PlayStation State of Play 2026 landed with that rare feeling of “oh… this is actually stacked”, but a few reveals hit me more than others.
Not necessarily because they were the biggest, or the most cinematic, or the most expensive-looking. More because they landed in that personal overlap where taste, timing, and real-life gaming habits collide. The sort of announcements that make you think: yep, I can already picture exactly how I’d play that… and when.
Death Stranding 2 on PC is genuinely tempting (and yes, the Steam Deck angle matters)
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach coming to PC immediately makes me perk up, because it’s suddenly not just a “PS5 game I’ll get around to”. It becomes a question of where do I want to play this game.
I know it’s a divisive one. I know the “walking simulator” criticism will never die. But the Steam Deck could be a perfect system for it with the sleep and resume option. I genuinely think that helps when you’re progressing a slower game.
That whole dip-in style matters more to me these days than it used to. Sleep and resume really helped me chip away at Mad Max, which was a fairly long game. It was a lifesaver for that dip-in style. So when something like Death Stranding 2 comes along — slower, more atmospheric, more “you have to be in the mood” — I can see PC/Deck becoming the way I actually get through it properly.
Quick detail: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions) hits PC on 19 March 2026 via Steam and Epic, with the same-day feature update also landing on PS5. (PlayStation.Blog)
Dead or Alive 6 coming back… and I hope they don’t ruin it with gatekeeping
Dead or Alive 6 Last Round looks like a nice free option and, honestly, I’m here for it.
It’s one of my all-time classic fighters. I loved this on the OG Xbox and Xbox 360. And yes, I know people have opinions about the series — but sometimes you just want a fighter that feels sharp, immediate, and fun without turning into a second job.
Coming for free is also a nice option. I just hope they don’t gatekeep most of it behind microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanisms. Let the game be a game. Let people get hooked because it plays well, not because they’ve been funnelled into a shop.
Quick detail: Dead or Alive 6 Last Round (Team Ninja) is coming to PS5 on 25 June 2026, and it’s launching with both a standard version and a free-to-play edition (with four fighters). (PlayStation.Blog)
Resident Evil is pulling me back in… which is funny, because I thought I’d moved on
Being a fan of the classic Resident Evil games, Resident Evil Requiem looks class.
I loved RE1 and 2. The last Resi I really got into was Resident Evil 5 on the Xbox 360. I completed that all the way through and then immediately did the re-run with stacked inventory. That tells you exactly the type of headspace I was in back then: fully locked in, slightly obsessive, and happy to replay the same thing immediately because the loop was just that good.
So seeing this new one show up with that “proper” Resi energy again? Yeah, it hits. It makes me want to pay attention.
Quick detail: Resident Evil Requiem (Capcom) launches on PS5 on 27 February 2026. (PlayStation.Blog)
Crimson Moon feels like a sleeper, and I’m weirdly drawn to it
Crimson Moon looks like a potential sleeper and what a magnificent newcomer.
The polish is immense looking, and the combat system looks smooth. I tend to find hack + slashes hit and miss, but the art direction on this one at the very least, has me pulled in. It’s one to keep an eye out for reviews — because if it lands, it could be one of those games people only fully appreciate after it’s out, once word of mouth does its thing.
Quick detail: Crimson Moon is an action-adventure RPG headed to PS5 later in 2026. (PlayStation.Blog)
Retro is having a moment again, and I’m not mad about it
As clear on this site, we’re obviously into retro games here. Just the other day I was eyeing up a used copy of Rayman on the PS1. Then I stumbled into the Digital Foundry review of the PS1 launch and Rayman was featured.
Now we’re suddenly seeing a Rayman anniversary collection, and honestly… this looks a great game to grab on the Switch and explore some classics. Back in the day, I actually had it on the Atari Jaguar. Maybe one for the Switch shelf.
It’s that slightly nostalgic, slightly “I just want something pure” feeling. Not everything needs to be a forever game.
Quick detail: Rayman Anniversary Edition (Digital Eclipse) launches digitally on PS5 on 13 February 2026. (PlayStation.Blog)
Project Windless is the kind of weird I want more of
Project Windless… talking of hack + slash, what’s with the giant chicken samurai warrior?
Weird and wonderful. Let’s see.
Sometimes that’s enough, honestly. Not everything has to be explained to death upfront. Sometimes you just want a game to show you a world you haven’t seen before and commit to the bit.
Quick detail: Project Windless (Krafton Montréal Studio) is a dark fantasy open-world action RPG announced for PS5 (no date confirmed yet). (PlayStation.Blog)
007 First Light is on my radar… but I’m cautious
Having recently been revisiting classic 007 James Bond games on the OG Xbox, plus revisiting the more recent GoldenEye remaster, this is definitely one on my radar.
