Best PlayStation Portal games 2024 - top titles for dreamy remote play
While the best PlayStation Portal games can be any game that you’ve currently got installed on your PlayStation 5 (PS5), it’s not just the best PS5 games that are great on the handheld. Some titles from across a range of genres feel a little sweeter on the small screen, or even more immersive when played close-up and personal, pulling you into cutscenes or combat sequences as if you were there. This is something further enhanced by the Portal’s fully-fledged DualSense controller features such as the haptic feedback for movement and adaptive triggers for weapons.
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Having spent many hours with the PlayStation Portal since its release in November, we’ve got some firm recommendations for the best games to play. It’s one of the most frequently asked questions in the Portal community too, with lots of folks praising particular genres or games, like open-world adventures, but also recommending some caution on others like online first-person shooters due to the device’s reliance on a strong and stable internet connection to perform.
But, in a crowded field of the entire PS5 and PS4 game libraries, these are our picks for the best PlayStation Portal games.
The best PlayStation Portal games 2024
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
From a galaxy far, far away right into your hands
Why we love it
Cutting your way across the galaxy with Cal’s four lightsaber stances feels so satisfying on the Portal’s small screen with each swing, combo, and killer blow being more immersive than ever now it’s in the palm of your hands.
Careering across a galaxy far, far away on the PlayStation Portal was one of my favorite experiences in 2023. The open-world sci-fi adventure lends itself perfectly to playing on the Portal, and the vibrant and detailed worlds of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor translate beautifully to the Portal’s crisp 1080p LCD screen, with colors and textures popping vividly.
The action plays out smoothly in the game's performance mode too, and the DualSense provides an enhancement to the immersive experience. Everything feels at home on the handheld, from double-tapping the screen for the map to every strike of the lightsaber or shot of Cal’s blaster that can be felt through the DualSense controller. Being drawn into every encounter closer and examining the world under a microscope while playing on the handheld feels every bit as good as the cinematic experience on a TV.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Swinging from hand-to-hand to your handheld
Why we love it
The traversal in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the star of the show and remains so on the Portal. Every glide, swing, and acrobatic move between buildings while playing as Peter or Miles is an absolute joy.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is one of the very best PlayStation Portal games. This is in large part due to being solely made for the PS5 and to take advantage of the tech that the console has to offer, which the Portal replicates. This is most obvious in the DualSense haptic features and adaptive triggers, making for brilliantly immersive superhero action from firing webs to swinging through the streets of New York.
Putting Peter Parker and Miles Morales’ adventure into performance or performance RT (a frame rate-focused mode, with some ray tracing elements) mode will also ensure an even better experience on the Portal. Smoother and faster frames are perfectly suited to a smaller screen, and the decrease in latency is a welcome addition to any tense combat sequences.
Grand Theft Auto 5
The whole of Los Santos in the palms of your hands
Why we love it
Being able to explore every nook of the bustling city of Los Santos and its environs by whatever your favorite means of travel is close up on the PlayStation Portal helps you feel more immersed than ever.
Playing through the behemoth that is Grand Theft Auto 5 is the best way to prepare for the release of GTA 6, and the Portal offers a fantastic handheld opportunity to sink back into the city of Los Santos. The city is vibrant and looks great on the small screen, with every crack in the pavement, roadside tree, and brick of every building standing out against the skyline. In addition, the performance mode makes zooming around the streets incredibly smooth, ensuring there are no stutters as you speed through red lights in the fastest cars.
The open-world, play-at-your-own-pace style of the adventure is perfect for a handheld gaming experience, and the PS5 version of the game shines on the Portal. With that said the controls can be a tiny bit awkward given the lack of a touchpad and the game’s defaults being a couple of generations old but this is offset by the excellent DualSense features such as being able to feel which direction you’re taking damage from, and any changes in road surface.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
Get even closer to the emotional story
Why we love it
The ‘just enough’ factor of careful management of resources, and stealthy navigation through encounters makes for an even more gripping experience on the Portal given how much closer the action feels. Every decision Ellie or Abby takes feels more tangible and makes for a more personal experience.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is one of my favorite single-player PlayStation Portal games and now one of the best PS5 exclusives after its current-gen release - and one that can be had for just $10/£10 if you already own the PS4 version. The experience is built for PS5, and the game is perfect in almost every way for the Portal.
