Top 10 PS4 Games in my Backlog
Unlike other consoles I’ve owned, my collection of physical PS4 games is rather small. There are a few reasons for this, one of which is that I do own some PS4 games digitally. Another is that games seem to come out on PC as well as consoles more than ever before. Because of this, my PS4 backlog is actually pretty small. I actually only own 4 of the games on this list as of this writing, I haven’t picked up the other 6 yet!
Games exclusive to the PS4 make up a large portion of this list. Like in the Top 10 PS3 Games in my Backlog, I mostly prioritized the games I already owned here. There are a few exceptions that I ranked higher even though I don’t own them yet, because I’m just really pumped for those!
10. Shadow of the Colossus
- Developer: Bluepoint Games
- Release: February 6, 2018
I’ve always been curious about the original Shadow of the Colossus on the PS2, so when an HD remake was announced for the PS4, I was definitely interested. The game tells the story of a young man called Wander as he fights against enormous beasts called colossi. These colossi are the only enemies in the game, and each encounter with them is sort of like a puzzle.
The premise here sounds really intriguing, and I’ve heard only good things about the narrative. I’m definitely looking forward to picking this one up someday!
9. God of War
- Developer: SIE Santa Monica Studio
- Release: April 20, 2018
In what is one of the most praised PlayStation exclusives in years, God of War for the PS4 sees the return of Kratos, but one of the changes here is that he’s not alone in his quest this time. His son, a young boy named Atreus, is with him on his journey. Furthermore, instead of drawing on Greek mythology, the game draws on Norse mythology for inspiration instead. Despite these changes, the core gameplay is the same: you play as Kratos and fight your way through whichever monsters and gods get in your way.
As of this writing, I still haven’t played a God of War game! This entry does take place after God of War III, but since it’s sort of a series reboot, I think it would be an okay place to start. I’d just be missing on whatever nods to the previous games are included in this one.
8. Grand Kingdom
- Developer: Monochrome Corporation
- Release: June 28, 2016
Also available on PlayStation Vita, Grand Kingdom is a tactical RPG in which you control squads of mercenaries. Your mercenary units have different character classes which govern their available abilities. What sounds interesting here is that you form your units into squads, and these squads are moved around a board outside of battles during missions. When a squad comes into contact with a group of enemies, then a battle is triggered. I believe battles should play out similarly to other grid-based strategy games, and these sound fun too, but I’m really curious to see how the gameplay outside of battle shapes the experience.
I might wind up picking up the PS Vita version of this instead, if I happen to find that for a lower price. I think the PS4 version has always been cheaper on the second hand market though, so it’s more likely that I will end up playing it on PS4.
7. Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers
- Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
- Release: October 22, 2019
Also available on Switch, this charming JRPG puts you in control of a group of kids and their robot guardian as they battle slews of out of control machines intent on their destruction. I’ve heard the characters and plot have a ton of charm! I’m also looking forward to the turn-based battle system.
6. The Order: 1886
- Developer: Ready at Dawn
- Release: February 20, 2015
I know basically nothing about this game. It was on a pretty good sale, so I picked it up on PSN a while back. Honestly, the main reason I picked it up is because it’s a PS4 exclusive. That’s the real reason it’s so high on this list: I already own it, and I should really prioritize the games I’ve already bought!
It’s a third-person cover shooter, and I always used to enjoy the Gears of War games, so I’m curious to see how this compares. Reviews for it are hit or miss, but I’m willing to give it a try and form my own opinion.
5. Horizon Zero Dawn
- Developer: Guerrilla Games
- Release: February 28, 2017
Horizon Zero Dawn is an action RPG set in a unique open world. It takes place on Earth during the 31st century. Humanity has been reduced to isolated tribes, and animal-like robots now dominate the Earth. The player controls a young woman named Aloy as she fights against the machines.
