The 50 Best PS4 Games Of All Time

At time of writing, the PlayStation 4 is the fifth best-selling console of all time, managing to shift an astonishing 117.2 million units across its lifetime.

Technically, of course, the PS4 is still going strong; many games are still being produced for the console, and while support is arguably winding down now, the PS5 hasn’t quite supplanted the PS4 just yet.

Still, since Sony appears to be getting ready to sunset the little black monolith that could, we thought now would be a good time to look at the best the PS4 library has to offer.

The mixture of genres available on PS4 is pretty impressive; whether you’re into cosy life sims, hardcore action-RPGs, or sweeping, immersive open-world games, you’ll find something to love on PS4, and there’s never been a better time to revisit the console’s library.

Without further ado, here are the top 30 PS4 games of all time!

1. Bloodborne

• Genre: Action

It really doesn’t get much better than From Software’s horror masterpiece.

If you’ve played Dark Souls or Elden Ring, you’ll know what to expect from Bloodborne; a high difficulty level, a focus on exploration, and tense third-person hack-and-slash combat against a range of enemies.

We don’t want to spoil Bloodborne’s surprises, but things very much don’t end up where they start out, and what begins as a straightforward descent into the city of Yharnam to slay beasts takes some strange and unsettling turns.

Of course, it’s entirely possible to completely ignore the story and treat Bloodborne as a series of high-intensity boss battles punctuated by some of the most intricate levels created for a PS4 game, and you’ll still get a great experience if you do that.

Still, Bloodborne is best approached as a hybrid between Soulslike hack-and-slash action RPG and genuinely unnerving horror masterpiece.

2. The Last of Us Part II

• Genre: Action-Adventure

Like Bloodborne, The Last of Us Part II isn’t for everyone. Also like Bloodborne, it’s a horror game, although the horror here is very different.

Picking up where the last game left off, The Last of Us Part II offers more semi-linear explorations through post-apocalyptic America, complete with brutal, bone-crunching and highly unpleasant combat.

The story has proven divisive, but The Last of Us Part II is undeniably a milestone in gaming, and it deserves to be experienced and talked about, whether that’s in defence of its many plot twists or in criticism.

Gameplay-wise, The Last of Us Part II expands on the scrappy stealth-action of its predecessor, upping the ante when it comes to enemy AI and expanding levels so they’re a little more complex and sprawling.

3. God of War Ragnarok

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: November 9, 2022

It’s almost a miracle that Sony’s followup to the very well-received 2018 God of War (which may well appear on this list) was released for PS4, but thankfully, those of us without a PS5 still got to experience it.

Kratos’ journey through the Nine Realms in an attempt to prevent the titular Ragnarok is hugely compelling from a narrative perspective, and its combat is just as satisfying as ever.

The exploration and puzzle side of things might leave a little to be desired, but this is a mighty, monumental adventure full of wonderful things to see.

It’s still remarkable that Sony managed to take a franchise like God of War and give it something to say; God of War Ragnarok represents the final moment of the redemption arc for what was previously one of gaming’s least likeable characters in Kratos.

4. Persona 5 Royal

• Genre: Role-playing
• Release date: October 31, 2019

It’s hard to make an argument that Persona 5 Royal isn’t the best JRPG the PS4 has to offer.

Across over a hundred hours of content, Persona 5 Royal tells the story of the Phantom Thieves, a group of youngsters who delve into a shadow realm in order to change the hearts of twisted adults around them.

It’s all told through an impossibly stylish visual aesthetic that pops and crackles with each battle, but the real heart is the characters themselves, who are endlessly endearing and likeable.

The Royal version of the game adds in extra characters for the Phantom Thieves, as well as an additional chunk of story content that will easily take your play time over the 100-hour mark (if the base game didn’t already do that).

5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

• Genre: Action, RPG
• Release date: May 18, 2015

There really is no substitute for excellent storytelling when it comes to crafting a satisfying open-world action-RPG experience, as CD Projekt Red can attest.

The Witcher 3 is the first of the series that feels truly essential. It follows Geralt of Rivia on his journey to find his adoptive daughter Ciri, who’s being tracked by a fae force known as the Wild Hunt.

The main story is pretty compelling, but it’s the side content where The Witcher 3 truly shines. You’ll get lost for hours upon hours just helping people with their problems.

Even a quest that starts out as innocuous as helping someone look for a frying pan can quickly turn into something more complex and intriguing, such is the power of The Witcher 3’s storycraft. 

The highlight is the Bloody Baron quest chain, which we won’t spoil because it really is best experienced with no prior knowledge.

6. Gran Turismo 7

• Genre: Racing
• Release date: March 4, 2022

Just like God of War Ragnarok, it feels strange that Gran Turismo 7 graced the PS4 as well as the PS5, but we’re glad it did, because it means more people get to experience Polyphony’s excellent racer.

