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ASTRO BOT: SMALL ROBOT, GIANT GRIN

Astro Bot official key art from PlayStation
Official Astro Bot key art from PlayStation.com, by Team Asobi and Sony Interactive Entertainment. Used as review art. Amazon button is the PS5 disc listing.

9.5 of 10 bananas. The most joyful platformer PlayStation has ever made.

By the Alpha. PS5 exclusive. PS5 listing. Updated Oct 2026.

Platforms: PS5 only. The PS5 disc is the Amazon button. There is no PC or Steam version, so this page sells the PS5 copy only.

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Sit with me a moment. I have watched many young ones in the troop pick up a controller for the first time. Most games scare them off in ten minutes. Astro Bot had a six-year-old and a grumpy old silverback laughing at the same level, for different reasons. That almost never happens.

What It Wants To Be

Team Asobi's 3D platformer for PS5, released September 6, 2024 and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The PS5 mothership crashes, the crew of little bots scatters across the galaxy, and Astro flies from planet to planet to rescue them. It grew from Astro's Playroom, the free game that shipped on every PS5.

What Works

Every level has one new idea, uses it well, and leaves before it gets old. Power-ups like the sponge, the time-stop, and the dog booster pack change how a world plays. The DualSense haptics make rain, sand, and ice feel different in your hands. Rescuing bots dressed as classic PlayStation heroes is a sweet nod to the platform's history. It won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024, and it earned it.

What Breaks

Listen well. The main path is easy for experienced players. The real challenge hides in optional levels and bot hunts. Some cameo moments lean on nostalgia more than design. It runs around a dozen hours for the main route, and it only exists on PS5, so it is no reason to change systems on its own.

Who Should Play

Play if you own a PS5 and want a game the whole family can share, or if you miss the golden age of 3D platformers. Skip if you only enjoy hard, grim games. For a tougher climb, read my Hollow Knight: Silksong verdict.

STRENGTHS

  • A new idea in almost every level
  • Haptics that make worlds feel real
  • Family-friendly with real optional challenge
  • Loving PlayStation history cameos

HONEST COSTS

  • Main path is easy for veterans
  • Some cameos lean on nostalgia
  • Around a dozen hours for the main route
  • PS5 only
ALPHA VERDICT: 9.5 of 10. Pure joy with tight controls. The best reason to keep a PS5 under the TV. Get Astro Bot on Amazon, then meet the troop on Twitch.
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Related: Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades.

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