Maybe you’re now the proud owner of a brand-new PlayStation 4 console, or maybe you’re a long-time PlayStation fan looking for something new to play. We’re huge fans of Sony’s current generation console ourselves, so whether you’re just starting out, or looking for something new to try, you can’t go wrong with our latest list of the top games available for PlayStation 4 right now.
This list will be updated on a regular basis as new games are released, and we’ll be keeping track of how long each game manages to stay in our top 9.
The Last of Us Remastered
At first glance, it seems like yet another post-apocalyptic adventure, but within its first fifteen minutes, The Last of Us sets itself apart from the rest of the genre. It’s a gritty, violent and dark journey where tragedy strikes frequently and without warning. But in The Last of Us, the light sometimes manages to break through the darkness. It tells one of the most emotionally resonant and morally complex stories ever told in this medium, anchored by brutal, suspenseful gameplay and fantastic performances by Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson as main characters Joel and Ellie. The game’s PlayStation 4 remaster, which brings with it updated visuals and the excellent Left Behind DLC, retains the original’s power. Unlike most other games, even including some on this list, The Last of Us not only belongs on any list of the best PlayStation 4 games, but on a list as one of the best videogames ever made.
ON OUR LIST FOR: 1 MONTH
God of War
A lot of people have preconceptions of what a God of War game should really look like: hours and hours of gratuitous violence and gore and an inordinately angry protagonist who in real-life would probably burst several blood vessels an hour. The latest God of War game however manages to buck that trend and subvert players’ expectations, having trimmed off the tiresome excess of games past and been polished to a mirror sheen. The franchise’s signature exhilarating and undeniably gory combat returns, this time alongside stirring and haunting music, and a tale of truly epic proportions. The rich depth of Norse mythology provides a new grounding point for a game that takes its aged protagonist and reinvents and revitalises him into someone worth caring about. While it’s still intense and violent this time around, God of War delivers an excellent father-son tale that gives the franchise what it’s lacked for so long: meaning. Add to that incredible visuals and extraordinary set pieces, and you have a game that’s quite possibly the best this franchise has ever been.
ON OUR LIST FOR: 1 MONTH
Horizon Zero Dawn
How often does science fiction involve going toe-to-toe with an armoured, three-storey tall robot dinosaur using only a bow? Not often. In Horizon Zero Dawn, the Nora Brave Aloy (wonderfully voiced and acted by Ashly Burch) sets out on a journey across a stunningly beautiful post-post-apocalyptic world filled with hostile machines on a quest to uncover the truth behind her birth. Horizon’s pulse-pounding, bracingly difficult combat rewards both ferocity and cleverness, while its incredible open world and its intelligent story, with twists that capture you and draw you into Aloy’s search for the truth, are nothing short of brilliant. And if that’s not enough, Horizon is just as much a technical marvel as a storytelling one, with drop-dead gorgeous 4K visuals that still mark the high point for PlayStation’s current generation games. For extra points, add the excellent Frozen Wilds expansion.
ON OUR LIST FOR: 1 MONTH
Marvel’s Spider-Man
PlayStation owners have been quite fortunate that a game which quite possibly stole the title of best superhero game away from the likes of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, belongs solely on their console. Marvel’s Spider-Man understands exactly why the character has such enduring popularity and captures it perfectly, distilling it into a superhero game unlike any other. It allows players to jump into the shoes of a Spider-Man at his prime, and swing through the vibrant streets of New York fighting crime. Combat is fluid, fast and fuelled by cool gadgets, while iconic allies and villains make appearances in a story that sees Peter Parker fall, and rise to the challenge of being a hero. It’s a rare game that makes the simple act of moving through its environment so fun that you actively avoid fast travel, but Spider-Man does just that. If you’re looking for your own superhero power fantasy, Spider-Man will fill that niche perfectly.
