The PS5 gets marketed as the ultimate blockbuster machine. It is all about hyper-realism and controllers that vibrate when it rains. But if you actually dig into the PS Store, you’ll find a secret: a beautiful graveyard of old-school titans like Doom, Duke, Quake and Tomb Raider. They’re all just sitting there, ready to download. There is a hilarious irony in the fact that games older than Gen Z are still holding their own. Frankly, most of these ancient relics are just flat-out more fun than the bloated, $70 tech demos we get served nowadays.
Quick bit of honesty before the list, because it matters. Some of these are full native PS5 remasters. Others are PS4 releases that run on PS5 through backward compatibility. I’ll flag which is which as we go, because there’s a real difference and you deserve to know it. Either way, all you need is your console and a few quid.
Here’s where I’d start.
1. DOOM + DOOM II
The obvious number one, and I won’t apologise for it. This combined re-release runs on both PS4 and PS5, and Bethesda calls it the definitive version of the originals for good reason. You get DOOM, DOOM II, the old expansions, a brand-new episode, online deathmatch and co-op, plus a stack of community add-ons you can pull straight from the console. The shooting still hits like nothing else. Thirty years on and it’s still the blueprint everyone else is copying.
2. Quake + Quake II
If DOOM is the blueprint, Quake is the moment it went dark and went fast. Both Quake and Quake II are on the PS Store in their Nightdive-enhanced versions, each bundled with their expansions and a chunk of new content. Quake II in particular runs gorgeously on PS5. This is the pick for anyone who wants that heavier, browner, lonelier flavour of old-school FPS, the kind that still makes you jump when something growls behind you.
3. Heretic + Hexen
This is the deep cut, and it’s a brilliant one. Bethesda shadow-dropped the Heretic + Hexen bundle in August 2025 for about fifteen quid, and it’s stacked: Heretic, Hexen, the Deathkings of the Dark Citadel expansion, and two genuinely new episodes built by id Software and Nightdive. Think DOOM, but with a fantasy coat of paint, an inventory system and vertical aiming. For years fans begged for these to come back properly. Now they have, and on PS5 they look the best they ever have.
4. Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour
You can’t do a list like this and leave Duke at home. The one-liners, the shrink ray, the level design that still teaches modern shooters a thing or two. Duke Nukem 3D is one of the best classic PC games for almost any gamer, and it holds up far better than it has any right to. This is the 20th Anniversary World Tour edition, with a fresh episode and developer commentary baked in. It’s a PS4 release, but it plays fine on PS5. Hail to the king.
5. Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster
This is the one I’d push on anyone who thinks “retro” means “ugly.” Nightdive took the 1995 PC and PS1 shooter and rebuilt it for modern hardware, native on PS4 and PS5, running at up to 4K and 120fps. And it’s not just nostalgia bait. Dark Forces is real PC gaming history, the game that proved a Star Wars story could work as a first-person shooter, years before anyone said the word “Republic Commando.” Smooth, sharp, and still cool as hell.
6. Grim Fandango Remastered
Now we leave the shooting behind. Grim Fandango is one of the greatest adventure games ever made, full stop, and the remaster is the cleanest way to play it. It’s a PS4 title that runs on PS5 through backward compatibility, and the clever part is the toggle: you can flip between the polished new look and the original 90s art and controls whenever you fancy. Film noir meets the Land of the Dead, Mexican folklore, a travel agent for departed souls. There’s nothing else like it, then or now.
7. Day of the Tentacle Remastered
If Grim Fandango sells you on point-and-click, this is your next stop. Another LucasArts classic, another lovely Double Fine remaster, and the PS Store listing says it plainly: you can switch back and forth between classic and remastered modes, mixing the audio, art and interface however you like. It’s a time-travel puzzle comedy about stopping a power-mad purple tentacle, and it’s still genuinely funny three decades later. Runs on PS5 via backward compatibility.
8. Tomb Raider I-III Remastered
The big mainstream name on the list, and a deserved one. This collection brings the first three Lara Croft adventures to PS4 and PS5, and what I love is how little it sands off. You can play with the chunky modern visuals or flip to the original blocky look, and the tank controls are still there if you’re brave. Old level design, hidden secrets, deadly traps, the odd T-Rex. This is retro adventure gaming at its most iconic, preserved properly.
9. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered
A gothic gem that too many people slept on the first time around. This remaster bundles Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2 on PS4 and PS5, and like the best entries here it lets you choose between the original presentation and the remastered graphics. Shifting between the material and spectral worlds to solve the environment around you still feels ahead of its time, and the voice acting and atmosphere are pure dark fantasy. If you like your action-adventures brooding, this is the one.
10. Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – Reforged
One last adventure to send us off. Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars first appeared in 1996, and this Reforged version drags that classic point-and-click into the present on PS4 and PS5 with redrawn visuals and quality-of-life touches. Conspiracy, the Knights Templar, a holiday that goes very wrong, hand-drawn charm everywhere. It’s a reminder that the genre PC gamers grew up on never really died. It just had to wait for a remaster. That’s ten, and honestly I could have made it thirty. The PS5 store is quietly one of the best places to play classic PC and retro games right now, as long as you know where to look. So, if you find it hard to understand how to run classic PC games on Steam Deck, PS5 is the easier option. Grab a couple of games from this list, dim the lights, and remember why you fell for this stuff in the first place