The emphasis here is very much on realistic simulation-style gameplay, but Gran Turismo 7 extends a hand to all kinds of racing fans, so it’s not just for gearheads.

The monetisation is a little excessive, but this is a beautiful, well-crafted racer that keeps on giving even after you think it’s done.

Each of Gran Turismo 7’s cars is painstakingly rendered and beautifully crafted, leading to a real sense of verisimilitude that’s been at the core of the franchise ever since it walked its first tentative steps on the original PlayStation.

Tracks, too, feel great to race around thanks to the care and attention with which they’ve been built.

7. Final Fantasy VII Remake

• Genre: Action, RPG
• Release date: April 10, 2020

Final Fantasy VII Remake is named thus for a reason. This isn’t just a reworking of the original game; it’s a reimagining, with everything that word brings as baggage.

As such, the original game’s story has been significantly expanded, complete with a new and very controversial ending that may sweep you up or completely lose you depending on your predilections.

Either way, Final Fantasy VII Remake’s excellent action-oriented combat, superb writing, and nostalgic affection for the original make it well worth a look.

If you prefer the turn-based approach, you’ll find that you can tweak the combat system to give yourself a little more time to breathe, but the high-octane battle system is best experienced in all its action-packed glory.

Final Fantasy VII Remake also finds time to fix some of the original’s more problematic elements, including the rather controversial Honeybee Inn section.

8. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: May 10, 2016

The Uncharted series is the byword for cinematic action on PlayStation (and now on PC). These aren’t highly interactive games, but they are hugely enjoyable.

Nathan Drake returns for what will probably turn out to be his final outing. Approached by his long-lost brother for one more heist, Drake is pulled into another globe-trotting adventure.

If you know Uncharted, you’ll know this one doesn’t really break new ground, instead opting to offer comfortable thrills that are perfect for a few evenings’ entertainment.

If this will be your first Uncharted game, you can look forward to an emphasis on cinematic action that involves climbing and running through predetermined (if massively impressive) setpieces, as well as third-person shooter combat that’s been polished to a mirror sheen.

9. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: March 22, 2019

This won’t be the last time From Software appears on this list, since pretty much everything the studio does is essential to experience.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice takes the by-now classic Souls formula and spruces it up with an immensely satisfying parry mechanic that’s very hard to learn, but impossibly rewarding to master.

Good thing, too, because this is easily the most challenging adventure in the From Software oeuvre. There’s no help for you if you don’t master its controls; perseverance and determination will be rewarded, but failure will be punished.

The world of Ashina is exciting to explore, too, thanks to a grappling hook that opens up the levels and gives them more verticality. 

This might be one of From Software’s smaller worlds, but it doesn’t feel small thanks to the amount of leaping and diving you’ll be doing as you explore.

10. Resident Evil 2

• Genre: Horror
• Release date: January 25, 2019

This remake of the clunky PS1 original takes everything that was excellent about that game and removes pretty much everything that didn’t work.

What’s left is a smooth, satisfying survival horror experience that feels tense, claustrophobic, and frantic, balancing its resource allocation expertly to make you feel like you’re always just on the cusp of losing everything.

With two separate campaigns that diverge in significant and interesting ways, Resident Evil 2 is worth multiple playthroughs to see everything it has to offer.

Taking Resident Evil 4’s over-the-shoulder perspective as its base, Resident Evil 2 successfully reinvents the clunky tank control-based original, retaining the fantastic monster design and emphasis on exploration.

It also takes inspiration from Resident Evil 3’s Nemesis, letting the terrifying Mr. X loose in the corridors of the Raccoon City Police Department. His footsteps herald his arrival, and you’ll be frantically scrambling to hide every time he appears.

11. Elden Ring

• Genre: Action, RPG
• Release date: February 25, 2022

Elden Ring’s relatively low position on this list should absolutely not be taken as an indication that it’s somehow “worse” than the games listed above.

This open-world Soulslike RPG is packed to the brim with incredible things to see, most of which are going to try to murder you within seconds of finding them.

No open-world game nails the feeling of discovery and wonder quite like Elden Ring does, with the possible exception of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

If Elden Ring doesn’t represent some kind of paradigm shift in the way massive open-world games are developed, then the gaming industry will have missed out on a massive opportunity to make AAA games a hundred percent more enjoyable.

Of course, the game’s high difficulty level won’t be for everyone, but its focus on organic exploration makes it one of the greatest open-world experiences ever made.

12. NieR: Automata

• Genre: Action, RPG
• Release date: February 23, 2017

The NieR series is a very odd duck indeed. Pairing ambitious storytelling with often-clunky combat, the games are just as interesting to talk about as they are to play.

NieR: Automata sees series creator Yoko Taro teaming up with Bayonetta developer Platinum Games, bringing that studio’s signature frantic combat to a desolate world full of androids dreaming of humanity.

