My PS4 Games Tier List

The PS4 is nearing the end of its lifecycle and it had a hell of a run to say the least. This passing generation of gaming certainly did not disappoint thanks to the PS4, which was home to some of the most innovative, thought-provoking and entertaining games ever.

With the release of the PS5, many gamers are getting an opportunity to experience everything that PlayStation has delivered to the gaming industry for the first time — and that includes the PS4’s library of games thanks to the PS5’s backwards compatibility. Nearly every game in the PS4 library is backwards compatible, and owners of the PS5 will certainly have a difficult time deciding which games to play first if they haven’t owned a PS4 previously. To help gamers navigate the overwhelming catalogue of great games that have graced the PS4, I figured I could share my two cents and evaluate the games I’ve personally played on the PS4 and explain which titles were ultimately worth the time and money spent.

Behold, the official Truly Electric Games PS4 Games Tier List! Each game is ranked from S-Tier (Best of the Best) all the way to D-Tier (Below Average). Generally, any game above A-Tier is something I’d recommend giving a try and anything below that should be okay to skip if you’re on the fence. If you need some extra food for thought, I’ve taken the liberty of writing a mini-review of each game below to elaborate on exactly what made each game impress (or underwhelm) me.

The Tier List contains single player games only and my commentary on each game is purely subjective — just because I had a certain experience with a game on the list doesn’t mean that you’ll experience the game the same way.

S-Tier: The Best of the Best

Final Fantasy VII Remake

For a lack of a better word, FFVII Remake has a ton of heart. You can tell that plenty of care was put into this game to make it almost perfect across the board. It has a kickass soundtrack, an exceptionally engaging story with plenty of highs, lows and action-packed moments and one of the most well conceptualized combat systems I’ve seen in a game.

One thing that stands out the most about FFVII Remake are its characters — Square Enix did an incredible job in ensuring that each character’s unique and endearing qualities made them worth caring about and relating to. One of the most common criticisms I hear about this game is that there’s a ton of side content that pads out the length of the game. Although I don’t disagree with that remark, I really didn’t mind it all that much because the additional content gave me a chance to spend more time with the game’s lovable cast of characters.

The game’s combat system strikes a perfect balance between fast-paced action and the methodical turn-based combat that Final Fantasy is known for. Blindly button mashing will eventually get you nowhere. Ensuring that you have the proper build for your characters is vital and managing the use of spells and abilities — which can only be activated periodically — is essential, especially for the game’s epic boss battles. FFVII Remake’s combat was fluid and refreshing to play, giving the player tons freedom to experiment and play strategically without dragging down the intensity and tempo of battles.

FFVII Remake is probably my favorite game. Period. Although this game was released over eight months ago, I still haven’t gotten over how amazing this game is and how I’ll never be able to experience it for the first time again.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn is a 40-hour epic with a uniquely original setting and story that easily grabbed my attention and never let go.

The game takes place a millennium in the future — humanity has reverted to a tribal state after a cataclysmic event on Earth, and now coexist with animalistic machines roaming the world. The narrative — full of many emotional moments and intense action — slowly explains what happened to the world and being slowly drip-fed these details is what ultimately kept me on the edge of my seat eagerly awaiting what I would discover next. Horizon Zero Dawn probably has the most satisfying ending to a game I’ve ever played, and the emotional weight of it has me tear up every time I think about it.

The game’s protagonist, Aloy — a strong character with a truly remarkable character arc — is also very memorable. She begins the game as an outcast in society, but eventually becomes humanity’s hope in defeating the corrupted machines. Although Aloy is a badass warrior, there are also plenty of moments that ground her as a character as she discovers the secrets of her past and grapples with the responsibility of becoming a leader and protector.

The combat in Horizon Zero Dawn is fantastic in that it is reasonably challenging for a third-person action game. The machines are very threatening, and approaching them head on will only result in disaster. I like how the game forces the player to take a step back and really think about how to take down these enemies by exploiting their weaknesses.

I’d recommend purchasing the Complete Edition so you can also play Horizon’s DLC, The Frozen Wilds. It is a worthwhile expansion that adds an additional 10 hours of content and the plot of the DLC does a great job of capturing what made the original story so impactful.

Nier:Automata

Read my full review here.

