1. "God Of War"
Dave Smith/Business Insider
The new "God Of War," which launches on Friday, is the most sophisticated and most polished entry in the popular franchise. It has the best visuals, best story, best character development, and best combat of the whole series — and that's saying something. It's a must-buy if you own a PlayStation 4. It's also a PS4 exclusive.
2. "Marvels Spider-Man"
Marvel's Spider-Man
"Marvel's Spider-Man" is the very best Spider-Man game ever built. Web swinging, fighting, and exploring the city is better than ever, but what's most surprising is how good the story is, especially in the base game. You really grow to appreciate and care about each character, and the voice acting is excellent. Oh, and the suits you can unlock are absolutely crazy. It's also a PS4 exclusive.
3. "Bloodborne"
Sony PlayStation
If you own a PlayStation 4, you owe it to yourself to play "Bloodborne." It's very similar to the "Dark Souls" series — it's made by the same developer — but it's faster paced and has cosmic horror theme very reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft. The deeper you get in the game, the more you feel like you're overcoming your fears. It's also a PS4 exclusive.
4. "Tetris Effect"
Enhance/The Tetris Company
Yes, this is a Tetris game made in 2018. But it is the best version of Tetris ever made, and is shockingly good at keeping your attention. While the game is mainly the same as it's ever been, what's different here is how the screen around the Tetris board changes with visuals and music, building up in intensity and difficulty as you progress. The game also has easier and more meditative modes, too. My colleague Ben Gilbert called "Tetris Effect" the best game of 2018, and he's not wrong. It's also a PS4 exclusive.
5. "Horizon Zero Dawn"
Guerrilla Games/Sony
"Horizon Zero Dawn" might seem like a run-of-the-mill adventure title, but it's anything but. This is a Hollywood movie masquerading as a game, with perhapsthe best plot or lore in any video game ever created, with incrediblecharacters, dialogue, and visuals to boot. It's also a PS4 exclusive.
6. "Uncharted 4"
YouTube/Playstation
You don't need to have played the previous "Uncharted" games to enjoy "Uncharted 4," which is one the most beautiful, cinematic games you'll ever play. It's made by Naughty Dog, one of the premier developers in the gaming industry today, and it's a satisfying adventure with a great story and a great heart. It's also a PS4 exclusive.
7. "Hohokum"
Sony
"Hohokum" isone of the most surprising and whimsical games you'll ever play. It's also one of the most relaxing and "chill" games on this list. You play as a snake-like creature that glides through various themed worlds to solve puzzles. Each world is a surprise, and every character, puzzle, and moment is pure delight. It's also a PS4 exclusive.
8. "Journey"
thatgamecompany / YouTube / IAmSp00n
"Journey" is a rare game that everyone seems to not just enjoy, but love. It's best not to describe the game or how it works, since discovering those aspects is the best part of the... journey.😉It's a game, yes, but it's more ofan experience. And the musicis sublime. It's also a PlayStationexclusive.
9. "Red Dead Redemption II"
Rockstar Games
"Red Dead Redemption II" is perhaps the most polished-looking game ever created. The level of detail is absolutely extraordinary. From the way characters interact with you, to the settings, to the wildlife and bustling cities, it sometimes borders the realm of photorealism. It's also totally worth your time, even if you think you don't like stories about the Wild West.
10. "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard"
Capcom
"Resident Evil 7" is a fresh breath of air for the long-running zombie series. This time, you play from the first-person perspective as you wander a dilapidated house near a swamp in Louisiana. The game is very focused andthankfully not too long.
11. "Nioh"
Sony
"Nioh" isvery similar in gameplay to the "Dark Souls" trilogy and "Bloodborne," but with ninjas and samurai. It scratches that itch for fast-paced, satisfying action with a lengthy campaignand tons of ways to play. It's also a PS4 exclusive.
12. "Rocket League"
Psyonix
Like "Overwatch," "Rocket League" — where you play a game of soccer, but with rocket-powered cars taking the place of traditionally human players — is agame everyone should ownin case they can't decide what to play. It's a little bit of everything (racing, battling, and sports) withan incredible level of depthto it.
13. "Infamous Second Son"
PlayStation.com
If you love the idea of having a ton of wild superpowers and unleashing them in a massive open-world environment — the city of Seattle, specifically — "Infamous Second Son" is for you. It's also a PS4 exclusive.
14. "The BioShock Collection"
YouTube/2K/AkN
"The BioShock Collection"includes "BioShock," "Bioshock 2," and "Bioshock: Infinite," which are all excellent first-person sci-fi adventures. I highly recommend picking up the collection, especially if you've never playeda "Bioshock" game.
15. "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt"
CD Projekt RED
You will literally never run out of things to do in "The Witcher 3." The number of tasks, missions, and side quests is almost overwhelming — but it really speaks to the immersive level of this open-world fantasy game, which won several Game of the Year awards in 2015.