We don’t want to give away NieR: Automata’s many excellent surprises, but suffice it to say that like Bloodborne, this one very much doesn’t end up where it starts.

It can be a frustrating experience at times, especially when repetition sets in as you’re exploring the world and completing side quests, but stick with this one and try to overcome any minor grievances you might have. It gets significantly more interesting as you progress, we promise.

13. Resident Evil 4

• Genre: Horror
• Release date: March 23, 2023

Rather than the port of the original game, we’re talking strictly about the remake here, which modernises a classic in a fascinating way.

Dialling down the original game’s high camp aesthetic in favour of more overt horror theming, Resident Evil 4 tightens the combat, improves the visuals, and fixes some of what didn’t work about the original.

All of that makes for a highly compelling game that loses none of the original’s claustrophobic terror while still injecting some new and original scares of its own.

With huge new areas to explore, reworked characterisation, and the removal of some of the original’s more ridiculous moments (and de-emphasised quicktime events, hurrah!), Resident Evil 4 has successfully supplanted its predecessor as an essential purchase.

14. Undertale

• Genre: RPG
• Release date: September 15, 2015

Make no mistake: Undertale is, or should be, a watershed moment in video game history. It’s a real advancement of the medium, showing what can be done when game mechanics are considered integral to storytelling.

Frustratingly for a list like this, Undertale is another game that shouldn’t be talked about too extensively, because doing so would ruin its many and varied surprises.

Suffice it to say that if you love quirky RPGs like Earthbound and you have any interest whatsoever in the way video games can uniquely tell stories, then Undertale is a must-play.

The combat system, which combines turn-based JRPG-inspired battling with bullet hell shooter dodging mechanics, is great, and developer Toby Fox consistently finds interesting ways to iterate on the system and its core ideas over the course of Undertale’s running time.

15. Horizon Zero Dawn

• Genre:RPG
• Release date: February 28, 2017

Follow-up Horizon Forbidden West has much to recommend it, but for our money, Horizon Zero Dawn is the superior game thanks to its more urgent story and better characterisation.

Aloy’s journey throughout the post-apocalyptic United States isn’t anywhere near as dour or depressing as The Last of Us; rather, it’s a colourful (if somewhat emotionally muted) odyssey full of robot dinosaurs to slay.

While that might sound exciting, perhaps the real triumph of Zero Dawn is its excellent story, which manages to tie up pretty much every loose end it introduces over the course of its running time.

If you’re not interested in the story, though, you can still have a great time hunting Horizon Zero Dawn’s robotic animals, which often take serious advance planning to take down.

This isn’t quite Monster Hunter, but it certainly has its moments, and the sense of reward when bringing down a particularly massive and troublesome beast is worth the hassle.

16. Dark Souls III

• Genre: RPG
• Release date: March 24, 2016

Okay, we promise we’re done with From Software now. Dark Souls III is probably going to be the final entry in the Dark Souls series, and that’s very much what it feels like.

There’s a sense of hopeless desperation shot through the lands and creatures of Lothric; it feels like the world is trying to fight its inevitable end and failing at every turn.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you’re not still getting a brutally difficult, expertly-tuned action RPG full of varied enemies to fight and dungeons to explore, but don’t expect a happy ending from this one.

Dark Souls III has some pretty uneven boss design, but the series has always had its peaks and troughs in this area, and it’s fair to say that this third instalment still finds ways to innovate and surprise, even though it’s treading familiar ground.

What’s more, fans of the original Dark Souls have more than a few surprises in store for them, so if you love that game, this third title is the perfect way to say goodbye to the series.

17. Titanfall 2

• Genre: Shooter
• Release date: October 28, 2016

In Titanfall 2, Respawn crafted an incredible single-player campaign that far too few people played, all but ensuring that Titanfall 3 is very unlikely.

That’s a real shame, because Titanfall 2 has one of the best shooter story modes we’ve played in a very long time thanks to its parkour mechanics, tight shooting, and affecting story.

The multiplayer is solid as well, of course, but if you play Titanfall 2, you’ll do so largely for the single-player mode, and rightfully so.

It’s perhaps especially galling that Titanfall 2 was so good considering that its sales seemingly weren’t anywhere near as strong as they needed to be to ensure a followup.

Apex Legends is great, of course, but we’ll always wonder what Titanfall 3 might have brought to the table. If you’re reading this, Respawn, it’s not too late!

18. Red Dead Redemption 2

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: October 26, 2018

While Grand Theft Auto V is a solid game in its own right, it falls flat when it comes to storytelling, which isn’t a criticism we’d level at Red Dead Redemption 2.

This Western epic takes place before Red Dead Redemption and follows Arthur Morgan, a member of an outlaw gang run by Dutch van der Linde.