Nier:Automata is a game that I wish was appreciated and talked about more in mainstream gaming.

The game boasts a thought-provoking and immersive story that never skips a beat in surprising the player and subverting their expectations. The game takes some risks in focusing on themes like existentialism, but it is handled in a way easily approachable for the average gamer and gives the game a unique thematic feel and identity.

Nier:Automata has the slickest and most responsive combat I’ve ever experienced in a third-person action game, and you’ll never feel like you aren’t in control as you hack and slash through enemies. The combat and levels are quite varied throughout the game — e.g. 2D side scroller, top-down shooter, etc. This variation in gameplay style is super refreshing, and it never feels out of place with common gameplay elements shared across all these different sections.

Lastly, this game has the best soundtrack ever for a video game in my opinion.

A+ Tier: Phenomenal

Ghost of Tsushima

Read my full review here.

There are two things that really makes Ghost of Tsushima stand out as one of PlayStation’s best exclusives in recent memory — the game’s art direction and combat.

Ghost of Tsushima is easily the prettiest looking game on the PS4. I love how the game uses vibrant, contrasting colors to bring life and personality to the game’s spaces, which makes exploring Tsushima Island to take in its scenery one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do in a video game. So many locations in the game are seared into my mind with how beautiful they looked.

The combat in Ghost of Tsushima is also fantastic, as it gives the player a lot of agency with how to approach combat encounters. Not a single weapon in your arsenal is useless or ends up getting power crept, which is a common problem in some other games. The variety of options available to the player keeps the combat from becoming overly stale or repetitive, and intelligently managing your inventory to make full use of your tools is key to vanquishing large groups of enemies. The swordplay in Ghost of Tsushima is also exceptionally well designed— it feels really snappy and the stance system (you can switch your sword fighting stance in real time, and different enemies are weak to different stances) adds a unique tactical element to sword combat.

The only downside to Ghost of Tsushima is its story and characters. There are numerous issues from a narrative perspective, such as the pacing of the third act, major side quests with limited payoff and the game’s characters not having the greatest development. However, these shortcomings ultimately don’t detract from the stellar aspects of the game I mentioned above and I was still highly satisfied with my experience overall.

Detroit: Become Human

Detroit: Become Human is an interactive story game where the decisions made by the player will have a drastic impact on how the narrative progresses and game’s final ending. (It is similar to Black Mirror: Bandersnatch)

I have quite a positive opinion on this game because your decisions have real and lasting consequences. This consequently makes Detroit: Become Human more engaging and immersive, and gets you heavily invested in the game’s plot and characters. Having the fate of the game’s characters in your hands makes many sections of the game incredibly tense, as you’re always afraid of making a wrong choice that will put a character in jeopardy. Additionally, the fact that you don’t always have that much time to contemplate your choices only makes these moments even more intense and uneasy.

The game’s story is super compelling, as it takes place in a futuristic depiction of Detroit where androids are essentially second-class citizens subservient to humans who have programmed them to do their bidding. The game has some interesting commentary on how the rise of androids has affected different aspects of society, and whether androids deserve equal rights and freedoms as a new intelligent form of life — echoing many civil issues that are extremely topical in the world today. The story is unique in its presentation as you play as three different characters with separate plotlines that eventually intersect. I quite liked this narrative choice as playing the game from different perspectives, in different locations and alongside different supporting characters prevented the story from becoming stale.

The game has a pretty decent soundtrack, and the flow chart feature of the game gives Detroit a ton of replay value. After you complete a level, you are presented with a flow chart of all the possible outcomes — you can replay these levels in the future and make different decisions to experience the outcomes you initially missed out on.

Detroit: Become Human is a game I’d recommend to first time gamers. The game is very easy to get the hang of, and it does a great job of showing some of the things that make video game narratives so unique and special compared to other media like film and TV.

Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Read my full review of Spider-Man: Miles Morales here.

Spider-Man and its sequel, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, does the Spider-Man franchise justice with a picture perfect open-world map of New York, main characters that capture the charisma of their comic-book counterparts and a movement and combat system that accentuates Spider-Man’s natural speed and agility. Regarding the latter point, one of Spider-Man’s crowning achievements is the game’s cutting-edge web-swinging mechanics, which immerses you into New York that much more and offers an exhilarating feeling of freedom.

