The Absolute Best PlayStation 5 Action Games of All Time

Do you dream of infiltrating the hideouts of criminal gangs, evil spirits, and other bad guys and bringing an end to their reign of terror? Do you also visualize yourself carrying extraordinary feats that far exceed your real-life abilities? Well, PlayStation 5 action games take you to distant worlds where you fight extraterrestrials and perform incredible feats. The games are thrilling and completely absorbing and you shouldn’t be too surprised to find you’re spending a substantial amount of your leisure time on the PlayStation.

Thrill-seeking isn’t the only reason why PlayStation 5 has many global adherents. Studies have shown that gaming is actually good for your eyes, hands, and brain. If you aren’t adept at multitasking, gaming will teach you these skills. And if your problem-solving skills are wanting, trust gaming to help improve them. Gaming will also help you improve hand-to-eye coordination and teach you teamwork. So, whenever you switch on your PlayStation 5 to play, don’t be plagued by guilty feelings that you could be partaking in a time-wasting and unproductive activity.

PlayStation 5 comes equipped with a vast array of exclusive action games. Read on to find out the absolute best PlayStation 5 action games of all time.

#10.  OlliOlli World: VOID Riders

If you fancy yourself battling aliens in a typical sci-fi world, then OlliOlli World: VOID Riders is the game for you. True to the OlliOlli World series theme (see 2 more reviews below), VOID Riders tests your skating abilities with exciting obstacles and challenges.

In OlliOlli World: VOID Riders, Randlandia has been invaded by aliens who are looking for “special-interest” human beings to take to their leader, Nebulord. Played in a typical sci-fi universe, VOID Riders has UFOs that fly around and try to abduct people and, as a skater, you’ll have to be alert that they do not also take the rails you’re skating on.

While VOID Riders is full of the tricks common to OlliOlli World, this expansion introduces a new trick known as the Grabby Beam. It requires you to grab a beam that the UFOs are using in their abduction attempts and use it to elevate you. And if you never thought you could defy gravity, the grab tricks enable you to do so and you’re able to make what would otherwise appear to be impossible leaps.

Apart from the hilarious storyline, the mechanics in VOID Riders are utterly absorbing and require that you pay rapt attention – with so much happening, it’s easy to get caught off guard. This is one game that guarantees many hours of entertainment.

#9.  Kombinera

If there’s one game that will test your problem-solving skills to the maximum, that game is Kombinera. In addition to requiring great concentration, Kombinera calls for excellent eye-to-hand coordination. The puzzles in the game are mind-bending. To complete the game, you’ll need to tackle over three hundred levels which means that you could spend many hours or days to achieve your objective.

While the puzzles in Kombinera get complicated as you progress, the first levels are easy to play and success will naturally encourage you to proceed to higher levels. To play Kombinera, you’re required to control the balls on a level simultaneously. At the initial levels, you need to control two or three balls and, while this might not be too taxing, you have to remember that different-colored balls have differing abilities.

There are obstacles to overcome and what could damage one ball might be harmless to another. For instance, if you’re controlling red and black balls, you’ll notice that red balls can jump and cannot be damaged by spikes while black balls can’t jump. Controlling different balls, therefore, requires logical calculations and you can imagine how hectic the situation gets when you have to control five balls at once.

While Kombinera is exciting, it can get frustrating if you play hurriedly as you’ll keep dying and have to restart. This is one game that will test your brain and offer many hours of absolute concentration. If you find the tasks too complicated, you can at least enjoy the carefully-selected uplifting music in the game.

#8.  Them’s Fightin’ Herds

Them’s Fightin’ Herds has a great storyline and adorable characters who’re perfectly voiced. The characters are all-female ungulates and live in a world that’s threatened by the reported return of Predators, some carnivorous animals that bothered them in the past but were taken away and held in a realm called The Hold.

The Predators have a fighting champion called The Devourer and, to guarantee their own safety, the ungulates have to find a champion to face off with the Predators’ champion. To select their champion, the various ungulates have to fight each other and whoever wins will be crowned as the Key Keeper and will hold the key that will lock the Predators away again.

