The top 10 best PS4 games

Looking for something new to play? This lot are essential.

6. Horizon Zero Dawn

It speaks to the charisma of lead protagonist Aloy that Guerrilla Games’ magnum opus can afford to stumble every now and then. Combat versus the machines can be repetitive, and the constant foraging for resources can be a bind; we need to mention these things to bring the credibility needed for our overall response to Horizon Zero Dawn. It’s a special, and very important in many ways, addition to the open-world Hall of Fame, that searches as deep as Assassin’s Creed for meaning without being tiresome, and takes on Lara Croft without ever becoming so corny.

7. Nier Automata

Hold that first thought you have upon seeing female-model android 2B. Remember it, and be ready to have it haunt you as your feelings toward humanity and what it means to be beautiful and worthy are chastised. Nier Automata is so self-aware, it becomes uncanny. You don’t need to worry about that too much, just enjoy the spectacular run-’n’-gun and report back with your completion time. If, however, Nier Automata impacts you the same way that it has stimulated conversations across the globe, one play-through will not be enough. Indeed, to return numerous times becomes essential.

8. Gravity Rush 2

Approximately 30 hours of breathless action await in this stylish sequel to a genre-defining classic. As Kat, the enigmatic heroine of the tale, we continue to master the unique, topsy-turvy acrobatic playstyle only this time in the new city of Jirga Para Lhao. It’s assumed that you’re already comfortable with spending a lot of the time figuring out which way is up, and therefore ready to explore. Gravity Rush 2 expands on the falling and flying appeal of the first game, allowing movement to feel more expressive, while daring us to scrutinise every glorious passing detail.

9. Gran Turismo Sport

The once-beloved single-player element of Gran Turismo takes a backseat to a new and deadly serious online structure that lures wannabe stars into the world of motorsport. While there are still license tests to take and hot laps to master in Campaign, our true measure of worth is reckoned in the GT Sport mode versus other humans. It’s almost MMO-like in presentation, with daily challenges and seasonal tournaments to keep drivers hungry for performance gains. Polyphony Digital has played this smart with sportsman-like conduct monitored to safeguard the serious competitors from any trolls and griefers.

10. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Among a surprising number of soul-searching gaming experiences throughout 2017, Senua's Sacrifice takes the crown for the most invested. On the surface, this is a glorious-to-observe hack-and-slash with an authentic Viking motif. Much, much deeper though is the psychosis theme, which studio Ninja Theory (Enslaved, DmC: Devil May Cry) consulted Cambridge professors and sufferers to sensitively realize. Lead protagonist Senua pursues a Kratos-like journey into the Norse underworld, but the monsters she faces are often the voices inside her own mind. Senua’s journey is short, under 10 hours, but the lessons are worth it.

Writer

Paul’s first videogame was Space Invaders in 1978, which gives away his age a bit. We put his encyclopedic knowledge of the beforetimes to good use in our Retro coverage. If you want to reach Paul, you can email or tweet him @FutureKick.

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