Since the PlayStation 4 launched all the way back in November 2013, the system has seen more than its fair share of great games (and, of course, some less-than-great ones).
All-time classics like God of War, The Last of Us Part II, and Bloodborne have cemented the PS4’s reputation as one of the greatest consoles of all time, and the machine is far from done, so we may well see more before too long.
Such a strong software lineup is bound to lead to oversights, though, and there have been tons of games that have managed to slip through the cracks and go, if not largely unnoticed, then underappreciated.
Here are the 10 most underrated PS4 games you can play right now!
1. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
Through some rather clever non-linear storytelling choices, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim marks itself out as unique even among Vanillaware’s characteristically idiosyncratic output.
You play as a group of the titular Sentinels, mech pilots who must battle kaiju in order to ensure stability and peace. The story plays out in a fragmentary fashion, following different characters at different times, so you won’t experience the visual novel-like narrative segments in a linear order.
2. Ratchet and Clank
We’re sure that sales of this one were perfectly satisfactory, but we still think it counts as an underrated game simply because it was released as a tie-in to a movie that didn’t quite get the traction it needed.
Ratchet and Clank acts as a pseudo-reboot of the series, and although it sands down many of the PS2 original’s rough edges, it updates the classic third-person shooter-come-platformer gameplay in a way that feels satisfying and modern. It’s a visual feast, too, just like its successor Rift Apart.
3. Titanfall 2
No list of underrated PS4 games can be complete without Titanfall 2, the shooter that time forgot. If this game’s relatively lacklustre performance convinced Respawn not to make more Titanfall games, then that makes us very sad.
The single-player campaign in Titanfall 2 is nothing short of inspired, marrying parkour platforming with satisfying gunplay and giant mech piloting in a way that feels organic and compelling. Multiplayer-wise, it’s business as usual, but this one’s worth experiencing for the single-player alone.
4. Pyre
Hades proved to be a massive breakout hit for developer Supergiant Games, putting its name on the map and introducing everyone to a developer that had been making pretty excellent games for a number of years at that point.
Pyre is one of those games, and it’s also likely to be the one that flies under the radar for most players. It’s a basketball RPG (bear with us) with a cast of likeable and compelling characters, and one that perfectly combines artistic storytelling with climactic sports action.
5. Sherlock Holmes Chapter One
Frogwares’ Sherlock Holmes games are reliably fun as adventures go, but the studio took something of a risk for Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, and it paid off in spades.
The cases presented to a young Sherlock in this game are more non-linear than they’ve been in the past, allowing you to seek out clues and interrogate suspects for yourself. Controversially, conclusions to cases don’t tell you whether you’re right or not; this is, after all, very much Sherlock’s story rather than that of his work.
6. Nioh 2
The Soulslike genre is one that many developers have tried their hand at, and few have succeeded with the same kind of aplomb that From Software demonstrates.
If anyone can lay claim to the Soulslike crown, though, it might be Team Ninja and its Nioh games. This sequel corrects some of the issues in the first game – you can create a custom character now, for instance – but otherwise it presents more of the same satisfying hack-and-slash action, all set in a fantasy version of 16th-century Japan.
7. Assassin’s Creed Unity
Yeah, we went there. Assassin’s Creed Unity launched with myriad bugs and glitches, leading to it becoming something of a laughing stock among the gaming world, but it arguably no longer deserves that reputation.
If you’re sick of the kind of bloated design Assassin’s Creed’s later entries espouse, then Unity is for you. It’s a cleaner, more stripped-back experience that takes an interesting approach to its assassination missions, taking influence from Hitman by merely giving you a target and presenting multiple opportunities to dispatch them.
8. Sonic Frontiers
Sonic games usually sell reliably well because they’ve got an inbuilt fanbase that loves them regardless of their varying quality. As such, Frontiers did some pretty decent numbers, but there’s more to it than just its sales.
Many poured derision on Sonic Frontiers for attempting to “go dark” and transposing Sonic into an open-world format, but as far as we’re concerned, this is the best Sonic has been in years. The free-flowing platforming works well with the game’s “playground” approach, and the combat isn’t half bad either.
9. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered
Don’t listen to people who tell you that Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom is underrated; it’s an unfinished mess. Wrath of the White Witch, on the other hand, deserves much more praise than it gets.
Oliver’s journey through a charming Studio Ghibli-inflected world is by turns funny, poignant, and surprisingly dark, and the story Ni no Kuni tells is pretty solid too, full of fun twists and turns. The combat here isn’t particularly compelling, but collecting and using different kinds of creatures still manages to be satisfying.
10. Infamous First Light
While Infamous Second Son proved a success for the PS4, First Light was arguably much more overlooked, even by people who played and enjoyed the original game.
That’s a shame, because First Light has plenty to recommend it. Fetch’s story isn’t quite as compelling as Delsin’s, and you’ve only got one set of powers to play with this time, but otherwise, it’s very much more Infamous, which means more superhero-inspired open-world exploration and high-octane combat.