Should I Buy a PlayStation 5 in 2023?

It’s that time of year where we look at what each console has to offer going forward. What is the back catalogue like? How much do you have to look forward to? What is the tech like for today’s shrewd gamer? If you’re looking to buy a new console for Christmas or in the New Year – these are the articles for you. Is it worth buying a PlayStation 5 in 2023?

The PlayStation 5 is the biggest-selling modern console right now, and it’s easy to see why. It has fantastic graphics, fantastic games – and you know most of what you want will be released here. They’re making slow progress with their subscription service too.

So are there really any downsides? By and large, no. Xbox will sometimes have better graphics – a fact you’ll usually only notice in side-by-side comparisons – and there are things happening that’ll make Microsoft’s console more attractive to some.

But if you treat yourself to a PlayStation 5, you almost certainly won’t be disappointed.

PlayStation 5 Games in 2023

Although as always, that kind of depends what you’re looking for. Want huge blockbuster third-party action games? Sony is the place to be. Their first-party output is unbeaten in that regard.

With that said, their only first-party game scheduled for 2023 is Spider-Man 2, and that could easily slip into 2024. If you’re specifically looking for a bumper crop of first-party games in the year after you buy your console, look somewhere else.

That said, if you haven’t played everything else, it’s a good time to jump in. There’s a seemingly endless list of fantastic titles – from Demon’s Souls to the recently released God of War Ragnarok – that will keep you busy.

There’s less available for younger kids. But it goes without says that the Switch is probably the best option there, anyway.

On top of first-party stuff, you’ll get all the third-party releases too. Some of those are potentially exclusive – like Final Fantasy XVI – while others will be available everywhere else too.

You Know What You Get

With PlayStation you largely know what you get. You’ll get an awesome (but ugly) console with an awesome catalogue of games, some serviceable services and nothing much else. That’s not a negative. There’s a benefit to sitting slap bang in the glory days of your favourite device.

There’s an outside chance Call of Duty will no longer be on PlayStation going forward. But it’s far more likely that it will be. Other major games being taken from Sony include anything new from Bethesda and, if the deal goes through, Activision’s other major titles like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon.

But outside of that, everything will continue on exactly as it currently is. Sony will keep releasing massive games, they’ll continue not releasing very many mid-tier games, and they’ll occasionally chuck a first-party title onto PC too. It’s unlikely any new services will be added – new PlayStation Plus tiers were created just a few months ago and were largely just built around PlayStation Now.

Sony’s position in the market has allowed them to increase prices of games and the console itself everywhere except America. There’s also PlayStation VR on the horizon, which costs more than the console itself, but is an offering you’ll get with no other console. If you’re happy to spend, then Sony is happy to take your money.

But all of this is outside of what actually matters: the games. And whether you love or hate Sony’s exclusives, there will still be plenty to play on PlayStation.

Conclusion

If you can find one and you have any interest in the system at all, you can’t go wrong with the PlayStation 5.

You can play all third-party games, you can play all first-party games, and you’re backed up with a decent selection of services and media functions too. I’d stop short of calling it the best console on the market, but the difference is so slim as to be negligible.

Some decisions recently regarding pricing have been disappointing, and moves from Microsoft might make Xbox a better choice for some, but those don’t take away from the console itself. You won’t be disappointed.