PS5 owners have plenty of great games to dive into this weekend, whether planning on playing through an immersive single-player experience or joining up with some friends in co-op or competitive multiplayer. The star of the offerings we're highlighting as the best options for some weekend gameplay is Borderlands 4, where the PS5 version is reportedly free of most of the issues currently plaguing the PC release. But if looter shooters aren't your thing, there are still plenty of other new and exciting titles to check out, including a re-release of a PS1 cult-classic and the debut of a franchise on PlayStation hardware.

Borderlands 4

BL4 Harlowe CHROMA Accelerator explosion

The Borderlands series is back this week with Borderlands 4 after an almost 6-year hiatus, picking up where Borderlands 3 left off and bringing the series back to basics with a more grounded approach. That a lot of players are comparing Borderlands 4 to Borderlands 2 is a good sign that the newest entry is the best the franchise has been in years, and right now is arguably the best time to hop in, as most players are still making their way through its surprisingly great campaign mode. Gearbox has also already released the first two SHiFT codes for Borderlands 4, setting up this weekend as a perfect time to dive in, redeem those codes, and use Golden Keys to collect some Legendary loot.

Borderlands 4 Tag Page Cover Art
Systems
Top Critic Avg: 82/100 Critics Rec: 87%
Released
September 12, 2025
ESRB
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
Developer(s)
Gearbox Software
Publisher(s)
2K
Borderlands 4 Boss Comments on Fan Negativity Ahead of Game’s September Launch

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Genre(s)
Looter Shooter, Action, Adventure, RPG

Marvel Rivals

daredevil and angela fighting marvel rivals season 4 trailer
marvel rivals angela and daredevil fighting

Free-to-play multiplayer phenomenon Marvel Rivals only just recently made its way to PS4, and that new version's ability to have cross-play with the PS5 version just added a whole new pool of competitors to try your skills against. It also doesn't hurt that today marks the official beginning of Season 4 for Marvel Rivals, meaning this weekend is likely to see some increased player counts across all platforms. As far as competitive multiplayer games go, Marvel Rivals is one of players' best options for this weekend, and it's virtually risk-free as a F2P game.

Marvel Rivals Tag Page Cover Art
Third-Person Shooter
Action
Multiplayer
Systems
Top Critic Avg: 78/100 Critics Rec: 84%
Released
December 6, 2024
ESRB
T For Teen // Violence
Developer(s)
NetEase Games
Publisher(s)
NetEase Games
Marvel Rivals Press Image 2

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Genre(s)
Third-Person Shooter, Action, Multiplayer

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion

a boss fight in daemon x machina titanic scion.

The first game in the Daemon X Machina series was originally exclusive to the Nintendo Switch before making its way to PC, but the recent sequel surprisingly launched as a multi-platform game. Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is a solid action game that flexes its Armored Core pedigree at just about every opportunity, even if it is more action-oriented and fluid than the old-school Armored Core games its creators worked on. The recent reveal of the first post-launch content for Titanic Scion arriving on October 2 makes this weekend a great time to start the campaign, maybe even teaming up with a friend for some of the more challenging boss encounters.

Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion Tag Page Cover Art
Action
Shooter
Open-World
Exploration
Systems
Top Critic Avg: 70/100 Critics Rec: 45%
Released
September 5, 2025
ESRB
Teen / Blood, Drug Reference, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
Developer(s)
Marvelous
Publisher(s)
Marvelous
Daemon X Machina - Titanic Scion Press Image 1

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Genre(s)
Action, Shooter, Open-World, Exploration

Fear Effect

hana sneaking across a gantry in fear effect

With how hectic the last few weeks' game release schedules have been, it's entirely possible that Limited Run Games' re-release of PS1 classic Fear Effect might have slipped under players' radars. Fear Effect is a hybrid between a survival horror game and an old-school point-and-click adventure title with some great puzzles and anxiety-inducing insta-death moments, and its re-release on modern hardware smooths out some of its rougher edges with quick saves, a rewind feature, and an integrated CRT filter that does some heavy lifting with its unique cel-shaded visuals.

Fear Effect Tag Page Cover Art
Action-Adventure
Survival Horror
Systems
Released
February 24, 2000
ESRB
m
Developer(s)
Kronos Digital Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Kronos Digital Entertainment
Engine
kronos

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Genre(s)
Action-Adventure, Survival Horror

Phasmophobia

Phasmophobia Chronicle update gameplay screenshot (5)

Kinetic Games' Phasmophobia is a title that only continues to improve the longer it's in Early Access, and its PS5 version is every bit as great as the PC original, currently on sale for 25% off. We've still got a couple of weeks until the start of October and the beginning of "spooky season", but there's nothing stopping players from going ahead and getting in the spirit with some great horror games, of which Phasmophobia ​​​​​​is one of the newer instant-classics. Plus, like a lot of the other titles we've highlighted for your PS5 queue this weekend, Phasmophobia is a game that's even better with a friend in co-op.

Phasmophobia Tag Page Cover Art
Survival Horror
Puzzle
Systems
Top Critic Avg: 76/100 Critics Rec: 62%
Released
October 29, 2024
ESRB
T For Teen // Blood, Use of Drugs, Violence
Developer(s)
Kinetic Games
Publisher(s)
Kinetic Games
phasmophobia-version-1

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

Engine
Unity
Genre(s)
Survival Horror, Puzzle