This is very much a deconstructionist Western; the heroes of Sergio Leone’s movies are nowhere to be seen here, replaced by ordinary people just trying to live their lives in a world in which they’re not sure they belong.

Red Dead Redemption 2’s commitment to realism is admirable and has been well-documented; this game is a monument to AAA-level attention to detail.

That does mean that it can occasionally be a little dull to engage with the game’s mechanics, but RDR2 always finds a way to pull you back in, whether that’s through compelling storytelling, impressive visuals, or sheer scale.

19. God of War

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: April 04, 2018

We’ll admit it: we’re less crazy about Sony’s 2018 God of War reboot than many others are, but we’re still including it on this list because its accomplishments deserve to be celebrated.

God of War took an inherently unlikeable character in Kratos and redeemed him, giving him emotional depth and weight by showing his painful journey to bond with his son Atreus.

The combat is a little unbalanced and the game has a tendency to patronise the player, but God of War is a great adventure that you’ll likely love all the more if you don’t already love the originals.

Thankfully, said combat is also weighty and satisfying. There’s something about hurling around Kratos’ axe while Atreus gets off the occasional arrow shot that feels great, and the included skill tree’s additional moves and augments add to your arsenal in fun and diverse ways.

20. Ghost of Tsushima

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: July 17, 2020

Ghost of Tsushima’s open-world design feels a little tired and dated by 2020’s standards, but it’s held aloft by astonishing visuals and presentation, as well as a great story.

Jin Sakai is a samurai who has lived his life by a code of honour, but when Mongols invade, he must choose: will he uphold his philosophy or become the thing he hates to protect those he loves?

The gameplay reinforces the story’s themes expertly, presenting Jin with constant choices between going in all swords blazing or taking the dishonourable path by sneaking around instead.

Ghost of Tsushima doesn’t have much to offer in terms of innovation. You’re not going to find Breath of the Wild’s climb-anything system here; this is very much a Horizon Zero Dawn-esque “do the activities we tell you to do” open world.

WIth that said, when a game is this breathtakingly beautiful, does it really need to innovate?

21. Monster Hunter: World

• Genre: RPG
• Release date: January 26, 2018

For many, Monster Hunter: World served as an introduction to the long-running Monster Hunter franchise, and with good reason; it’s a more accessible and open take on the formula.

Monster Hunter: World sees players delving into massive semi-open environments and hunting down monsters by tracking them, entering into desperate struggles for survival once the creatures are found.

If you manage to fell a monster, you can then use its constituent parts to craft new weapons and armour for yourself, theoretically making the next fight just a little easier.

It’s not uncommon to spend almost an hour hunting a single monster in Monster Hunter World, so this is a game for the methodical planner and not the spur-of-the-moment thrillseeker.

22. Wolfenstein: The New Order

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: May 19, 2014

Nobody expected Machine Games to inject real emotion and soul into the Wolfenstein franchise, but that’s exactly what The New Order represents.

It stars a tired and jaded B.J. Blazkowicz fighting off a Nazi force that never seems to diminish in zeal or numbers, but it’s also not above a little tongue-in-cheek spacebound exploration.

Whether you’ve never played a Wolfenstein game or you’re a devout fan of the franchise, this feels like an excellent reinvention of the classic formula.

The gameplay is solid, too, combining stealth and out-and-out action in a way that always feels like both approaches are viable and satisfying.

It’s a strange and somewhat niche thing to praise, but this game also features some of the most fascinating collectibles we’ve ever seen in the form of alternative pop songs that add a terrifying Nazi twist to classic 60s music.

23. Control

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: August 27, 2019

Remedy has always struggled to balance gameplay with storytelling, but in Control, the studio finally manages to find the perfect mixture of addictive (if slightly unbalanced) gameplay and narrative prowess.

You are Jesse Faden, a young woman who has come to the Federal Bureau of Control in search of her missing brother. Once there, she somehow finds herself appointed the new director of the facility, so it’s up to her to deal with the encroaching Hiss, a monstrous force that takes over the bodies of its victims.

Control’s real strength is in its worldbuilding rather than its frenetic and wonky combat; the Bureau feels like a real place, and it’s full of fascinating things to see and do.

Unfortunately, Jesse herself is arguably the weak link; she’s not particularly well-written, coming across as equal parts determined, clueless, and standoffish, and she never quite coalesces into a believable human being.

Thankfully, the combat and exploration do more than enough to make up for that problem.

24. Ratchet and Clank

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: April 12, 2016

While Ratchet and Clank lacks the teeth of its forebears, it makes up for this deficiency with some of the tightest and most satisfying platform-shooter combat we’ve seen.

The game loosely follows the events of the associated movie, which was released around the same time, but you don’t need to have seen the movie to enjoy the game.

That’s because this is also a loose remake of the PS2 original, so it serves as a great entry point for anyone who’s yet to discover the Ratchet and Clank franchise’s many joys.