The new DualSense features of the remaster, such as feeling guns and bows on the triggers or effects of the weather, add an extra dimension, enabling you to feel Ellie’s and Abby’s every struggle and strike. Even though the breath-taking vistas, landscapes, and environments lack a tiny bit of ‘wow’ factor due to being scaled to a smaller screen, experiencing the bleak narrative of revenge and anger is as gripping as it has ever been when playing up close and personal on the Portal. Being only inches from every heartstring-tugging cutscene and heart-stopping infected encounter adds a new level of experience to the game, successfully preserving it’s immersive, cinematic style.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Super stealth and smooth parkour are at home on the Portal
Why we love it
Assassin's Creed Mirage’s portrayal of 9th-century Baghdad is gorgeous, with a bustling city that’s full of interest. It really stands out on the Portal’s small screen too and is a marvel to get immersed in.
Taking Basim Ibn Ishaq’s street-thief-to-assassin adventure portable is incredibly enjoyable. Putting together buttery-smooth free-running sequences to plotting your escape from an investigation’s climactic assassination, the entirety of Assassin’s Creed Mirage makes for a great PlayStation Portal game.
With a performance mode on offer too, the smooth frame rates translate superbly to the Portal’s screen; sneaking through 9th Century Baghdad to gather evidence and carry out assassination contracts is an absolute joy in particular at this higher frame rate, as is cutting your way through crowds of guards when you’ve caused a bit of trouble, or disappearing in a flash of smoke to escape and return to keeping a low profile.
Diablo 4
Taking epic action adventure into your hands
Why we love it
If you’re frantically fighting huge bosses, balancing attack and self-preservation in a tense battle, or obliterating masses of lower-leveled enemies in one outrageous explosion, the excitement and exhilaration are palpable when playing Diablo 4 on the Portal.
Slaying monsters, raiders, and beasts in Diablo 4 is a real treat on the Portal. The controls are as seamless as ever, and going handheld pulls you deeper into the experience than a television or monitor can. The top-down perspective translates exceptionally well to the compact display, and each combat explosion and magical effect looks bombastic.
It’s also been reliable playing online with my friend too. This will depend on your internet connection and setup, but a less intense online game such as Diablo 4 feels right at home on the Portal.
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection
Revisiting the classics has never felt so good
Reliving the stealth classics of the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Volume 1 on the Portal feels similar to indie and retro games finding a new home on the Nintendo Switch.
The Metal Gear Solid games particularly shine on the Portal: The locations of Shadow Moses, The Big Shell, and the jungle and mountain landscapes of Metal Gear Solid 3 are all brilliant places to explore, and the captivating stories and twists and turns are more immersive than ever now the adventures are literally in your hands.
The fact that these games also have locked resolutions and frame rates is ideal too; both Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3 run at 60 frames per second and are displayed in 1080p resolution (the same as the Portal’s screen) so look smooth and seamless on the Portal by default.
Why we love it
The nostalgia hit that the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection: Volume 1 provides translates beautifully on the small screen with the games’ iconic locations being as fun to revisit now as they were decades ago
Dead Space remake
The perfect horror game for the Portal
If you're looking for a horror game to take to the PlayStation Portal, then there's none better than the Dead Space remake.
There are several reasons for this, but first and foremost is because it's just a superb reimagining and remake of a brilliant game. Isaac's journey through the USG Ishimura, de-limbing the alien necromorphs, and fighting his way towards his sweetheart Nicole is an incredibly atmospheric adventure, and does great justice to the 2008 original.
It shines particularly bright on the PlayStation Portal, however, for a couple of other reasons. The first is that stupendous minimal HUD. Busy HUDs can take up valuable screen real estate on a portable device like the Portal, so the stripped-back user interface in Dead Space remake is perfect - Isaac's health bars on his back are all you need. The game also has a performance mode, immediately enhancing the experience on the Portal with the reduced lag making for a better match right off the bat with the Portal's screen.
