2021 wasn’t the absolute best year for the PS5, even though there were some quality releases. 2022 should be even better for the console, and I’m not just talking about games either. Here are 10 things I want to see from Sony/PlayStation, from the most likely, to even long shots that have some potential.

For as long as the PS4 lasted, it was a good time, at least for me. Some of my favorite gaming experiences the last couple of years happened on the PS4, and if the PS5 is able to replicate even a fraction of the same entertainment and enjoyment, then it should be great for whoever owns one. 2021 saw some great PS5 games, such as Returnal, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and Deathloop, and three of those ended up as some of my favorites of the year. But, it’s no secret there will be better years, and 2022 is potentially going to be one of those. If the release dates hold, then this is going to be a phenomenal year for the PS5 and its consumers since the the games slated to release look spectacular. To be clear, I wont discuss Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 or Marvel’s Wolverine since the former is already scheduled to release in 2023 and the latter is probably even more farther off. That being said, seeing more reveals for each of those games is absolutely one of the most exciting things about owning a PS5. Chances are new trailers will be revealed this year, but since I won’t be playing those games this year, I’m trying not to get ahead of myself. I mean, there are some other potential reveals coming this year I probably won’t play this year either, but at least I know about what Insomniac Games is cooking up already.

Other than games, there are some other things I feel Sony needs to both add and fix to its overall service to create a more complete experience for its supporters. For the most part, it does a fine job and I have very little complaints. Like most companies though, there are certain practices I feel it does on a normal basis it should do away with. It’s already, in my opinion, one of the best consoles in terms of the console war, but really doing these things would further set itself apart from the rest of the pack.

10. The PS5 shortage needs to be fixed

This demand, of course, is from the outside looking in, since I’m not in the developing of PS5’s first hand. I realize Sony is even actively making more PS4’s in 2022 since the components for the PS5 are extremely scarce right now. But, in a perfect world, I would hope a solution is made soon and Sony is able to deliver PS5’s to the fans who desperately want one sooner rather than later. I’m one of the lucky ones who was able to secure a console on launch day, so I’ve never had to deal with the disappointment and heartache of having a PS5 in my shopping cart only to have the website crash and the PS5 disappear moments later. I do know plenty of people who have gone through this though, and it’s very unfortunate. I have a nephew who in January of 2021, his birthday, he simply wanted money so he can buy himself a PS5, and he was able to gather enough up to, at least, attempt to buy one. But, it wasn’t until almost a year later where he was finally able to acquire one. Yeah, it’s currently that hard to get one. I’m not sure what the solution is since in our current state of things, maybe it is too difficult to get the necessary parts and components to make more PS5’s. I just hope a solution is made soon and we can put this supply shortage behind us. There are far too many games releasing exclusively on the PS5 soon, but it’s going to be hard to play these games if you can’t even buy a PS5 in the first place. I don’t want Sony to go backwards and start making these games on the PS4 as well. I mean, sure, have the option available, but it shouldn’t be like this only because there’s a shortage of PS5’s.

9. Make full backwards compatibility a reality

Once again, as solely a consumer, I realize this may be a much taller task than I think it is. Technically, the PS5 is backwards compatible with most PS4 games, and that’s great, but only to a certain extent. Not all features are available when playing a PS4 game on the PS5 and I don’t think it should be this way. I do understand Sony wanting to mostly focus on the future of the PS5 rather than going backwards, but it doesn’t mean it has to completely abandon what came before it. I’m not only referring to playing PS4 games either, I’m also talking about PS3, PS2, and the original PlayStation games. There are many people I know, including myself, who have plenty of PS1 and PS2 games, but don’t have a functioning console to play them anymore, or maybe we do, but its age has caught up with it and it doesn’t work the way it’s intended to. Personally, for me, I think it’s as simple as putting in the disc and being able to play it. I mean, most Blu-Ray players play DVD’s, and since most physical copies of games are Blu-Ray discs, why can’t a PS5 play these games from the ’90s and the early 2000’s? I do realize there’s a bunch of coding and other steps that need to be made in this process for all of this to work on a PS5. I’m not entirely sure how Sony would even go about it if I’m being honest. I do know there’s a way to make it happen, and it’s a shame it isn’t something that’s a priority for the company. Even a digital service with an extensive library of some of the best games from past generations would be a dream come true, which leads to my next point…

