gray Camouflage, and Starlight Blue.

PULSE 3D Wireless Headset (RM419)

This wireless headset features 3D surround sound and comes in many colours: White, Midnight Black, and Gray Camouflage. The PULSE 3D Wireless Headset also boasts dual noise-cancelling microphones, USB Type-C charging, and accessible controls for your sound and VO. Available for a discount until 31st December.

This holiday season, we are giving away 5x PS Plus Deluxe codes to our fans and readers. To participate, visit our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. Get ready to enjoy a year’s worth of exclusive perks!

This article is sponsored by PlayStation Asia.