Summary
- PlayStation 4 games offer unmatched storytelling and exclusivity, with gems like Horizon Zero Dawn and Uncharted 4 leading the way.
- Some titles, like The Last of Us Remastered, are considered some of the best games of all time, blending intense action with emotional storytelling.
- From the cinematic adventures of God of War to the immersive horror of Bloodborne, the PS4 library is a treasure trove of must-play experiences.
PlayStation games are the ultimate narrative-driven experiences, and the ones from the PlayStation 4 era are simply unbeatable. As the PS5 gets its fair share of exclusives like Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Demon's Souls, Final Fantasy 16, and Horizon Forbidden West, it's time to look back at the games of the previous PS console generation and see what gems its library was home to.
4:18 RelatedThe Best PlayStation 4 Games Of All Time
Every single one of these PS4 games is a must-play.
PostsThese PS4 games ushered that elevated cinematic, character-driven story quality, which has only evolved on the PS5 through sequels and new IPs. While some titles have since been released on PC, they'll never be found on Xbox or Switch, so they can still be considered some of the best PS4 exclusives of all time.
Updated on July 28, 2024, by Dennis Moiseyev: The PlayStation 4 era of exclusives remains unlike anything else in gaming. It was quite a time to get into video games, with Sony delivering some of the best and most award-winning cinematic adventure titles in all its existence in the industry.
Classic first-party studios developed new and exciting IPs and everything was a marvel to pick up. The list is understandably expansive, so here you'll find the rest of the PS4 exclusives we left out the first time around.
18 The Order: 1886
CloseThe Order: 1886
Third-Person Shooter Released February 20, 2015 Developer(s) Ready at Dawn Powered by Expand CollapseWhen this game launched, it was met with great ridicule for its price not being worth the length of the gameplay. The Order: 1886 is indeed a very short game filled with more cutscenes than gameplay, but it also features some of the best graphics on the console, especially for how early of an exclusive it was on the PS4.
The game is set in London during the Victorian Age and tells a sci-fi and supernatural story of agents from the Knights of the Order, based on the King Arthur mythology, who go after Lycans that are terrorizing the citizens, only to be wrapped up in a more sinister conspiracy. There's some very underrated voice acting and weapon design here as well.
17 Killzone Shadow Fall
CloseKillzone: Shadow Fall
FPS Released November 15, 2013 Developer(s) Guerrilla Games Powered by Expand CollapseThe one PlayStation exclusive that's very different from the rest of the console's standard third-person action-adventure games is Killzone, an FPS series developed by Guerrilla Games. The next installment, Shadow Fall, served as a launch title for the PS4 and ultimately showcased better visuals and environment design than you could get on PS2 and PS3.
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PostsIt was truly the most gorgeous and next-gen FPS game at the time and did a great job of demonstrating all the features the PS4 system had to offer, but the game overall didn't live up to the previous entries, which resulted in it earning one of the lowest scores of the series. The single-player story campaign, however, is still very underrated and worth playing, especially if you love stealth.
16 Street Fighter 5
CloseStreet Fighter 5
Fighting Released February 16, 2016 Developer(s) Capcom, Dimps Powered by Expand CollapseStreet Fighter 5 was the first and last entry in the iconic fighting game series to be a console exclusive, and the sales were a big determining factor for that. The game didn't see as much interest as it should have on PS4, and that's largely due to its weaker story campaign and sparse content, with the Arcade mode even being unavailable at launch.
While Street Fighter 5 might've been a major downgrade in terms of narrative and features, you really can't say the same about its gameplay and graphics. Every arena and stage has beautiful art and can still rival its next-gen successor, Street Fighter 6. The fighting matches also came reinvigorated with new mechanics, such as the V-Gauge.
15 Detroit: Become Human
CloseDetroit: Become Human
Adventure Released May 25, 2018 Developer(s) Quantic Dream Metascore 78 Powered by Expand CollapseDetroit: Become Human comes from Quantic Dream, the developer behind Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, with this game fitting right in with the same mechanics and design of its predecessors. It tells an emotional near-future story of an android society vilified by humans and forced into an uprising.
You play multiple characters, from an investigation android named Connor to a caretaker droid-turned-revolutionary leader Markus, and a housekeeper-turned-guardian Kara, and the writing is unmatched. How each of their stories intertwines in the gameplay and the choices you make form one of gaming's most powerful experiences.
14 Until Dawn
CloseUntil Dawn
Horror Released August 25, 2015 Developer(s) Supermassive Games Powered by Expand CollapseUntil Dawn brought Telltale and horror together on PlayStation 4. It offers one of the most immersive horror stories in gaming from developer Supermassive that makes you feel as though you're playing through an interactive film, and it features a star-studded Hollywood cast with names like Rami Malek, Hayden Panettiere, and Peter Stormare.
