Even with a beleaguered console market plagued by overly high prices with the backdrop of a crumbling economy, PlayStation is still gearing up for the next generation of gaming hardware. The company has only cryptically spoken about the PlayStation 6, so concrete details about it are not out there. However, some reports (and possibly the decision to axe discs by 2028) have pointed to it coming out in late 2027, while others have insinuated the console maker may try and wait. Sony’s words in the aforementioned business call were noncommittal to a year. In an industry this volatile, anything seems possible.
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But the PS6, whenever it comes out, will have to have some launch games in order to make a case why players will want to drop likely over $1,000 to get in on the newest console. Assuming it launches within the next two years, here is an unranked list of five potential launch or launch-era titles for the PS6 based on history, trends, and gaps in developer resumes.
5) Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
Naughty Dog sure likes to take its time. Even though it remade the first The Last of Us in 2022, it has yet to put out a brand-new game since 2020’s The Last of Us Part 2. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is the team’s next game and so little of it has been officially discussed. There’s not even an official release window.
But Bloomberg has provided more insight, noting it is internally slated for sometime in mid-2027. If the PS6 comes out in 2027, this would almost exactly echoes both The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2, as the two were console swan songs and launched just five months before the next PlayStation system. The first game was remastered for the PS4 the following year, while the PS4 version of the sequel was patched to run better on PS5 and then eventually fully remastered for the system. It’s possible PlayStation will do something similar for Intergalactic and stagger any potential PS6 support.
However, it’s also possible it will be delayed and potentially turned into a cross-generational game. Cross-gen titles are quite common in the first few years of a system, and this trend will likely continue into the next generation, given hardware prices. Being able to play a prettier version of a Naughty Dog game is a big selling point, since it is known for its technical proficiency. It’s also possible there will be PS6 version ready in 2028 if the console comes out then. The studio hasn’t ever made a launch game, though, but perhaps that could change with Intergalactic, given how the dates for both might line up.
4) Gran Turismo 8
Gran Turismo has been a PlayStation staple since the PS1, and that likely isn’t slowing down anytime soon. While official numbers haven’t been revealed, it is estimated 2022’s Gran Turismo 7 sold around 15 million units. It was also well-liked by critics and earned an average review score of 87. That combo of critical and commercial success means Gran Turismo 8 would be a pretty safe bet. Job listings for developer Polyphony Digital have even directly mentioned another Gran Turismo.
The cycle between entries is usually around four to five years, and 2027 or 2028 would fit right into that pattern. However, from the PS1 to the PS5, Polyphony has never put out a game at the launch of a PlayStation system. There’s always a possibility that might change here, as the timelines may line up when they did not in the past. Car games make for great hardware showpieces, after all.
3) Another Astro Bot
Astro’s Playroom was the surprise hero of the PS5 launch. A free game with no strings attached is always enticing, but Team Asobi’s platformer went above and beyond by providing a tight platformer with plenty of charm and a heavy dose of PlayStation-tinged nostalgia. The team then followed up on this hit with a fully priced sequel of sorts that was beloved by many and claimed its share of awards.
That history is what makes Astro Bot 2 — or whatever it’s called — a solid contender for the PS6’s launch window. Astro Bot came out in 2024, which, if the PS6 hits in 2027, gives Asobi just over three years to craft a sequel. According to studio head Nicolas Doucet, Astro Bot also took around three and a half years to make, so it isn’t out of the question that the team could be ready in 2027 with another title. A 2028 PS6 launch would make this even more doable. Doucet has also championed simplicity in the past, noting how it helped development and how it was “probably the simplicity [in Astro Bot] that a lot of players made time for.”
PlayStation executives have also expressed gratitude for the platformer. Sony president Hiroki Totoki highlighted the game as a success, while Sony Interactive Entertainment’s business group CEO Hermen Hulst called it one of PlayStation’s “most exciting recent successes” and said the franchise was “very, very” important.
With PlayStation’s apparent eagerness to continue the franchise, the time that will have passed after Astro Bot, the PS5 pack-in title, and every launch’s need for a game aimed at younger audiences, expecting another Astro Bot in time for the PS6’s launch wouldn’t be too outlandish.
2) Media Molecule’s Next Game
But if Team Asobi isn’t ready to fill that family-friendly void, LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule may be able to fill in. Media Molecule still hasn’t announced its next game, but it hasn’t put out one since 2020’s Dreams. That’s quite a long time to cook, meaning the team is at least somewhat likely to be not too far out for its next game.
And it is, according to former creative director Mark Healey, more of a game instead of a creation suite in the vein of Dreams or LittleBigPlanet. Judging by a job listing and a resume, it also appears to be a new IP. While somewhat vague, the aforementioned developer resume even pointed to being at least adjacent to an open-world game that may have survival or crafting elements.
The most that points to a potential launch title is how long this game has been in development, as well as Media Molecule’s ability to hit niches PlayStation’s other studios can’t. If the team manages to survive not putting out a game in over six to seven years, it seems like Media Molecule might be more than ready to drop its next game on PS6.
1) Marvel’s Venom
Insomniac Games was the victim of a data breach in 2023. While unfortunate, the company’s internal roadmap came out as a part of this leak and gave a look at what the studio was planning until 2032. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was slotted in the late 2023 category and Marvel’s Wolverine was targeting a late 2026 launch, both of which — barring some catastrophic, last-minute delay for the latter — have come true.
But jammed in the middle of those two games was a Venom game, which never came to be. Various reports have come out about the rumored Marvel game, alleging things that didn’t happen or stating it was outright canceled. However, reputable reporter Jason Schreier noted statements about its demise were untrue. Given that more reputable stamp of approval, it’s incredibly likely this Insomniac-developed Venom game is happening, which was also hinted at in various missions in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, most notably the stretch where players directly control the deadly Symbiote and the side mission regarding Carnage.
Insomniac has had a history with PlayStation launches, too, with Resistance: Fall of Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales hitting alongside the PS3 and PS5, respectively. The two have been the standout titles in each launch both critically and commercially. While also on PS4, Miles Morales sold around 14.4 million copies as of June 2023 and earned an average score of 85. (Resistance sold 2.1 million copies in just a year and garnered an average score of 86.)
It remains to be seen how much work was done on Marvel’s Venom and if it could hit in late 2027 or 2028, as it seems like Insomniac may have had to switch priorities in order to get Marvel’s Wolverine out the door in 2026. Regardless, Insomniac has consistently delivered for PlayStation, so it seems plausible the two would work together again to get another Spider-Man-adjacent game out for launch when the console maker needs it the most.
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