Alongside our Game of the Year top 10 list and personal picks from the Push Square editorial team, we are recognising the best PS5 games of 2025 in select categories. Today is the turn of the best PS5 art direction of 2025.
Bronze Trophy: Ghost of Yotei

We lost count of how many times Ghost of Yotei made us stop and breathe its frankly stunning landscapes in. The game knows it's good looking because it'll actually pull the camera back a bit whenever you approach the edge of a high cliff.
Go on, take a screenshot of that view...
As was the case with its predecessor, Yotei makes sublime use of vibrant colours and pretty lighting techniques to create picturesque environments. Art-wise, it's one of those games that's just a joy to look at — even when you're covering such a lovely canvas in blood.
Silver Trophy: Dispatch

Taking obvious inspiration from comic books and animated shows, Dispatch whips up a brilliantly colourful feast for the eyes.
Having such instantly recognisable character designs certainly helps as well, and it's difficult not to be left impressed by how cohesively Dispatch comes together as an experience that's meant to be watched as much as it's meant to be played.
There's a lot to get right with something like this; elements such as scene direction become way more important when the player isn't in control of the camera, for example. But AdHoc Studio and its animation partners absolutely nailed it from the very first episode.
Gold Trophy: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Death Stranding 2 is one of the best looking games out there from both a graphical and technical perspective — but the artistry that drives its overall look shouldn't be ignored.
In true Kojima fashion, this is an obsessively detailed and meticulously crafted visual experience. From the open world's stunning vistas — which can appear photorealistic at times — to the immaculate character, enemy, and vehicle designs, Death Stranding 2 is a ridiculously rich work of art.
Even after tens or possibly even hundreds of hours, it feels like there's always something new to behold.
Platinum Trophy: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

It may not have the graphical heft of Sony's eye-melting first-party efforts, but the sheer creativity of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 simply can't be overlooked.
Its shifting, fractured environments. Its consistently surprising enemy designs. Its use of vibrant colour and explosive visual effects. It's a memorably dark and moody game, but it never settles for greys and browns.
The game's weird but wonderful art direction helps sell its equally strange atmosphere, as your expedition journeys into the unknown. From a visual standpoint, the whole thing's very cohesive, despite being packed with oddities.
Artistically, Expedition 33 is going to be one of those games that goes down as an all-time favourite for many. People will be playing this thing decades from now and saying that it still looks so unique.
Do you agree with our picks for the best PS5 art direction of 2025? Share your thoughts in the comments below and check out more of our Game of the Year coverage through the link.
What was your favourite PS5 art direction of 2025? (412 votes)
- Absolum
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
- Silent Hill F
- Sword of the Sea
- Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
- Other (let us know in the comments!)





