PlayStation State of Play April 2023: where to watch and what to expect

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Final Fantasy 16 will be the main focus of PlayStation
Final Fantasy 16 will be the main focus of PlayStation's State of Play in April (Image: Square Enix)

The latest PlayStation State of Play presentation is set to arrive in the later hours of today, with a big spotlight being placed on Final Fantasy 16 in advance of its June release.

Sony has announced that it will hold its second State of Play presentation of the year later today, following the last one back in February. The main focus is going to be on Square Enix’s upcoming action RPG, Final Fantasy 16, but there’s sure to be some teases relating to other PS4 and PS5 games set to release later this year too. The 2023 release calendar looks a little barren for PlayStation following June, so all eyes are on this latest State of Play to impress.

If you want to go into the State of Play prepared and know exactly when and where to watch it, we’ve got you covered with all of the essential information.

PlayStation State of Play April 2023: start time

PlayStation confirmed that the April 2023 State of Play will air on today, Thursday, April 13 and will begin precisely at 10pm BST / 5pm EDT / 2pm PDT. It failed to mention, however, just how long the livestream will last, but going by previous State of Play presentations it’d be sensible to assume that the show could range anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes.

The last State of Play was advertised as showcasing Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, granting players an extended 15-minute look of what to expect from all four of the heroes. That’s why it’d be wise to expect a similar timespan for this latest presentation aimed to highlight Final Fantasy 16. Just how much of the livestream Square Enix’s RPG will take, nobody knows exactly, but you can bet it’s sure to be a sizeable chunk.

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PlayStation State of Play April 2023: how to watch

The State of Play presentation will be available to watch over on PlayStation’s official YouTube and Twitch channels, meaning that it’s extremely hard to miss.

  • PlayStation YouTube channel
  • PlayStation Twitch channel

To make watching the State of Play April 2023 less stressful, we’ve been thoughtful enough to include the YouTube stream below. You’re welcome!

PlayStation State of Play April 2023: what to expect

The PlayStation State of Play April 2023 event is only confirmed to showcase Final Fantasy 16 so far – and nothing else. However, you’d be a fool to assume that this would be the only game set to be shown, as this is a rare opportunity for PlayStation to reaffirm what an exciting year 2023 could shape up to be for all things PS4 and PS5. Final Fantasy 16 is set to launch on June 22, 2023, but there’s a lot more that could be in store.

When it comes to other key PlayStation titles we could possibly get a look at, Sony hasn’t laid the groundwork for any new reveals, but teases and deep dives on other upcoming games that are known is entirely possible. Here’s what else we could see more of in today’s State of Play livestream:

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

One of the only confirmed first-party AAA titles to hit PS5 later this year is, of course, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. We’ve not heard much by way of release date since it was confirmed to be releasing in Fall 2023 in a December PlayStation Blog post. However, very recently Venom voice actor Tony Todd let slip that the superhero title is supposedly set to release in September, which means there’s not a lot of time to spin up the hype cycle.

The first Marvel’s Spider-Man was extremely well received upon release, but we’ve seen absolutely no gameplay of what to expect from the sequel. We know that Peter Parker and Miles Morales will both appear alongside Venom as one of the main villains, yet so far there’s been no indication as to what this sequel’s main hook or difference will be. Today’s State of Play would be a great opportunity to reveal this.

PSVR 2 titles

Although Sony’s PSVR 2 headset had a relatively strong launch lineup, with Horizon Zero Dawn spin-off Call of the Mountain being the platform’s tentpole release, it’s mostly been crickets by way of what to expect from first-party studios. 2023’s first State of Play presentation back in February had a large focus on PSVR 2 and its upcoming titles, but that was right around when the new hardware released and so it made sense to have it as a highlight of the show.

While mentioning PSVR 2 games so soon after the last State of Play doesn’t make a tonne of sense, PlayStation needs to do all it can to remind potential purchasers of its benefits. What better way to do this than to highlight PSVR 2 games coming up in the near future? Because while the only other first-party release set to come in 2023 is VR shooter Firewall: Ultra, there’s still an opportunity here to highlight third-party and indie games viewers might not already be aware of.

PS Plus February 2023: free games lineup includes a groovy treat for subscribersPS Plus February 2023: free games lineup includes a groovy treat for subscribers

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

At the time of writing, we now sit mere weeks away from the release of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Hype of Cal’s follow-up adventure in the galaxy far, far away is currently reaching its climax, thanks in part to The Mandalorian currently airing on Disney Plus and the various announcements made at Star Wars Celebration earlier this month. PlayStation could capitalise on this hype with a gameplay segment at today’s State of Play presentation.

We’re so close to the launch of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor now, it’d almost be foolish not to mention it in at least some capacity. The game is even highlighted on the PlayStation site ’s list of 23 games to look forward to most in 2023, so they’ve already shown precedent of wanting to promote EA’s upcoming jedi sequel.

Aaron Potter

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