There is no single set of PS4 games every player needs, but this 27-game editorial selection covers the console’s range: sprawling adventures, demanding action, racing, role-playing, horror, multiplayer, and creative experiments. Use it as a starting point, not a universal ranking or a requirement to own all 27. The selections come from a Stuff feature published December 28, 2024; platform, edition, online-service status, and disc availability can vary.
How to choose games for a PS4 collection
Start with the kinds of experiences you actually play. A long open-world campaign is very different from a short, contemplative game; difficult combat is not a virtue if it makes you want to stop playing. Consider pace, challenge, solo or multiplayer preference, narrative focus, and how much time you want to invest.
- For a long campaign: consider Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, or The Witcher III: Wild Hunt.
- For story-led action: look at God of War, The Last of Us Part II, or Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
- For demanding combat: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring are the challenging picks in this selection.
- For a different genre: choose Gran Turismo 7 for racing, Dragon Ball FighterZ for fighting, or Dreams for making interactive experiences.
- For a shorter or more experimental experience: Journey and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture offer quieter alternatives.
A balanced collection might include a long adventure, a story-focused game, a genre contrast, and a shorter or more unusual pick. That is a way to use the variety here, not a tested formula.
Action and adventure
Red Dead Redemption 2
A vast open-world Western built around a long campaign. Its slower pace is part of the experience, so it suits players who enjoy taking their time more than those seeking constant action.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →#1 Best Overall
- Reawaken a Classic – Resident Evil 4 preserves the essence of the original game, now reconstructed using Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine to deliver realistic visuals and additional narrative depth to the iconic story that was not possible at the time of the original release.
- Modernized Gameplay – The team from 2019’s Resident Evil 2 returns to build upon the series’ modern approach to survival horror. Engage in frenzied combat with the Ganados villagers, explore a European village gripped by madness, and solve puzzles to access new areas and collect useful items for Leon and Ashley’s constant struggle to survive.
- Overwhelming Hordes – Face hordes of rabid enemies that threaten to overwhelm Leon with even more diverse methods of attack than in the original release.
- Survive on a Knife’s Edge – Years of intense training have taught Leon new ways to use his knife, helping to even the odds against the unrelenting onslaught of enemies. By parrying enemy attacks, you can avoid debilitating damage and evade lunging enemies seeking to grab Leon and hold him in place. Make smart use of scavenged knives to deliver precise finishing moves on vulnerable enemies, and even use the element of surprise to quietly dispatch unsuspecting foes before they break.
- Reimagined Story – Resident Evil 4 dials up the original release’s key feelings of loneliness and the fear of enemies blinded by zealotry, while providing more nuanced depictions of the character motivations and relationships that defined the 2005 survival horror icon.
God of War
Kratos’s Norse-era adventure puts his relationship with his son Atreus alongside close-range combat built around a powerful axe. It is a strong choice for players who want character-driven storytelling and action together.
The Last of Us Part II
A narrative-led action game known for detailed performances and intense combat. Playing The Last of Us Remastered first provides story context for this sequel.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
A shorter follow-up centered on Miles’s coming-of-age story, with city traversal and combat at its core. It offers a more compact superhero adventure than a sprawling role-playing game.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
A demanding action game where posture-focused combat rewards precision, with stealth options adding another way to approach encounters. Choose it if you want a high-skill challenge.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
An expansive Viking-era open-world adventure for players looking for a long campaign and a large setting to explore.
Rank #2
- Grand Theft Auto III: It all starts in Liberty City. With the revolutionary freedom to go anywhere and jack anyone, Grand Theft Auto III puts the center of the criminal underworld at your fingertips, if you have enough guts to take it.
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: Welcome to the 1980s. From the decade of big hair and pastel suits comes the story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Five years ago, Carl 'CJ' Johnson escaped the haze of Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Cinematic set pieces and exploration bring Nathan Drake’s central story arc to a conclusion. Newcomers can start with The Nathan Drake Collection for the earlier adventures.
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
A substantial fantasy role-playing adventure with a story-filled world. The Game of the Year edition described by Stuff includes expansions; check the exact edition and platform when buying.
Grand Theft Auto V
An open-world action game whose PS4 edition offers a first-person perspective, making it a distinct way to experience its familiar setting.
Bloodborne
A difficult gothic action RPG and a PS4-era FromSoftware exclusive. Its demanding combat makes it a natural pick for players who enjoy learning through challenge.
Driving and sports
Gran Turismo 7
A serious racing game with driving assists for different skill levels. The PS4 version does not include some of the graphical flourishes available on PS5.