16. "Destiny 2"
Bungie
"Destiny" is one of the most satisfying shooting games you'll ever play. Made by Bungie, the company behind the "Halo" franchise, "Destiny" has that same sci-fi feel as "Halo" — you're still killing aliens — but it's more focused on letting you customize your character through special armor and weapons. "Destiny 2" is currently available, and it's absolutely worth your time.
17. "Flower"
thatgamecompany
"Flower" is a tough game to describe, but incredible to play. You play as a flower petal floating in the wind, collecting other flower petals. It's one of those feel-good games everyone can and should play. It's also a PlayStation exclusive.
18. "Titanfall 2"
Respawn Entertainment
The single-player campaign of "Titanfall 2" might be one of the bestsince the "Halo" trilogy. The multiplayer ispretty great too. If you like shooting games where you also have access to a variety of special abilities, "Titanfall 2" is an incredibly well-balanced game in this respect.
19. "Dark Souls 3"
From Software
"Dark Souls 3" is an incredibly hard, incredibly rewarding game.There's also a rich backstory that explains the environments and enemies you encounter, with plenty of references to the first "Dark Souls" game.
20. "Doom"
Bethesda Softworks
"Doom" is a fast-paced arcade-style shooter where standing still often means dying a gruesome death. Thelook, feel, speed, and attitude of this game is unparalleled — it's pure, unadulterated fun.
21. "Monster Hunter World"
Capcom
"Monster Hunter World" gives you a beautiful but menacing fantasy world that asks you to hunt monsters, and then skin their hides to make more powerful weapons and gear. It's an incredibly satisfying feedback loop with an extremely long campaign and high replayability value. It's also a great game to play with friends and strangers.
22. "Overwatch"
Blizzard
"Overwatch"is an online multiplayer game exclusively— meaning there's no single-player campaign — but the game has tremendous replay value through its number of characters, classes, settings, and match-ups. It's the perfect game to play when you can't decide what to play.
23. "The Last Guardian"
Sony
"The Last Guardian" is all about solving puzzles, but it's also about love and friendship, too. Most notable here is the hand-drawn art style — it looks and feelsmore like a living Studio Ghibli movie than a video game. It's also a PS4 exclusive.
24. "Fortnite"
Epic Games
"Fortnite" is one of the world's hottest games right now — for good reason. Its popular Battle Royale mode built upon the successful formula of "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds," the biggest game of 2017, making it more colorful and more accessible. The game is free-to-play on most platforms you could think of, including iOS, PC, Xbox One, as well as PS4.
25. "The Witness"
Thekla
In "The Witness," you're alone on a colorful, sereneisland teemingwith puzzles. Your job is to solvethose puzzles. Some are easy, others will drive you to the brink of insanity — there's no other game like it.
26. "Inside"
PlayDead
Another game that lasts only a handful of hours, "Inside" is a side-scrolling adventure with platforming and puzzles with a killer ending you won't see coming.
27. "Shadow Of The Colossus"
Sony
"Shadow of the Colossus" was originally a PlayStation 2 game from 2005. Now, in 2018, one of the most beloved PlayStation games has gotten a stellar remake, complete with 4K/HDR visuals. The gameplay of hunting six different colossi, and figuring out who is thereal monster in the game, is still as fresh and entertaining as ever all these years later. And it's a PS4 exclusive.
28. "Rise of the Tomb Raider"
Square Enix
For anyone who enjoysa good adventure, "Rise of the Tomb Raider" is a beautiful and exciting game to play with a lot ofsatisfying mechanics and progression systems for your character, outfits, and weapons.
29. "Gone Home"
Fullbright
Unlike most other games on this list, "Gone Home" is a beautiful narrative-driven gameyou can complete in 1-3hours. It's small in scope, but very memorable.
30. "Psychonauts"
Double Fine
"Psychonauts" originally came out for the Xbox (yes, the original Xbox from over a decade ago), but there's a PS4 version withslightly upgraded graphics. That said, the graphics are totally secondary to thestory, dialogue, humor, and style of "Psychonauts," which are all top-notch and worth exploring if you own a PlayStation 4.
31. "Abzu"
505 Games/Giant Squid
Not all games need to be stressful. "Abzu" is greatbecause you literally can't die, and it's all about puzzle-solving in a gorgeous ocean, playing with sea animals, and saving the planet. It's just a few hours long, but it's an incredible ride.
32. "Fallout 4"
Bethesda Game Studios
Don't bother with "Fallout 76"; get "Fallout 4" instead. Like all "Fallout" games, "Fallout 4" is packed full of memorable characters, crazy weapons and enemies, and some really wild missions. The expansions are worth picking up, too.
33. "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain"
Konami/MGS 5 trailer
The final "Metal Gear" game under the direction of creator Hideo Kojima was, in some ways, the pinnacle of the franchise. The idea of using technology, wits, and weapons to infiltrate enemy bases never felt so good as it did in "The Phantom Pain." And even though the game certainly wears down towards the end, its open-world sandbox is still incredibly fun to explore, and worth your time.
See Also:
SEE ALSO: There are 42 exotic weapons in 'Destiny 2' right now — and we've ranked them all from best to worst
DON'T MISS: This $30,000 rig is the craziest gaming setup we've ever seen