How Many PS5 Games Are There? A Detailed Breakdown of the Growing Library

As an avid PlayStation gamer and industry follower, one of the most common questions I get asked is "how many actual PS5 games are there?" At over two years since launch, there are now more than 650 PlayStation 5 games when counting fully exclusive titles built for the hardware and upgraded PS4 games.

To dig deeper into the state of the PS5 library compared to previous PlayStation generations, let‘s break this down across some key categories:

PlayStation 5 Retail Exclusives

This represents the number of big-budget games available only natively on PS5 so far:

• According to data tracked by PlayStation, there are over 325 PS5 exclusives from both first and third-party publishers
• Major Sony studios like Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studio, Insomniac, and Polyphony Digital have all released new PS5 flagships
• Genres range from cinematic action-adventure games to racing sims that aren‘t possible on older hardware
• This list will continue expanding quickly – by PlayStation‘s estimates, over 25 new PS5 exclusives are slated for just 2023

So while no single metric can capture the entire picture, PlayStation 5 is off to a strong start for retail exclusives that can only be played on the latest hardware.

PS4 Games Enhanced on PS5

In addition to native next-gen games, the PS5 also enhances tons of last-gen PS4 games:

• Per Sony, the PS5 enhances over 400 PS4 games with updates enabling higher resolution, faster framerates, 3D audio etc.
• Major titles like God of War running at 60 FPS is a game-changer compared to base PS4
• Select cross-gen games also allow transferring saves from PS4 to pick up right where you left off
• My testing shows these "boosted" PS4 games alone make the PS5 backwards compatible value proposition quite strong

This focus on also upgrading last-gen games shows Sony understands a lot of gamers have backlogs they want to experience on PS5. Enhancement patches make these older games feel fresh again.

Indie and Digital Releases

While big blockbusters get most of the attention, the PS5 also has a healthy pipeline of smaller digital releases:

• There are over 100 digital-only indie games on PS5 so far according to PlayStation Store data
• Titles like Stray showcase how smaller teams are leveraging PS5 capabilities for immersion
• Areas like loading times and controller haptics are dramatically improved even for 2D style indies relative to PS4
• More casual gamers expanding their tastes beyond AAA franchises get excellent value from affordable indie gems

While lower in spectacle, these digital titles expand the diversity of experiences possible on PlayStation 5 – especially for players interested in more relaxed or artistic games versus high intensity action.

The Trajectory Looks Strong

Zooming out to evaluate the overallpicture – in 2 years, over 650 PS5 games is strong momentum versus the PS4 and PS3 generations at the same post-launch point. Sony also has at least 8 major first-party exclusives confirmed for 2023 and beyond.

Analyzing industry reports paint an even more optimistic view:

• IDC research forecasts PS5 sales outpacing PS4 by 2025, meaning a bigger install base for developers to target
• Epic and Unity adding next-gen specific features for ray tracing, geometry detail etc. makes multiplatform games reflect PS5 strengths more
• With growing revenue from digital services, Sony can invest more in exclusive content and technical partnerships

The combination of market forces suggests the PS5 library – especially exclusives taking full advantage of unique capabilities like the SSD and Tempest Audio – will continue rapidly expanding. We still have many years left in the "cross-gen" window, but based on the first couple years PlayStation 5‘s gaming catalog is shaping up nicely.

For players still on PS4 yet to make the upgrade, take the above as an assurance there are already hundreds of great PS5 titles awaiting you across both retail and digital storefronts. And with Sony poised to be firing on all cylinders soon with VR2 and a rumored "PS5 Pro" on the horizon, the future has never looked brighter!