The combat in Spider-Man is great because there are a wide spectrum of attacks and techniques that you can combo together and experiment with. However, I did find combat to be too easy at times in the first game once I got the hang of it. This issue is rectified in Miles Morales, and I feel Miles Morales has a more refined combat system overall.

From a story perspective, Spider-Man does an excellent job at building up the story and ensuring that the plot unravels in a way where the stakes become continually higher as the story progresses. For the most part, the story is thrilling and akin what you could expect from a superb Marvel Movie that features plenty of action. However, the pacing of Spider-Man ends up faltering by the third act of the game, which I felt was too rushed. This does not take away from the final product, which as a whole did a great job of delivering an immersive and exciting superhero gaming experience.

Spider-Man also excels in shedding light into the personal realities of being a superhero and the consequences that come with living a double life. Although this is explored well in the first game, a central thematic focus of these personal struggles in Miles Morales is why I prefer that game’s narrative more. Miles Morales features an incredibly compelling plot because Miles himself has a much more focused character arc compared to Peter Parker. The game starts with Miles as an inexperienced Spider-Man who still has much to learn, and Miles slowly matures and grows in confidence as a hero through the events of the plot. One way that Miles grows is through his personal relationships with supporting characters becoming tested when these individuals become entangled in the game’s main conflict. The supporting characters in Miles Morales are much more developed than the original Spider-Man game, as they all have more multifaceted motivations and backstories that are explored.

With regards to side content, both games have a wide range of things to do outside of the main questline. Most of the side content in the first game is forgettable, with only a few side quests worth doing. Miles Morales is considerably better, with multiple quests containing interesting story beats that provide meaningful backstory on the game’s cast of characters.

Both Spider-Man games on the PS4 are shining examples of what superhero games should aspire to be, and I consider them to be essential games for any PlayStation owner.

Doom and Doom: Eternal

Don’t play Doom and its sequel Doom: Eternal if you have high blood pressure, because both games will have your heart pumping out of your chest with their frenetic action (and intense heavy metal soundtrack).

Doom’s difficult gameplay differentiates it from other FPS titles. Bombarded by waves of bloodthirsty demons from Hell, Doom is a game that forces you to think on your feet, be aware of your surroundings and master the game’s smooth movement and combat in order to survive. The key to Doom’s combat is movement, as standing in one place will only lead to your demise because you will get cornered. In fact, constantly staying on the move during combat is one of the biggest reasons why Doom’s action is so fun and fast-paced.

Although the game’s combat looks straightforward on the surface, there’s a considerable degree of strategy behind it all — it is not a game where all you do is point and shoot. As you encounter waves of enemies, there are a plethora of things to consider like which enemies to take down first, where / how to move around the map and managing your limited ammo reserves. Every time you die, you also have a chance to reflect on what you did wrong. I feel that Doom is a game where you constantly improve and get better through practice and even failure, which makes each victory all the more rewarding.

Doom: Eternal takes the first Doom and turns everything up to 11. Eternal’s story is much more ambitious in scope, and there are more enemy types, more diverse locations and more content overall (including a multi-part single player DLC) compared to the first Doom. The combat in Eternal is even crazier with more verticality and new traversal options like a forward dash and grappling hook.

With both games fundamentally sharing the same polished FPS gameplay, there’s no reason to overlook the first Doom despite Eternal being improved in many areas. Play the first Doom before diving into Eternal if you can!

The Last of Us Part II

Read my full review here.

If you haven’t played the first Last of Us game, I suggest you play that immediately. It is hands down one of the best games ever created, and absolutely necessary to play before diving into Part II.

The Last of Us Part II goes in a different direction compared to its predecessor. Although many people disliked the decisions that Naughty Dog made from a narrative perspective for Part II, I still thought the game told a compelling story where the player is constantly challenged to re-assess their loyalties and perception of each character and reflect on story events from differing perspectives. I really enjoyed how the game doesn’t take an absolute stance on what is truly right and wrong, and leaves it up to the player’s interpretation. I thought the narrative also did a great job of introducing us to raw, humanized characters that you can really emphasize with.

