PS5 in 2022

7 reasons why 2022 is a massive year for PlayStation

by Robin Bea

T3 Magazine/Future/Getty Images

After 2021 was marred by hardware shortages, 2022 could be the year the PlayStation 5 hits its stride. Long-awaited exclusives and maybe even new hardware are on the calendar for the coming year.

Here’s what to expect from PlayStation in 2022.

7. Horizon Forbidden West

The sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the most anticipated PlayStation exclusives of 2022 and — barring any delays — one of the first. It hits PS4 and PS5 February 18.

Horizon Forbidden West should feel familiar to anyone who played the original, with the addition of new weapons, new enemies, and an entirely different landscape to explore.

6. Sifu

Sifu doesn’t have the pedigree of some other PlayStation exclusives, but it’s one of the most exciting games of 2022. Developer Slocap also made the multiplayer martial arts games Absolver in 2017.

Sifu follows a martial arts master who ages as the player is defeated. Pre-release impressions have been extremely positive, so this could end up as the breakout hit of 2022.

5. God of War Ragnarok

God of War was one of PS4’s biggest hits, and hype for the sequel is intense. It continues Kratos’ feud with the Norse pantheon, but beyond that, details are scarce.

A PSN leak in December 2021 pinned Ragnarok to a September 2022 release date, but there’s been no confirmation from Sony. Whenever it arrives, it will be available on both PS4 and PS5.

4. Square Enix games

Some of PlayStation’s biggest games of 2022 are coming from Square Enix. Perhaps the biggest is the PS5 exclusive Forspoken, an action RPG first revealed as Project Athia, which is set for a May 24 launch.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is due out March 18. It’s an action RPG prequel to the original Final Fantasy, focused on that game’s main antagonist.

Final Fantasy 16, also a PS5 exclusive, was delayed by six months in December 2021. There’s still no release date, but new details should be revealed this spring.

The next chapter for Final Fantasy 7 Remake could come in 2022, which is also the series’ 35th anniversary. Naoki Hamaguchi, the co-director of part one, is directing the next part solo.

3. PlayStation VR

Sony revealed its next-gen PlayStation VR in 2021. There’s no confirmed release date, but an unnamed source told Bloomberg in June that Sony is aiming for a holiday 2022 launch.

Sony revealed its new PSVR controllers in a blog post and has confirmed they’ll use haptic triggers similar to those in the DualSense controller. Eye-tracking and 4K displays are rumored for the headset, but not confirmed.

2. PlayStation Plus

PlayStation lagged far behind Xbox in 2021 when it comes to subscription services. In 2022, it could be expanding PlayStation Plus to compete with the Game Pass juggernaut this spring.

Rumors say new PS Plus tiers will include PlayStation Now’s game library and even a collection of games going all the way back to the original PlayStation. Sony has yet to confirm any of these plans.

1. PS5 Hardware
T3 Magazine/Future/Getty Images

Future Publishing/Future/Getty Images

One of the biggest challenges for the entire game industry in 2021 was a widespread hardware shortage that made consoles hard to find. Unfortunately, that’s likely to continue into 2022.

If you can get your hands on a PS5, Sony announced a line of colored faceplates and new controllers coming in mid-January.