Poll: Vote for Your PS5 Game of the Month (August 2025)

After a pair of slower months in June and July, the release calendar is finally shifting into top gear on PS5.

For those of us who make a living critiquing games, August brought a welcome surge of activity. Several eagerly awaited projects landed on Sony’s latest box, and we found ourselves handing out multiple stellar ratings.

Leading the pack were Metal Gear Solid Delta, Sword of the Sea, and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. Each secured a glowing 9/10 appraisal, and each delivers a wholly distinct experience.

First up, Delta: a do-over applauded for modernising mechanics while staying slavishly loyal to the legendary source material. Historically we’re reluctant to crown remakes or remasters as GOTM, yet Delta forces the issue.

Sword of the Sea, on the other hand, seduced us with its silk-smooth traversal and breathtaking visual identity. A spiritual cousin to Journey, it stands tall as a serene, artful odyssey.

Then comes Shinobi, a blade-swirling action-platformer that’s pure pleasure from start to finish. If July’s victor Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound left you craving more 2.5D carnage, SEGA’s resurrected classic may surpass it.

August wasn’t flawless, though. Mafia: The Old Country and Lost Soul Aside failed to meet expectations. Mafia felt shackled by archaic design, whereas Lost Soul Aside couldn’t live up to its muses despite a protracted gestation.

As ever, you’re free to reject our verdicts. The polls open soon for your August favourite—but before that, here’s the 2025 scoreboard so far…

• January: Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
• February: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
• March: Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• April: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• May: DOOM: The Dark Ages
• June: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• July: Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

So cast your ballot below, then justify your choice down in the comments.

Polls slam shut at 00:00 BST on Tuesday, 9 September 2025.