Part II isn’t a game that’s always fun to play, and at times it can be very distressing. However, the story has many powerful scenes that hit you like a truck emotionally and these moments never fail to leave a lasting impact when they happen. Unfortunately, in between these moments, there are some incredibly slow sections of the game where nothing of note takes place (it’s mainly your character exploring and travelling to the next destination) and these sections can become somewhat monotonous. Nevertheless, when Part II delivers, it really delivers and having to play through the slower paced stretches of the game shouldn’t be that much of a concern in the grand scheme of things for most players.

Cuphead

I played this game on PC, but it came out for PlayStation this year so I figured I could lump this into the Tier List.

Cuphead will be one of the hardest games you will ever play. Guaranteed. Cuphead is a side-scrolling shooter that has you battle against several challenging bosses. Boss battles are the bread and butter of this game, and you’ll experience immense amounts of frustration as you lose over and over to them. To claim victory, you’ll need to master the movement mechanics of the game and learn the attack patterns of each boss to survive long enough to deal the final blow. Although this process can be quite grueling, beating a Cuphead boss for the first time is one of the biggest highs you can get from playing a video game, especially if you’ve been stuck on a boss for more than a few days.

Apart from the combat, Cuphead has a distinct 1920s cartoon art style and extremely well-designed stages. Each boss level has a distinct color palette and music (the game’s big brass / jazz soundtrack is just incredible), and some bosses even have their own mechanics that spice up the overall gameplay. For example, one level scrolls up for the entire duration of the boss fight and another level has Cuphead standing on a moving train car that can be moved left and right.

Give Cuphead a chance if you are looking for a game that is easy to pick up and learn, but offers a brutal challenge that will push you to your limit.

A-Tier: Very Good

Bioshock and Bioshock: Infinite

It is not easy to interweave a truly deep narrative into an FPS game. Bioshock and Bioshock: Infinite are two games that demonstrate how that can be beautifully done. (Sorry for not playing Bioshock 2…)

Although both games were originally released for the PS3 / XBOX 360 / PC, remastered versions of the games are available for PS4 and I think both games have aged quite well.

Both games have a fantastic visual identity. The original Bioshock’s underwater utopia turned dystopia, Rapture, has a dark, gritty and edgy feel to its city that makes it simultaneously unsettling and intriguing. Bioshock Infinite’s floating metropolis, Colombia, is one of the most creative and visually stunning worlds ever conceptualized for a video game. Columbia has bright vibrant colors that pop out, and a unique steampunk aesthetic with striking 20th century architecture.

As I mentioned before, both games have deep narratives, and at the time of release they were both quite ground-breaking. Bioshock has one of the most famous plot revelations ever for a video game, and I was intensely shocked and impressed when it was revealed during my first playthrough. The rest of the story was solid from what I can remember, but the ending of the original Bioshock was incredibly lackluster.

Bioshock Infinite’s strongest aspect are its characters — more specifically Elizabeth, who accompanies you for the entire story. Elizabeth plays off the game’s protagonist, Booker, extremely well through their dialogue and interactions. The strong relationship that grows between Booker and Elizabeth over the game is the cornerstone of the entire Bioshock: Infinite story, and it certainly set a standard for future games that tried to do something similar with their characters. I felt Bioshock: Infinite had a better structured and paced story compared to the original Bioshock. Although some concepts explored in the game like alternate universes get complicated, the loose ends of the story do get closed by the end and boy does it pay off. You may need to read an article or analysis to fully understand and appreciate Infinite’s ending though given the narrative’s complexity.

The FPS gameplay in both games are fairly standard in my opinion (nothing overly innovative), but there are some unique elements such as the plasmid / vigor system which allows you to incapacitate enemies with different abilities like fire and electricity. I do remember the original Bioshock game demanding a bit more strategic gameplay from the player, especially against the incredibly resilient Big Daddy boss enemies. One aspect of Infinite’s gameplay that stands out is the Sky-Hook, which allows you to joyride back and forth between different floating areas in combat. This vastly expands the size of each combat area and adds an interesting element of verticality to combat.

