What Are the Top 10 PlayStation 4 Video Games?

The definitive guide to the top 10 PlayStation 4 video games?

The PlayStation 4 era did not need to prove what games could be. By the time it arrived, the foundations had already been laid. What the PS4 offered instead was confidence. This was a generation defined by refinement, scale, and polish, where studios took ideas that had once been risky and executed them with clarity and control. As a result, many of the PS4’s most celebrated games feel complete in a way that few earlier titles ever could.

When considering the top 10 PlayStation games from the PS4 generation, the focus shifts away from invention and toward mastery. These are games that understood their identity from the outset, delivered on their ambition, and left a lasting impression not because they surprised players, but because they consistently delivered at the highest level.

Why the PlayStation 4 generation feels different

The PS4 era benefited from stability. Hardware architecture was easier to develop for, digital distribution was fully established, and players had clearer expectations of what modern games should offer. This allowed developers to spend less time wrestling with limitations and more time refining systems, narratives, and worlds.

As a result, the best PS4 games are often defined by density rather than novelty. Their worlds feel richer, their mechanics more considered, and their storytelling more confident. This generation marks the moment when blockbuster games began to feel less experimental and more assured.

The Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us Part II stands as one of the most ambitious narrative projects ever attempted in a mainstream game. Rather than seeking universal approval, it deliberately challenged player expectations, empathy, and comfort. Its storytelling was uncompromising, asking players to inhabit perspectives they might actively resist.

Technically, it represented the peak of what the PS4 hardware could achieve. Its animation, sound design, and environmental detail set a new benchmark for immersion. More importantly, it demonstrated that big-budget games could take narrative risks without diluting their vision.

God of War (2018)

God of War reinvented a long-running franchise by slowing it down and looking inward. The shift from spectacle-driven aggression to a more intimate, character-focused story was executed with remarkable restraint. Combat felt weighty and deliberate, while the relationship at the centre of the game grounded every encounter emotionally.

The game’s seamless presentation and carefully structured world design showcased the PS4’s strengths, but its real achievement was tonal maturity. It proved that reinvention does not require abandoning identity, only understanding it more deeply.

Bloodborne

Bloodborne refined the design philosophy introduced in earlier Souls titles and sharpened it into something faster, darker, and more aggressive. Its world was oppressive, interconnected, and deliberately hostile, rewarding curiosity and perseverance in equal measure.

What set Bloodborne apart was its commitment to atmosphere and cohesion. Every system reinforced its themes, creating an experience that felt purposeful rather than punishing. It remains one of the most influential action games of the generation.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 was defined by patience. In contrast to the immediacy of many modern games, it asked players to slow down and exist within its world. Every animation, interaction, and environmental detail contributed to a sense of lived-in realism.

Its narrative explored decline, loyalty, and inevitability, using the open world not as a playground but as a storytelling tool. Few games have matched its ability to merge scale with emotional subtlety.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn introduced a new world with confidence. Its blend of science fiction and post-apocalyptic mythology felt original without being obscure, and its protagonist was written with clarity and purpose.

Mechanically, the game excelled by giving players tools that encouraged tactical thinking rather than brute force. Its success demonstrated how new intellectual property could thrive in a market often dominated by sequels.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Marvel’s Spider-Man succeeded by understanding movement as its core language. Traversal through the city felt intuitive and joyful, transforming the open world into something players wanted to inhabit rather than simply complete.

Beyond mechanics, the game balanced spectacle with sincerity. Its story respected the character’s history while allowing space for emotional grounding, making it one of the most accessible yet polished titles of the generation.

Persona 5

Persona 5 stood out by embracing style without sacrificing substance. Its visual identity, music, and interface design were bold and unmistakable, but they served systems that were deep, rewarding, and thoughtfully structured.

The game tackled themes of identity, rebellion, and agency, resonating strongly with players despite its length and complexity. It proved that traditional role-playing games could still feel modern without abandoning their roots.

Ghost of Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima focused on elegance. Its world design encouraged exploration through visual cues rather than intrusive markers, allowing players to engage with the environment organically.

The game balanced historical inspiration with accessibility, delivering combat that felt cinematic without being restrictive. Its success lay in how cohesively its systems supported its tone.

Death Stranding

Death Stranding was unapologetically unconventional. Rather than chasing immediate gratification, it built meaning through repetition, isolation, and gradual connection.

Its mechanics were divisive, but its ambition was undeniable. Few PS4 games attempted to redefine engagement itself, and fewer still committed so fully to their vision.

Monster Hunter: World

Monster Hunter: World took a traditionally niche series and made it globally accessible without losing depth. Its systems were complex but readable, rewarding mastery and cooperation.

By streamlining presentation and onboarding while preserving challenge, it became one of the most successful and influential multiplayer experiences of the generation.

What defines a great PS4 game

The defining quality of the PS4 era is execution. These games did not rely on novelty alone. They succeeded because they understood their audience, respected their systems, and delivered experiences that felt complete.

For many players, this was the generation where expectations solidified. Games were no longer judged solely on ambition, but on how well that ambition was realised. That shift is what makes the PS4 library so enduring.

The PlayStation 4 era may not be remembered as the most experimental, but it will be remembered as the moment when modern game design truly came into its own.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Top PlayStation 4 Games

Why are so many PS4 games sequels or continuations of earlier franchises?

The PS4 era was less about invention and more about refinement. Many of its strongest titles took ideas introduced in earlier generations and executed them with greater confidence, polish, and scale. Sequels during this period often represent mastery rather than repetition, benefiting from more stable hardware and clearer creative direction.

Why isn’t Uncharted 4 included on this list?

Uncharted 4 is an excellent game, but its impact is more evolutionary than defining. It refined an already established formula rather than reshaping expectations for the medium. This list prioritises titles that either perfected their design philosophy or pushed confidently into new territory within the PS4 generation.

Why does The Last of Us Part II rank higher than the original?

The original The Last of Us defined the PS3 era through emotional storytelling. Part II belongs firmly to the PS4 generation because of its technical ambition, narrative risk-taking, and uncompromising execution. It reflects the PS4’s willingness to prioritise creative confidence over universal approval.

Are live-service or ongoing games underrepresented here?

Yes, intentionally. While live-service titles were commercially significant during the PS4 era, this list focuses on complete, authored experiences that can be revisited and assessed in full. Long-term service models are better evaluated through their evolution over time rather than as standalone works.

Why isn’t Skyrim or another cross-generation title included?

Games that launched on multiple generations often define broader industry shifts rather than a single console era. This list focuses on games whose identity, impact, and optimisation are most closely tied to the PlayStation 4 itself.

Does technical quality matter more than innovation on PS4?

Technical quality and innovation are not mutually exclusive, but the PS4 era rewarded consistency and refinement. Many of the best PS4 games succeeded by delivering well-executed systems at scale rather than introducing entirely new mechanics. That emphasis reflects the maturity of the generation.

Will this list age differently than the PS2 or PS3 lists?

Almost certainly. Because the PS4 era emphasised polish and execution, its games may be judged more critically over time as standards continue to rise. That said, the strongest titles on this list are likely to endure because of how completely they realised their vision within the constraints of their time.

This article is part of our ongoing Top 10 PlayStation games series, exploring each console generation on its own terms. If you’re interested in the ambition and experimentation that shaped modern gaming, our Top 10 PlayStation 3 games looks at the era that laid the groundwork for everything that followed.