The setting alone is enough to interest me here, but there seems to be a lot to do in the open world as well, especially in terms of combat. In your fight against the machines, you can employ traps, arrows, stealth, and all sorts of other weapons in order to take down your foes. It all sounds great to me, which is why I picked it up digitally during a PSN sale a while back!
4. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
- Developer: Naughty Dog & Bluepoint Games
- Release: October 7, 2015
Edit: The Nathan Drake Collection has been Charted! These were really solid action-adventure 3rd-person shooters. The emphasis is more on shooting than in the Tomb Raider reboots, but I still enjoyed these. You can read more about my thoughts in What I’m Playing No. 83 and What I’m Playing No. 84.
The Uncharted series follows protagonist Nathan Drake as he travels the world in search of treasure. With gameplay firmly in the action-adventure genre, each entry has garnered great reviews for its epic single-player campaign and storytelling. I’ve heard the gameplay of the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot is similar to Uncharted, so if that’s true I’ll probably really enjoy these games!
Since it’s a compilation of the first 3 Uncharted games, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection will probably take a bit to finish once I finally start it. This was one of the earlier PS4 games I bought, since I wanted to see what the series was all about. I’ll probably end up playing one game at a time, and taking breaks to play other games in between. I don’t want the experience to get stale!
3. Gravity Rush Remastered
- Developer: Team Gravity & Bluepoint Games
- Release: February 2, 2016
Edit: Done! I really enjoyed Gravity Rush: Remastered. Charming characters and environments + fun gameplay = a great time! You can read more about my thoughts on the game here.
Gravity Rush originally released for the PlayStation Vita, but eventually received a remastered port to PlayStation 4, simply titled Gravity Rush: Remastered. The game follows Kat, who has lost her memories, after she wakes up in a floating city called Hekseville. She discovers she has the ability to manipulate gravity, or at least how it affects her.
Hekseville is an open world, and the gameplay sees the player traversing the city as Kat, making full use of her gravity-bending powers. She’ll walk on walls and fly through the air while fighting enemies and completing quests. It sounds like an incredibly fun experience, and I’m really looking forward to giving it a shot! This is another game I own digitally, having picked it up during a PSN sale.
2. Persona 5 Strikers
- Developer: Omega Force & P-Studio
- Release: February 23, 2021
Edit: Finished! I really enjoyed this game, the combat was a lot of fun, the music was great, and the story and characters were too! Just an all-around great experience. You can read more of my thoughts here.
Much like Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors are for their respective series, Persona 5 Scramble is basically a Dynasty Warriors game set in the Persona universe. Therefore, instead of the usual turn-based battle mechanics of the Persona series, it will feature hack ‘n’ slash gameplay against hordes of enemies. As of this writing, it hasn’t even release in Japan yet, so I’m a little uncertain of the exact details. However, based on what I’ve seen, it seems that it will have a surprising amount of story content.
At this time, an English localization hasn’t even been officially announced, but I have high hopes that it will be soon! I haven’t played a Dynasty Warriors game before, but I’m excited to try this one when it comes out in the West. Playing as the members of the Phantom Thieves in a hack ‘n’ slash game sounds pretty awesome!
1. Persona 5 Royal
- Developer: P-Studio
- Release: March 31, 2020
Edit: Persona 5 Royal is out in the West now, PatronusLight and I have finished it, and it’s wonderful! Here’s my post on many of the changes and new features.
Persona 5 Royal is an enhanced version of Persona 5 with new characters, gameplay elements, and story additions. As of this writing, it’s also not yet released in English!
Given that it’s not out in my region yet, it’s sort of cheap of me to put this at the top of the list. That didn’t stop me for Persona 5 Scramble either though! If you’ve followed me for a while, you probably already know that I adore Persona 5. After I heard Atlus would be releasing an enhanced version of it, similarly to how they released Persona 4 Golden, I was ecstatic. I know I’ll be putting hundreds of hours into this game when it comes out, and I just can’t wait to step into the shoes of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts once more!