ON OUR LIST FOR: 1 MONTH
Detroit: Become Human
A truly unique story-focused science fiction game, Detroit: Become Human is a little different to some of the other games on our list. While it still has the high production value that’s pretty much standard for modern PlayStation exclusives, Detroit is all about its intriguing overarching narrative that tells the story of androids, created to be little more than slaves, becoming sentient. Thanks to its tactile control scheme, the game connects the player to its compelling central characters in a way that few games ever have. It does choice-based storytelling extremely well; where some games offer simple binary decision-making, or even the mere illusion of choice, Detroit offers a multitude of different choices and outcomes, creating a narrative web of impressive scale. And if that isn’t enough, it just so happens to be one of the PlayStation 4’s most beautiful games, with impressively detailed character models that are still the best of this current console generation. A worthy choice for players looking for a well-executed science-fiction story with immense depth.
ON OUR LIST FOR: 1 MONTH
Overwatch
Not many games can claim the distinction of being a cultural phenomenon, but Blizzard’s hit multiplayer game can. Overwatch, the only multiplayer game on our list, is the only one that really deserves to enter these hallowed halls. Okay, not exactly, but it got off to a great start at launch and it’s only gotten better since. Its ever-expanding and diverse cast of heroes (31 at last count), poppy and bright cartoon style, and intense team-focused gameplay have won over a loyal and dedicated fanbase of players both competitive and casual, cosplayers, and fan artists that most games are rightfully jealous of. Overwatch still continues to surge forward with boundless energy even three years on from launch. If you’re looking for a frankly habit-forming, polished-to-perfection online game that rewards teamwork and has a place for everyone, you can’t go wrong.
ON OUR LIST FOR: 1 MONTH
Resident Evil II
As terrifying as Resident Evil 7 is, Capcom’s remake of Resident Evil II just manages to edge ahead. Dragging its protagonists into a hellish nightmare and pitting them against unpredictable monsters that sometimes look all too familiar, it’s nothing less than a masterclass in survival horror. RE2 crafts an atmosphere of hair-raising electric tension, but sometimes it’s just content to let your imagination loose and fill in the blanks, using nothing more than the darkness and expert sound design to terrify you out of your wits. Couple that with the total ground-up reconstruction of the original game for the current console generation and well-crafted series staples including drastically limited resources and devious puzzles, and you have one of the best survival horror games in recent memory. And even when you think you’ve finished your time in RE2’s house of horrors, it pushes you back in to experience it all over again.
ON OUR LIST FOR: 1 MONTH
Red Dead Redemption 2
Anyone who’s ever wanted to live out their fantasies of being a gun-slinging cowboy can do so in Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar’s latest game takes immersion farther than any other game before it, with an impressive commitment to detail and achieving its ultimate aim of combining a sandbox world with the themes and tone of an old-school Western movie. Red Dead Redemption 2’s world lives and breathes, with intriguing encounters on the trail and a story about flawed men and women savagely railing in vain against the encroach of a civilisation that wants nothing more than to destroy their way of life. In the world it creates, the Wild West frontier is still open for the player to explore, and there’s hundreds if not thousands of things to do before that era draws to a close. A technical achievement, worthy of exploration by players who want to sink hundreds of hours into exploring a richly detailed recreation of the frontier.
ON OUR LIST FOR: 1 MONTH
What Remains of Edith Finch
What Remains of Edith Finch does in two hours what many other games fail to do in twenty. While walking simulator games can certainly be polarising, this is one that offers much more than meets the eye. Richly imaginative and incorporating key elements of the magical-realist genre, What Remains of Edith Finch draws the player into its incredibly detailed family home and spends the next two hours documenting the fates of its former occupants using a beautiful soundtrack and amazing vignettes that allow the player to break free of the confines of the house and explore the world in many different times and places, from many different perspectives. Over time, it blurs the lines between fantasy and reality and offers a moving tribute to the transitory nature of human life, anchored by the voice talent of Valerie Rose Lohman who, as Edith Finch, adds captivating narration. Beguiling and utterly hypnotic, it’s an experience unlike any other.
ON OUR LIST FOR: 1 MONTH
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