Ahead of the Summer Game Fest 2025 Main Show over the weekend, PlayStation has started the ball rolling with its State of Play showcase for this month, featuring almost an hour of non-stop title reveals and offering a glimpse of what’s in store for Sony’s console.
Here’s a recap of all the major announcements and trailers revealed during the showcase, from hotly-anticipated upcoming titles like 007 First Light and Silent Hill f to long-rumoured remasters like Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles:
007 First Light brings the latest and youngest James Bond to the table
Following a tease this week by developer IO Interactive, we finally have our first look at 007 First Light, due for release in 2026, which will follow a fresh-faced James Bond as he embarks on his journey as a special agent. Despite being mostly cinematic, brief snippets of gameplay tease the same third-person stealth action that fans of the Hitman series would no doubt be familiar with, alongside intense car chases and explosive set-pieces worthy of a Bond adventure.
Silent Hill f gets creepy gameplay trailer and release date
Survival horror fans are in for a treat, as Konami’s upcoming Silent Hill f is set to bring outworldly madness to 1960s Japan, with a gameplay trailer featuring not only brutal close-quarters combat against grotesque, deformed monstrosities, but also an unhealthy dose of psychological trauma the series is so well-known for. Fans don’t even have to wait that long too, as the game is due out on 25 September this year.
Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls brings 4v4 fighting action by Guilty Gear developers
Arc System Works, the folks behind the Guilty Gear fighting game series and Dragon Ball FighterZ, have announced their next fighting game, Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls, which features 4v4 battles between Marvel heroes and villains like Iron Man, Captain America, Storm and Doctor Doom, and will be released in 2026 on the PS5 and PC.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles brings a classic to the modern era
Square Enix is revitalising its classic grid-based strategy RPG with Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, offering both classic and enhanced versions of the game when it hits the PS5 on 30 September 2025. The enhanced version will feature fully voiced dialogue, an updated UI, graphical improvements and a new difficulty setting, while the classic version will combine the original 1997 version with the War of the Lions translation, while introducing features like auto saves.
Nioh 3 reveals dual combat styles and Alpha Demo
Souls-like fans can experience the rise of a Shogun in Nioh 3, the upcoming sequel to Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja’s dark samurai action RPG series, which now features intense battles with man and Yokai alike, utilising two distinct combat styles, Samurai and Ninja. The game’s Alpha Demo is also out now on the PlayStation store, so eager fans can hop in and experience the action while they wait for the game’s 2026 release.
Ghost of Yōtei gets its own State of Play in July
It might not be the big gameplay reveal fans were hoping for, but rather a teaser of a teaser, as Sony has announced a dedicated Ghost of Yōtei State of Play coming in July 2025, with the upcoming showcase focused entirely on Sucker Punch’s next open-world Samurai adventure, with “an extended look at new and evolved gameplay mechanics”.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater shows off Ape Escape Monkey mode
Konami’s stealth-action remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, has landed a brief but action-packed gameplay trailer ahead of its launch on 28 August 2025, offering not only glimpses of its reimagined stealth and combat, but also a cheeky nod to Japan Studio’s classic video game Ape Escape with its revamped Snake vs. Monkey minigame, with a mysterious hint at the end of more to come.
Pragmata makes its grand return with 2026 release window
After its last appearance in 2023, Capcom’s newest IP, Pragmata, has returned with a new gameplay trailer, showing off its “two-in-one twist of action and strategy”, where players will control both of its two protagonists, Hugh and Diana, simultaneously. More details on how this will actually work will likely come closer to the game’s newly announced 2026 release window.
Romeo Is a Dead Man marks Grasshopper Manufacture’s latest wacky gore-fest
Grasshopper Manufacture, the minds behind action hack-and-slash games like No More Heroes and Lollipop Chainsaw, have revealed their latest action title, Romeo Is a Dead Man, with a wild gameplay trailer showcasing on-brand levels of absurdity and gore, with the title heading to the PS5 in 2026.
Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement prequel brings more side-scrolling gothic action
Set years before the events of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement is a 2.5D side-scrolling action RPG headed to PS5 in 2026, centred around Leo and the fearless Black Wolves as they prepare to storm the cursed Ethereal Castle and confront the rising darkness.
Digimon Story Time Stranger pits monster against monster in epic turn-based battles
As the latest instalment in the Digimon Story series, Digimon Story Time Stranger is set for release on 3 October 2025 and will feature a story spanning both the human and Digital worlds, with players embodying the role of an agent as they collect and raise an array of Digimon to fight in turn-based battles.
Baby Steps challenges players to learn how to walk all over again
It’s all about putting one foot in front of the other… literally. Baby Steps, a comedic third-person platformer in the vein of Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, lets players take on the role of Nate, an unemployed bum who discovers the greatest power of them all, walking. Struggle with the most simple of movements when the game launches on 8 September 2025.
Hirogami brings the beauty of origami to the action platformer genre
Inspired by the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, origami, Hirogami is a 3D action platformer launching on 3 September 2025 featuring a fan-wielding “folding” master Hiro, who can take on various paper animal forms as he embarks on a mystical journey to save his home from deadly digital invaders.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound revitalises the old-school arcade side-scroller formula
Hailing from the team behind the souls-like side-scroller Blasphemous, Koei Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound brings an old-school arcade twist to the acclaimed Ninja Gaiden series when it launches on 31 July 2025.
Cairn offers the thrills and dangers of climbing with a demo out now
Survival climber Cairn is heading to the PS5 on 5 November 2025, and players can try their hands at its unforgiving heights as a demo is also available on the PlayStation Store, offering a preview of its Tenzen mountain ridge segment.
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection relives the fatalities throughout the years
From the acclaimed retro restoration team Digital Eclipse, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection marks the definitive historical archive of the franchise’s origins and featuring over 20 different versions of the games across arcade, console, and handheld platforms, all faithfully restored for the modern generation when it releases for the PS4 and PS5 in 2025.
Project Defiant marks the first wireless fight stick design by Sony for the PS5 and PC
Sony has unveiled its Project Defiant wireless fight stick, featuring ultra-low latency wireless and wired play options alongside an ergonomic design for all fighting game lovers out there. More details on the gaming peripheral are still forthcoming, such as detailed technical specifications and its official product name.
Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow lets you steal treasures in virtual reality
Thief is back, and this time, things are about to get extra immersive, as the next game in the legendary stealth franchise, Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow, reimagines the game as a VR-only title, allowing players to live out their ultimate thieving fantasies like pickpocketing guards, picking locks and searching for secret compartments to hidden treasures when the game launches later this year for the PlayStation VR2.
Tides of Tomorrow offers a unique multiplayer experience where choices affect other players’ journeys
Tides of Tomorrow is set to reimagine multiplayer game storytelling when it launches on 24 February 2026, featuring a unique “following” gameplay system, where players can choose to follow the storylines of other players, dealing with their choices and consequences along the way.
Sea of Remnants lets players set sail in a seafaring RPG
Sea of Remnants is an upcoming free-to-play “voyage-themed” RPG featuring elements of survival, base-building and ocean exploration supplemented by its wood mannequin-esque character design and turn-based combat, due for release sometime in 2026.
Sword of the Sea marks the next breathtaking adventure from Journey artist
Abzu and The Pathless developer Giant Squid has announced their next title, Sword of the Sea, heading to the PS5 and the PlayStation Plus catalogue on 19 August 2025. Players can expect more of the same awe-inspiring visuals from the renowned artist behind Journey, in an atmospheric surfing adventure to mend a barren world.
Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots tees off with an appearance from Pac-Man
It’s time to par-tee, as Bandai Namco and Hyde’s Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots expands the long-running golfing series with a cast of new and unique characters, including video gaming icon Pac-Man. Launching on 5 September 2025, the game includes courses from 10 different regions around the world with varying weather conditions and times of day.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
