My 20 Favourite Games on PS4

Why have I done this to myself? With so many amazing games available on PS4, why did I decide that this was a good idea? But alas, here we are, and I have perpetual sweats as I put this list together, checking and double checking, becoming a shell of myself as I write…

Anyway! Ground rules are that no games listed here are available on last generation consoles, and no remasters. Remakes are fine, especially when they add a whole lot to the overall experience such as the following title has…

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Square Enix did it. They really did it. They built upon one of the world’s greatest games, and made it even better. I personally prefer this one to the original, which moves along a breakneck speed, and the combat found in Final Fantasy VII Remake is the pinnacle of JRPG combat. There might be some visual issues at times, but I played this through twice back to back, and never found it to feel like a chore. Like several games on this list, I went for that sweet, sweet Platinum trophy.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Is Marvel’s Spider-Man the best superhero game out there? I’m unsure, but it very well might be. Insomniac have captured Peter’s character perfectly, and the gameplay — especially the swinging — is spot on. I can’t wait to see what we get with the Miles Morales game, and an eventual direct sequel. Playing this put a smile on my face, and I felt like it was quite close to the Tobey Maguire movies, which I absolutely adore. Platinum trophy? Platinum trophy.

Unravel

I can’t get enough of Yarny in Unravel, and this little Indie game founds its way into my heart, and I fell in love with it. My partner even made me a Yarny doll, and it has a place of pride on my shelf with my other favourite gaming memorabilia. The only problem I have with Unravel is that it doesn’t seem that we’ll be getting a third entry, but I’m thankful that we got Unravel 2 with co-op!

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

An excellent end to one of my favourite series’, although not my favourite entry — sorry A Thief’s End, but Drake’s Deception is still my favourite. But still, seeing Nate’s journey come to a close, and everything feel so neatly wrapped up, was lovely, and I’m glad that Naughty Dog didn’t drag this series out on and endless string of adventures.

Devil May Cry 5

Capcom have had an amazing generation, and it saw the return of Devil May Cry at its prime, and an actual sequel to the fourth game. It’s every bit as good as I wanted it to be, and the visuals and gameplay are among the best games this gen. I hope that Capcom can work the same magic with a sequel, because it’s clear that they’re not done with the series yet!

Little Nightmares

I think I might be one of Little Nightmares’ biggest advocates. It’s sometimes only £4–6, complete with the equally as good DLC included, and it’s so, so, SO worth it. Creepy, unsettling, and a little bit Tim Burton, Little Nightmares appealed to the part of me that loves the twisted fairy tale-like stuff. The sequel is every little bit as good, too!

The Last of Us Part II

What a game. Not always fun to play, and certainly not always fun to witness, The Last of Us Part II has an incredible story, a good portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters, and it’s a game that left me emotionally exhausted in the best possible way. It’s every little bit as good as they say, and I believe that it’s a stronger game than even the first one.

Dragon Ball FighterZ

My favourite fighter this gen, and perhaps of all-time, Arc System Works took one of my favourite series and created the fighting game that it truly deserved with Dragon Ball FighterZ. I’d like to note I adore Xenoverse too, but I really wanted a more traditional fighter, and I couldn’t have been happier.

Overwatch

Overwatch’s colourful, diverse cast, unique playstyles, and the lore (more novels, please!), made me invested in a genre I historically haven’t had much interest in, and that in turn made the gameplay more exciting. Character-based shooters have always engrossed me more, and Overwatch just nails it.

Apex Legends

It took me a long time to truly get into Apex Legends as I struggled to find a pace that I was comfortable with when playing, but then something miraculous happened — I was watching a streamer playing it (shout out to the incredibly entertaining Amelia Watson), and I wondered why I never had as much fun with it as they and others seemed to be having with it. Know what the answer I found was? They were playing solo, something I’d never done. Since playing it alone, I’ve been totally addicted to the game, and it’s helped me to enjoy playing more with others, too.

