5 Best PlayStation 4 Games of All Time, According to Metacritic

If you want to open the book up on gaming's most spectacular works of art, then you needn't search any further than the PlayStation 4 and its monumentally mouth-watering selection of first-party exclusives. Thanks to Sony and its close-knit nexus of outstanding developers, the ex-gen console has managed to harbor some of the most visually and mechanically sound experiences of all time.

Or course, it's only natural for us, as gamers, to go digging for reviews before investing in any $60 title. Thankfully, Metacritic does a pretty fantastic job at keeping an up-to-date database of everything that touches the market. And so, if you're curious to know which of the countless PlayStation 4 games make up the top five, then read on.

5. God of War (2018)

Santa Monica Studio is a firm we all know for blockbuster action-adventure titles, which of course includes the best-selling God of War saga. The 2018 iteration of said saga, although miles apart from the gore-heavy 2005 debut that rocked the world, went down as one of the most memorable PlayStation exclusives of all time. And for good reason, too.

With the life of vengeance finally shoved behind him, Kratos looks to develop a new purpose for living from the remnants of his bloodthirst and hellbent soul. However, with the ghosts of his past catching up to him, the notorious slayer of Gods is forced out of retirement and straight back into a blazing inferno, stoked by a new and alluring enemy that threatens the balance of power. A comeback tale as compelling as this, of course, fully deserves the Metacritic score of 94.

4. The Last of Us Remastered

Ask anyone which game made the biggest impact on the PlayStation 3, and they'll openly confess their love and admiration for Naughty Dog's The Last of Us. Thanks to the firm's expertise in drawing up compelling story-driven video games, the zombie action-adventure title left the studio with nothing but gold fastened to its armored core. It was only a matter of time, of course, before Naughty Dog revived said gold-plated phenomenon and brought it to the PlayStation 4.

The tale of Joel and Ellie's countrywide journey through the remnants of post-apocalyptic America is one of the most relived in PlayStation history. Even to this day, the game continues to receive an abundance of replays, which will of course double in numbers after the release of The Last of Us Part I. Because of how well mapped out the story was, as well as its intense character progression, fans of the game were content with giving the game a score of 95, making it the fourth most popular PlayStation 4 game of all time.

3. Persona 5 Royal

Persona has one of the wealthiest video game portfolios in modern gaming, with best-selling titles that date way back to 1996. Its 2019 chapter, Persona 5 Royal, not only went down as one of the most immersive video games of the last decade, but one of the best JRPGs ever conceived. And luckily for PlayStation, the game was exclusive to PS4, which of course coursed players of alternative platforms to jump ship and invest in it.

Persona 5 Royal brings a fresh combination of full-fat dungeon crawling and turn-based combat to a fully equipped concrete jungle, a place where players are invited to immerse in a story that stretches for countless hours. With the amount of quality the game employs, as well as Atlus' clear attention to detail that bursts through the cracks of every nook and cranny, Persona 5 Royal more than deserves its outstanding Metacritic score of 95.

2. Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V has done what other games simply could not: endured three console generations and somehow lived to tell the tale. As one of the greatest video games in existence, Rockstar harnesses more power than the vast majority, with a multi-billion dollar flume of income supporting its every decision. Thanks to not only the game's main campaign, but its enormous online world, the hungry-eyed developer is able to make upwards of a billion dollars a month, $800 million coming from Shark Cards alone. This makes Grand Theft Auto V not only one of the highest-rated video games of all time, but the highest-grossing.

Grand Theft Auto V and its whirlwind adventure revolving around Franklin, Michael, and Trevor has been replayed over 200 million times on the PlayStation 4 alone. And it's no surprise, seeing as San Andreas and its long arm of exploits are some of the best in the action-adventure market. It's a near-perfect gem with a stubborn knack for evolving, and it's only right that such an enduring title should boast a Metacritic score of 97. Anything less would be an insult, to be fair.

1. Red Dead Redemption 2

At this point, it's presumed that Rockstar Games is in possession of a master key, one that has the power to unlock just about any door it comes into contact with. This presumption started to develop after the launch of Grand Theft Auto V, a game which received more awards than it knew what to do with. And it turned out, of course, that Red Dead Redemption 2 was also in possession of said key chain.

Red Dead Redemption 2's fifty-plus hour campaign featuring Arthur Morgan and Dutch's Boys is perhaps one of the most thought-out and well-constructed video games of all time. Loaded with a treasure trove of unchartered Western territories to explore and adventures to embark on, the Rockstar jewel just about enveloped one of the most immersive story-driven action-adventure experiences ever seen in the industry. Because of that, critics and gamers were more than happy to praise it with a 97 on Metacritic, putting it on par with its San Andreas cousin, Grand Theft Auto V.

So, what's your take? Are you surprised by the five highest-rated PlayStation 4 games? Are there any you were expecting to see? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.