PlayStation rejoins the week of summer showcases with a surprising and exciting State of Play

Not since 2022 has PlayStation been embedded directly into the week of chaos that is Summer Game Fest, usually opting to keep a safe distance from the other showcases of the summer. And that's after this Big 3 studio had all but abandoned E3 — their last appearance was way back in 2018, having apparently seen the writing on the wall of the slowly deteriorating expo.

But with their latest State of Play emerging just days before the rest of the slate of summer showcases, PlayStation rejoins a week of gaming celebrations with an exciting presentation that stated its intentions from the very start with the unexpected but very welcome Lumines Arise, a brand new game from Enhance, the team behind the highly lauded Tetris Effect. And in similar fashion, Lumines Arise seems to be a sensory overload of a game that distills the beauty of the simple puzzle gameplay into something more artful. Lumines originated on the PSP, and it was an unexpected thrill to see that franchise revived all these years later on the PS5 and getting the caring treatment that the Enhance team delivers.

A PSP game revived is a bold start, and they just kept feeding the gaming weirdos (I say lovingly) from that point forward. We got a brand new Grasshopper Manufacture/Suda51 game that I struggle to define: Romeo is a Dead Man, coming to PS5 in 2026. Its debut trailer started with a strange cartoony CGI sequence with a family enjoying "curry time" around the kitchen table and ended with a man with his arm cut off and a chunk taken from his face. It was blood splatter-y and as off the wall as you'd imagine.

It promises an adventure with Romeo Stargazer — stuck between life and death and working as an FBI Space-Time special agent "Dead Man" — hunting fugitives through multiple universes. The trailer showed gameplay that transitioned from 8-bit arcadey to 16-bit RPG to full 3D character action. And with big bold letters, it promised to be "ultra-violent science fiction." NOW THAT'S VIDEO GAMES.

We got a deeper look at what the asynchronous multiplayer narrative game Tides of Tomorrow looks like, intriguing us even further about the potential of this upcoming game from the team behind Road 96.

We got the reveal of Nioh 3, gameplay from 007 First Light from Hitman's IO Interactive, and an extremely intriguing look at Sea of Remnants, a puppet-forward pirate game that apparently is part-RPG, part-open world action adventure game.

Silent Hill f finally got a proper reveal with an extensive look at both the game's story and gameplay, showcasing the emphasis on Japanese horror and melee combat for what Konami is calling a more "action-oriented" Silent Hill.

Digital Eclipse showcased its latest bit of games preservation with the Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection that compiles all of the classic games and "interactive documentary" segments.

Hell, even that one small girl and big space guy Capcom game that was revealed, delayed, and delayed again was shown here: Pragmata got a re-reveal and subsequent 2026 release window announcement.

It was a tightly packed, varied, and entertaining showcase... and it even had one last supremely exciting announcement in it. And you know we love a "one more thing."

At the end of the show, we were given a glimpse at MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, a brand new Marvel fighting game from the legendary fighting game studio Arc System Works (Guilty Gear). It promises 4v4 team battles and looks to bring the studio's level of quality to a franchise with a storied fighting game history.

It's nice to see Marvel no longer mashed up with some other franchise's characters and given their own game, because it allows some of the lesser represented heroes like Ms. Marvel and Ghost Rider a moment in the spotlight. We noticed Nelson and Murdock's Law Offices in the background of one of the fights and are certainly hoping Daredevil will finally be given his chance to shine in a Marvel game, after decades of mediocre releases and guest appearances in other games.

Despite a longer than warranted developer interview that all but ground the show's momentum to a halt at the end, PlayStation managed to surprise and delight us by crashing the Summer Game Fest party last-minute, ramping up what was already looking to be an exciting week. While we may pine for the E3 years of "cocky PlayStation" with smarmy executives on stage or the artistry of their full orchestra and theatrical stage effect presence, seeing PlayStation cozying up nearer to the week of gaming showcases in this way is nice to see. And it helps that they actually put together a batch of fascinating announcements too.

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Nate and Fish live react to the PlayStation State of Play

Here's everything that was shown at the PlayStation State of Play:

• Lumines Arise: The classic PSP puzzle game from two decades ago gets a successor from the people behind Tetris Effect: Coming fall 2025.

• Romeo is a Dead Man: Watch it and you immediately know who made it. New Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture game with wildly varying art and gameplay styles, bloody and weird sci-fi action coming 2026.

• Pragmata: Capcom's long-delayed big spacesuit man and tiny girl robot-hacker game returned with new gameplay and a 2026 release window.

• Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement: 2.5D side-scrolling action with the ability to switch between two heroes.

• Baby Steps: Get this guy a toilet. Full gameplay showcase and release date: September 8, 2025.

• Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles: TACTICS IS BACK, getting an enhanced edition. Arriving September 30, 2025.

• Silent Hill f: The Silent Hill installment set in Japan got a full gameplay reveal and a September 25, 2025 release date.

• Digimon Story Time Stranger is set to launch on October 3, 2025.

• Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow revealed for PSVR2. The stealth game comes later this year.

• Hirogami: Origami low framerate vibes; transform into origami shapes. It will launch September 3, 2025.

• Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots: Courses from 10 regions, weather and time changes, and you can get PAC-MAN. Releases September 5, 2025.

• Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound showed gameplay and announced a July 31, 2025 release date.

• Cairn release date trailer: The intense climbing game is coming November 5, 2025.

• Mortal Kombat Kollection game collection and interactive documentary from Digital Eclipse coming 2025.

• Wireless Fight Stick teased: The first fight stick made by PlayStation.

• Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater: Gameplay trailer with an extended monkey sequence.

• Nioh 3 revealed. Swap between samurai and ninja style combat as you battle yokai. Arriving early 2026.

• Tides of Tomorrow: Releases on February 24, 2026. Its asynchronous "multiplayer storytelling" gameplay means you select a player to follow (a stranger, friend, streamer) and deal with their consequences; their gameplay and decisions affect your own.

• Sea of Remnants is a new RPG with puppet-like pirates and a giant enemy crab boss coming in 2026.

• Sword of the Sea gave a look at several different environments, confirmed to launch August 19 and will come to the PS Plus catalog.

• FBC: Firebreak: June 17 day one launch on PS Plus.

• Deus Ex (June 17), Twisted Metal 3 and 4 (July 15), Resident Evil 2 and 3 (Summer 2025), Myst and Riven (June 5) coming to PlayStation Classics collection on PS Plus.

• 007 First Light: Full reveal and 2026 release confirmed with a gameplay reveal this summer.

• Ghost of Yotei: Gameplay deep dive teased for July.

• Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls: Arc System Works fighting game with a full Marvel roster.