PlayStation had a strong year in 2021, with its new PS5 console hitting 13.4 million sales (as of October) despite the ongoing chip shortages.
But what’s next for PlayStation in 2022? We’ve rounded up all the reports and rumours, while also making some educated guesses, to give you a better idea of the company’s plans for the next 12 months.
So without further ado, here’s what you can expect from PlayStation in 2022.
More exclusive games
Let’s start with an obvious one. PlayStation is planning to launch a number of exclusive games for its consoles next year. The PS4 owed much of its success to its highly regarded exclusive games such as God of War, The Last of Us Part II and Bloodborne, and so it’s no surprise to see Sony continuing this tactic.
For 2022, PlayStation has already confirmed that it’s planning to launch God of War: Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7. And while Forspoken and Ghostwire: Tokyo will both launch on PC in 2022, they’re also expected to be console exclusives on day one.
We’re also still waiting to find out the release date for Final Fantasy 16. 2022 may be a little too early for release, but we’re certainly not ruling it out. Either way, it looks like it’s going to be a busy year for PlayStation games, and that’s not even including potential remakes, with the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection already confirmed to be launching on the PS5 in January.
PSVR 2
PlayStation has already confirmed it’s working on the PSVR 2, which will be the company’s second foray into virtual reality hardware. An official release date hasn’t been revealed just yet, but rumours indicate that it could launch as soon as 2022.
So what do we know about the PSVR 2? It will work with the PS5, with Sony confirming that it plans to enhance “everything from resolution and field of view to tracking and input.” We’ll even be getting new controllers with the PSV2, which will apparently feature some of the same immersive features as the PS5’s DualSense controller.
Rumours also suggest the PSVR 2 could feature an OLED screen with a 2160 x 2432 resolution, which should substantially improve the picture quality compared to the original PSVR headset.
It’s good to see that PlayStation isn’t giving up on its VR pursuits, especially following the success of the Oculus Quest headsets which prove such platforms do have potential. We’re just hoping Sony gets the price right.
A new Xbox Game Pass rival
Xbox has been piling on the pressure on PlayStation in recent years, with its Game Pass subscription service encouraging gamers to switch sides due to its superb value. Sony already has PlayStation Now, but since it doesn’t include first-party games from day one, it pales in comparison to Xbox Game Pass.
PlayStation is looking to change that in 2022, as Bloomberg reports that it will revamp the service by merging it with PS Plus and offering three separate tiers. The first tier will apparently just offer free monthly games as PS Plus currently does, but tier two will offer access to a large library of PS4 and PS5 games. And if you subscribe to the third tier, you’ll also be able to play classic PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP games as well as extended demos.
Bloomberg also suggests the PlayStation is looking to expand its efforts into cloud gaming. Xbox Game Pass currently allows you to use the cloud to stream games such as Halo Infinite to a smartphone or a low-powered laptop. It would make a lot of sense for PlayStation to make use of this technology too, although getting the infrastructure in place is easier said than done.
We’re still a little pessimistic that PlayStation can match the quality of Game Pass, as it’s unlikely that the likes of God of War: Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West will be included on the day of their respective launches since they generate so many sales. But it’s still great to hear that PlayStation is looking to improve the offering of its current subscription service.
PS5 refresh in 2022
Reports suggest that Sony could be refreshing the PS5 in 2022. It’s not unusual for PlayStation to do this, having launched both a PS4 Pro and a PS4 Slim model a couple of years after the standard PS4.
But what will this PS5 refresh entail? DigiTimes claims Sony could upgrade its 7nm AMD chip to a more powerful 6nm processor. We’re not convinced that will result in a performance boost significant enough for this new console to take the title of ‘PS5 Pro’ but it will still result in faster speeds. It’s possible that Sony’s main motive for this refresh is to try and overcome the global chip shortage, since many people are still struggling to purchase the next-gen console.
It’s also possible that the PS5 will see a new design. We’re not expecting anything significant here, as slimming it down could reduce its thermal efficiency, but we can see Sony giving it a fresh lick of paint. PlayStation recently released a Midnight Black version of the DualSense controller, so we could see the company doing the same with the PS5 console.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
