PS5 Game Series You Should Play In Order (2026 Guide)

Some PlayStation franchises span a decade or more, jump around in timeline, and get "definitive editions" that muddy the release order even further. If you're trying to figure out whether to play a series by release date or by story chronology, this guide covers both — for six of the biggest multi-game franchises on PS4 and PS5.

For each series below, we cover the recommended playing order, note where it diverges from release order, and link through to the full, tracked game list for that franchise on PlatPrices — useful for checking current prices and PS Plus availability across every entry at once.

How to Use This Guide

Two different things get called "order":

• Release order — the order games actually came out. This is usually the safest default, since games are designed and paced assuming you've played what came before them (or nothing at all, for a first entry).
• Story/chronological order — the order events happen in-universe. This matters more for series that use prequels, or where a later release is set earlier in the timeline.

Below, we default to release order and flag explicitly where chronological order differs meaningfully — since for most of these franchises, release order is either identical to story order or is simply the better way to experience it (later games are built assuming you've played the earlier ones, even if a couple of entries are prequels).

Assassin's Creed in Order

Assassin's Creed is the trickiest franchise on this list to sequence, because the series is really two overlapping things: a modern-day frame story and a series of largely standalone historical settings. You don't need to have played earlier entries to follow any single game's historical plot, but the "Assassins vs Templars" meta-narrative does build over time.

Recommended order (release order, which also tracks the meta-story):

1. Assassin's Creed
2. Assassin's Creed II
3. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
4. Assassin's Creed: Revelations
5. Assassin's Creed III
6. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
7. Assassin's Creed Unity
8. Assassin's Creed Syndicate
9. Assassin's Creed Origins
10. Assassin's Creed Odyssey
11. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
12. Assassin's Creed Mirage
13. Assassin's Creed Shadows

Practical note: most players today start with Origins, Odyssey, or Valhalla — the modern RPG-style entries — since they're the most current and each is close to fully self-contained. Mirage is a deliberate return to the shorter, stealth-focused format of the earlier games and works well as a jumping-on point too, though a few characters and Easter eggs land better with Origins-Odyssey-Valhalla behind you.

Full list of Assassin's Creed games tracked on PlatPrices, with current prices and remasters: /series/1-assassins-creed.

God of War in Order

God of War has a clean split: the original Greek-mythology trilogy (plus two PSP prequels and a PS3 prequel), then the Norse-mythology reboot. Release order and story order match almost exactly.

Recommended order:

1. God of War (2005)
2. God of War: Chains of Olympus (chronologically a prequel, but best played after the original)
3. God of War II
4. God of War: Ghost of Sparta (another prequel, best played in release order)
5. God of War III
6. God of War: Ascension (a prequel to the entire original trilogy)
7. God of War (2018)
8. God of War Ragnarök

Practical note: you do not need to play the Greek saga (1 through Ascension) to understand or enjoy God of War (2018) and Ragnarök — the Norse-era games are written to stand entirely on their own, with Kratos's Greek past referenced but never required viewing. If you only want the two most recent, celebrated entries, jumping straight to 2018's God of War is completely fine. If you want the full arc, playing the Greek trilogy first gives extra weight to callbacks in the Norse games.

Full list of God of War games tracked on PlatPrices: /series/15-god-of-war.

Final Fantasy in Order

This is the one franchise on this list where release order barely matters, because — with the exception of direct sequels and sub-series — mainline Final Fantasy games are standalone stories with unique casts, worlds, and systems. Numbering reflects release order, not a shared continuity.

How to approach it:

• Mainline numbered entries (VII, IX, X, XII, XV, XVI, and the current-gen remakes/re-imaginings) can be played in any order — pick based on setting and combat style, not number.
• Direct sequels and sub-series should be played together and in order: Final Fantasy VII → Final Fantasy VII Remake → Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (and eventually the final part of the Remake trilogy); Final Fantasy X → Final Fantasy X-2; Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (a prequel, best played before or after the original VII, either works).
• For PS5 specifically, the most commonly recommended entry point is Final Fantasy VII Remake, followed by Rebirth — both are current-gen, both are widely considered among the series' best combat systems, and neither requires having played the 1997 original (though it helps with emotional payoff).

Full list of Final Fantasy games tracked on PlatPrices: /series/19-final-fantasy.

Uncharted in Order

Uncharted is a linear, story-driven series and the most straightforward entry on this list: play it in release order.

Recommended order:

1. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
2. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
3. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
4. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
5. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (a standalone spin-off, set after Uncharted 4, featuring a different lead)

Practical note: on PS5, the easiest way to play the series is via the remastered collections — the Nathan Drake Collection bundles the first three games, and Legacy of Thieves Collection bundles 4 and The Lost Legacy, both with PS5-native visual upgrades. The Lost Legacy works as a standalone even if you skip straight to it, but it lands better with the emotional context of Uncharted 4 behind it.