Them’s Fightin’ Herds has six playable characters and four fighting buttons. Each button controls a different fighting mode – there’s heavy, medium, light, and magic fighting. There are different fighting options including short hops, air dashes, and jumps. Since you’re fighting a multitude of creatures, including hawks, cobras, and bears, you need to apply different fighting styles. Fights aside, the game takes you on an adventure in glorious landscapes. Online, the game can be played by multiple players.

Great Storyline

Them's Fighting Herds: Deluxe Edition (PS5)

$30.99

• Six playable characters
• Features all-female ungulates fighting the Predators
• Play online with multiple players
• Fully customizable avatar

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03/12/2023 11:45 am GMT

#7. OlliOlli World

When you think about PlayStation 5 skateboarding games, OlliOlli World must be ranked among the best ever. If you’re already a big fan of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, you’ll find OlliOlli World exhilarating. The game is action-packed and, for those who love good stories, OlliOlli World has a fascinating storyline.

The action in OlliOlli World takes place in a fantasy realm known as Radlandia. In this imaginary skating world, players are forever training to become skate wizards. The game is intense and for a player, the ultimate goal is to reach Gnarvana (the pun should help you guess what this is).

To play OlliOlli World, you control a skater through several intricate and highly absorbing levels. While the initial levels are easy, the game becomes more complex as you progress. To get the high scores you need to become a skate wizard, you’ll need to perform complex stunts such as riding on walls or grinding on rails. The speed increases as you progress through a level and to avoid crashing you are constantly required to chain the basic tricks with movements such as jumping and grinding. Progression in the game enables you to earn points and also unlocks a wide range of gear to give you the perfect professional skater look.

OlliOlli World is a critically acclaimed game and in 2023 it won the 26^th Annual D.I.C.E Sports Game of the Year Award.

#6. OlliOlli World: Finding the Flow Zone

Is it possible to skateboard in the skies? Yes, it is, if you live in the fantastic OlliOlli World. In OlliOlli World: Finding the Flow Zone, the action takes you through five levels (aka flow zones) as you skate through the skies on your way to the lost city of Radlantis. As you can already imagine, this is not a journey for the faint-hearted.

Just look at what you’ll have to contend with to reach your destination to appreciate how trying the journey will be. First, the space you’re skating through is prone to massive and sudden wind gusts that could easily take you off-course. However, while the winds could be an impediment, they could actually work in your favor and help elevate you – it all depends on your skating skills.

Secondly, OlliOlli World: Finding the Flow Zone requires fast action. While you’re skating with three companions on this epic flight, you have to make haste to reach Radlantis before a character called B.B. Hopper succeeds in exploiting the city – so time is of the essence.

OlliOlli World: Finding the Flow Zone gives the ultimate skateboarding experience and the differences in complexity are determined by the route you choose. There are regular safe routes but also cumbersome and tricky burly routes and successfully skating through the latter could prove more satisfying for the seasoned gamer. All along your flight, you get opportunities to collect the most fashionable skating gear. If you wish to perform unimaginable sky-skate tricks, you must play OlliOlli World: Finding the Flow Zone.

#5. Deep Rock Galactic

Imagine an encounter with dangerous aliens in hazardous surroundings and you’re imagining Deep Rock Galactic. Set on an alien planet called Hoxxes IV, this mind-blowing game takes you on an adventure through mineral-rich caves which, unfortunately, are teeming with belligerent aliens. The environment is rough and, to combat hostile enemies, you have limited ammunition. How then do you survey the caves and complete missions such as mining? The stage is set for some of the most thrilling actions you’ll ever see.

Deep Rock Galactic can be played by up to four people who take on different roles. As an employee of the Deep Rock Galactic Company, you could be sent on a mission as a scout, driller, engineer, or gunner. Each player has different fighting capabilities and resources. Working as a team, the different players could take advantage of the unique abilities and ammunitions of their colleagues to help them complete a mission successfully.

While you start with a basic supply of ammunition and capabilities, the game has a progression system that enables you to purchase new and better equipment after overcoming challenges. Moreover, success on a mission could lead to enhanced performance abilities for the player.

#4. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

If you’ve played Destiny 2’s preceding video games, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is easily the best expansion. Not only does it have a gripping story, but it also unlocks a whole new array of sophisticated weapons, missions, and locations that will greatly enhance your gameplay.

