2022 looks to be a huge year for Playstation with their first-party output finally about to be fleshed out with some of their biggest IP’s available. In earlier generations, this would have meant having Playstation hardware to play on, but it now looks like more titles may be about to come to PC. Around April 2021 Playstation registered the name Playstation PC and then confirmed it during the State of Play a little later in the year.
This alongside plenty of leaks from Geoforce databases appears to confirm that more will follow shortly. Playstation also confirmed that they had acquired developer Nixxes Studio who have a history in PC ports, and will be helping them bring more of their portfolio to the platform.
Next up for release is 2018’s God of War on the 14th of January, and then later on in 2022 the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection will also release. These are arguably two of Playstation’s biggest IP’s and this suggests that nothing is off-limits when it comes to PC releases.
Having played through Horizon Zero Dawn during the summer of 2021 (and enjoying it massively), I’m very excited to see what we might get to play next, whether this is new or older titles. Here’s my wishlist for 2022 and beyond:
Horizon Forbidden West
This looks to be one of the most anticipated titles for 2022 and I’m hoping that soon after release, we might hear some news on any plans for a PC release.
The PC port of the original is fantastic and continues to see meaningful updates added even now nearly 2 years after release. With DLSS coming to the title at the end of 2021, PC is the best place to play the story of Aloy and her battle against the machines.
Much has been made of the PS5 (and Series X’s) ability to play games at up to 120 fps, however, I’d be surprised to see this on offer with the Horizon sequel due to its scale and graphics. Whereas on PC it could still be achievable, with the right hardware.
It would be strange for the sequel not to come to PC eventually, but like the first game, it might take a few years for it to hit storefronts.
Last of Us: 1 & 2
If we are getting the biggest titles on PC, let us have both of these Naughty Dogs storytelling hits. Naughty Dog are a master of their trade and considering Playstation seem keen to make as much money as possible from the IP (so far we’ve had the original game, a remaster, a possible remake in the works and TV series in 9 years….) it strange this hasn’t happened already.
The Last of Us sums up Sony titles perfectly and was rightly praised for its narrative, gameplay, visuals, sound design and characterization. Looking at why the games should come to PC, I have one reason for this one….Ultrawide resolution. This could get us even more immersed in the story of Ellie and Joel and their fight against the infected. Who knows maybe we’ll get lucky come to the release of the remake whenever that may be.
The sequel is still a masterpiece but it did create negative feedback from some fans of the series due to the story decisions that were made. So give us PC players both at the same time and let us make our own minds up.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
I’ve included this one as it’s arguably one of the best-looking current-gen (next-gen? I’m still confused about where we are with this) games available. Alongside this, a lot was said that the portal mechanics in the game wouldn’t be possible on anything other than the PS5’s super fast NVME SSD.
I’d be intrigued to see if the game released, would it only be available to players lucky enough to rock comparable storage on PC. Although the recommended spec lists for most games now advise storing your game on at least a standard SDD, the game will still work on old school HDD storage.
This is interesting for a few reasons, could it show up previous claims as being marketing talk? Or could it lead to more developers being able to optimise games for only use on super fast SSD’s and advise that they are not able to be played on ageing hardware?
This aside, it would also be a great comparison of the Ray Tracing capabilities of the PS5 and PC graphics cards. Not many titles have been able to show this off on console so far and this could really show if it’s a feature that should be reserved for only the beefiest rigs.
Ghost of Tsushima
2020’s action-adventure game from Sucker Punch Productions seems to be a case of when, not if, it will come to PC.
In another sprawling open-world adventure game, the player takes control of Jin Sakai, a samurai on a quest to protect Tsushima Island during the first Mongol invasion of Japan. Since its release, it has received loads of awards and gamers have been impressed at the level of fidelity on offer for a PS4 title.
In 2021 eagle-eyed fans noted that the newest version of the box art had been updated and the “Only on Playstation” label was no longer featured, likewise it was yet another game that was part of the Geforce Now leak in September 2021 which suggested many games would make their way to PC.
Currently, the game is said to have sold around 8 million copies, and surely by making this available on the Steam and Epic games stores this number could rise even higher.
Spiderman (1, 2, Miles Morales and Wolverine)
OK, now I’m getting really greedy. Exclusivity doesn’t really bother me much… except the Marvel titles from Insomniac Games. I actually bought a PS4 just to play the first Spiderman game in 2020, such was my need for the title. [Editor Note; ME TOO!!]
Now a fully paid-up member of the PC gaming community, I don’t see myself taking the plunge to do this again with the PS5. The Marvel properties are HUGE and looking at the numbers the Marvel Cinematic Universerve can achieve, only having these games on one platform looks like leaving money on the table for Sony. Spiderman and his friends have featured in many other console and PC games up until now, and I’ll love to get the chance to swing across New York all over again with the game looking better and running faster than I experienced the first time around.
All the games listed above would benefit from my reasons for being a PC gamer, such as being able to prioritise FPS over resolution where you want, and once again Ray tracing and Ultrawide support.
Overall, I’m happy to see any Playstation First-party titles make the jump to PC, that’s not because there is a lack of games on Steam, Epic, GOG or even the Windows store… just that Playstations titles have been performing well with fans and critics for years.
PC gaming has a long list of features that could make games like these the best place to play them (like I’ve already experienced with Horizon Zero Dawn), now it’s just a case of finding out what comes next.