Daniel Craig being gone and us having a new, unique protagonist… I’m not sure how I feel about that yet and will hold judgement.
What I am hoping for is that more Jason Bourne style fighting and rawness of the recent Craig Bond era. Give me that grounded aggression, the scrappy brutality, the sense that Bond wins because he’s relentless, not because he’s invincible.
Quick detail: 007 First Light (IO Interactive) is coming to PS5, and it’s being framed as an original Bond origin story (no date confirmed yet). (PlayStation.Blog)
Metal Gear Solid Collection Vol. 2 surprised me by being… what it should’ve been earlier
Then Metal Gear Solid Collection Vol. 2 popped up.
My first thought was “meh”, as I’ve still not really got into the first collection yet and, to be honest, I was underwhelmed. Metal Gear Solid 4 being available on a newer system is very welcome — but what really got my attention was the improvements and enhancements to the earlier collection.
My major issue on release was the fact I could get a far better experience emulating the games than from the first collection. So this is very welcome and really should have been the intent right from the outset.
It’s funny — sometimes the second announcement is the one that actually matters more than the headline. That was this, for me.
Quick detail: Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 (Konami) launches on PS5 on 27 August 2026, and includes MGS4: Guns of the Patriots and MGS: Peace Walker (plus bonus content). (PlayStation.Blog)
Castlevania and God of War are doing the “past meets present” thing properly
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is really giving me similar vibes to the recent Prince of Persia side scroller. Obviously, it has that OG Castlevania mood and setting, but the modern cell-shaded style has notes of that Prince of Persia game.
That’s not a complaint either. If anything, it’s a good sign. It suggests it might be modern in the right ways, without sanding off what makes Castlevania feel like Castlevania.
Quick detail: Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is coming to PS5 in 2026, with development shared between Konami, Evil Empire, and Motion Twin. (PlayStation.Blog)
Likewise, the shock instant drop of God of War: Sons of Sparta looks right up my street… even though I’ll be honest, I’ve never really given any of the GoW games a proper go.
I’ve tried several times to pick up a stick to GoW — GoW Ascension on PS3, and Chains of Olympus — but for some reason, I’ve always bailed off fairly quickly. Why is that? Let me know in the comments if they are a must play or similar experience for you. And yes, I know I’m in the minority.
But Sons of Sparta looks like it would be great on handheld, either via the PS Portal, or maybe if it reaches Steam via the Deck (as I don’t actually own a PS Portal). I like the sprite work on Sons of Sparta and I like the retro style presentation.
And then there’s the God of War Trilogy remake talk. Obviously, we can’t ignore it, but as it’s such a short, shallow teaser… we’ll leave the major discussion to a later date. That said, it may be the final push to finally pull me in — who knows.
Quick detail: God of War: Sons of Sparta (Santa Monica Studio partnered with Mega Cat Studios) is out now on PS5, and Sony also confirmed a God of War Trilogy remake is in early development. (PlayStation.Blog)
And then there’s John Wick…
Now, for the biggie for me: the John Wick.
John Wick is one of my all-time favourite movie series and, of course, yes it’s not an Oscar-masterpiece story… but the cinematic style, visuals, and score really make it some of the best action films out there. And the fight sequences are second to none.
And yes, I do actually respect how they’ve developed the martial art gun-fu sequence from the likes of Equilibrium. John Wick didn’t invent the style — but it really took it to higher levels. Equilibrium is also an all-time favourite.
I would have liked to see more live gameplay in the trailer, but being such an avid fan, the gameplay segment at the end was enough to hook me in. A wow. They don’t look like they’re holding back with the knife skills. If you haven’t seen it, check it out.
Quick detail: A new John Wick game is in development at Saber Interactive for PS5, with the official title and release date still unconfirmed. (PlayStation.Blog)
Closing thoughts
If there was a theme running through this State of Play for me, it wasn’t just “big games”. It was variety with personality.
Some of these reveals hit because they look polished and expensive, sure. But the ones that properly stuck were the ones that slotted into how I actually play: dipping in, chipping away, enjoying a bit of retro comfort, and getting excited when a studio commits to a strong tone rather than a safe one.
If PlayStation can keep mixing the prestige stuff with the weird stuff — and keep respecting the classics without smothering them — then this was a very good sign for what 2026 is going to look like.
All images sourced from official PlayStation Blog State of Play / announcement posts (Sony Interactive Entertainment).