Wuthering Waves has finally arrived on PlayStation 5 and it has a lot to offer console-only gamers, but not much for established fans.
Sony loves live-service games and has been throwing its weight behind as many as possible. More often than not, these are multiplayer titles with a short or non-existent shelf life; the likes of Fall Guys, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and Foamstars. On the single-player front, PlayStation has secured console exclusivity with multiple major gacha game releases.
Following HoYoverse’s Zenless Zone Zero and the cozy, dress-up-focused Infinity Nikki, Wuthering Waves has been added to the fold as one of the first big PS5 releases of 2025. Wuthering Waves has been around for some time now on PC and mobile devices, so how does the console version stack up?
The Good:
- Strong UI including the ability to customize controls
- Robust content offering on day one for PS5 gamers
The Bad:
- Still has the distinct appearance of a mobile game that wound up on a console
- Wuthering Waves’ story and voice acting are often unintentionally campy
Review Details:
- What Platform Did the Reviewer Play On?: PlayStation 5
- Platforms Available: PlayStation 5, PC, Mobile
- Official Release Date: January 2, 2025
Wuthering Waves is better than Genshin Impact on PlayStation 5 at this point.
Genshin Impact transformed the gaming landscape by popularizing the gacha game genre with western audiences. It arrived at the right time with a graphical style that was an instant hit and arrived on enough platforms that gamers had little trouble trying it out.
The dirty little secret with the game is that the console versions are absolutely dreadful, and never really got better.
This is understandable to some degree. When miHoYo shipped Genshin Impact, the company hadn’t yet developed a console game. Most of its efforts were focused on mobile-only games and 2016’s Honkai Impact 3rd only wound up on PC. Developing console games was a new phenomenon for miHoYo, which was immediately apparent with Genshin Impact’s dreadful UI. In addition to the convoluted navigation, there is an inability to use the control pad in menus. Even four years on, those issues linger.
This, ultimately, is where Wuthering Waves sets itself apart and finds its niche.
KuroGames’ take on the sandbox action RPG is a solid one, with a gameplay loop largely similar to Genshin Impact. From a gameplay perspective, it iterates by offering faster, flashier combat and a sharper graphical style. Just as importantly, it actually offers a comfortable, intuitive experience on consoles.
Wuthering Waves is still a scuffed experience next to squeaky-clean rivals
While Wuthering Waves is a cut above its most direct competitor on a technical level, it isn’t a uniformly superior experience.
HoYoverse has done brilliant work delivering what looks and sounds like a AAA experience. Wuthering Waves falls short on that front. Though it has solid visuals in its own right, Zenless Zone Zero’s striking cutscenes stand a cut above. It lags considerably when it comes to voice acting, with oddly stiff English voiceovers even among the main cast. Coupled with its completely wild jargon, players will often find themselves smirking at even the most serious moments.
Graphically, the game adds little to the PS5 version relative to the mobile version. It runs smoothly, but the game doesn’t take advantage of the PS5’s improved hardware relative to a modern cell phone.
The overall gameplay is strong enough to carry players despite this, whether it’s for a fun weekend or a long-term investment. The PS5 experience is an overall solid one, though it’s not necessarily a transformative one for new or established fans.
The Bottom Line: Wuthering Waves’ PS5 port performs well and has a strong UI, but it doesn’t add anything to the mobile or PC versions.
Score: 7/10