Full list of Uncharted games tracked on PlatPrices: /series/2-uncharted.

Need for Speed in Order

Need for Speed is unusual on this list because it isn't really a continuous story — it's a long-running racing series where most entries are self-contained, and continuity resets frequently as different studios rotate through development.

How to approach it:

• There is no meaningful chronological story to track across entries — each Need for Speed game is its own contained career mode with its own setting and cast.
• If you want the current-generation entries, the relevant releases on PS4/PS5 are, in release order: Need for Speed Rivals, Need for Speed (2015 reboot), Need for Speed Payback, Need for Speed Heat, Need for Speed Unbound, and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered (a remaster of the 2010 original, not a new story).
• Pick based on style, not order: Heat and Unbound lean into open-world street racing and heat/reputation mechanics; Payback leans into a heist-movie narrative; Hot Pursuit Remastered is cops-vs-racers arcade action without a story campaign to worry about.

Full list of Need for Speed games tracked on PlatPrices: /series/13-need-for-speed.

Red Dead in Order

Red Dead is a small, two-game-plus-prequel-question series, and the order here is simple once you know the twist: the numbered sequel is a prequel.

Recommended order:

1. Red Dead Revolver (a tonally different, semi-related earlier game — optional, not connected to the story of the other two)
2. Red Dead Redemption 2 (chronologically first — set years before the original Redemption, following John Marston's past with the Van der Linde gang)
3. Red Dead Redemption (chronologically second — the original 2010 game, following John Marston years later)

Practical note: most players today play Red Dead Redemption 2 first simply because it's the current-gen, most widely available and most recently remastered/ported entry — and that also happens to match story chronology, since RDR2 is a prequel to the original. Playing RDR2 before the original Redemption is the order we'd recommend both for story and for practical availability: RDR2 sets up character relationships (particularly around John Marston and Dutch's gang) that give the original Redemption's ending far more weight. Red Dead Revolver is a much older, tonally different game and can be skipped without losing any story continuity.

Full list of Red Dead games tracked on PlatPrices: /series/14-red-dead.

Quick Reference: Order Summary

Frequently Asked Questions

What order should I play the Assassin's Creed games in?

Release order works well and roughly tracks the series' modern-day meta-story: Assassin's Creed, II, Brotherhood, Revelations, III, Black Flag, Unity, Syndicate, Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla, Mirage, and Shadows. In practice, most new players start with Origins, Odyssey, or Valhalla, since these RPG-era entries are largely self-contained and don't require the earlier games. See the full tracked list at /series/1-assassins-creed.

Do I need to play the old God of War games before God of War (2018)?

No. God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök are written to stand entirely on their own, referencing Kratos's Greek-era past without requiring you to have played it. If you want the complete arc, the recommended order is God of War, Chains of Olympus, God of War II, Ghost of Sparta, God of War III, Ascension, then God of War (2018) and Ragnarök. See the full list at /series/15-god-of-war.

What is the correct order for the Final Fantasy games?

There isn't one shared timeline across mainline Final Fantasy games — each numbered entry (VII, IX, X, XII, XV, XVI, etc.) is a standalone story, so you can start with any of them based on genre preference. The exception is direct sequels and remakes, which should be played in sequence: Final Fantasy VII before VII Remake before VII Rebirth, and Final Fantasy X before X-2. For PS5 newcomers, VII Remake followed by Rebirth is the most commonly recommended starting point. Full list at /series/19-final-fantasy.

Is Red Dead Redemption 2 a prequel or sequel to the original?

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel. It released in 2018, seven years after the original 2010 game, but is set years earlier in the story timeline, following John Marston's time with Dutch van der Linde's gang before the events of the original Red Dead Redemption. Most players play RDR2 first, both because it's the more current and available release and because doing so adds context to the original game's ending. See both games at /series/14-red-dead.

Do I need to play the earlier Uncharted games before Uncharted 4 or The Lost Legacy?

For the fullest experience, yes — Uncharted is a fully linear, continuous story across Drake's Fortune, Among Thieves, Drake's Deception, and A Thief's End, and playing in release order is recommended. The Lost Legacy is a standalone spin-off that can technically be played on its own, though its emotional beats land better with Uncharted 4's story behind it. On PS5, the Nathan Drake Collection and Legacy of Thieves Collection bundle all five games with current-gen visual upgrades. Full list at /series/2-uncharted.

Prices and PS Plus catalogue availability shift constantly across all of these franchises — check current prices for any entry via the live PS Store deals page, or browse each franchise's complete, tracked history on its dedicated series page linked above.