All in, what results, is an experience that draws you further into the game, and transferring that to the Portal only heightens the immersion further still - you'll feel like you're really inside the Ishimura with Isaac.
Why we love it
Isaac's claustrophobic adventure is one of the most atmospheric experiences on PS5, and the remade journey through the wrecked spaceship perfectly encapsulates all that made the USG Ishimura the scariest part of the game - let alone the necromorphs.
The best PlayStation Portal games - FAQs
What is the best game to play on the PlayStation Portal?
The beauty of Sony’s new handheld gaming device is that any game on PS5 can be the best PlayStation Portal game for you. Whatever you enjoy playing on PS5, you can enjoy it on the Portal. However, we think some games such as single-player adventures or open-world games lend themselves a little better to the handheld due to how their environments and worlds translate to a smaller device, and their (often) slower pace. Thus, any of the games on our list here, such as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, GTA 5, or Diablo 4 are all superb picks.
Do you need a PS5 to use a PlayStation Portal?
Yes, you need a PS5 to play and use a PlayStation Portal. This is because the Portal is exactly that: a portal or route into your PS5 and a way to play it remotely. This is the combo you need to have in order to play the best PlayStation Portal games.
Can I play online multiplayer games on the PlayStation Portal?
Given that the PlayStation Portal is reliant on an internet connection to stream your PS5 games to its handheld platform, there is some trepidation about playing online games. While many users have reported seamless and smooth experiences unhindered by any latency or lag in games like Call of Duty online, it will always depend on your personal setup and internet connection - and whether you’re away from the PS5 on a different internet connection too.
I have found that less intense online games such as Back 4 Blood and Diablo 4 have been absolutely fine when playing on my home WiFi. If you play competitively online and require every edge possible, then relying on a streaming device may not cut it for you - though this depends on the particulars of your network. Our advice is to bear this in mind, try it, and see how the experience is for your personal needs and style of play.
What games can you play on the PlayStation Portal?
Some folks have been wondering what games you can play on Portal given it's a streaming PS5 accessory. The answer is deceptively simple: any PS5 game. This is because the Portal mirrors - or acts as a 'portal' to - your PS5 so any game installed on your console can be played on the device! It's as simple as that - in theory. Our best PlayStation Portal games list highlights games that we think are best suited to the streaming nature of the device, despite the fact that, technically, one cane play any PS5 game.
Can you play GTA 5 on the PlayStation Portal?
Yes, you absolutely can play GTA 5 on the PlayStation Portal! I myself have been enjoying my first full playthrough of the game's story (I know) and often using the Portal to take my experience handheld; it's been a joy and the game lends itself to the small screen and closeup experience very nicely.
In terms of GTA Online, naturally, this will depend more on your internet connection's strength and stability. Folks have reported that the GTA Online experience is excellent on Portal though, so should you get the setup right, it's a perfect way to play the game.
What games should you avoid playing on PlayStation Portal?
While we're huge proponents of playing almost anything on the PlayStation Portal, the fact remains that it is a small-screen device and, as such, some games won't lend themselves as well to it.
Some text-heavy role-playing games like Baldur's Gate 3 might not translate as well to the Portal's small screen and could cause some eye strain. Elsewhere, games with lots of HUD elements like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League are also a recipe for eye-ache. Essentially, the busier the screen, the less likely that it'll do well on the Portal's screen purely from a visual standpoint.
How we made our best PlayStation Portal games list
I’ve spent many hours using the PlayStation Portal as part of my extended PS5 setup. With the PS5 being my main platform the Portal has become an integral part of the way I play games.
I’ve played a whole host of games on the handheld since the Portal came out, both to test it and also to work through my backlog. As a result, I’ve grown used to what works best on the Portal from a technical perspective but also what I think makes a super game for the device.
Looking for PlayStation Portal accessories to optimize your portable setup? Check out our Pulse Explore stock tracker and our Pulse Elite stock guide. Also, read up on what PlayStation Link is with our dedicated page.
