Highlights

• From Yakuza's enthralling real estate war to Detroit: Become Human's android uprising, PS4 games offer diverse and captivating narratives.
• Uncharted 4's adventure, The Last of Us emotional journey, and Red Dead Redemption 2's Wild West survival tale showcase PS4's storytelling variety.
• Aloy's quest in Horizon Forbidden West, Geralt's hunt in The Witcher 3, and Spider-Man's high stakes deliver memorable narrative experiences.

The PlayStation 4 offers all sorts of distinct gaming experiences to suit different players. For instance, there are plenty of options for sports or multiplayer fans. This is also the case for people who want to consume an engaging story.

From action-adventure titles to RPGs, several different genres have the ability to excel in the narrative department. To do so, the studios have to put significant focus on storytelling and hire talented writers. If they do, then a brilliant main narrative is achievable. A bunch of developers have done that for their PS4 titles, and the following games are the best examples.

Updated on April 3, 2024, by Mohamed El Ouardighi: If you're still rocking a PlayStation 4 in 2024, fret not! There's still a plethora of games awaiting your enjoyment. We've refreshed this list to include a few more top-notch story-driven games for you to dive into this year.

13 Yakuza 0

Most of the Yakuza games have a strong story. The best, however, features in Yakuza 0. The tale mainly revolves around an empty lot. That doesn't sound awfully exciting, but that happens to be a lucrative bit of land that the Yakuza are going to war over.

You play as two people closely associated with the Yakuza who live in different parts of Japan. Both of them get wrapped up in this large-scale real estate conflict that goes much deeper and gets more violent than you probably expect. Both protagonists are masters of marital arts and tend to like to solve things with their fists. So, much of the gameplay revolves around beating people up.

12 BioShock: The Collection

Why settle for just one game when you can have three? BioShock: The Collection gathers all the thrilling adventures of the BioShock series—BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite—into one bundle. Even if you've experienced these games on older consoles, this collection revives the same beloved gameplay and stories with enhanced resolution and smoother framerates.

What truly sets these games apart is their captivating stories, hailed as some of the best in gaming history. Each installment boasts unforgettable twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Moreover, the settings of these games are uniquely mesmerizing. From the depths of Rapture to the soaring heights of Columbia, each locale is rich with atmosphere and intrigue.

11 A Plague Tale: Innocence

A Plague Tale: Innocence is an exceptional narrative-driven game that takes you on an emotional journey through a dark and plague-ridden medieval France. As you follow the story of Amicia and her younger brother Hugo, they navigate through the horrors of the Inquisition and the swarms of deadly rats that plague the land.

What truly sets this game apart is its gripping storytelling, atmospheric world-building, and captivating gameplay mechanics. In a refreshing departure from the typical protagonist archetype, you'll rely on stealth, strategy, and cunning resourcefulness to navigate challenges and safeguard Hugo from a myriad of perils.

10 God Of War

The story premise of God of War is rather simple. Protagonist Kratos and his son set off on a journey to fulfill the last wish of the boy's mother. The said wish is for her ashes to be scattered at the highest point of the nine realms. Naturally, things get a bit deeper and more complex as time goes on. But what really makes it a good story is the relationship between Kratos and his son.

Both characters develop throughout the story, as does their bond. It's all very compelling due in part to the excellent writing. Between the interesting cutscenes, you participate in some brilliant third-person battles where you use your powerful weapons and godly powers to put the beating on many of the most dangerous creatures in Norse mythology.

9 Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Technically, the Mass Effect Legendary Edition is three games instead of one. Yet, there is one overriding story throughout the three sci-fi adventures. It revolves around the budding invasion of a synthetic race known as the Reapers, who intend to wipe out all the evolved races in the galaxy to start anew.

Your customizable protagonist, known as Shepard, is the leading person trying to stop the invasion from happening. This makes for a captivating narrative that you get some control over, as you make plenty of choices that impact the overall narrative and your relationship with other characters. When you're not making choices or talking to people, you're participating in cover-based third-person combat, where you must use guns and abilities to get the better of your opponents.

8 Detroit: Become Human

Detroit: Become Human is set in a world where highly advanced androids are freely available for the general population to purchase. They're typically used to make human lives easier. Yet, despite their usefulness, humans aren't always particularly nice to them. And during the game, you start to see the androids become tired of being mistreated. So, they begin to rebel.