God of War

Many gamers — even those new to the God of War franchise — will find that the newest God of War game is a title that they will easily get invested in, and eventually addicted to. The one thing that makes God of War’s story memorable is the dynamic between Kratos and his son, Atreus. Kratos has a hard and tough exterior, which heavily contrasts Atreus’ childlike innocence and curiosity. Atreus’ personality adds a lighthearted note to an otherwise serious and dramatic story, making the game’s dialogue and tone a bit more approachable to the average gamer. Despite how stern he is towards Atreus, Kratos loves him deeply as a father and wants the best for him. He is also more reserved and sympathetic compared to the previous three God of War games. For these reasons, I quite like the characterization of Kratos in this game.

I loved exploring every nook and cranny off the beaten path in this game. There are a bunch of optional areas and island in the world of Midgard that can be explored, which surprised me as I was not anticipating the game to feature this much content separate from the main story. There’s a great deal of detail that went into bringing the world of Midgard to life, with a plethora of huge set pieces and diverse locations that enhance the overall magnificence and sophistication of the game’s world.

The combat in God of War is very well constructed. The game’s fun and fluid combat features a solid mix of different ranged and close quarters attacks, along with a customization and progression system that is surprisingly comprehensive. Revisiting and switching up your upgrades and equipment is vital in ensuring you can handle some of the game’s tougher enemies, and is something you will end up doing regularly (unlike some games where a few modifications will carry you through the full game). My favorite part of combat is the role Atreus plays in it — instead of being on the sidelines, he is an active participant and his ability to stun enemies with arrows is the most crutch ability in the game. I am thankful Atreus was given a significant role in combat in line with how prominent he is as a character in the main story.

Many of you may be surprised at why I didn’t rank God of War higher considering the heavy amount of praise the game has received compared to the games I placed in higher tiers. There’s one thing that I disliked about God of War, which is what ultimately lowered my ranking of the game — the ending. The ending to God of War did not strike a chord with me. Taking into consideration the epic final battle that occurs moments before it, I found it a bit anticlimactic and jarring with how quiet and held back it was. I can understand the intent of why Santa Monica Studio decided to end God of War on this note. It gives the player an opportunity to fully reflect on Kratos and Atreus’ grand journey, and take in the full emotional weight of this journey finally concluding. I think some players will really like this ending, I just found it a bit underwhelming and felt it did not deliver the payoff I was looking for personally.

B-Tier: Good

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order

Read my full review here.

Jedi Fallen Order truly captures the adventure and imagination of Star Wars. The game never feels like it isn’t Star Wars, as you stumble upon familiar locations, creatures and call-backs to the main series with some of the most memorable and likable characters I’ve seen written for a video game. The charm and depth of the characters in Jedi Fallen Order is the one of the game’s most notable strengths, making it easy for the player to stand behind the game’s protagonists and connect with the narrative of the game on a more emotional and intimate level.

Although the narrative of Jedi Fallen Order is strong, it is ultimately weighed down by challenging, clunky and borderline unfair combat gameplay that at times makes playing the game a frustrating endeavor. You feel underpowered for a decent chunk of the game, and compared to other games like Ghost of Tsushima it feels like your inputs regularly do not register. In my opinion, the design of Jedi Fallen Order’s combat makes the combat feel more drawn out, hampering the flow and pacing of an otherwise spectacular game.

Some people argue that Jedi Fallen Order’s combat should be difficult and it was never a concern in the first place. Although I agree the challenge of the game would resonate with some players, I feel the difficulty of the combat can really turn off some players who are looking for a more casual experience (which is especially applicable for a Star Wars game with more broad appeal). The gameplay gets significantly better once your character is equipped with the proper upgrades, but the journey to get to that point had its fair share of unpleasant moments.

Despite the game’s flaws, experiencing Jedi Fallen Order’s narrative made the overall game worth the investment, and I consider it a real treat for those with some interest in the Star Wars franchise (much better than the new movies). Unfortunately, the at-times unforgiving gameplay of Jedi Fallen Order makes it tough for the game to accommodate and resonate with a broad audience compared to other third-person action games.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Uncharted is one of PlayStation’s most revered franchises, and with each Uncharted game you’re guaranteed to get a game with solid action and gunplay, fun exploration and an interesting narrative that ties everything together.

Although the Uncharted franchise has successfully applied this formula time and time again, the appeal of Uncharted has faded a bit for me after playing through the first three games. Despite the game moving to PS4, Uncharted 4 fundamentally does not take a big leap forward with many aspects of the game being in line with what I’d expect from an Uncharted sequel. There are some fantastic moments, just not enough innovation to make the game stick out. Another issue I had with the game stems from its longer length. It is several hours longer than its prequels on PS3, but I felt the additional playtime was not implemented effectively. Some stretches of the game around two-thirds of the way through felt particularly drawn out.