Rank #3
- Experience your Favorite MARVEL vs. CAPCOM classics All in One – Enjoy 7 of your favorite classic titles that helped shaped the MARVEL vs. CAPCOM universe both single player and online.
- To enhance your playability experience, we incorporated the favorite added features from Capcom Fighting Collection including gallery mode, quick save, training mode for all fighting titles, and the high score challenge.
- This collection also includes rollback net code for a smooth and enjoyable experience online. Play casually or competitively through casual, ranked, or custom matches using rules of your choosing!
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2
A remake bundle of two skateboarding games, pairing accessible controls with updated graphics. It is a good genre change from campaign-heavy adventures.
Rocket League
Arcade car football, with basketball and hockey modes also highlighted in the Stuff feature. Its free-to-play and live-service details can change, so check current PS4 availability and service information before relying on online play.
Role-playing games
Elden Ring
A challenging open-world action RPG that rewards persistence, exploration, and learning how to handle its combat encounters.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
An action-oriented reworking of the Midgar portion of the original Final Fantasy VII story. It is one installment in a larger remake project, rather than a retelling of the entire original game.
Persona 5
A stylish role-playing game that alternates supernatural battles with the daily life of a student in Tokyo. This selection is Persona 5, not Persona 5 Royal; check the edition listed if you want one in particular.
Rank #4
- Available Now - Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, a new cooperative multiplayer experience inspired by Japanese folk tales and mythology.
- Beyond war, ancient beauty endures: Uncover the hidden wonders of Tsushima in this open-world action adventure.
- The rise of the Ghost: Forge a new path and wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Tsushima.
Monster Hunter: World
Built around cooperative monster hunts and long-term progression, it offers a more approachable entry point than earlier series installments, according to the Stuff feature.
Action and shooters
Trek to Yomi
A samurai action game presented in monochrome with a classic-film-inspired look. Its combat is comparatively limited, so its distinctive presentation may be a bigger draw than mechanical depth.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
An open-world action adventure starring Aloy in a future inhabited by mechanical creatures. It blends exploration and combat in a striking science-fiction setting.
Dead Cells
A challenging roguelike side-scroller with persistent upgrades between runs. It suits players who enjoy repeating attempts and gradually improving their options.
Overwatch
The Stuff list names the original Overwatch. Its online service and successor situation are not established here, so check current PlayStation information before treating this as a currently playable or purchasable option.
Recommended Free Tools
Best Value
- 2 Years Of Freddy - The Core Collection includes the first 5 titles that started it all: Five Nights at Freddy's, Five Nights at Freddy's 2, Five Nights at Freddy's 3, Five Nights at Freddy's 4, and Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location
- Celebrate with new friends - Meet a colorful cast of robotic companions that are ready to Welcome you to the fazbear family including bonnie, chica, foxy and Freddy fazbear himself
- Hide and seek - Survive the night by Monitoring the suspicious activity of the haunted animatronics that come alive at night; They can run, but you can hide
- Console exclusive features - A new achievement and trophy system as well as optional cheats that give new reasons to revisit fazbear entertainment
Resident Evil 2
A survival-horror remake with rebuilt presentation and a familiar story setting. It is the pick here for a tense, horror-focused change of pace.
Doom Eternal
Fast, aggressive first-person action for players who want intense combat rather than slow exploration or a quiet narrative.
Creation, fighting, and narrative
Dreams
A PS4 creation suite for making and sharing interactive experiences. Think of it as a creative game platform, not a conventional campaign to complete.
Dragon Ball FighterZ
A fighting game featuring Dragon Ball characters, with accessible play and visuals faithful to the series.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Journey
A quiet exploratory puzzle experience whose wordless online cooperation can make encounters with other players feel unusually personal.
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
A slow, minimally interactive narrative mystery set in an English village. It is best suited to players who value atmosphere and story over frequent action.
Buying PS4 games on disc
Many recommended PS4 games remain available in disc format, but stock, condition, and seller vary; there is no guarantee that every title has a new physical copy. TechRadar’s PS4 games guide supports the broad continuing relevance of disc searches, not inventory for any particular listing.
- Confirm that the listing is for the PS4 edition, rather than a PS5-only release or a different edition.
- Check whether the item is a disc and whether its condition matches what you want.
- For games with online components, verify current service status rather than assuming an older listing’s description is still accurate.
- Check current retailer stock and terms before buying; availability and prices change.
PlayStation’s 2025 cross-generation feature includes PS4-era selections such as Bloodborne, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. That is separate editorial recognition, not an objective ranking of this list. PlayStation’s 2020 awards coverage also discusses The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima, but awards do not settle which games belong in an individual collection.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
