The best PlayStation news and trailers from September’s State of Play

After Sony’s revelations ps5 pro But with a lack of new releases, the latest edition of State of Play (September 24, 11am BST) arrives at a good time, with it also taking place ahead of the Tokyo Game Show this weekend.

The 40-minute presentation has over 20 trailers, which you can watch in full here, along with a few old songs that fail to create excitement – Horizon Zero Dawn With more interactive mocap, really? You could even call it a remaster of the PS5 Pro reveal from two weeks ago, though a sizzle reel of old and upcoming games enhanced for this extreme hardware refresh is probably harder to appreciate in sharply cut and compressed video form.

That’s not to say there aren’t trailers for some games you already know about and that have confirmed release dates, like Monster Hunter Wilds, which still looks pretty awesome. But the truth is, you want new reveals and the point here is to uncover them for you. Even better, some of them even have release windows so you know when you can play them.

1) Yotei’s Ghost

Saved until last but by far the biggest highlight is the official reveal of the sequel to 2020’s open world samurai action adventure Ghost of TsushimaFortunately there is no number at the end, as this is not a direct narrative follow-up, but instead takes us a few hundred years forward in Japanese history to the beginning of the Edo period in 1603.

It also places Ghost of Yotei a few years ahead of the events of this year’s Emmy-winning hit Shogun. The game is said to be about a thousand miles away from the political intrigue of that show, and is set in the remote region of Ezo, an area that was outside of Japan’s rule at the time, although today it’s known as Hokkaido. At the heart of it all is the titular mountain where the action takes place and with it a new ‘ghost’ protagonist named Atsu.

The trailer doesn’t reveal too much about the story or gameplay, but since it’s been built from the ground up for the PS5, it looks absolutely fantastic, with not only stunning visuals but also more details – just look at all those horses galloping across the field! If first party studio Sucker Punch can improve its combat and shed the Kurosawa affinity, this could be something special.

Release date: 2025

2) Midnight Walk

It’s always refreshing to see games with a unique aesthetic beyond hyperrealism, so The Midnight Walk is a great example of this. While there have been games with a hand-drawn claymation look before, most of the assets you see in this dark fantasy adventure were actually sculpted in clay first, then 3D-scanned into the game so you can see the artists’ fingerprints.

You’ll play as Potboy as they travel through the titular Nightmare Highway, surviving five strange stories about fires, outsmarting sinister enemies and meeting a fantastical cast of companions, all of them beautifully hand-crafted and brought to life with stop-motion style animation. What’s even better is that the game will be available to play on PS5 as well as PSVR2.

Release date: Spring 2025

3) Hell is Us

There have been a number of Soulslikes over the past few years, which usually just serve as an excuse to be maniacally difficult, but the recently announced action adventure Hell Is Us set in a war-torn country focuses on the other aspect. It takes an old-school approach and gets rid of the hand-holding elements of many modern games, instead letting players figure things out on their own.

With no quest markers, lore drops or world map, this ‘player-platforming’ design encourages you to explore the world as you see it and connect the dots, while paying attention to what other characters can tell you. A game that doesn’t have the dreaded yellow colour? Sign me up! Publisher Nacon will also be providing a deep dive into the gameplay via its YouTube channel on Monday 30 September at 4pm BST.

Release date: 2025

4) ArcheAge Chronicles

At first glance, ArcheAge Chronicles looks like it has all the same visual spectacle and dynamic action as Final Fantasy XVI, the difference being that this is a game you’ll experience with other players. It’s actually a follow-up to a decade-old Korean MMO, but while this trailer focuses on its action combat with epic large-scale raids against fearsome bosses, there’s plenty more to get involved in.

As such, housing will play a big role, allowing you to build and customize your own homes, as well as learn a variety of other life skills such as farming, crafting or trading. This is just a part of this forgotten land of Auroria where you’ll have vast natural environments to explore and ancient ruins to discover.

Release date: 2025

5) Alan Wake 2 – The Lake House Expansion

Last year’s critically acclaimed Alan Wake 2 already had some great DLC arriving earlier this year, which not coincidentally had you playing the titular novelist. Its upcoming expansion will also have you playing as Kiran Estevez, an agent for the Federal Bureau of Control, based in a new location called the Lake House on the banks of Cauldron Lake.

There isn’t much revealed in this teaser, but you can definitely expect some creepy and weird horror scenes. Plus, you won’t have to wait too long as it’s set to release next month during horror season. In any case, this seems like a great bridge to Remedy’s Control.

Release date: October

6) Everything else

For those less impressed with the PS5 Pro, there are other new accessories you can pick up, as Sony has also revealed the Chroma Collection, which features three new eye-catching colours – Chroma Pearl, Chroma Indigo and Chroma Teal – for the DualSense controller and PS5 console cover, which match the design of the PS5 Slim. The Pearl and Indigo versions are available from November 7 while you’ll have to wait until January 23 next year to get the Teal one.

With its fair share of DLC and updates, the choice should be enjoyable Astro Botwhich is getting a Speedrun and Special Bots add-on later this fall, and the best part is that it’s free. One of those new bots is Stellar Blade protagonist Eve who has a more family-friendly design. Speaking of Stellar Blade, the PS5 exclusive is also getting DLC ​​in the form of a Nier: Automata crossover.

Classic games are also getting remastered or added to the PlayStation Plus library, one of which is definitely getting a lot of attention is Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered, which is the closest thing to the mature 3D Zelda-like games from two decades ago that you’ll be able to experience again or for the first time on December 10 (fun fact: these games were directed by Uncharted producer Amy Hennig).

Of the few PSVR2 offerings shown off, Hitman: World of Assassination VR is undoubtedly a highlight. While Hitman 3 had a VR mode, that was within the confines of the limited PSVR1 hardware. So being able to do immersive dual-wielding and make seamless gestures while being fully immersed in all 21 maps of the acclaimed trilogy is going to be special.

And if you’re looking for Shadow Drop, this year’s Early Access runaway hit Palworld is now available on PS5. It’s too bad it comes at the same time as Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are being sued over the ‘Pokemon with Guns’ open world survival game. Yikes.