8. Give me the ultimate Xbox Game Pass rival

Regardless of what you think of Xbox, you can’t deny how fantastic and pocket-friendly of a service Xbox Game Pass is. I mean, the fact that it’s available on PC is amazing since you don’t even need to buy an Xbox console to play most of the games if you already own a high-end PC capable of running them. To reiterate, you can’t really beat the price. You can play most big Xbox releases on day one with Game Pass and you don’t even have to pay full price for it. Granted, it’s always removing and adding games, but it’s simply a phenomenal service, and I don’t think anyone disagrees. I’m one of the ones who believe Sony’s PlayStation is far superior in terms of games, but having a rival service for its own exclusive games and first-party content would really put it over the top. Touching on my last point, maybe Sony doesn’t have to make the PS5 backwards compatible all the way back to the PS1, although fans with physical copies would love it.

But, if it created its own “Game Pass” service, then its consumers would also be able to play exclusive games such as God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Spider-Man, The Last of Us series, Ghost of Tsushima, the Ratchet & Clank series, and so many more with it. Xbox may be on the upswing with its exclusive content, but for so many years, it felt like it was only Halo, Gears of War, and Forza. I’m sure there are more, but they weren’t really worthwhile, so why buy an Xbox when you’re only missing out on three exclusives and you can play third-party content on another platform? As for PlayStation consoles, you have so many exclusives to choose from to go along with third-party games. Not to mention all of the other games from the past being available on one monthly subscription service. There are rumors it’s happening and a reveal is coming soon, so I hope it’s true, because I’ll be one of many to support it. Only thing that may hold it back is Sony’s apparent reluctance to make its content available on PC. I feel if a Game Pass rival is going to work, it also needs to be available on PC. As of late, there have been some PC ports of classic PS4 games and I’m sure more are coming, but that’s a discussion for my next topic.

7. Port/release more PlayStation games on PC

The fact of the matter is, no matter where you fall on the spectrum in terms of the console war, PC gaming is and will always be infinitely superior to consoles in almost every aspect. Accessibility is easier and there are far more options on how you want to play your games. The only issues holding PC’s back are the prices and some games not being available to play on PC in the first place. If you have the money though, then you’re able to either buy a pre-built PC, or build your own however you desire. You can decide how much memory space you want with HDD’s or SSD’s, how much RAM you want to put in it, what kind of motherboard works best for you, how many fans you want to help with the cooling, and so on. It’s completely customizable according to your liking, but it can get expensive, which is why most people opt for gaming consoles instead since they’re much more affordable. But, what remains true is games will always run better on PC’s. The most recent examples of ports, if optimized correctly for PC’s, that were first PlayStation games are Days Gone, Horizon Zero Dawn, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and most recently, God of War. All three of these games run incredibly well on a PC and are much better experiences in terms of performance. Of course, there’s always the exception of some games not being properly optimized for PC, and they suffer from that, but it’s more the fault of the developer porting the game rather than the game itself. For example, Halo Infinite runs very smoothly on the Xbox Series X, so there’s no reason why it shouldn’t run even smoother on a PC. But, it doesn’t, and it’s one of the issues plaguing the game.

Enough with the negatives, though. Even if Sony doesn’t release a gaming-based subscription service, it should consider porting more of its games, both from the past and coming in the future, to PC. It would open up all of these wonderful games to a brand-new audience of players who maybe never owned a PlayStation console, so they’ve never been able to experience these games for themselves. As mentioned, Sony is slowly opening the door to doing this with more games on the horizon, such as Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, and I’m assuming many more are eventually coming. Maybe in the past, Sony could get away with simply releasing its first-party games exclusively on its consoles. However, we’re in a new era of gaming where cross-platform play is a reality and more and more players are shifting to PC-gaming on a daily basis. It would be beneficial and an outstanding business decision for everyone involved if PS5 games simultaneously releasing on PC becomes a standard business practice sooner rather than later. To reiterate, a subscription-based gaming service would totally help.