Those joys include addictive combat that lets you loose with a variety of hilarious weapons, as well as minigames that include races, arena challenges, and more.

Ratchet and Clank also lets you backtrack to stages you’ve already been to in order to unlock new extras, meaning that you can spend hours exploring its colourful cartoon environments if you like.

25. Marvel’s Spider-Man

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: September 7, 2018

Just like Elden Ring, Marvel’s Spider-Man’s position on this list shouldn’t be taken as an indication that it’s not a superb game. Indeed, Spider-Man is excellent, even if it does play things a little safe.

Swinging through Manhattan feels superb thanks to a responsive and accurate web system, and combat is fast and fluid, meaning it’s always a joy to happen upon a random crime and foil it before it gets serious.

Spider-Man does sometimes feel the need to throw in extraneous gameplay systems (non-superpowered stealth, anyone?), but at its core, it’s a hugely enjoyable experience.

Boss fights don’t really pick up until the second half of the game, but when they arrive, they’ll make you wonder why Sony and Insomniac held out on you for so long.

In addition, the way Spider-Man tells the now well-worn story of Otto Octavius and his fall from grace (spoilers!) injects new empathy into the character, which is an impressive feat given how often we’ve seen this narrative played out.

26. Batman: Arkham Knight

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: June 23, 2015

Speaking of great-if-slightly-overstuffed superhero sandboxes, Batman: Arkham Knight is the culmination of the Arkham trilogy, which began in 2009 with Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Batman’s arsenal has significantly expanded since that game, and so has the size of his sandbox, which is why this game introduces the Batmobile as an additional traversal method.

Despite feeling a little baggy in places, Arkham Knight is as close to the definitive Batman experience as you’re likely to get, so if you haven’t played it yet, it’s well worth your time.

There are some great side activities to enjoy in Arkham Knight as well, many of them revolving around some of Batman’s best (and, in some cases, unfairly obscure) villains.

The sidequest in which Batman must investigate a series of bizarrely operatic murders springs to mind, as does a surprise encounter out in the open world which we won’t spoil for you.

27. Yakuza 0

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: March 12, 2015

No list of the best PS4 games would be complete without a visit to the Yakuza franchise, which changed its name in the West to Like a Dragon in 2023.

Yakuza 0 is a prequel that follows Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima during their earliest adventure, which involves an empty plot of land in the neon-drenched district of Kamurocho.

The plot is convoluted and compelling at the same time, but it’s Yakuza 0’s bizarre range of side activities that make it memorable, including running a hostess club, helping a dominatrix become better at her job, and more.

It helps that Yakuza 0’s core combat is strong, too, giving both Kiryu and Majima several different combat styles to work with and rewarding experimentation with those styles.

If you’ve ever wondered why Majima is…well, the way he is, and how Kiryu is able to tank so much pain without batting an eyelid, then Yakuza 0 is a must-play.

28. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: September 01, 2015

Oh, Metal Gear Solid V. Where did it all go wrong? We know that’s not an encouraging thing to hear on a list of the best games for the PS4, but trust us, we’re going somewhere with this.

Metal Gear Solid V is a hugely satisfying and playable stealth adventure with an incredible core gameplay loop and a huge range of activities to pursue across its open-world environments.

It’s also obviously desperately unfinished, with a story that doesn’t go anywhere and a number of plot elements that feel hopelessly unresolved. With a few more months in development, this could have been truly special, but it’s still well worth experiencing just for that excellent stealth gameplay.

There are also one or two truly special moments during the story that feel like glimpses into the Metal Gear Solid V we could have gotten if only Konami and Kojima had been able to work out their differences. Alas, ‘twas not to be, but at least we still have this incomplete gem.

29. Dreams

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: February 14, 2020

Media Molecule is a developer that’s well-known for creating experiences that revolve around user-generated content, but Dreams does away with pretty much everything except the UGC.

It’s essentially a game creation kit masquerading as a game, empowering its users to create everything from rhythm-action games to RPGs and whatever your mind can conjure in between.

Unfortunately, live support for Dreams ended in 2023, but Media Molecule is still planning to keep the servers alive, so now is still a good time to get into creating content in Dreams.

People have managed to create some truly special games and experiences within Dreams, including things for which the “game” was arguably never meant.

The beating heart of Media Molecule games has always been their community, and Dreams really is no different, so give it a shot if you want to see how creative gamers can really be.

30. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

• Genre: RPG
• Release date: July 29, 2017

You likely already know where you stand on the Dragon Quest franchise. Either you think they’re consistently addictive and charming adventures, or their repetition leaves you cold.

If you’re in the former camp, Dragon Quest XI will provide hours upon hours of entertainment. It’s a highly polished and beautiful JRPG with a few little twists on the formula to keep you entertained.

The story is more of a presence here than it often is in Dragon Quest, too, so if your beef with the franchise has been its casual relationship with narrative, then Dragon Quest XI might be a great place for you to start.