This is the story of the Hive, a species that lives by the Sword logic. According to the Sword logic, all livings have no right to live unless they can justify themselves through fighting. The Hive species serve the Worm gods and are led by the witch queen, Savathun, and her siblings. While the witch queen is allegedly loyal to the Worm gods, her service is shrouded in deception and she’s a crafty liar.

There are two difficulty modes when playing this game. Brave is the easy campaign while the more challenging campaign is known as Legendary. Players who opt for the Legendary campaign face acute challenges but they also get double rewards compared to Brave campaigners. Should you start on a campaign and find it either too easy or too tough to handle, you are allowed to switch to another campaign. The amount of weaponry available in this game is immense and includes pulse rifles, fusion rifles, and the projectile launcher known as Glaives. Playing this game will offer many hours of immersive action.

#3. Neon White

That Neon White is one of the best PlayStation 5 action games of all time is perhaps best illustrated by the numerous awards it has been nominated for. It has been nominated for Action Game of the Year by the Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. The game has also received nominations for best audio, and Ultimate Game of the Year (2022) among others. Apart from the awesome soundtrack, this game’s graphics are outstanding and, you guessed it, the game has also received a nomination for excellence in design.

Neon White is a fast-shooting game that takes the player on several missions each of which has multiple levels. The storyline is should give you an idea of the action-packed drama to expect. This is the story of Neon White and other Neons (read sinners) who find themselves in heaven after floating from hell. In heaven, the Neons encounter Believers, characters who supposedly communicate with God and the Believers advise that the Neons will be sent straight back to hell unless they perform a crucial task – clear heaven of invading demons.  Apart from White, there are other Neons, namely Red, Yellow, and Violet and to obtain a chance to stay in heaven for a year, they have to compete in killing demons and the winner is the one who kills most demons.

This is a multilevel game and you complete a level by clearing all the demons therein. There’s a lot of running and jumping as you traverse various levels. The game is timed and, depending on how quickly you complete a level, you qualify for Ace, Gold, Bronze, and Silver awards. Note that demons can kill you and you could also die if you fell into a bottomless abyss in which case you’ll have to restart the game.

#2. Rez Infinite

If you’re looking for a game that is the true definition of immersive, Rez Infinite hardly has a competitor. First, your mind will be blown by the game’s HD visuals. The graphics are out of this world with textures and shapes flowing together to the accompaniment of electrifying 3D audio.

Rez Infinite is an extremely intense game. It has five levels. In this shooting game, the character you’re playing makes automatic movements and you therefore just need to concentrate on the enemies you need to shoot. The game has power-ups and acquiring them gives you health upgrades and enables you to shoot more enemies.

To play effectively, you have to avoid dying because you’ll have to go back to the beginning of a level. The action in the different levels is different. You’re encountering diverse enemies and this calls for different combat styles. The music and aesthetics also vary from level to level. The final stage is especially long and features so many boss fights that the risk of death is ever-present if you’re not attentive.

Don’t want to die? Rez Infinite allows you to play in what is called an invincibility mode that lets you play without fearing being forced to restart. The game’s landscapes are alluring and dreamy and you should have a great time playing Rez Infinite.

#1. Pistol Whip

Pistol Whip is a game that has won several awards and this is not surprising. In 2019 alone, it won three awards – SteamVR Game of the Year, Top 50 best games of 2019, and Best VR Games of 2019. This is an intense action-packed game whose inspiration is action movies. The game is presented with outstanding visuals to the accompaniment of great music.

The action in Pistol Whip requires you to master fighting in varying environments. This is a multilevel game and the ferocity of the enemies you can’t depend on the level chosen. While you’re busy shooting enemies, they too are shooting at you and you’re constantly dodging bullets and reloading your pistols and rifles. One thing you’re certain about when playing Pistol Whip is that you’ll be in constant momentum. Since you lose health by failing to dodge bullets, constant fast movement is your best defense against enemy fire.

For your initial plays, it’s highly recommended that you avoid the Hard difficulty level. This is a highly challenging level and you’ll be combating multiple enemies. With hails of bullets flying your way, death is a real possibility. Dying early in the game could discourage you and take the fun out of the game.

Conclusion

With so many critically acclaimed PlayStation 5 action games available, the avid gamer has a ready supply of great entertainment. When considering the games to buy to enrich your collection, our list of the absolute best PlayStation 5 action games of all time should come in handy.