When it comes to the “best PlayStation console of all time” most gamers will generally choose the PS2. Yes, it was an exceptional machine that altered the playing field in an unprecedented way, and yes it did have a library of hundreds of games, but consider, for a minute, the PS4.
The PS5 might be the big kid on the block right now but PS4 games are still being released. Indeed, there’s still only a handful of PS5 exclusive games on the market even two years after the console launched. The PS4, meanwhile, is home to the largest library of games in the history of PlayStation.
From indie titles and blockbusters to tentpole franchises, hidden gems, and everything in between, there are literally thousands of games available on the platform and hundreds more are still due to drop in the coming months. But what are the absolute barnstormers that every PS4 owner should have on their shelf? As the console starts to wind down after a solid decade, let’s have a look at some of the very best PS4 games of all time.
God of War
The God of War franchise had arguably written itself into a very violet corner by the time this incredible reimagining came along in 2018. It took a two-dimensional character in Kratos, the titular God of War, and transformed him into a more likable protagonist by virtue of his relationship with his son, Atreus. The tight gameplay and astonishing graphics helped, of course, but it was the compelling narrative at the heart of the game that made it a true system seller.
The Last of Us Remastered
Without this game, it’s likely the previous entry on our list wouldn’t exist. This harrowing post-apocalyptic take on the zombie survival horror genre did for games what Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” did for literature. It’s an incredible story that is now being made into a big-budget series and while the sequel is technically the only PS4 exclusive, given that it first came out on the PS3 it’s the original that still ticks all the right boxes for us.
Marvel’s Spider-Man
Nobody ever thought a Spider-Man game could beat the dizzying highs of Spider-Man 2 on the PS2 but Insomniac really pulled it all out of the bag with this one. The physics, the combat system, and the story are all some of the best in the system, towering over Arkham Knight by quite some margin. It offered a feeling of complete freedom that only one other game has managed to capture since – the sequel.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Again, the sequel is definitely the better game, but it was also obviously built for the PS5. The first Horizon game took a bizarre cyberpunk dinosaur concept and ran with it, resulting in some of the most rewarding and challenging gameplay on the console. It’s one of those games that grips you from the very first moment and while the open world might seem a little too open at times, it represented a bold new IP for Sony and one of the PS4’s very best exclusives.