Dragon Quest XI is very much a comfort game; it doesn’t have the restless experimentation of Final Fantasy or the incredible panache of Persona, but it feels like being wrapped in a warm, bucolic hug.

31. Doom

• Genre: Shooter
• Release date: May 13, 2016

It’s difficult to find fault with id Software’s Doom reboot, which was released in 2016 after spending a pretty long time in development.

This is the game that effectively kicked off the modern wave of “boomer shooter” revivals; it wasn’t the first shooter to go back to basics, but it was certainly the most high-profile.

You’ll find no automatically regenerating health or clumsy set piece-based combat here. Doom is all high-octane energy all the time, and it radiates hostile violence, from its “glory kill” animations all the way through to its immensely satisfying weapons.

The story is, of course, complete nonsense, but infamously, the Doom Slayer himself seems to know this; a telling sequence early on sees him grabbing a screen that’s currently spouting exposition at him and ripping it off its hinges, silencing it in one fell swoop.

32. Grand Theft Auto V

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: September 17, 2013

Props to Rockstar’s crime sandbox: it knows how to keep the party going. GTA Online can’t be described as anything but a runaway success; it’s still going strong today, despite being ten years old at time of writing.

The single-player story in GTA V is a disappointing step backwards compared to that of GTA IV, though. It’s less mature, less well-written, and much less meaningful, largely thanks to some astonishing tonal missteps that feel poorly-executed.

With that said, there’s still some fun to be had in GTA V’s single-player mode. Cruising around the streets of Los Santos as one of three protagonists, each of whom can access different side missions, never loses its lustre.

Once you’re done with GTA V, you can move on to GTA Online, where you’ll find a huge amount of content to enjoy, either alongside your friends or with randoms (although we’d strongly recommend bringing some buddies).

33. Fortnite

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: July 21, 2017

It almost seems strange to include Fortnite on a list of the best PS4 games of all time. Epic Games’ immensely popular battle royale shooter feels like it’s been around forever, even though it technically debuted during the PS4 era.

Fortnite is pretty much whatever you want it to be. If you want it to be a competitive battle royale shooter in which players can build structures and snipe one another from atop homemade towers, it can be that.

Alternatively, if you’d rather cut the building out altogether and bring things back to basics, you can do that as well. Fortnite can even be a combat-free 3D platformer or a meditative, relaxing experience if you head into its creative mode.

With more content coming to the game at an alarming rate and Epic showing no signs of slowing down, Fortnite is better than it’s ever been, slightly predatory battle pass mechanisms aside.

34. Yakuza: Like a Dragon

• Genre: RPG
• Release date: January 16, 2020

The Yakuza franchise is no longer known as Yakuza in the west; it became Like a Dragon in 2022, which puts Yakuza: Like a Dragon in a somewhat awkward position.

Thankfully, that doesn’t apply to the game’s story or core gameplay. Although this game’s turn-based RPG combat started out as an April Fool’s joke, it actually turned out to be exactly the kind of shot in the arm the franchise needed.

Protagonist Ichiban Kasuga turns out to be an excellent replacement for Kazuma Kiryu; he’s a massive goofball with a huge group of friends who love him dearly, in contrast to Kiryu’s lone-wolf schtick.

Kasuga’s love for life and the people around him make him a hugely endearing tour guide for both Kamurocho and Yokohama, which you’ll get to explore as you take part in the usual Yakuza-brand ridiculous side activities and elaborate minigames.

35. Doom Eternal

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: March 20, 2020

Okay, so Doom Eternal isn’t quite as good as Doom. Few sequels manage to truly surpass their predecessors, so it’s perhaps a blessing that Doom Eternal is as good as it is, let alone being better than Doom.

Eternal expands on many of its forebear’s mechanics; there’s more of an emphasis on platforming now, and the Doom Slayer’s arsenal has been expanded with new weapons and tools to help keep the momentum going.

Things can get a touch too busy at times, especially when there are hordes of demons on-screen; should you be using the flamethrower or the ice grenade? Which of your weapons serves your current situation best?

When it’s good, Doom Eternal represents a successful enhancement of its formula, so even when it does occasionally descend into messy territory, it’s still well worth a look if you’re a boomer shooter aficionado.

36. Shovel Knight

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: June 26, 2014

Taking inspiration from the platformers of yesteryear, Shovel Knight manages to find a way to build on what they created and improve on the formula without removing what makes it great.

If you love Mega Man, Castlevania, and games of that ilk on the NES and SNES, then Shovel Knight will be right up your alley. It even contains pretty blatant musical homages to those games, plus others.

What Shovel Knight brings to the table that those games lacked is a more accessible and player-friendly approach; levels have more liberal checkpoints, and you can upgrade Shovel Knight as well, giving him more survivability in tough stages.