Monster Hunter World

I’d never been too big on Monster Hunter games prior to World, but World had me hooked. I mostly played alone as most of my friends don’t play it, but I still had a blast playing with people online, or just playing alone. Streamlined and more accessible, Capcom deserved every success they saw with World and Iceborne. That character customisation is so good.

The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories

Another criminally underlooked game, The MISSING is a powerfully emotional adventure, and one that has stuck with me since finishing it. I’d urge everyone to give it a go, although it sounds wild and outlandish when you read the brief synopsis, it turns out to be one of the most human stories I’ve played.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Ooooh, how I hate this game. But I love it. It’s my most frustrating game experience, but by far one of the most satisfying. It’s a Platinum I’m proud of, and Sekiro has helped to fuel a love for FromSoftware games I never knew I had. I adore Bloodborne too, but I think Sekiro just about pips it with how incredibly tight and fluid its gameplay is. On a more negative note, now I am also one of the people eagerly awaiting Elden Ring news…

Bloodborne

The one FromSoftware game I truly love, Bloodborne is a game that pulls me back in time and time again. I love its Lovecraftian inspirations, and how deep its lore runs. The gameplay is smooth and satisfying, with the parry system being excellent in particular, and this would have been my favourite FromSoftware game if it wasn’t for Sekiro.

Judgment

This one is very special to me. I worked closely on this one, and even got to host a launch event with Greg Chun (Yagami’s English voice-actor) back in May 2019! It was a blast, and biases aside, I believe this to be RGG Studio’s strongest title — and yes, I love Yakuza and Kiryu. Judgment has an intriguing story, and its crime-drama inspiration kept me guessing throughout.

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom

I adore this series, and I so hope we get more of it. Ni no Kuni II might have been thinner on story than its predecessor, but I loved every second of it. It’s colourful, its story is very warm, and the combat was ace. I know what I said about Final Fantasy VII Remake earlier, but the combat in Ni no Kuni II is also excellent, and I’m happy that other games have adopted similar mechanics.

Star Wars Battlefront II

This one had a rocky start, but now it’s a total Star Wars festival. Covering all 3 trilogies (and more), Battlefront II is one of my favourite shooters. It’s gorgeous, DICE’s gunplay feels fab as always, and it’s so wonderful to be in one of my favourite worlds whenever I boot it up. There’s so much content and such an active player base on this still, that I highly recommend picking it up.

Nioh 2

One of the finest Souls-like games out there, and you know what, it was slept on when it released in 2020! Difficult but fair, with an immense amount of content, in-depth character creator, and an abundance of weapon styles, there’s very little not to be greatly impressed by here. If I could change anything, it’s that I would be better at it.

Kingdom Hearts III

Not my favourite entry in the series, and when I first finished it, I felt a little underwhelmed, but the expansion pack and patches really added a lot and helped to make it the game I love today. I already loved the Disney worlds, but the original story felt lacking, but Square Enix more than made up for it. ReMind is an absolute blast. I’m looking forward to replaying this one again in full in the near future!

Ghost of Tsushima

It took me around ten hours to properly get into this one, followed by a month or so break, but when I got back to it I couldn’t pull myself away until I’d beaten and Platinumed it! I even came to absolutely adore the wind mechanic, which I despised at first, and Jin really grew on me. I may have shed a few tears at the end.

Honourable Mention: Final Fantasy XIV

This is an honourable mention because Final Fantasy XIV is also available on PS3. However, its expansions aren’t, and I consider this more of a PS4 title now, but alas, I made the rules, so I have to live with them. I wanted to give it a shout out as a top notch MMO which keeps on giving, and for providing a world I love exploring. This truly is one of my favourite games, and you should definitely give its generous free trial a go.

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This list could honestly change the day after I publish this, but I’m very happy with these choices, although there are some amazing games I’ve had to omit that certainly would deserve their place on this list. These 20 games have stood out to me though, and are games I’ve often thought about this generation, and darn right you should play them all!

What are your favourite games on PS4?