Although Xbox is pulling back on console-exclusive releases, PlayStation is showing no signs of slowing down with its lineup of PS5-only titles. In fact, we’re just 10 days into a new year, and the first PS5 console exclusive game has already arrived, with more on the way. However, this first PS5-only title isn’t quite getting the new year of gaming kicked off in quite the way fans (and Sony) would like to see. PS5 exclusive Code Violet may only have a handful of critic reviews so far, but the overall consensus isn’t looking good.
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Code Violet is a new third-person horror game from Team Kill Media. It officially hit PS5 consoles on January 10th, which means the official critic reviews are already live. And they place the game at a pretty bleak 40/100 on Metacritic. The game’s combination of action horror and sci-fi elements had many hoping to see a Dino Crisis successor, but it looks like the first PS5 exclusive of 2026 might fall short of expectations.
Code Violet Releases on PS5 to Poor Critic Reviews
So far, the handful of critical reviews on aggregator sites like Metacritic and Open Critic are pretty much universally negative. Its highest review score is a 4.9/10 from 4News.It, and even that outlet notes a gap between “ambition and execution.” Most reviews complain the game’s combat and exploration mechanics alike are poorly implemented and repetitive. On top of that, Code Violet seems to be unfortunately riddled with technical glitches.
The game itself is reportedly only roughly 6 hours long, so complaints of tedium are certainly not a great sign. That said, critical and popular opinions don’t always line up. Because Code Violet only recently became available, we don’t have too many user reviews to compare against critical reception. However, complaints about poorly executed mechanics and glitches aren’t likely to be overlooked by gamers, either, if the game launches in the same state it was in when reviewers got their hands on it.
As of now, the PlayStation Store’s user ratings have Code Violet landing at a bout a 2.9/5 star rating. About 34% of reviews give the horror game 5 stars, while a slightly higher 37% deem it a 1-star game. Once sites like Metacritic open up for player feedback, we should get a better sense of the overall fan reception to the new PS5 exclusive horror game. But so far, it seems likely it’s not going to be a full 180 compared to critic reviews.
As the first PS5 exclusive release of 2026, Code Violet is certainly not setting a great tone. But PS5 owners have plenty of big exclusives to look forward to this year, many of which are more likely to live up to expectations. We’ve got Marvel’s Wolverine slated for this fall, along with Nioh 3 next month. And some big former Xbox exclusives are headed our way as well, including Avowed in February and the Halo remaster due out this year, as well.
Code Violet is available now on PS5 for $49.99. It will not be released on PC or other consoles.
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