After the rocky start and electrifying finish of the PlayStation 3, Sony had a lot to prove with the fourth iteration of their iconic gaming console brand. The PlayStation 4 had a soft start in terms of game output, but it quickly grew into a benchmark for graphical evolution and gameplay innovation. Hundreds of extraordinary titles have graced this console, which was responsible for the grand amount of success that Sony had during the console generation.

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The PS4 had plenty of space for developers to get ambitious and really test the limits of what games were capable of, and while many time-tested game companies provided revolutionary gaming experiences, many developers were actually held back by the hardware. Whether flying too close to the sun in terms of what the console would allow or not being aware of what the console was capable of in the first place, the PS4 was home to many successes and struggles.

10 The Quiet Man

Title of the game next to the main character

This gaming experiment garnered some pretty abysmal reviews upon release, with some praising its bold depiction of a deaf protagonist and cinematic flair, but most others criticizing the repetitive gameplay and the confusing story. The game was notable for having live action cutscenes that tried to seamlessly blend into gameplay segments, and while that was a very ambitious idea, not even the PS4 Pro could make the gameplay segments look as convincing as the cutscenes. As games get closer to photo-realism, games like The Quiet Man may be able to reach their full graphical potential, but not quite on the PS4.

9 Gran Turismo Sport

A screenshot showing gameplay in Gran Turismo Sport

Ever since the first PlayStation console, the Gran Turismo games were benchmarks of graphical fidelity for every console. These intense driving simulators focused on creating the most realistic experience possible, which also meant that the graphics needed to be pristine. Each title has shown what the PlayStation console at the time was capable of, but Gran Turismo Sport failed to do so. With a greater focus in exclusive online racing, the developers focused more on the online capabilities of the PS4, but failed to truly innovate in any huge way outside of the constant online presence, which longtime fans who don’t have a consistent internet connection were not pleased by.

8 Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Eivor With His Wolf Companion

At the dawn of the newest console generation, there were more games than usual that fell victim to the practice of developing a previous gen version of a next gen experience. One of which was Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the latest title in the long-running stealth action series.

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While the game functioned quite well on the PS4, there is no doubt that (much like other games caught between generations) the game could’ve accomplished even more if there wasn’t as much focus on producing the game for both the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5. Whether the solution was to scrap the previous gen version or keep it on the PS4, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla could’ve done even more to cement itself as a dynamite entry in the series.

7 Dreams

Dreams logo and title screen

It seems as though the gaming world didn’t make nearly enough noise for Dreams: the game-making toolbox that let players run wild with any creation they wanted to make into a fully-fledged game of their own. The LittleBigPlanet creators developed a game that is absolutely revolutionary and complex and provides endless fun. This game is an example of having so much available, but still wanting more. With the amount of options available on PS4, it’s amazing to imagine what could possible on an even more powerful console. Hopefully a Dreams 2 will become reality later on down the line, on an even more powerful console to take full creative advantage of this workshop.

6 Days Gone

days gone 2

Yet another victim of the never-ending hype train, Days Gone was in development for a very long time and gamers were enamored by the bleak post-apocalyptic setting, the motorcycle traversal, and the immense hoards of zombies that could be faced at once. It seemed like a truly next-gen experience, but the game was delayed many times and players thought they’d never get the chance to experience the game. Days Gone ended up turning out to be a generally positive experience, but the developers appeared to have gotten lost somewhere along the way, trying to get their overly ambitious ideas to run properly on the PS4. However long the delay process was, the game is still definitely worth a shot.

5 GTA Online (Grand Theft Auto 5)

turreted limo in gta online

What started out as a PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 title, Grand Theft Auto 5 eventually opened the floodgates to its online component, and it hasn’t slowed down since. Making its way to the PS4 shortly after, GTA Online has had many years of resounding success on the console, with seemingly endless additions to cosmetics, vehicles, missions, mini-games, and heists. The game has always felt a lot bigger than the console it was on, so it felt like by a point, the PS4 hardware was only slightly improving the game. GTA Online was recently announced to be getting ported to the PS5, so hopefully the jump to its second generation of life will take advantage of the new hardware and continue to break records and keep players coming back for more.

4 The Last Guardian

last guardian trick and protagonist
last guardian trick and protagonist

This long awaited game from the creators of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus was a victim of hype and high expectations. With two games before it that broke a lot of ground and captured the hearts of gamers, The Last Guardian had a lot to prove. At the end of the day, the game was a lovely adventure between a boy and his beast, but the game’s mechanics didn’t always work out the best.

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Sometimes, getting Trico to do something would be a chore because you weren’t in the exact spot, which could potentially ruin emotional moments in the story. Since players had already waited for so long for The Last Guardian, maybe they should’ve waited just a bit longer so that the developers could’ve worked with more powerful hardware.

3 The Last Of Us Part 2

Ellie hiding from hunters

A potentially controversial pick, The Last of Us Part 2 is a game that showed everything that the PS4 was capable of, before the switch to a new generation. Naughty Dog have been the kings of showing the full potential of a console at the beginning and the end of a generation, and the PS4 was no different. However, the game was a gigantic undertaking that resulted in a huge time crunch for employees, and while the game turned out to be quite fantastic, putting a game of this magnitude on this hardware resulted in many overworked employees. Here’s hoping that in the future, developers can do even more research into the hardware that they are creating for, so that time crunches like the ones present at Naughty Dog are no longer necessary.

2 Cyberpunk 2077

Panam Leaning Back On Her Car

You’ve more than likely been aware of the controversial release of Cyberpunk 2077: the game that was supposed to propel CD Projekt Red into even greater echelons of gaming greatness. This game was nearly a decade in the making, and however long fans were willing to wait, that time had surely run out in 2020. With a ridiculous amount of pressure to release the game on every possible console (with the inconvenient timing of the changing of a console generation, no less), Cyberpunk 2077 launched successfully on PC, but had a disastrous release on home consoles. It was so bad that the PlayStation Store removed the game from their library until further notice (although it is important to note: aside from a few visual bugs/framerate dips/the occasional crash, the game is quite functional on a PS4 Pro). Hopefully with many major updates, the game can be functional on these consoles, and the game will return to the PS4.

1 The PlayStation VR

PlayStation VR headset

At first, gamers scoffed at the idea of PlayStation charging nearly the same amount as a PS4 console for a VR add-on to the system. However, VR gaming has been taking the world by storm over the years and gamers are finding a newfound love for the PSVR. Many exclusive games such Blood & Truth and Iron Man VR have provided players with a true sense of wonder, excitement, and escapism. However, because the PSVR needs the PS4 to run, there were some clear downsides to the headset that other headsets, such as the Oculus, did not have. While the Oculus struggles with battery life and a limited selection of games, the PSVR is a bit bulkier and requires players to be wired in which always presents the concern for tripping. The PlayStation VR is still an absolutely amazing option for VR gaming, but hopefully future iterations of the headset on a more powerful console will fix many of these issues to truly immerse players into the world of the game.

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