PS5 owners have plenty of great games to dive into this weekend, whether planning on playing through an immersive single-player experience or joining up with some friends in co-op or competitive multiplayer. The star of the offerings we're highlighting as the best options for some weekend gameplay is Borderlands 4, where the PS5 version is reportedly free of most of the issues currently plaguing the PC release. But if looter shooters aren't your thing, there are still plenty of other new and exciting titles to check out, including a re-release of a PS1 cult-classic and the debut of a franchise on PlayStation hardware.
Borderlands 4
The Borderlands series is back this week with Borderlands 4 after an almost 6-year hiatus, picking up where Borderlands 3 left off and bringing the series back to basics with a more grounded approach. That a lot of players are comparing Borderlands 4 to Borderlands 2 is a good sign that the newest entry is the best the franchise has been in years, and right now is arguably the best time to hop in, as most players are still making their way through its surprisingly great campaign mode. Gearbox has also already released the first two SHiFT codes for Borderlands 4, setting up this weekend as a perfect time to dive in, redeem those codes, and use Golden Keys to collect some Legendary loot.
Borderlands 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
WHERE TO PLAY
Marvel Rivals
Free-to-play multiplayer phenomenon Marvel Rivals only just recently made its way to PS4, and that new version's ability to have cross-play with the PS5 version just added a whole new pool of competitors to try your skills against. It also doesn't hurt that today marks the official beginning of Season 4 for Marvel Rivals, meaning this weekend is likely to see some increased player counts across all platforms. As far as competitive multiplayer games go, Marvel Rivals is one of players' best options for this weekend, and it's virtually risk-free as a F2P game.
Marvel Rivals
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 78 /100 Critics Rec: 84%
- Released
- December 6, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence
- Developer(s)
- NetEase Games
- Publisher(s)
- NetEase Games
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Action, Multiplayer
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
The first game in the Daemon X Machina series was originally exclusive to the Nintendo Switch before making its way to PC, but the recent sequel surprisingly launched as a multi-platform game. Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is a solid action game that flexes its Armored Core pedigree at just about every opportunity, even if it is more action-oriented and fluid than the old-school Armored Core games its creators worked on. The recent reveal of the first post-launch content for Titanic Scion arriving on October 2 makes this weekend a great time to start the campaign, maybe even teaming up with a friend for some of the more challenging boss encounters.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 70 /100 Critics Rec: 45%
- Released
- September 5, 2025
- ESRB
- Teen / Blood, Drug Reference, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Marvelous
- Publisher(s)
- Marvelous
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Action, Shooter, Open-World, Exploration
Fear Effect
With how hectic the last few weeks' game release schedules have been, it's entirely possible that Limited Run Games' re-release of PS1 classic Fear Effect might have slipped under players' radars. Fear Effect is a hybrid between a survival horror game and an old-school point-and-click adventure title with some great puzzles and anxiety-inducing insta-death moments, and its re-release on modern hardware smooths out some of its rougher edges with quick saves, a rewind feature, and an integrated CRT filter that does some heavy lifting with its unique cel-shaded visuals.
- Released
- February 24, 2000
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Kronos Digital Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Kronos Digital Entertainment
- Engine
- kronos
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Survival Horror
Phasmophobia
Kinetic Games' Phasmophobia is a title that only continues to improve the longer it's in Early Access, and its PS5 version is every bit as great as the PC original, currently on sale for 25% off. We've still got a couple of weeks until the start of October and the beginning of "spooky season", but there's nothing stopping players from going ahead and getting in the spirit with some great horror games, of which Phasmophobia is one of the newer instant-classics. Plus, like a lot of the other titles we've highlighted for your PS5 queue this weekend, Phasmophobia is a game that's even better with a friend in co-op.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 76 /100 Critics Rec: 62%
- Released
- October 29, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Use of Drugs, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Kinetic Games
- Publisher(s)
- Kinetic Games
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unity
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Puzzle