Comments 30
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter was probably my favourite looking game released this year.
Trails in the Sky and Sword of the Sea are my choices, shame I can only vote for one, so it goes to Sword of the Sea.
I’ve had to go for DS2 again as it’s just pure eye candy
Ghost of Yotei or Silent Hill f had the best art direction this year (imo)
For this category, PushSquare had the chance to give GoY the top spot without accusations of fanboying. It has the most cohesive and elegant art direction I’ve seen in years. And yet, it only got bronze.
I definitely don't feel the same about E33's art direction. It's got a strong asset flip quality, where most of the scenes aren't arranged in a meaningful way and there is almost no environmental storytelling. They took their handful of assets and just ctrl+z'd them everywhere.
There is also a lot of massive jank, particularly in some of the side games which often don't even have working animations. And the direction even works against the gameplay - there's lots of insivible walls, but also environmental exploration jumping puzzles and it can be very unclear when you're meant to explore and when you're meant to stay on track.
It uses some very strong lighting effects, that look good in some places, but you visibly watch the game transition between lighting effects in a very abrupt way that pulls you out. It's particularly funny if you backtrack and the lighting switches back to "sombre" after the mood is meant to have passed.
In support of the comment that CO:E33 "never settles for greys and browns", I respectfully suggest a different screenshot.
@Duck_Farmer lol I was thinking this same thing. Also, every time I see the game it’s grey or brown. I dunno…
I had to go with
My Game Of The Year Nomination #3
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
A great Don't Nod production, weaponizing 90's nostalgia and it has this gorgeous setting in the midst of the world of a couple of teenage girls, in a small town-setting, who look like real teenage girls, perfectly imperfect. It is a great and stylish game with an interesting magical realism that accentuates the themes of the game.
The art design innovates the game play: you use a 90's camcorder to 'play' the game and I won't say anymore. Furthermore, it is a frame narrative meaning the older women meet up to look back on that fateful summer.
It is a game that attracted a lot of haters, but I liked it and Don't Nod are known for Banisher's: Ghosts of New Eden which also is an awesome game that were offered as part of 2025's PS Plus subscription.
Death Stranding 2 is my number one in this category and its not even close. The Nirvana episodes alone are such a spectacle.
Seriously. Ghost of Yōtei..?!
@BentIeyma why is that? I’m playing it right now
Yeah gotta hard disagree with the PushSquare staff on this one. Right games, Wrong order.
A well-deserved award for the great work of AI.
Ghost of Yōtei getting only a bronze award for art direction should be illegal.
Agreed. Yet still seems most games can't beat FromSoftware's art direction.
I respect PushSquare staff choices.
But for my list, it would be:
@TheArt Bloodborne has still not been beaten for art direction
Kingdom come deliverance 2 and shinobi 🥷 art of vengeance looks amazing. Word up son
I sort of think that things like Dreams of Another deserved a shout, even if the game wasn’t any good. It did have an interesting art style far better than its gameplay. And then there’s Sword of the Sea, which is vibrant, fresh, and lush as an indelible rush of a game. As subtle as it was too, I’d say Blue Prince deserves a bit more discussion about its art direction. It’s all simple, but elegant and unique. It has a penchant for subverting the mundanity of its subjects, in the twisting and shifting of rooms.
Personally, I think E33 is overrated in the art department, as it feels very Souls-y to me. It has a painterly inspiration, sure, but it felt very familiar to me with how games have started looking the last couple years. Remember how in the PS3/360 era, it felt like every game sort of had the same color palette to it? I sort of feel like this generation is having the same thing with Souls-ish with a splash of color. It deserves to be in the top 4 for some of the French riffs on that, but just don’t agree with it winning.
The last quarter of Death Stranding 2 though… that was the most memorable couple hours in gaming this generation for me. Utterly entrancing and fantastic.
Death Stranding 2 has easily the best visuals on console. Yotei is extremely pretty but it didn't evolve that much from GoT and while i adore E33 i think its visuals are kinda rough on console especially if you want 60fps. Its far from bad looking and its character models are excellent but its not the best of the year or even in the top 5. Its funny despite my feeling towards Silksong its art design is fantastic and should be at least a bronze.
Again, LMFAO no. This is the single worst aspect of E33. The visual design language is hideous, grotesque. With the exception of Trails’ bog standard generic anime presentation, literally any other game on this list has better art direction, hands down. It isn’t even close.
Clair Obscur, definitely. Death Stranding 2, for sure. But for me, Silent Hill f is the winner. The art direction is just phenomenal; creepy, beautiful, creative, and celebratory of Japanese myth and culture. Amazing game, amazing art direction.
@Oram77 Haha oh yeah BB's art direction is timeless but I think Elden Ring gave it a run for its money though. That stepping out of the Cave of Knowledge and seeing the world first time, seeing the Erdtree in the distance wondering if you're ever going to reach it. Coming out the back of Stormveil, on that hill, seeing Liurnia...crazy! Storm hill, Mistwood, Leyndell, distinct features at every area. Then of course the design of your equipment and apparel.
Can a game like Clair obscur that is multi platform and not a PS5 exclusive win a PS5 best art direction award? If the award has PS5 in the title, it should only be for PS5 exclusives.
Why is there even a game nominated that used genAI in it's creation?
@EfYI I forgot Bloom & Rage came out this year completely, good shout.
Unfortunately I got very near the end of the first half, then hit by the glitch that wiped your save and never went back. I will in the new year though, great story and, as you say, art direction
@Noone2025 that would make for quite boring reading don't you think? What, just post after post of Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding competing with each other for the awards?
@Zeroo I just find it to be a very pleasant looking game. Bright, colourful, picturesque towns, green fields, blue skies, detailed characters. I've always liked how Falcom games look and this takes it to the next level.
C33 indeed has an amazing art design.
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