Most of them want to be treated fairly and as equal citizens. So, the tale seems to be inspired by equality disputes from the real world. In fact, it perhaps goes a little too close to those real-world issues at times. But it remains a captivating narrative throughout. The telling of it is assisted by the fact you see multiple perspectives of the story since you control three different androids. This gives a broader picture of the whole situation.

7 Marvel's Spider-Man

As in most Spider-Man tales, New York City is in danger in this game. The threat, this time, primarily comes from Mr. Negative, who has his hands on a deadly virus known as Devil's Breath. It's up to Spider-Man to save the day. Yet, he also has to manage his civilian responsibilities as Peter Parker.

This isn't the most original story told by a PlayStation 4 game, as it isn't too dissimilar to many Spider-Man plots. Yet, this one is so well-written that it deserves to be highlighted. You can see this in the characters, who all have great depth and understandable motivations. Naturally, this makes you care about them, which the game uses to create some emotional scenes.

6 Life Is Strange

The story of Life Is Strange revolves around teenager Max Caulfield, who gains the power to rewind time. Along with this newfound ability comes a premonition that her town is about to be destroyed in a huge storm. Meanwhile, there is something sinister going on at her school that impacts young girls.

With time travel, a mystery, dark subject matter, and a looming threat, Life Is Strange's main narrative has it all. But what really makes it work is how slowly it all builds. At the start, it just seems like a nice coming-of-age tale. Things keep getting wilder and darker as the episodes go by, though. The pacing is impeccable and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The main characters are great, too, and remain compelling despite occasional clunky dialogue.

5 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

At the start of Uncharted 4, Nathan Drake is retired from treasure-hunting and is living a humble life with his wife, Elena. That is until his long-lost brother arrives on the scene and brings him into another whirlwind adventure. This time, he is after Henry Avery's lost treasure. Yet, the Drake siblings aren't the only ones.

This is a classic treasure-hunting tale that you expect to see in games like Uncharted. However, this story manages to separate itself from the others because of its high standard of writing. The script is funny and deep. And Nathan Drake's story about struggling to give up the life he's always known is interesting.

4 The Last Of Us Remastered

The PS4 has the remastered version of the original Last of Us. It tells the epic tale of Joel and young Ellie, who are stuck in a post-apocalyptic world. They aren't long-term friends, as they only meet when Joel is given the task of escorting the young girl to safety. Along the way, they form a bond and become one of gaming's greatest duos.

Few gaming stories are as well known as The Last of Us. After all, there have been three different versions of the game released and an HBO series based on it. This doesn't lessen the impact of what is an incredibly emotional narrative. It's fascinating to see the development of the two leads individually and as a pair. Plus, their journey is filled with so many memorable and intense moments.

3 Horizon Forbidden West

Both Zero Dawn and Forbidden West are exceptional story-driven games that follow the journey of Aloy. If you have the opportunity, playing both games is an absolute must. Their stories are intricately connected, with the first game delving into Aloy's quest to uncover the truth about her origins and the catastrophic apocalypse that befell the world. In Forbidden West, Aloy faces a new threat—the Faro Plague, which devastated the planet and left it barren, alongside the involvement of the Far Zenith group.

With that said, it's highly recommended to experience both games together. And don't overlook the side missions, as some of them offer equally enjoyable and interesting experiences. However, the heart of both games lies in Aloy's character development and her compelling journey through these richly crafted worlds.

2 The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3 is about a professional monster slayer named Geralt, who goes on a quest to find his adoptive daughter. He's not only the one after her, though, as she's also being hunted by the ghostly specters known as The Wild Hunt. So, Geralt needs to find her as quickly as possible.

One of the best parts of The Witcher 3 is the fact that even the side quests include compelling stories. However, that doesn't mean you should ignore the main narrative. It's also an engaging adventure, primarily due to the inclusion of many interesting characters. On top of that, the story gets more fascinating as it becomes about much more than just finding a young woman.

1 Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is set toward the end of the Wild West era. Therefore, the Government is starting to crack down on outlaws. This is a problem for the outlaw crew known as the Van Der Linde Gang. They're attempting to keep things together despite these changing times and the law being on their tails. Arthur Morgan is a key member of the gang, and it's his story that you follow.

At its heart, this is a tale of survival for the Van Der Linde Gang. From this, you get some wonderful displays of character development as you witness how different people react to the trying times. Some dig in and become desperate to continue their outlaw life. Others, however, start to question the only real life they've known. It's fascinating and emotional to see everything unfold.