The best PS4 games aren’t the ones that collected the highest scores, but the ones that show their age the least today. This is an editorial pick with a single criterion: you start it up in the evening and its age doesn’t get in the way. For each title we also note what the PS5 does with it, because half of them have a newer version and the other half don’t.
What’s on the list and what the PS5 does with it
| Game | Genre | Platforms listed by Sony | On PS5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| God of War | action-adventure | PS5, PS4, PC | Sony also lists a PS5 version |
| Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut | open world | PS4, PS5 | a separate version for each console |
| The Last of Us Part II | action-adventure | PS4 | patch 1.08 adds a choice of 30 or 60 fps |
| Bloodborne | action RPG | PS4 | Sony lists PS4 only |
| Marvel’s Spider-Man | action-adventure | PS4, PS4 Pro Enhanced | separate title Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered |
| Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End | action-adventure | PS4 | part of the Legacy of Thieves collection for PS5 |
| Detroit: Become Human | interactive story | PS4 | Sony lists PS4 only |
| Days Gone | open world | PS4 | Days Gone Remastered for PS5, PS5 Pro Enhanced |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | RPG | PS4, PS5 | Sony also lists a PS5 version |
| Minecraft | sandbox | PS4, PS5 | Sony also lists a PS5 version |
Platforms are copied from Sony’s product pages as of 11 September 2026. A game running on the PS5 doesn’t mean it looks any different there; that only applies where a separate version was released.
Big exclusives that still sell the PS4
Bloodborne is the strongest argument for the old console: Sony lists it exclusively on PS4 and offers no newer version. If you want to know what everyone means when they talk about soulslike games, there is no other way.
The Last of Us Part II is the opposite case, where the PS4 is enough. Sony lists it on its website as a PS4 game and adds that after installing patch 1.08 you can choose between 30 and 60 fps in the display settings. That is the only change moving to the newer console brings for this version.
God of War from 2018 is still the best example of how an action game can be carried by two characters and one journey. Sony lists it on PS5, PS4 and PC, and before you reach for the Ragnarök sequel, it makes sense to start here.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End comes with a catch. On PS5 it came out in the Legacy of Thieves collection together with The Lost Legacy, but Sony explicitly states that the collection doesn’t support the multiplayer from the original games, and if you want it, you should play the PS4 versions. The collection also doesn’t give everyone a discounted upgrade: if you own the PS4 disc version and buy a PS5 without a disc drive, you can’t get the reduced price, and neither can anyone who got the game through a subscription.
Detroit: Become Human takes a few evenings to finish, but you’ll be talking about it for a week afterwards. Sony lists it on PS4 and notes that playing it on PS5 may require updating the console’s system software.
Games the PS5 genuinely improves
Days Gone got a separate remaster on PS5, which Sony also labels as PS5 Pro Enhanced. Sony lists improved foliage draw distance, better shadows and lighting, VRR support and Speedrun and Permadeath modes, which makes it the biggest generational difference on the whole list.
Marvel’s Spider-Man has a separate title on PS5, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, so the original version remains a PS4 game. Sony also offers it in the PS Plus Extra subscription catalog.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is sold by Sony in both a PS4 version and a PS5 version. Here you choose by console, not by game.
What exactly the PS5 Pro Enhanced label means and whether it’s worth buying the more powerful model is covered in the PS5 vs PS5 Pro comparison. This article doesn’t deal with backward compatibility; that, including the transfer conditions, is covered in the guide to transferring games and data from PS4 to PS5.
New games are still coming out for the PS4
This is the part most lists leave out. For both EA Sports FC 26 and Diablo IV, Sony lists the PS4 among supported platforms, just like for Minecraft. So the claim “nothing comes out for the PS4 anymore” isn’t true, although you have to check each such title separately.
Where the direction is clear, though, is the subscription. Sony itself states in its terms that since January 2026, PS4 games are added to PS Plus only irregularly. The catalog already in the subscription hasn’t gone anywhere, but you can’t count on a steady flow of new additions for the older console. How catalog games differ from monthly games is explained in the article on free games in PS Plus, and what’s in each tier is summed up in the overview of PS Plus Essential, Extra and Premium.
Before you buy an older game, check three things
- The platform of the specific item. The store product page lists platforms separately for each edition, so you can tell whether you’re buying the PS4 version, the PS5 version or both.
- The languages in the Screen Languages field. The listed languages always apply to the edition you have in your cart. How to check language support in detail is covered in the overview of game languages on PlayStation.
- The conditions for upgrading to the PS5 version. Sony puts it exactly like this: depending on the game, the upgrade may be free, may require a purchase and may be time-limited. There is no general rule.
There’s also one practical trap. To upgrade a PS4 disc game, you need a PS5 with a disc drive, because you have to physically insert the disc into the console. PS4 discs don’t work on the PS5 Digital Edition at all.
When not to buy the PS4 version
If you already have a PS5 and the game has a newer version. With Days Gone or Spider-Man you’re buying a different store item, not a discount, and then you have to decide whether to pay twice.
If you want the game mainly for multiplayer. With older titles, the online part is the first to die, and with Uncharted 4 the newer collection dropped it entirely.
If you’re looking for a game for two on one couch. How many players can play on one console is harder to find in the store than you’d expect; how to do it is covered in the article on games for two players.
And one general tip to finish: if you’re only just thinking about buying the older console, first read whether the PS4 still makes sense today. If you already have the newer console, it makes more sense to go straight for PlayStation exclusives or the best PS5 games.
FAQ
Among the exclusives: Bloodborne, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part II, Marvel’s Spider-Man and Uncharted 4. From other genres: The Witcher 3 and Detroit: Become Human. Sony still lists all of them on its website, and most of them now cost a fraction of their original price.
Yes, but there are few of them and you have to check them one by one. Sony lists the PS4 among the platforms for EA Sports FC 26, Diablo IV and Minecraft, for example. Only the platform listed for a specific edition in the store gives you certainty, because Sony doesn’t set a general rule anywhere.
Only where a separate PS5 version was released, as with Days Gone, Marvel’s Spider-Man or Uncharted 4. In some cases it’s a setting inside the game: for The Last of Us Part II, patch 1.08 added a choice between 30 and 60 fps. The rest run on the newer console but look the same.
There’s no general answer. Sony states that depending on the game, the upgrade may be free, may require a purchase and may be time-limited, and the publisher decides for each title separately. For a disc game you also need a PS5 with a disc drive, because the disc has to be inserted into the console.
Look at the Screen Languages field on the page of the specific edition in the PS Store. The language set always applies to the version of the game offered in that particular store.
The available versions and upgrade conditions for older games change, so check the platform and languages of the specific item before you buy. More articles about consoles and games are in the PlayStation section on Gamers Together. Information verified as of 11 September 2026.