6. More news on Final Fantasy XVI

Whatever you may think of the current state of the Final Fantasy series, I’ve been absolutely enjoying myself playing the most recent releases, especially Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy VII Remake. I haven’t played it, but I’ve heard even Final Fantasy XIV, the online MMO, is loads of fun. So, at this point, give me whatever is next, and although Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin may be releasing before, what I really want to learn more about is Final Fantasy XVI. The reveal trailer is fantastic and it gave me plenty of Final Fantasy XV vibes, which I’m all for since I really enjoyed that game. I want to see what producer Naoki Yoshida is able to cook up with this game since recently, he’s mostly been involved developing for XIV, which is a different monster in itself. I’m not saying XVI will be an easier project by any means, but I’m assuming he can get a bit simpler in the development process and focus a bit more on set pieces, character development, and story-telling. I’m sure his experience with the MMO and the combat integrated in that game will only aid him in the creative process for XVI. From what I’ve seen, the game looks darker than most Final Fantasy games, and it’ll also be an open-world experience, so I’m expecting large-scale exploration and intense boss battles. Since it’s set in a continent with six factions, there may even be wars you partake in as a player, which is exciting. Final Fantasy VII Remake was mostly a linear game compared to most of the games, and it was a nice change of pace. I’m ready for a bigger gameplay experience with XVI and I hope more information is revealed this year.

5. Keep bringing more exclusive and indie content

Sony usually never lacks in this department, but I’m still expecting more exclusive content to come to the PS5. Put it this way: it’s only been a little over year since the PS5 released and, in many ways, it’s only getting started. I don’t even think it has reached its potential yet, and I believe 2022 will be the starting point to showcase everyone what it really has planned when it comes to first-party content. I’ll discuss some of the big games scheduled to release this year later on, but other than the ones we already know about, I want to learn and hear about even more. Whether it’s new IP’s or franchises being resurrected, I’m completely on-board, as long as content is steadily coming to the PS5 over time. There have been far too many years where gaming has felt a big stagnant. The PS4 is a solid example since some of the big releases felt a bit too far apart. I want content to release a bit more consistently moving forward. I don’t want to sound spoiled or entitled, but I’m a genuine fan of gaming and I want all aspects of gaming to succeed since it benefits everyone involved.

I can’t necessarily say what new IP’s to expect, but if Sony is planning to bring back some franchises, I would love to see some return. One that comes to mind, which I feel didn’t get a fair shake, is The Order 1886. It was outrageously short, but the gameplay was a lot of fun and there’s plenty of potential to expand on the story it tells. Some others include the Infamous series, the Resistance series, the Klonoa series, the Sly Cooper series, and the Ape Escape series. At the top of my list would probably be a Bloodborne sequel since it’s my favorite Souls game. It’s unlikely, but one can dream. I still want to see the indie scene thriving on the PS5 as well since some of my favorite games of the last couple of years have been small games from independent studios, so hopefully that keeps on coming. There’s one more fan-favorite series, but I’ll touch on it soon.

4. Upcoming releases to be quality, well-received games

There are a variety of games slated to release this year coming to PS5 (and PC) which I hope are quality gaming experiences. The four that come to mind are Stray, Sifu, Forspoken, and GhostWire: Tokyo. I’m sure there are plenty more, but these absolutely standout the most. Stray is being published by Annapurna Interactive, which has published many other games I’ve loved playing through, such as Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home, and Twelve Minutes. Out of the four games listed, Stray is the one that intrigues me the most. I’m not sure why, but there’s a specific charm about it. Seeing the gameplay in the trailers, it’s a game I feel I’ll be able to play without feeling stressed or anxious. In many ways, it almost seems it’ll be a therapeutic experience, and it’s a nice change of pace since I’m used to playing hardcore and competitive shooters, action-adventure games, and large-scale RPG’s. What interests me the most about Sifu is how strategic and technical it’ll force you to be in order to beat it. From the moment I saw Sifu, I knew this was a challenge I wanted to take on. I’m a bit combat sports fan, so maybe seeing all the different moves and strikes you’ll have in your arsenal sort of resonated with me. Sifu is a game to look out for.

Forspoken is probably the one I’m least excited for on this list, but I hope it’s still a good game. It’s being developed by Luminous Productions, who created Final Fantasy XV, and I loved that game. Seeing gameplay for Forspoken, it looks very similar in terms of exploration, the movements, and even some of the combat elements. Lastly, there’s GhostWire: Tokyo, and this is probably the most mysterious title from the four. I still have little to no idea what’s happening in this game or what to even expect, for that matter. The combat director has described it as a mix of karate and magic, which is interesting enough for me to be invested in it.

