The 10 Best PS4 Games
Special Honors
Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love A consistently funny examination of how power and politics affect us, this title puts you in the shoes of a journalist dropped into the middle of an all-out espionage fest between two global superpowers in the vein of the Cold War. It's a simple point-and-click journey that is entertaining without ever being too exciting, so you can play it casually. playstation.com
The Surfer No doubt inspired by the success and addictive qualities of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, this title brings the gnarly tricks of skateboarding back to their origins: surfing. You'll hit the waves on a world tour designed to test your mettle against some challenging tides. The graphics take a bit of a backseat to the physics engine, and the environments are never quite as variegated as they were in the skating series, but it's a fun time nonetheless. playstation.com
The Occupation An ambitious offering for an indie title, this is a fixed-time political thriller in which you have to investigate the source behind an explosion that sets off a chain reaction of liberty-slashing measures proposed within the government. If you fail to gather the right evidence in time, society as you know it will be changed forever, and for the worse. playstation.com
Editor's Notes
April 19, 2020:
Picking a game out for your PS4 that you're really going to like is definitely a personal thing, so I tried to be as objective as possible in picking these titles. That's why Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ranks so highly; it's far from our favorite title, but its popularity and the quality of its design can't be denied. For my money, however, open-world games I can absolutely get lost in will always be the way to go, so adding Red Dead Redemption II and keeping an outstanding option like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt were easy choices.
The tough choices came when it was time to say goodbye to certain titles. I'm a big fan of the mechanics and storytelling in the Fallout series, and Fallout 3 still represents the pinnacle of their designers' talents. Don't get me wrong here; 4 is good, but it isn't great, especially as the most important decision you make in thee game has no afterplay. Betray your father, and that's about it. Side with him, and there's no opportunity to rebuild society in a more egalitarian way, which a prior mission moment hints might be a possibility. Very frustrating stuff, so we sent it packing.
I had less of a hard time sending away Uncharted, as that series has always felt more like a decent adventure film that players had the modest honor of hitting A throughout to advance the story. Much more engaging titles on similar platforms include the epic and visually stunning Death Stranding, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, if you want a more linear experience.