The best games on PS4
PS4 entered the market in November 2013 and since then Sony and its third-parties have flooded the system with plenty of new games. Which are the best of the bunch? Find out in our ever-evolving list.
You can also check out our ultimate lists of the best games on Wii U and Xbox One.
The PlayStation 4 had a strong start out of the gate when it launched in November of 2013, even if Watch Dogs infamously slipped. Sony's indie stance started right from the beginning and thanks to PS Plus, gamers have found themselves rather spoiled for choice each month.
But what are the best games of the bunch? We've compiled a list of the essential PS4 titles out there right now, and feel free to suggest new additions below as they come.
inFamous: Second Son
Sucker Punch made its PS4 debut with the story of a petulant dick and his ability to absorb super powers from other Conduits in Seattle. Although Delsin is a bit of a chump his journey across this lavish new-gen environment is filled with comedy moments, fast-paced action, and mind-boggling visual trickery. It shows what sandboxes of the new generation should look like, even if the distractions in that space are a tad familiar.
As we said in our inFamous: Second Son PS4 review, there's a certain brand of glee that comes with swooping across Seattle with angel wings made of video static, only to ground-pound into a group of enemy troops, before frying them all with a barrage of neon power. It's fun, graphically sound and worth your time.
Transistor
The second title from Bastion developer SuperGiant Games, Transistor is a superb experience that manages to hold several interesting concepts together as a coherent whole. When we reviewed the game at launch, we praised its isometric combat that jumps between real-time and paused decision-making, along with its striking art style and musical score.
What stands out, however, is that the protagonist - a singer called Red - is mute, and the leading voice is that of the Transistor weapon itself. This creates a compelling narrative filled with sorrow and loss as the city of Cloudbank unravels around the player. It's rare for an indie title to shine this brightly so early in a new console cycle, but we're happy Transistor did back in May 2013.
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn
Holy crap it's an MMO on console that actually made the transition from PC without suffering massively for it. OK, A Realm Reborn isn't the first game to have done this, but Square Enix seriously swallowed its pride and took Final Fantasy 14 right back to the drawing board, listened to its fans and produced something much, much better. That's a rare and wonderful thing. Best of all, you needn't be an MMO regular to get involved.
The re-tooled Final Fantasy 14 throws many quests at you across its vast world, but they can be completed quickly, so that you don't have to dedicate hour after hour of your life just to get a few steps further in the quest. Square's whimsical fantasy world delivers a real sense of high adventure, and its reams of content make the monthly fee a little harder to argue with. If you're on the MMO fence, it's worth trying the free trial.
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
Kicking all of Assassin's Creed 3's mistakes into orbit, Black Flag is one of the best instalments since Ubisoft's series began, and a big part of that appeal comes from its sheer size. You can start in one of the Caribbean's vast towns, hop in your pirate ship, sail for miles while listening to your crew sing shanties then hop off to explore a desert island filled with treasure. All with no loading screens. That's an attractive prospect.
Ubisoft listened to its fans with this one, and that's why the modern day sections are actually interesting, and why the plot takes a step back from all that mystic 'first civilisation' nonsense. This is the result of a studio listening to its player-base and trying to make good on that feedback. As we said in our Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag review, this is a game that rectifies a lot of broken elements to make something that shines.
Outlast
Survival horror isn't dead, it's actually seeing something of a mass resurgence, and Outlast from Red Barrels is right up there with the best of this new horror wave. It's the story of an investigative journalist who breaks into an asylum to expose a terrible mystery, only to find himself trapped inside with mental patients who want nothing more than to cave his skull in. Yipes.
The key hook here is Outlast's camera mechanic, which has players using the device's night-vision mode to see in the dark. Not only does this bathe everything in a haunting shade of static green, it also makes the sight of incoming enemies all the more terrifying. When the batteries run out, you may just cack yourself, but you'll do so with a sadistic smile on your mug. It's proper scary. Play it.
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Big, loud, gory and utterly insane, Wolfenstein: The New Order is a solid return to the id Software classic. Machine Games has expertly taken all of the key features of the original game and added a wealth of new ideas into the mix without watering down the source, namely, lots of large guns and Nazis exploding in showers of blood.
As we said in our Wolfenstein: The New Order review, there's method to the shooter's glorious madness in the form of a plot, characters you feel something for and moments of quiet solace that counter the sight of a world gone terribly wrong. Shooter fans need to give this a spin.
FIFA 14
This game remained in the UK top ten gaming chart for almost a year when this list started, and it's no secret that millions of people have played this game. While non-sports fans might have difficulty understanding FIFA 14's appeal, there's simply no escaping its deep mechanics, large body of content and addictive online play. Then here's Ultimate Team, which is an addictive offering in itself. EA Sports will never let you leave.
You only need to try and play this game seriously for a few hours without preconception to understand where its beauty lies. The second-to-second decision making, the chess-like planning of every single move, and the ability needed to compete in the online arena make this more than a mere football game. It's a lesson in patience, dedication and taking time to understand its myriad rules.
Resogun
Housemarque's shooter came out for free on the day PS4 launched, and although it could be seen as a simple throwaway experience, Resogun is both maddeningly addictive and infuriatingly brutal. This mix of harsh challenge and simplistic play recalls the genius of Geometry Wars, offering us an alien-blaster that can easily eat up hours of your time as you attempt to beat an old score, or advance a little bit further.
Though it might be confusing at first, the almost-rhythmic routine of shooting enemies, saving and then ferrying humans to rescue points burrows into your very soul over time. Few games can make you curse as loud or as passionately as this, and all because you let one of those wandering green stick men perish under the ceaseless hail of gunfire. Bravo Resogun.
LEGO: Marvel Super Heroes
Marvel films have sky-rocketed in popularity, so it's little wonder that seeing small LEGO versions of Thor, Captain America and Iron Man tear s**t up can prove so endearing. The base template of these Traveller's Tales games might not have changed very much over the years, but this comic book adaptation hits all the right notes with wacky puzzles, larger than life characters and laugh out loud moments.
It's best enjoyed in two-player mode of course, as you both scramble for LEGO coins and work together to solve the game's more devious puzzles. What rises up above all else, however, is the fan service. This game has it by the bucket-load, with an insane character roster, lots of lesser-known heroes and references that span the length of Marvel's comic lore. It's made true believers out of many gamers.
Watch Dogs
This was supposed to be Sony's big ace in the hole when PS4 launched, but it slipped. Regardless, Watch Dogs takes the GTA 'city in a sandbox' format and chucks in the ability to hack the world to your whim. As Aiden Pearce, players can manipulate Chicago's residents and the city itself through a few lines of hacker code, all executed by the touch of one button. It's a simple, yet deep mechanic that makes the city feel alive.
Though the characters and plot feel a bit weak in parts, Chicago is arguably the star that drives everything forward. The play-space looks superb running on PS4 - even if it's been downgraded as people claim - and the wealth of missions and side-distractions on offer make it a location you want to stay in. With multiplayer, a lengthy campaign and lots of stuff to explode on top, Watch Dogs is worth your attention.