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Hall of fame: PS4

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE LAST GEN’S GREATEST GAMES

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01 Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Nathan Drake’s swan song is a daring evolution. It combines seriesdefi­ning set-pieces, quietly devastatin­g storytelli­ng beats, and sprawling levels that make you feel like a real-life explorer. This franchise finale retains its signature charm, with the wisecracks firing as fast as the bullets, while the new characters each justify their inclusion. With an astonishin­g attention to detail, it’s Naughty Dog’s best yet.

02 Red Dead Redemption 2

There are a lot of open-world games, but none that make you feel like you’re a part of a world in quite the same way as Arthur Morgan’s wild west adventure. Tremendous­ly physical, an epic story, and some of the most satisfying headshots you’ll ever find.

03 Grand Theft Auto V

Laughing in the face of other cross-gen ports, GTA V on PS4 is more than a mere HD remaster. Upped to a glorious 1080p, it weaves everything that made the PS3 original great, with new music, more dynamic weather, and a game-changing FPS mode.

04 Final Fantasy VII Remake

It feels like the game you remember from PS1, and that’s Square’s greatest achievemen­t. Everything is dragged up to date, from the combat to the visuals. This remake even manages a late-game twist that could reset the franchise. Brave, bold, essential.

05 God Of War

A departure in some ways but a resounding return in others, Kratos is back with a son and a ruddy big axe. Taking the legend from Greek to Norse mythology, this entry brings a lot to the table while improving on what was core to the earlier series’ identity.

06 The Last Of Us Part II

Arguably the original is holistical­ly better but there are few games that push PS4 to its limits as this sequel does. With near photoreal visuals, emotional twists that land, and enough new ideas to ensure you’re always thinking, this is a slick followup.

07

This is a feature-laden platform of artistic tools that enables you to create everything from characters, elements, and scenes to entire games, and resets any ideas about what a console ‘game’ should be and do. Dreams should be installed on every PS4.

Dreams 08 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game Of The Year Edition

The White Wolf’s epic journey is an RPG experience like no other on PS4. It’s been made even more spectacula­r with this gigantic pack stuffed with DLC, making it a must-have part of any gaming library.

09 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

A beautiful open world where every Greek island tells a unique story. AC Odyssey is a epic in the truest sense, with lively writing, mythical beasts to battle, and a poignant Assassin’s Creed story that lays the bed for all the lore to come. A brilliant spectacle.

10 Horizon Zero Dawn

A staggering­ly large world that condenses cracking combat, accessible systems, and uncut eye candy into an action RPG that will please anyone. In Aloy, PlayStatio­n might just have a new icon. Come for the robo-fights, stay for the exquisitel­y dense mythology.

11 Marvel’s Spider-Man

Borrowing heavily from Rocksteady’s acclaimed Batman series, this delivers the heart and soul of Marvel’s superhero. It ticks every box you could ask for: perfect web-swinging, a powerful story, a roster of classic villains, and all of New York City to defend.

12 Persona 5 Royal

The most stylish JRPG ever made finds its definitive form in expanded release Royal. It combines dark and moving teen angst with unforgetta­ble friendship­s that power you up in the heart-invading dungeons, and sets the gold standard for the genre.

13 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

FromSoftwa­re’s latest adventure repackages its unflinchin­gly difficult combat into a fantastica­l take on feudal Japan. More accessible than Bloodborne but layered with equally clever and subtle ideas, this is director Hidetaka Miyazaki’s best yet.

14 Bloodborne

With the finest third-person melee combat in gaming, droolworth­y art design and the most twisted monsters imaginable, this is a gorgeously gothic must-have. The Old Hunters expansion adds enough nightmare fuel to make a return to Yharnam essential.

15 Monster Hunter: World

Presenting a vibrant open world, light on story but heavy on monster-mashing action, this is the most accessible entry in the series yet. Perfecting the feel-good grind through its complex systems and pitch-perfect multiplaye­r, it’s a PS4 must-play.

16 Resident Evil 2

Powered by the RE Engine, this remake is more than a classic game with a facelift. The new Tyrant and improved zombie AI add tension, and fresh areas not seen in the PS1 classic update the core gameplay making this Resi 2 a celebratio­n of PS1 and PS4.

17 Hitman 3

Rounding out the World Of Assassinat­ion trilogy, Agent 47’s latest is a celebratio­n of everything we love about the series: playful maps, experiment­al gameplay, and endless replay value. This full stop on 47’s career to date feels like a good ending to a great series.

18 Control

Running, gunning, flying, flinging – this one has it all. Satisfying gunplay plus a slew of telekineti­c powers make a winning combinatio­n as you explore one of the most compelling settings on PS4 to date, the Oldest House. (New) weird and absolutely wonderful.

19 Days Gone

On the surface this seems to be a step backwards: a testostero­ne-fuelled Freaker-killing adventure, one man and his bike versus the apocalypse. Slowly you realise Bend Studio’s playing with you, and everything’s flipped on its head – while the action’s excellent throughout.

20 Devil May Cry 5

Another classic PlayStatio­n series returns to cracking form on PS4. Slicing up demons and doing so stylishly has never felt better, especially when each of the three characters (Nero, Dante, and V) plays so uniquely. It looks stunning, and is even better to play.

21 Resident Evil VII: Biohazard

Capcom’s greatest series returns to terrifying form thanks to a trip to Louisiana to meet the Baker family, who stalk you around their mansion. While the second half of the game doesn’t match the intensity of the first, this is still essential for any horror fan.

22 Dishonored 2

The follow-up to a PS3 great, mixing a creative skillset with impressive level design to create a Kaldwin-ning immersive sim. From the shifting rooms of The Clockwork Mansion to learning to link your powers, there’s so much scope for experiment­ing.

23 The Last Of Us Remastered

This modern masterpiec­e just gets stronger with age, like a full-bodied stilton. A brutal, emotionall­y honest take on the end of the world, Naughty Dog’s stealth shooter is simply one of the best games ever, even if this PS4 port doesn’t add much to it.

24 Metro Exodus

Larger but maintainin­g an emphasis on storytelli­ng and experiment­ation, this sequel to Last Light pulls no punches. If you’re looking for one of the best narrativel­ed shooters on PS4 this mix of FPS, horror, stealth, and survival shouldn’t be ignored.

25 Shadow Of The Colossus

Bluepoint completely overhauls the visuals of Team Ico’s masterpiec­e but still manages to match the original step-for-step in its remake. New controls and a beautiful photo mode add to the package. Wander’s tragic quest has never looked or played better.

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