Despite that, Shovel Knight’s difficulty curve is expertly-tuned, ensuring that you never feel like you’re outlevelling your current stage or that things are getting too overwhelming.

37. Inside

• Genre: Puzzle-Platform
• Release date: November 9, 2022

It’s definitely not a good idea to play Inside if you’re looking for something that’s going to cheer you up. This is a relentlessly dour experience, and it’s not for the faint of heart either.

Inside builds on developer Playdead Studios’ work with existentialist 2D platformer Limbo, ratcheting up the “context” dial while still keeping the “narrative” counter pretty low.

This time, you know you’re infiltrating some kind of facility, but you’re not entirely sure what you’re doing there or why, at least until the game’s memorable and horrifying closing moments, which we won’t spoil.

Inside is definitely a game of individual moments and setpieces; it’s not a game you should play if you’re looking for a coherent, well-explained story, but if you love ambiguous storytelling, this is one for you.

38. Divinity: Original Sin 2

• Genre: RPG
• Release date: September 14, 2017

In lieu of Baldur’s Gate 3 arriving on PS4 (which is looking more and more unlikely as the game’s release date on other platforms recedes into the distance), Larian’s previous game is still well worth your time.

It doesn’t quite have the depth and complexity of Baldur’s Gate 3, at least when it comes to writing and storytelling, but Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a hugely enjoyable playground of interlocking mechanics and systems.

The joy in this game is in the combat and the range of approaches you can take to solve any given problem, which should provoke a reaction if you’ve either enjoyed Baldur’s Gate 3 or found yourself wishing you could.

The Divinity universe isn’t as rich or rewarding as the Dungeons & Dragons world, but you should still find hours upon hours of RPG mayhem here, and the experience is doubly enjoyable if you recruit a friend for co-op.

39. Stardew Valley

• Genre: RPG
• Release date: February 26, 2016

If you’re familiar with Harvest Moon – now called Story of Seasons – then you’ll know the basic idea behind Stardew Valley, because designer Eric Barone’s game takes a huge amount of inspiration from that series.

Your goal in Stardew Valley is to transform your grandfather’s derelict farm into something he’d be proud of, and you’ve got a loose three-year time limit in which to do so (although this isn’t strict, so don’t worry).

To earn his approval, you’ll have to grow crops, explore the town and its surroundings, and complete a list of objectives in order to improve both your farm and the town it serves.

Along the way, you’ll meet new friends, potentially hook up with a romantic life partner, and fend off an evil corporation that definitely isn’t Amazon. 

40. Horizon Forbidden West

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: February 18, 2022

Released during what will probably come to be known as the tail end of the PlayStation 4’s lifetime, Horizon Forbidden West does exactly what it says on the tin.

We included Horizon Zero Dawn ahead of this sequel simply because the first game is arguably more innovative; Forbidden West can, at times, feel like it’s suffering from a desire to create a sequel to Zero Dawn without having a compelling story to tell.

Despite the lack of a rock-solid narrative to hang everything on, though, Forbidden West still manages to create a beautiful and elegant iteration of Zero Dawn’s gameplay, introducing new and fun gadgets like the traversal-transforming glider.

Aloy’s second adventure definitely feels less essential than her first, but even on PlayStation 4, Horizon Forbidden West is a perfectly enjoyable and often breathtaking game.

41. The Talos Principle

• Genre: Puzzle
• Release date: December 11, 2014

The last developer you’d expect to create a deep and meaningful puzzle game is Serious Sam studio Croteam, but that’s exactly what The Talos Principle is.

At times, the game can feel a touch dry and impersonal, but that suits its subject matter. Without wishing to spoil, this is a very philosophical exercise, and it’s one that’s worth sticking out.

The puzzles might not be the greatest and most innovative gameplay loop in the world, but they’re a solid way to sustain interest in the story, which becomes very interesting indeed by the game’s conclusion.

Unfortunately, followup The Talos Principle 2 isn’t available on PS4, but this first game should still give you a handful of hours of head-scratching puzzle goodness.

42. Persona 4 Golden

• Genre: Fighting
• Release date: June 14, 2012

While Persona 5 is undeniably the all-singing, all-dancing pinnacle of the Persona series, there’s a small-town, personal vibe to Persona 4 that makes it a great complement to its successor.

Rather than taking place in glitzy big-city Tokyo, Persona 4 is all about the tiny town of Inaba, which is currently in the grip of a bizarre spate of serial murders.

Wouldn’t you know it, a group of teenagers turn out to be the perfect investigators to dive into a secret world contained within the TV and get to the bottom of those murders by exploring a series of dungeons and confronting shadow versions of themselves.

If only it were that easy to solve all of our problems in real life.

43. Hitman: World of Assassination

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: January 20, 2022

We’re counting all three games in IO Interactive’s Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy as a single title, because that’s how they’re currently being sold.