RelatedThe Best Horror Games On PS4, Ranked
From Resident Evil to Until Dawn, the PS4 has a number of great horror titles — and we've ranked the best of them all.
PostsThis game follows a group of teens heading to a lodge in the snowy Blackwood Mountain, a region that's also host to an abandoned mine and an eerie Sanatorium. They're soon met with a killer stalking them and something more supernatural tied to the land, with your choices determining their survival.
13 The Last Guardian
CloseThe Last Guardian
Action Adventure Released December 6, 2016 Developer(s) JapanStudio, GenDesign Powered by Expand CollapseIf you often mistake The Last Guardian for Shadow of the Colossus or the 2002 PlayStation exclusive Ico, you probably aren't alone and technically aren't wrong. It's very similar in its themes, gameplay, and visual aesthetics because it was precisely created by Team Ico, with lead designer and director Fumito Ueda at the helm, and is like a newer-gen PS4 iteration of the studio's concepts.
In The Last Guardian, you are a nameless young boy accompanied by one of gaming's cutest gigantic animals named Trico — its features reminiscent of being a hybrid of a large dog, cat, and bird. Together with Trico, you must solve area puzzles and help each other survive through various harrowing story beats. This game remains one of the cutest and most wholesome PS4 stories you can play.
12 Infamous Second Son
CloseinFAMOUS Second Son
Action Adventure Released March 21, 2014 Developer(s) Sucker Punch Powered by Expand CollapseInfamous had one last run with Sucker Punch before the studio shifted production to its next series – Ghost of Tsushima. 2014's Second Son is a sequel taking place seven years after the events of Infamous 2 and follows an entirely different storyline with new characters, set in 2018 in a fictional open-world Seattle, Washington.
There's a governmental entity known as the Department of Unified Protection that has a ton of its footsoldiers on the ground hunting conduits like the main protagonist Delsin Rowe, a graffiti artist with fire and smoke conduit abilities akin to Ghost Rider from Marvel. What's also notable is that Delsin is Native American, which brings outstanding representation to not only a PS4 protagonist but gaming in general.
11 Ghost Of Tsushima
CloseGhost of Tsushima
Action Adventure Released July 17, 2020 Developer(s) Sucker Punch Metascore 83 Powered by Expand CollapseGhost of Tsushima is a PS4 exclusive from Sucker Punch that ultimately got an even better reception than its former IP. This was a very different game but brought excellent visuals, storytelling, and combat that also curbed a lot of desires many had for an Assassin's Creed game with a samurai protagonist.
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PostsHere, you follow the story of Jin Sakai, a lone wolf fighting to reclaim his homeland from Mongol invaders led by the fictional relative of Kublai Khan, Khotun Khan. You traverse the scenic Tsushima on horseback, following the guiding wind to your objectives, and can use stealth or melee to attack opponents. Ghost of Tsushima also offers an immersive black-and-white Kurosawa mode, inspired by director Akira Kurosawa's craft.
10 Ratchet & Clank (2016)
CloseRatchet & Clank
Platformer Third-Person Shooter Released April 12, 2016 Developer(s) Insomniac Games Metascore 85 Powered by Expand CollapseLike Sucker Punch and Naughty Dog, Insmoniac's years with the PS4 also turned out to be some of the most defining. While the PS5 now has Rift Apart, the PS4's hit Ratchet & Clank entry was the 2016 game that serves both as a soft reboot of the original and ties into the 2016 animated Ratchet & Clank film.
2016's Ratchet & Clank takes the classic platformer formula and characters and improves upon them in every way, from the graphics and visuals to the level design and gameplay mechanics. There are tons of new weapons, gadgets, and traversal methods, which elevate the series and continue to solidify it as being one of the best platformers of all time.
9 Death Stranding
CloseDeath Stranding
Action Released November 8, 2019 Developer(s) Kojima Productions Metascore 85 Powered by Expand CollapseWhile you may not be a big fan of its gameplay loop or are left confused by Death Stranding, this game undoubtedly achieves amazing game design and is a technical marvel on the console. It is also the first independent outing from creative auteur Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear series and Silent Hills PT.
This game offers quite the performances from its cast as well, which features Norman Reedus, Margaret Qualley, Lea Seydoux, and even the likeness of acclaimed writer and director Guillermo del Toro. Most of the time, you'll be traversing the terrain and battling its realistic physics and conditions, BTs, and other larger entities to deliver packages safely. And then, there's a social strand system where other players construct roads and bridges to help each other out.
