In this article we will describe and discuss the 10 top Action Games for the new Playstation 5 Console according to the scoring system from Metacritic.
We understand that the games below might not be in your favorite lists but they are listed below according to Metacritic scores which considers reviews and scoring from several acclaimed critics from over the world.
1) Borderlands 3
Sitting at a Metacritic score of 91, 2020’s Borderlands 3 is currently the highest-rated action game on Metacritic. The fourth installment in the main series (the third entry was a prequel), Borderlands 3 is an incredibly frenetic loot shooter that combines some truly outrageous humor with the kind of tight shooting mechanics that makes such a game impossible to put down.
One of the most surprising things about the fan reaction to the game is how much critics hated this entry. Typically the lowest-rated entry in the series, most critics found that this game relied a little too much on humor and not enough on updating the formula. This just goes to show that sometimes gamers really prefer it when studios don’t try to fix something that clearly isn’t broken.
2) Deathloop
2021’s Deathloop, a game from Arkane, is the highest-rated Playstation 5 exclusive on the Metacritic list. A relatively recent release, the game combines a lot of the elements that made Arkane’s Dishonored series so beloved with a really unique time-looping mechanic and an intense player versus player component to make something unique.
Players are tasked with taking out a cabal of ruthless scientists and entrepreneurs in an attempt to end their dominion over an island that’s perpetually caught up in the same repeating day.
While the Groundhog Day mechanic isn’t quite a singular achievement, the way that the game works with the looping really is fan
tastic. Not only do players get a chance to intimately learn about the terrain and the habits of their targets, but the sense of incremental progress helps to propel the narrative forward in a way that might not be possible in a more traditional game.
3) Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Tied with Deathloop is the latest entry in the Ratchet and Clank series. Rift Apart is something of a soft reset for the game series, one that brings in a lot of the series’ continuity while ignoring things like the ill-fated movie game.
Rift Apart brings in a new player character, shows off some great new moves, and even allows for some unique weapons to be used in a series that by all rights really ought to be showing its age.
This game stands out on the list because it’s also a game that was deliberately engineered just for the PS5. It makes great use of not only the fast load speeds of the SSD, but it also really leverages the new features of the DualSense controller. While there’s not much here that you might not have seen before in the series, this is still a technical marvel.
4) Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
To be totally honest, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate is a weird entry on the Metacritic list. It is very much a fighting game, with no real action game components.
With that said, Metacritic lumps the Mortal Kombat series in with action games so it definitely deserves its spot as the fourth Playstation 5 action game to receive an aggregate score of 88.
Even if this particular entry only included MK11, it would still be worth of an entry on the list. A game that very much picks up the pieces from the last few games, MK11 had a fantastic mix of old and new characters as well as some excellent mechanical tweaks to the Mortal Kombat formula.
The Ultimate Edition also includes the game’s DLC and its first ever DLC expansion, which makes this one an absolute must-have for anyone who loves Mortal Kombat.
5) Guilty Gear -Strive-
Another fighter, Guilty Gear -Strive- represents the flipside of the fighting game coin when compared to Mortal Kombat 11. If Mortal Kombat 11 is all about excess and gore, Guilty Gear -Strive- is more about precision and art.
An excellent cell-shaded game that takes a great deal of influence from anime, this game sits just below its fighting game cousin with an 87 aggregate score.
Though the Guilty Gear series has never been as popular in the west as Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, -Strive- does help to show exactly why this series has been around for so long.
A much more classic fighter than its rivals, this game will scratch a very particular itch for those who love old-school arcade fighting action.
6) Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
2021’s Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time currently has an 86 aggregate score from Metacritic, but that’s far from the most surprising thing about this game from Toys for Bob.
The most surprising thing about the game is, of course, that there was actually a Crash Bandicoot game released in 2021. Given that the series had more or less languished in obscurity for years, seeing Crash back and in rare form was definitely a treat for many gamers.
The good news is that this game really doesn’t deviate too far from the old formula. There are certainly new moves and new characters, but Crash is still very much a lovely little action platformer that plays a little kinder than most with its characters. If you enjoyed the old PS1 games, there’s a very good chance that you’ll also enjoy this one.
7) Chivalry 2
Chivalry 2, from Torn Banner Studios, is one of those games that definitely serves a niche population. Entirely centered around massive medieval battles, it’s clearly not the kind of game that’s going to attract the usual AAA crowd.
That’s a shame, though, because the game is actually particularly well-made with a great deal of attention to detail and a massive sense of scale. At an 85 aggregate score, it’s also one of the PS5’s most well-loved action games.
Though Chivalry might be all about combat, it’s not a game without depth. The game does reward teamwork and learning tactics, with massive team objective maps making up most of the game.
There’s also some really lovely work done with castles and siege weapons here, making it a really great alternative to some of the more traditional combat-based multiplayer games.
8) Returnal
The ‘other’ big time looping game in the PS5’s arsenal is also one of the Playstation 5’s best-rated action games. Though it might have an aggregate score of 85, this game was one of the first big exclusive hits on the PS5 and had a lot of hype around it during release time. Though much of that hype settled down, the game has still established itself as something very fun and unusual.
Something of a roguelike, the game stars a woman who crash-lands on an alien planet and finds herself caught in a situation that’s so decidedly odd that to say more would require spoiling some of the best parts of the game.
What’s important here is that players will die and start again, with every bit of progress helping them to learn more about the game’s world and more about how the game works. Though it’s not quite as polished as Deathloop, this game is nonetheless worth a play.
9) Warframe
Warframe is really the quiet success of the last several years. A game that’s been around since well before the PS5 generation, the action-based free-to-play MMO still has an aggregate score of 85, which is amazing for a game that technically debuted all the way back in 2013.
Warframe is the story of the Tenno, a race of long-lost warriors who find themselves fighting against an evil empire. What makes this particular MMO unique is that it eschews the usual time-based button presses for parkour and action combat, with a lot of movement and precision required to do well.
Players can spend real money to unlock Warframes and weapons faster, but this is one of the few F2P games that really can be enjoyed without spending any money.
10) Death Stranding: Director’s Cut
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut seems like it’s classified as an action game because there’s just nowhere else to put it. More of an elaborate walking simulator/delivery game/third person action game hybrid, this truly unique Kojima creation was met with a fair bit of acclaim when it originally launched on the PS4.
Though the aggregate for the Director’s Cut is only an 85, this game has still found a fairly solid audience for its utterly bizarre premise.
Whether you’re here to see some of your favorite actors become post-apocalyptic delivery legends, you’re into the idea of achieving perfect balance while carrying huge packages, or you’re just looking for something truly unique, you’ll find it in Death Stranding.
The Director’s Cut adds a few more weird wrinkles and does iron out a couple of issues with the original game, but most of what you’ll get here is a solid remaster of a great game.