On the contrary, I loved Uncharted: The Lost Legacy — a short 8–9 hour spin-off game that has you playing as Chloe Frazier from Uncharted 2. I felt the Lost Legacy had a far better paced and tighter plot compared to Uncharted 4 due to its shorter playtime. Naughty Dog made few modifications to the combat of the Lost Legacy, and those familiar with main Uncharted games will feel right at home with the Lost Legacy. I reckon many diehard fans of Uncharted will greatly enjoy playing an Uncharted game from the perspective of different characters and find it immensely refreshing.

C-Tier: Average

Control

Control is an incredibly creative game — it has the ingredients to be successful, but its execution often fails to elevate the strengths of the game.

The one thing I love the most about Control is the game’s setting and presentation. The game takes place in the Oldest House, an office building dedicated to the study of the paranormal and supernatural. Few games can make exploring an office building interesting, but Control somehow manages to succeed in doing this because there’s no telling what you will see or run into next in the Oldest House. Things will get trippy and weird, but that’s honestly a good thing as nothing is ever predictable.

Additionally, Control goes all in on the supernatural theme and I enjoyed digging into many of the smaller details. For instance, there are data logs scattered across the game taking on the form of classified documents reporting on different paranormal phenomena from Control’s world. Whoever wrote all these data logs deserves more credit, as the originality and creativity of the content in these reports easily makes them the best collectibles I’ve hunted down in a video game.

Even though Control’s unique world gives it a strong foundation for success, the narrative elements of the game are handled poorly. I found none of the characters particularly memorable and found them all hard to connect to. There are some interesting moments in the story, but there are just interesting moments — at a holistic level, the game’s plot does not really offer anything distinctly compelling, which hinders the player’s ability to get fully invested in it. The worst part of Control is the game’s ending, which was very disappointing to say the least. Control ended incredibly abruptly, and you are hardly given any time to process what happened. The ending was not at all worth the time I spent to get there.

Control’s combat is pretty cool, and the abilities that you learn like levitation and telekinesis really distinguishes the game’s combat from other third-person action titles. The issue with combat is enemy variety, as you end up cycling through different permutations of the same seven or eight enemies through the entire game. There are some interesting boss battles that behave completely different from the typical enemies you encounter, but these bosses are completely optional and can be missed. This is a real shame as I consider fighting these bosses to be some of the most worthwhile things you can do in the base game.

D-Tier: Below Average

Death Stranding

Death Stranding… where do I begin.

For starters, the plot of Death Stranding is not that bad, and its overall premise — although incredibly complicated — does manage to grab your attention. The plot does become convoluted at times, making it hard to follow and understand exactly what is going on. For the most part though, I had no major issues keeping track of what was occurring in the plot and I was actually pretty moved by some of the events that had unfolded.

The main weakness of Death Stranding is its gameplay. The game is essentially a walking simulator where you deliver cargo (on foot mostly) to distant settlements in the game world. With the main gameplay loop being comprised primarily of walking, Death Stranding’s gameplay is dull and laborious at its core. I recall one play session I had where I did nothing but walk over a snowy mountain for thirty minutes — nothing else of note happened. There are also sections of the game where you walk into rainy areas inhabited by invisible monsters called BTs. Although these sections are incredibly tense as you cannot see the enemies around you, it grinds the game down to a halt as you need to move extremely carefully to make it through safely. The last thing you want to happen is getting caught by a BT, separated from your cargo and forced to defeat a mini-boss that only puts you further behind. Although there is combat in Death Stranding, it does not happen often enough in my opinion and I wish it could have been incorporated into the game more prominently to add greater variety between long, strenuous walking sections.

Ultimately, Death Stranding’s gameplay was memorable for the wrong reasons — the copious amount of walking will eventually fail to keep the average gamer engaged and I ended up looking forward to mechanics in the game like ziplines and roads that allowed me to get to places quicker and play less of the game as a result. In all honesty, I feel I would have gotten just as much out of Death Stranding had I watched it as a film.