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 story game of 2025.
Bronze Trophy: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
While the Uncharted series takes a well-earned rest, globe-trotting adventurer Indiana Jones stepped in to fill the boots of Nathan Drake with a fantastic story-led experience. The game was ported over to PS5 shortly after its original Xbox Series X|S, PC release, and offers exploration-focused gameplay, open levels to admire, and a whip.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle marks an amazing return to the video game sphere for Indy, and the fun, tongue-in-cheek storyline fuels all his adventures, from the pyramids of Giza to the Vatican. It's not the deepest story in the world, but if you're looking to just have an absolute blast and a fun time, look no further than MachineGames' latest.
Read our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle PS5 review through the link.
Silver Trophy: Dispatch
The episodic Telltale Games release schedule, once thought dead and outdated, has been resurrected by Dispatch. In what is basically a playable TV show, you'll make choices and guide villains as they look to right their wrongs by helping those in need in an alternative Los Angeles.
The magic of Dispatch is found in all the scenes between the gameplay, where your cast of villains and many supporting characters interact, fall in love, or fight with one another. It's a game where your decisions matter, putting the narrative at the heart of the experience. Treat it like an actual TV series, playing one episode per day, and Dispatch will take you on the most wonderful, comedic journey.
Read our Dispatch PS5 review through the link.
Gold Trophy: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
One of the greatest storytellers in the industry, Hideo Kojima returns with a direct follow-up to his 2019 curio that does just about everything better. Death Stranding 2 streamlines its delivery-based gameplay and makes the story easier to follow, while not losing any of its depth, detail, or weirdness.
Many played by Hollywood actors, the cast of characters brings to life the plot through life-like visuals and quality voice acting. Twists are aplenty, and the lengthy, high-budget cutscenes are too. Death Stranding 2 is one of those games you call an "experience", and its story is pivotal to that. It'll go down as a special one.
Read our Death Stranding 2: On the Beach PS5 review through the link.
Platinum Trophy: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was in the running for this award based on its premise alone, long before it even released. Fighting for their future and those who come after, a group of volunteers fight to take down the Paintress, as she brings about the annual Gommage — an event where anyone the same age as what she paints disappears.
The best thing, though, is that setup really is just the tip of the iceberg of what Sandfall Interactive has crafted.
What follows is an equally dark and joyous journey to the Paintress and beyond, with a stellar cast of characters that massively elevate every single scene they appear in. It's not just the beat-for-beat of the narrative that grips you; it's every little cutscene, each interaction, and all the dialogue in between that raise Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to a masterpiece. If you care even one iota about story in video games, you have to play this.
Read our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 PS5 review through the link.
Do you agree with our picks for the best PS5 story game 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 story game of 2025? (1,053 votes)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yotei
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
- Other (let us know in the comments!)
Comments 28
Each other game on this list has a better story than E33. E33 is not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it didn’t wow me either.
@Balaam_ When will the inevitable E33 hangover come?
Found this to be a meh story. Really don't understand the hype for this game at all.
@Max_the_German Go to the sites that think they're 'edgy' (we all know who I mean) and the backlash has been on it for weeks.
The funny part is that a lot of the bile elsewhere is spewed by the very same commenters who spent months praising the review of the game and gushing about it in the articles afterwards.
@Balaam_ January 1st we all get to stop hearing about E33 finally. I agree with you, but it’s almost over.
Clair obscur expedition 33 story is really good so that's a good choice. Word up son
I just finished E33 the other night and I thought the story was good. Indy had a pretty good one too.
I haven't played DS2 yet but a lot of people think DS2's story was weaker compared to it's predecessor. I don't know, I haven't played the second game yet.
@Balaam_ You will be selected by the Paintress for that comment
I still want to die on the 1000xResist hill for story game of the year.
Best story of the year is Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. Yes it’s a 2024 game. But I played it this year and it’s the most original, well put together game I’ve played in years.
Cronos is my shout. Sad to see it isn’t getting any love in end-of-year lists!
E33 is my top pick for best storytelling and nothing else that I played this year came close. Phenomenal characters, fantastically written dynamics and arcs, skillful mixture of tragedy and comedy, and hard-hitting and thought-provoking exploration of the themes its tackling. Even with the gripes I have with certain elements, it's one of my new gold standards for video game storytelling. Blows me away even after three playthroughs.
@AhmadSumadi I second that. I loved CE33 and thought it was brilliant, but Banishers was really moving - not just the main story but all the side quests, especially the Haunting cases, were so well written.
Indiana Jones is the only one of these that I've played this year, so it wins. Also I really dug it
edit: I've been trapped by the size and awesomeness of FF7:Rebirth
Yeah E33 for me as well.
E33 is overhyped this is annoying trend to hyped a soullike game or some rpg game every year now . Let see if everyone still talking about this game and see if this game will still sell after a year next to gta 6 or any new game .
@Game1ps E33 is overhyped but its flaws lie in other elements, no the story. Story is top notch.
I only played C33 from the list and while I am still in Act 2; I can say that story is good.
Kojima a great storyteller? Hahahahah! The story in DS2 is an absolute disaster. He can’t resist adding stupid nonsense and has zero self
Control.
In today's episode of 'Bashing on Clair Obscur is Cool'...
Sure it's definitely been overhyped, however it has an excellent premise and a great story, both well told and well acted.
@AhmadSumadi I second this opinion! I came to it late but what a criminally overlooked game! I liked the story better than E33 although both are excellent for the medium. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 was also better in my opinion. I still have Death Stranding 2, Dispatch and Yotei in the backlog. What a year.
Trails in the Sky. The answer is always Trails.
I absolutely LOVE Death Stranding (both 1 and 2). But for as much as I do, Cronos needs more attention. That game was seriously one of the coolest experiences ever and should’ve made this list.
The end of Death Stranding 2 (once you'd completed the final delivery order) was mind-blowing and completely bonkers.
Very Kojima!
I consider South of Midnight to be better than all of them, so I'm not casting a vote.
I don't think titles deserve a vote just because something better isn't eligible due to timed exclusivity nonsense.
E33 still does it for me, even though I badly wanted to put DS2 in there. Very close.
@Steeleye25 @16BitHero my favorite haunting case was the slave owner who fell in love with her slave. I was torn if she was truly evil because she kept him in bondage because she didn’t want him to flee and maybe be treated cruelly by another slaver. But, in his head, she couldn’t truly love him if she’d keep him enslaved. What a decision to make! On the ascension play through that’s a tough one.
I think I remember that one. I beat it at launch and have been waiting for a 2nd playthrough (wanted to try and forget as much as possible so it would be fresh). I think it's just about time. Yeah, some of those stories were so good. And I have the same problem, I can never be evil in games but going to try it anyway. Have a good one!
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...