As a fan of gaming in general, I want all four of these new IP’s to be successful simply because they’re new ideas being brought to life through gaming. It inspires aspiring developers to also be creative with their thought processes in order for this cycle of new gaming experiences to never end.

3. News on Naughty Dog’s next project

I don’t have the slightest idea of what Naughty Dog could be working on next. I’ve heard rumors of a remake of The Last of Us in the works, which I think is unnecessary. There are also rumors of the next chapter in the series possibly being developed as well. I’ve even heard a new Uncharted game could be happening, but that’s a stretch. It could be a new project all together, which I wouldn’t mind since it could be a good thing for Naughty Dog to work on something completely new. As a nostalgic fan though, if it were up to me, I would absolutely love for them to make a new Jak and Daxter game. It’s one of the most beloved PlayStation exclusives of all time. The last entry developed by Naughty Dog was Jak 3, which released in 2004. Since then, they have gone on to create much different and mature games with the Uncharted and The Last of Us series. But, it’s never too late to return to a series like Jak and Daxter, which would benefit immensely from today’s current technology, especially on the PS5. I think the fans would absolutely lose their minds if Jak 4 became a reality. As mentioned though, I think the most likely scenario is an entirely new IP, and I’m completely okay with that. Whatever Naughty Dog decides to do, I’m completely on-board based on the track record. And yes, The Last of Us Part II is a great game.

2. Horizon Forbidden West to be everything I hope it will be

To say I’m excited about Horizon Forbidden West is an understatement. The first game is one of the best games I’ve played on the PS4, and one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had playing a game, period. I remember my intentions playing Horizon Zero Dawn when it first released, and it was to play it and beat it in time for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild‘s release. I figured I would beat it and not come back to it again since Breath of the Wild would occupy most of my time, but I was completely and utterly wrong. Don’t get me wrong, Breath of the Wild is outstanding, but I definitely returned to Zero Dawn shortly after to continue exploring the gorgeous world and discovering many other things about it, even after finishing the main story. I never got around to playing the expansion, The Frozen Wilds, but I wish I did. I’m not entirely sure how Guerrilla Games is going to top Zero Dawn, but based on what I’ve seen and read, it’s doing everything to expand on what is already established, and then some. From the videos I’ve seen, the combat already seems more fleshed out and how you approach certain situations is more varied. You can traverse underwater, swinging from different vantage points, and get the drop on enemies in new and creative ways. Most importantly, I love how we’ll still be playing as Aloy and meeting new people and groups, and journeying into uncharted territory. I hope it turns out to be what I’m hoping it is and I’m pretty confident I won’t be disappointed. If you have a PS5, Forbidden West is an absolute day one purchase.

1. Same sentiments for God of War: Ragnarok

Honestly, I feel almost the exact way for God of War: Ragnarok. The only difference is some of the discourse I’ve read online about it. For me, the gameplay reveal trailer for Ragnarok was simply phenomenal. To some other fans though, all I read was concern about it for some odd reason, as if the first game didn’t win “Game of the Year” in 2018 and is widely considered the best game to ever release on the PS4. Some of the concerns mainly revolve around how it doesn’t look much different compared to the first game, and although I can slightly see where they’re coming from, I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all. The first game was already near perfect in terms of gameplay, performance, and tone. If anything, we already know the graphics are going to be improved since it’s running on a superior PS5 in comparison to the PS4. Also, it’s hard to really grasp what all the differences and improvements are from a trailer that’s a little over three minutes long. The way God of War progresses and plays is like one continuous shot. The seamless transitions from one area to the next without loading times is one of the biggest highlights of the game for me, and that’s how I’m treating the sequel. It’s going to be one seamless transition from one game to the next, and I can guarantee it’ll only build on what we’ve already played through. There’s already exciting new characters confirmed to make their debut, including Thor and the Norse God of War, Tyr. We’re even going to see Odin in all of his glory. It’s exciting to see Atreus grown up as well and how his story will progress. I’m sure we’ll have to be constantly watching our backs for Freya though, since she seems hellbent on revenge. Most importantly, and I’m being serious, I’m very much looking forward to Mimir’s words of wisdom and banter. Oh, and the combat, of course, because that’s not a staple of this series anyway. It’s crazy how much of a cinematic experience the most recent God of War is that I almost completely forgot about one of the main aspects people love these games so much. Playing as Kratos in Ragnarok again will be something special.