3 best games perfect for PlayStation Portal streaming – they make the PS5 handheld shine
Here are three more games you need to get playing on your PS Portal
There’s nothing I love more than hopping onto the couch and playing a game for hours on the TV, but for a variety of reasons that isn’t always possible. The PlayStation Portal has become a big part of my gaming life therefore, especially since it started allowing you to stream your PS5 games from the cloud, as well as your console.
It’s still not perfect, but it’s a lot more versatile than it was at launch. And with its mighty 8-inch screen and DualSense-like controls, you get to experience the best of PlayStation without needing to turn on the TV at all.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
The sequel to the weirdest game Hideo Kojima’s brilliant brain has ever given us is a stunning PS5 exclusive, and its grandest main story moments are definitely ideally experienced on a PS5 Pro connected to a massive TV.
However, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a game that shines almost as brightly in its side content. Running errands for your growing network of associates and delivering lost cargo you find in the Australian wilderness is a major part of the experience, and this is where the Portal becomes the perfect platform.
When I want to progress the story or am anticipating a flashy set piece, I’ll make sure I’m playing on my PS5 Pro, but if I’m just looking to upgrade some of my equipment by boosting my porter score, or just want to do some aimless wandering while I keep my eye on the football on the TV, I reach for the Portal.
Death Stranding 2’s combat can be pretty reliant on fast inputs, so I tend to avoid those sections when I’m streaming, but for everything else the game works really well on the handheld.
Cairn
T3’s Max Freeman-Mills recently wrote about how this hardcore indie climbing game has been an eye-opening experience on the PS5 Pro, and I’ve put some time into it there too.
But I’ve also found that the methodical, slow-paced nature of the game makes it a great fit for the Portal, and I’ve been making (very slow) progress from the comfort of my bed.
Unlike the many games that feature climbing sections as simple as locating a glowing handhold and pushing the analogue stick towards them, Cairn is an at times mercilessly difficult simulator. You control each of player character Aava’s limbs in sequence, thinking about every move carefully to avoid a painful fall.
Managing Aava’s food intake and chalk supplies is as important as mastering the controls, but I actually find it easier to spot grabbable geometry on the cliff-face when I’m holding a display close up to my face.
As Max noted in his piece, performance isn’t perfect, but I’ve had a pretty solid experience streaming from the cloud so far.
Astro Bot
It might be a few years old now, but Astro Bot remains the standout platformer of the 2020s so far, and will likely remain on the throne until a certain plumber decides to make an appearance on the Switch 2.
Team Asobi’s interactive love letter to both the platforming genre and PlayStation’s history is one of the most joyful gaming experiences I’ve ever had, and thanks to fairly frequent content updates since it launched in 2024, I’ve kept going back for more.
You should definitely enjoy Astro Bot’s pin-sharp virtual playgrounds on a 4K TV if you’re able to, but the Portal is also a great way to play. Because it features all of the DualSense controller’s technology, you still get to appreciate all the clever haptics work and adaptive trigger subtlety, and there’s something a bit special about holding the game’s wildly creative and colourful levels in your hands.
And while it might not be an OLED, this game makes you realise just how nice the Portal’s 8-inch display is.
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