Ah the PlayStation 4. While not quite as fantastic as the PS2, it’s undoubtedly one of the best consoles of all time, offering up dozens of unbelievably impressive titles over its lifespan. Now with the PlayStation 5 looming, it’s time to take a look back at the very best titles the PS4 enriched our lives with.
The Last of Us Remastered
While technically The Last of Us dropped on the PlayStation 3, the Remastered version is one of the best titles you can buy for the PS4. The upscaled version of the game dropped in 2014, and I don’t think a day’s gone by where I don’t think about how jaw-droppingly perfect this Naughty Dog title really is.
God of War
God of War scooped Game of the Year at The Game Awards back when it launched in 2018, and for good reason. The Santa Monica Studio reboot of the classic franchise was met with huge applause, and a sequel is one of the most highly-anticipated PS5 games. If you haven’t yet played it, prepare yourself for amazing combat and a heart-wrenching story.
Persona 5
Persona 5 – about to get its expanded remaster – proved there’s still life in the traditional turn-based JRPG. With style running through every element of its design it’s no surprise that this title drew perfect review scores from many outlets. And with a playtime in excess of 100 hours this is the perfect game to make a project of.
Marvel’s Spider-Man
Marvel’s Spider-Man from Insomniac Games managed to capture the spirit and imagination of the PS2 classic superhero games, with the unbelievable web-swinging physics mechanics of a current-gen console. We loved you Spidey, and we will continue to love you, Spidey.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
The perfect ending to the story of Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4 remains one of the best adventure games of all time. The story follows Drake as he struggles to balance his new domestic life with his adventurous heart. Featuring amazing graphics, quick-wit humour and one of the best endings to a game series ever, UC4 will forever be one of the best titles you can get on PS4.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawn continues to be one of the most beautiful and exciting worlds you can explore on PS4. The Guerrilla Games classic may be headed to PC this year, but it’s a PlayStation staple that’s an absolute treat to behold. Play as Aloy in a post-apocalyptic world that blends futuristic robots in a prehistoric landscape. What more do you need?
Bloodborne
Bloodborne set the tone for quality early in this console generation, single-handedly selling many PS4s to avid players who have continued to discover secrets buried in its depths. Inspired by eldritch horror, it plunged players into a nightmare replete with gruesome characters and monsters to battle. With rumours of a potential sequel in the works, this is definitely one worth revisiting in the months spent waiting for PS5 to drop.
Dreams
2020’s Dreams is essentially a game dev toolkit packaged up as a game. Play through Community-made levels or create your own. Your only limitation in Dreams is your own imagination, and oh boy, there’s some amazing creations out there thanks to this game and its devs at Media Molecule.
Detroit: Become Human
Detroit: Become Human is a narrative-focused game that’s more cinematic than anything else. Become Human really pushed the boundaries of what a game can be, and with some of the best animation of this console generation plus one heck of a thought-provoking story, it’s easy to see why this game is so important.
P.T
Okay, okay. P.T might not be a fully-fledged game and it might not even be a game that’s actually available anymore, but it’s one heck of a story and one of the best experiences available on PS4. Gamescom 2014 saw the reveal of a new “indie horror game,” immediately available as a demo via the PlayStation Network. Known as “P.T,” the game announcement was sandwiched between some pretty big news, and was glossed over very quickly by the whole event.
That “indie horror game” revealed secrets that no-one expected. It took mere hours for its puzzles to be solved and for the true nature of P.T to become clear: “P.T” stood for playable teaser, and was in fact, a game announcement for a Hideo Kojima-led Silent Hill game known as Silent Hills. Sadly, the game was canned before it got made, but that doesn’t stop us holding out hope for a spiritual successor to what is one of the most heart-stopping horrors on the PS4.
Honorable Mentions
The PS4 isn’t just the home of amazing exclusives though: it’s also a gaming powerhouse for some absolute classics. Here are GameByte’s top games you can play on a PS4:
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Journey
- Undertale
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- Resident Evil 2 Remake
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- Minecraft
- Spyro: Reignited Trilogy
Featured Image Credit: Sony