With the PS4’s life cycle coming to an end (albeit not for a year or two yet), major game announcements for the last-gen console are becoming more and more scarce. More PlayStation-exclusive games are jumping ship to become PS5-only titles, and so the humble PS4 feels like it’s getting a little older and a little shakier.
Even still, developers haven’t abandoned the old dog yet, and there are still some games heading to PS4 in the next couple of years that will be worth your while, it seems. Here are the best PS4 game announcements revealed during this year’s summer gaming events!
Foamstars
Hey, do you like Splatoon? If so, then Sony is really hoping you’ll also like Foamstars, a big, bubbly multiplayer experience that’s clearly inspired by Nintendo’s ink-redible shooter. You’ll be filling arenas with foam while also trying to dispatch your enemies to ensure they don’t get a chance to undo all of your hard work; it’s pretty much Splatoon but on PlayStation and with sharper visuals. This one’s coming to PS4, as well as PS5, at some point in the future; no release date was revealed.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage release date
It almost feels strange that Assassin’s Creed Mirage is coming to PS4, given how gorgeous the game looks. Still, this throwback adventure, which takes Assassin’s Creed back to its stealthy sandbox roots (literally, given its Baghdad setting), is coming on October 12th, and you’ll be able to play it on your PS4 as well. The PlayStation Showcase gave us a glimpse of some gameplay for Mirage, too, and it looks like everything we’d hoped it would be, which is to say an old-school Assassin’s Creed adventure with no RPG elements and no copy-pasted locations.
Prince of Persia The Lost Crown
After laying dormant for some time, it looks like the Prince of Persia franchise is making an explosive return in 2024. There’s the upcoming Sands of Time remake, of course, and now there’s this, a semi-open world 2.5D platformer inspired both by Metroidvania games and by Prince of Persia titles of yore. Lost Crown looks like it’ll offer beautiful, fluid action and some solid combat, so we’re looking forward to getting to try this one out in January next year. It should at least take the sting out of the Sands of Time remake getting delayed so often.
Sonic Superstars
It would seem that Sega has also become aware of the problems facing the 3D Sonic games, because after 2017’s Sonic Mania, the studio is taking its second foray into retro-inspired side-scrolling Sonic games (technically its first, since Sonic Mania wasn’t developed by Sega) with Sonic Superstars. If you liked the side-scrolling stages in Sonic Generations, then this is the game for you, since it basically seems to consist of stages that strongly resemble those levels.
Lies of P
Neowiz’s intriguing take on the Soulslike genre takes place in a steampunk utopia gone horribly wrong, and you play as one of Geppetto’s puppets, seeking the legendary puppetmaster to find out what happened to his city. If that premise intrigues you, then you’ll be happy to know that Lies of P is making its way to PS4 in September, and that there’s a demo you can try out right now if you’re on the fence. Fans of Bloodborne: this could well be your next obsession.
Sand Land
Akira Toriyama’s art style is incredibly distinctive. He’s the mastermind behind the art for properties like Dragon Ball and Chrono Trigger, as well as Dragon Quest, and now, he’s bringing his unique aesthetic to Sand Land, an open-world action game set in a massive Mad Max-style desert world. We don’t know too much more about this one yet, as it seems to be in the early stages of development, so let’s hope we get more info sooner rather than later.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
When Yakuza: Like a Dragon was released, many decried its switch to turn-based combat, longing for the punchy, cathartic melee combat of old. We rather liked Ichiban’s debut in the series, but if you’re one of the people who misses the way Like a Dragon used to feel, you’ll appreciate Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. It stars longtime series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu and it looks like it’s got all the over-the-top violence you could ever want.
The Crew Motorfest
Gearheads should appreciate the new trailer for The Crew Motorfest, which offers a sandbox driving experience that looks akin to the PlayStation’s answer to Forza Horizon. It’s a big, colourful celebration of all things vehicular; you’ll be driving souped-up, powerful vehicles through a game world full of challenges to complete and cars to collect, so if you like your open-world driving games fun and fast-paced, this should be one to check out. You can even import your car collection from The Crew 2!
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Objection! If you haven’t played the Ace Attorney games, you really should give them a try; even if visual novels aren’t usually your thing, these games do enough differently to justify checking them out. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy could serve as a solid starting point for the series, although you’re better off checking out the original Ace Attorney Trilogy first. Still, having these three adventures collected in one place means we’ll get to relive them, which is no bad thing.