If you’ve just bought a brand-new headset for your PS5, the first thing you’re sure to want to do is play your favorite games with it.
This is a perfectly reasonable thing to start with, as the best PS5 headphones you can buy often excel at getting the most out of the music, sound design, and spoken dialogue of a familiar game.
However, some games are designed with the use of a headset in mind. Not just for the ability to chat with your friends online, but also to increase your immersion. And if you’ve shelled out the hardware, you deserve to hear the best the industry has to offer.
The following games are our personal recommendations for you to check out. We’ve broken the list down into separate categories, highlighting games that go the extra mile when it comes to various types of sound. Read on to learn which games are perfect for trying out a new PS5 headset.
Song
Tetris Effect: Connected
Tetris Effect’s main selling point is the marriage between music and gameplay. Developer Resonair has referred to its version of the popular puzzler as a “full sensory experience”, and that’s not without merit. Tetris Effect seamlessly combines its colorful, abstract visuals and classic block-busting gameplay with a soundtrack that reacts to every button press.
The Tetris Effect OST is nothing short of impressive. Filled with everything from smooth ambience to pulsing EDM, Tetris Effect’s soundtrack also has remarkable depth. As the music evolves through each level, additional layers of instruments are added to the music. The sounds and visuals intensify until you’ve cleared a certain amount of lines and thus completed the level.
We recommend Tetris Effect when trying out a new PS5 headset, just to test how many of these instrumental layers your ears will be able to pick up as a result of your new hardware. Of course, it helps that Tetris Effect is without a doubt one of the best puzzle games ever made.
Final Fantasy 14 Online
It’s no big secret that Final Fantasy 14 has a stellar soundtrack, but it’s the settings menu that really sets it apart from the crowd. At least when it comes to testing a new PS5 headset.
In Final Fantasy 14’s system settings there is an option to apply an equalizer to the game’s audio. This allows you to add even more depth to the soundtrack by boosting the bass, treble, voice and other aspects of the mix.
All presets are effective given Final Fantasy 14’s genre music. Relaxing piano tunes sit alongside guitar-driven rock tracks. Also, there are many songs that feature heavy vocals. So, in short, you’re getting a wonderfully varied soundtrack that’s a feast for the ears when using a pair of cans.
sound design
Souls of Demons
Bluepoint’s PS5 remake of Demon’s Souls, much like the original, reserves its music for boss fights and the Nexus hub area for the most part. Fortunately, the game’s immaculate sound design picks up the slack, creating one of the most enriching and immersive experiences you could have with a new PS5 headset.
The impressively macabre castles, shrines and towers of Demon’s Souls are dripping with audible dread. Flickering flames, demonic screams and cacophonous thunder fill the game’s chilling soundscape. And a lot of it is really hard to appreciate without a PS5 headset that traps your ears in all the dark details.
Not only is Demon’s Souls one of the best PS5 games you can buy, arguably its greatest strength lies in that exceptional sound design. And if you’d rather not fork out your in-game money for the full price, it’s also available to download from the PS Plus Premium subscription service at no extra cost. If you’re a subscriber, Demon’s Souls is worth downloading, even if it’s just to be treated to one of the scariest atmospheres you can soak up on PS5.
Gran Turismo 7
One extremely important aspect that racing sims need to get right is the look, feel and sound of the featured cars. Fortunately, Gran Turismo 7 leads the pack on this front. Whether you’re a motorhead or not, the game’s thunderous sound design is a true marvel.
From the humblest hatchbacks to the most bombastic hypercars, Gran Turismo 7 nails track noise with surprising precision. And it’s all further enhanced by the PS5’s excellent built-in 3D audio support for headphones – which amplifies a game’s audio for a richer, fuller soundscape.
While Demon’s Souls is a perfect sound test for general immersion, the GT7 cars are ideal for testing the moment-to-moment sound design that is constantly moving between screeching engines, squealing tires and robust gearshifts.
Voice
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Hellblade may be the oldest game on the list, but its revolutionary approach to immersion through voice acting still holds up incredibly well.
The Hellblade’s audio is designed with headphones in mind, and you’ll need a decent headphone jack if you want to make the most of this terribly intimate experience. The protagonist Senua suffers from a particularly severe form of psychosis, characterized by a volley of voices in her head.
Wearing a headset will allow you to hang on to every word of these voices. Some are loud and threatening, others are calm and calming. All overlap to create a voice-driven soundscape that adds something unique to Hellblade’s vision of horror. This shouldn’t be missed if you’ve been dying to try out a new PS5 headset in a particularly unnerving environment.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut
Death Stranding has strong audio overall, best suited for a solid PS5 headset. Its licensed soundtrack has a habit of springing into action at the most opportune moments. And the game’s sound design does a fantastic job of selling its setting of a desolate, post-apocalyptic America.
But something we especially love about Death Stranding is the powerful vocal performances across the cast. Hollywood actors like Léa Seydoux and Mads Mikkelsen are excellent in their roles here, and it’s undoubtedly Norman Reedus as lead Sam Porter Bridges who brings Kojima’s post-Konami oeuvre to life.
You’ll hear Sam’s deep voice a lot throughout Death Stranding, both in cutscenes and in the massive game world. He often comments on his current situation – whether it’s checking on his baby jar mate, running away from terrifying BTs, or simply pausing to check his load. When you’re alone in the world, you have to be vocal to keep your own company.