Sword of the Sea PS5: Price, Gameplay, and Playtime

Is Sword of the Sea Available on PS5?

Sword of the Sea PS5 turns rolling dunes into surf breaks, with a Hoversword carrying you across a world waiting for its ocean to return. Released on August 19, 2025, Giant Squid’s single-player adventure combines fast movement, exploration, and platforming. Its roughly two- to three-hour journey makes it manageable in an evening, with optional tricks and collectibles giving you reasons to keep exploring.

You play as the Wraith, awakened in the Necropolis and tasked with uncovering an ancient sea buried beneath the land. The journey takes you through deserts, glacial mountains, and the ruins of a lost civilization, restoring water and aquatic life along the way.

The game supports PS5 and carries the PS5 Pro Enhanced designation. A standard PS5 can play it; owning a Pro is optional.

PS5 Price and PlayStation Plus Access

The regular U.S. price is $29.99. A 30% discount brings it to $20.99, with the offer ending 11/5/2026 07:59 AM UTC.

Image: Steam / Giant Squid

You can purchase the game through the Sword of the Sea PlayStation page.

It also launched as a day-one inclusion for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers. Check the current Game Catalog on your account before buying if you subscribe to either tier.

The adventure is designed for one player. Its restored seas might fill with swimming and flying creatures, but your journey through them is a solo experience.

How Hoversword Surfing and Platforming Work

The Hoversword combines the movement of a skateboard, snowboard, and surfboard. You build momentum, launch from waves and ramps, grind rails, and use wall rides to move through environments shaped around flowing movement.

Image: Steam / Giant Squid

Speed matters beyond the trick system. Later platforming asks you to approach certain jumps with enough momentum to clear the gap. Falling into an abyss sends you back to solid ground with a brief reset, keeping mistakes from becoming lengthy interruptions.

Keep these mechanics in mind while learning the movement:

• Build speed before longer jumps. Give yourself room to accelerate before reaching the edge.
• Use ramps and wave crests for airtime. They create opportunities for flips, spins, and grabs.
• Practice tricks separately from difficult crossings. Mastering aerial techniques is optional, so concentrate on landing when navigating unfamiliar terrain.

There are also simple environmental puzzles that ask you to examine your surroundings. Expect occasional pauses to understand a space between stretches of fast surfing.

Collectibles and Trick Unlocks

Collectible currency unlocks additional aerial tricks. Searching for it can pull you away from the direct route, while lore messages provide more context about the civilization whose ruins you’re riding through.

Explore side routes when you want more movement options, and stop at lore messages when you want the world’s history. You can also keep moving and let the changing landscapes carry much of the story.

How Long Is the Game, and What Does New Game Plus Add?

Allow roughly two to three hours for a first trip through the main adventure. Searching for secrets, reading lore, and practicing tricks gives you more to do beyond simply reaching the credits.

Image: Steam / Giant Squid

New Game Plus retains your unlocked trick upgrades, letting you replay with a broader set of moves already available. It also adds optional HUD elements showing your speed and technique scores.

That changes the rhythm of another run. Familiar routes let you concentrate on linking movement together, while retained upgrades give you more opportunities to experiment with aerial tricks.

Use a replay to pursue remaining trick unlocks or work on scores. You can also leave the extra HUD elements off and enjoy moving through familiar spaces without watching the numbers.

The World, Music, and Connection to Journey

Giant Squid developed ABZÛ and The Pathless, while creative director Matt Nava also worked on Journey. That creative connection comes through in the monumental architecture, expressive landscapes, and storytelling built around a largely silent protagonist.

Restoring the ocean creates the adventure’s defining visual transformations. Dry stretches become emerald waterways, and aquatic creatures return in shoals that move through the air. The world changes around your actions, giving the journey a visible sense of renewal.

Austin Wintory’s orchestral score accompanies those transformations, moving between quieter passages and sweeping musical peaks. His soundtrack won a GRAMMY in 2026.

Leave room to slow down between jumps. Alongside its speedy surfing, the game includes encounters with aquatic animals you can ride, including turtles—an opportunity to experience these spaces at a very different pace.