The PlayStation 4 reasserted Sony’s lead over Microsoft in the home console market, significantly outselling its direct competitor the Xbox One. This commercial victory wasn’t done without the console featuring a line of truly excellent games that defined its generation. Many of the PS4 games that still hold up today retain their quality thanks to being driven by a fantastically crafted story. From tautly paced scary stories to sprawling epics, there is something for everyone on the PS4, especially in its narrative range.
As we have similar lists, this particular article focuses on titles that were at least initially released as console exclusives for the PlayStation 4. This isn’t to say that multiplatform games didn’t have great stories; titles like “Red Dead Redemption II” and “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” have their own engrossing narratives. But we’re taking a look at games that are distinctly identifiable with the PlayStation 4 and helped define the console. These are the five best-written PS4 games ranked, boasting the best storytelling on the console.
5. Until Dawn
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Titles like “Heavy Rain” helped the PlayStation 3 establish itself as a great console for interactive story games. This tradition continued into the PS4 era, most notably with the 2015 horror title “Until Dawn” by Supermassive Games. For all intents and purposes it’s an interactive horror movie. The game follows a group of young adults enjoying a weekend getaway at an abandoned mountain resort, a fairly comfy horror premise. It all goes off the rails very quickly as the ensemble finds themselves targeted by monstrous threats tied to a sinister mystery in the region.
“Until Dawn” is one of the best interactive story games of all time, offering players an impressive amount of choices dictating how the narrative unfolds. Given the branching paths and multiple endings, the game is the sort of title that fans will want to dive into again and try new things out. That speaks to how engaging the overall experience is and how wildly things can diverge, as a testament to its narrative quality. Though “Until Dawn” inspired a lot of games like it, that original title remains the standout of its generation.
4. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Sony Interactive Entertainment
The first three “Uncharted” titles are among the best PS3 games made for the console, introducing audiences to treasure hunter Nathan Drake. Nate’s story seemingly comes to a definitive end with the ominously titled 2016 sequel “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.” The game opens with Nate reunited with his long-lost brother Sam and coaxed to end his self-imposed retirement for one last adventure. This particular treasure hunt pushes Nate to his absolute limits while underscoring his deepened relationships with those close in his personal life.
Even working with such a high bar set by its predecessors, “Uncharted 4” is one of the best video games Naughty Dog has ever made. The game features a much more emotionally involved narrative than its predecessors, largely driven by Nate and Sam’s unhappy upbringing. The action is still present front and center, of course, but there’s a bigger sense of consequence to it this time around. Sticking the landing for Nate’s last adventure, “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” gives him one last shot at glory.
3. The Last of Us Part II
Sony Interactive Entertainment
The most divisive entry on this list, “The Last of Us Part II” was review-bombed over how incensed certain fans were over the 2020 game. Picking up four years after the events of its predecessor, the game has Joel Miller targeted for his controversial rampage in order to save his adopted daughter Ellie. Following Joel’s brutal execution, Ellie traverses the country to kill those responsible for her father’s death. The other half of the story is played from the perspective of Abby, Joel’s killer, as she contends with how Ellie’s vengeance affects her friends.
If the original “Last of Us” presented a world without heroes and hard choices for its players to make, “The Last of Us Part II” doubles down on those themes. Presenting both sides of an obsessive feud, it places players in a situation where they have to literally emphasize with their enemy. And as terrible as the backlash to the game got, that level of vitriol does demonstrate how invested players were in the story and its characters. A gut-wrenching ride that doesn’t pull its punches in depicting the cost of revenge, “The Last of Us Part II” is Naughty Dog at its most searing.
2. Marvel’s Spider-Man
Sony Interactive Entertainment
It’s a tricky thing adapting a well-established licensed property into video games. You have to offer something familiar, yet give longtime fans something that feels new. The 2018 game “Marvel’s Spider-Man” pulls off that tricky balance expertly, something that’s apparent right from its opening set piece. The story features a 20-something Peter Parker years into his superhero career facing a new supervillain in the insidious Mister Negative. This escalates into an epic battle involving the Sinister Six and Peter’s own mentor Otto Octavius, with the fate of New York hanging in the balance.
Across its narrative, “Marvel’s Spider-Man” introduces gamers to its iteration of Peter Parker and his supporting cast, sets up the Miles Morales-centric follow-up, and provides surprises along the way. Fans may know where the broad strokes are going, but some of the story’s big moments, including its emotional finale, keeps everyone riveted. The story is expanded further with a set of DLC that brings in the Black Cat and depicts a New York City still in a delicate balance. The start of one of the best Marvel video game series ever made, “Marvel’s Spider-Man” is one of the greatest adaptations of the comic book superhero.
1. God of War (2018)
Sony Interactive Entertainment
The story of Kratos was seemingly resolved in “God of War III” as the vengeful protagonist finally slew Zeus and much of the Greek pantheon of deities and demigods. 2018’s “God of War” reintroduced Kratos as a single father having since relocated to Scandinavia where he started a new family until his wife Laufey died. Along with his young son Atreus, Kratos sets out to scatter Laufey’s ashes from the highest peak. This journey places them on a collision course with the Norse pantheon while Kratos contends with his own legacy.
The 2018 revival marks a seismic step in the stunning transformation of “God of War” and Kratos himself. The divine violence still carries the story, but it also holds a greater sense of consequence this time around. Similarly, Kratos is now no longer the single-minded warrior but a much more nuanced character, developed significantly by the presence of Atreus. A rewarding reinvention of the series, the 2018 “God of War” brought a deeper story to its hack-and-slash thrills.