When put together, these three games represent excellent value for money, taking Agent 47 to a variety of exotic locations around the globe and tasking him with killing a diverse range of targets.

Since Hitman games are effectively open-ended immersive sim-style adventure titles rather than straightforward shooters, you’ll have access to lots of different ways to dispatch those targets, too.

Hitman is at its best when things go wrong and you’re forced to improvise or when a plan you’ve concocted goes off without a hitch. Just be sure to turn off those Mission Story markers.

44. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered

• Genre: RPG
• Release date: January 22, 2013

Don’t listen to anybody who tells you that 2018 sequel Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is the one that’s worth playing. Wrath of the White Witch Remastered is where it’s at.

Revenant Kingdom feels cheap and unfinished; it lacks Wrath of the White Witch’s magic and heart, not to mention its achingly gorgeous Studio Ghibli-animated cutscenes.

Wrath of the White Witch tells a simple and straightforward story, but it manages to do so in a way that tugs at the heartstrings effectively thanks to strong characterisation and a wonderful childlike sensibility.

The combat may not be much to write home about, but in a JRPG, it’s the surrounding story and world that matter, and Ni no Kuni pulls those off with aplomb.

45. Hollow Knight

• Genre: Fighting
• Release date: February 24, 2017

The Metroidvania formula is actually pretty difficult to get right, despite the number of games that have attempted to do so (presumably while the developers think “well, it can’t be that hard”).

Hollow Knight is the example to which any wannabe Metroidvania makers should look. Its vast world, beautiful visuals, and expertly-tuned combat speak of decades of expertise, despite Hollow Knight being developer Team Cherry’s first game.

This is a game that expertly combines the elliptical narrative technique of Soulslikes with the massive, sprawling world of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night; there are secrets at every corner, and discovering them is always thrilling.

Since Hollow Knight: Silksong likely won’t arrive for a while, do yourself a favour and revisit this first title in the series. You won’t be disappointed.

46. Prey

• Genre: Shooter
• Release date: May 05, 2017

Despite its somewhat forgettable enemy design and relatively weak story, Prey stands out on the PS4 thanks to its incredible level design and great modern approach to immersive sim gaming.

If you’ve played System Shock 2, you’ll know roughly what’s up with Prey; you’re on a space station where something has gone terribly wrong, and you must figure out what that is and put it right.

Prey’s true strength is in the sheer number of different paths and approaches you can take while exploring Talos One. Whether you want to play a sneaky engineer type or a psychic brawler, lots of build paths are open to you.

Mooncrash, the game’s DLC, is also well worth a look; it’s a fascinating precursor to 2021’s Deathloop.

47. Cuphead

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: September 29, 2017

Marrying Max Fleischer-style cartoon visuals with a strongly sinister overtone and brutally difficult boss battles, Cuphead is a truly unique prospect in the world of indie games.

At its core, it’s a bullet hell-style boss rush game with platforming elements, but that doesn’t do justice to Cuphead’s sheer originality and sense of joie de vivre.     

It’s maddeningly hard at times, but Cuphead never feels unfair, largely thanks to incredible controls and whip-smart boss design that emphasises pattern recognition and use of reflexes.

48. Dishonored 2

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: November 10, 2016

With Dishonored 2, Arkane (who would go on to develop Prey) outdid themselves. The first game’s steampunk world-building was excellent, and Dishonored 2 augments it with transcendent level design and great stealth.

Like the first game, there’s not a relatable character anywhere to be seen in the story (although returning protagonist Corvo is voiced by Thief actor Stephen Russell, which is a nice touch), but the gameplay is rock-solid.

Dishonored 2 feels like it’s over before it really gets going, but what’s there is sublime, especially if you’re a fan of games like the aforementioned Thief or influential PC classics like Deus Ex.

49. The Last Guardian

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: December 6, 2016

Team Ico’s magnum opus was a long time in the making, but when it was finally released in 2016, it proved to be worth every second of the wait.

Your animal companion Trico acts like a real animal would; he’s curious, mercurial, and affectionate when he wants to be, but he also shies away from loud noises and certain environmental cues (a clue to his past, perhaps?).

Like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus before it, The Last Guardian plays coy with its story, but it’s an unforgettable adventure with Team Ico’s signature sense of ruined grandiosity fully intact.

50. Psychonauts 2

• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Release date: August 25, 2021

Another game that feels like was a long time coming, Psychonauts 2 also proved to be worth the wait, although it’s in a different ball park to The Last Guardian.

Unlike that game’s solemn majesty, Psychonauts 2 emphasises wacky humour. It’s a rollicking, fun ride through a colourful, psychedelic theme park, and while it lacks the first game’s edge, it’s still great fun.

If you want to spend a few hours reminiscing about how great 3D platformers used to be, Psychonauts 2 is definitely a PS4 game you should check out.