You would think that with the release of the PS5 at the end of 2020 that the PlayStation 4 would have been put out to pasture by now, but several years after the PS5’s release, we’re still getting plenty of new PS4 games each and every week. Because of that, there’s literally hundreds of games that will have flown under your radar for whatever reason.
This means that you may want to look back on the console’s history to try and find the underrated PS4 games you simply forgot to check out along the way, or games that completely passed you by. Thousands of PS4 games have released since 2013 so it’s inevitable that you will have missed some gems, but all of these games you will find below deserved a lot more than what they got.
From pioneering stealth cult classics to masterful FPS action sent out to die, here’s what we think deserves a second look on the PlayStation 4.
20. Fist Of The North Star: Lost Paradise
Developer: RGG Studio
Publisher: SEGA
At this point, pretty much everyone has given RGG Studio their flowers for their work on the Like A Dragon and Judgment series, with all 11 mainline games in those franchises available to play on PS4 (and PS5). We’re still waiting for a port or remake of Dead Souls, the weird zombie-based spin-off that only launched on PS3, but for now, we’ll settle for telling you about RGG Studio’s most underrated banger, which is Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise.
Based on the anime and manga franchise that was more than likely the inspiration for your favorite anime or manga, Fist Of The North Star: Lost Paradise is like an abridged retelling of the series’ events. Told through the lens of hero Kenshiro arriving at a fully functioning town in search of his missing wife, our boy Ken has to contend with villains both old and new, with the gameplay boasting a more ridiculous and violent version of the beat ‘em up action Like A Dragon built its name on.
Throw in the series’ trademark daft minigames, like cabaret management or cocktail mixer, and Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is a can’t miss experience.
19. Chorus
Developer: Fishlabs
Publisher: Deep Silver
Before we start gushing about this space shooter, can we all agree that replacing a u with a v but still pronouncing it as a u is annoying? I’ve refused to listen to CHVRCHES on principle at this point.
Anyway, Chorus, or “Chorvs” if you’re looking at the boxart, is probably one of the best single-player space shooters that the industry has seen in a long time, but considering that the game failed to meet Embracer Group’s expectations, it’s likely that you’ve never played it. Consider this your chance to rectify that. Set in the farthest reaches of deep space, Chorus sees you controlling a Nara, a former star pilot for The Circle, a cult determined to subjugate everyone in the galaxy. Seeking redemption, Nara teams with her old sentient ship, Forsaken, to inflict maximum damage.
More of an arcadey experience than an Elite: Dangerous-esque space sim, Chorus’ gameplay is bolstered by fast-paced dogfights and a variety of supernatural abilities, making for an exhilarating experience. Think Star Wars: Rogue Squadron with a ship that can teleport behind enemies, drift like a car in Initial D while in the vacuum of space or charge directly into enemy ships at beyond ramming speed, and you’ve got the main approximation of what Chorus is all about. It’s sick, basically.
18. Desperados 3
Developer: Mimimi Games
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Tactical stealth games are a niche genre at the best of times, so it’s probably no wonder that a game like Desperados 3 has been massively overlooked in the years since its release. The best part about a game that’s set in the time of “rootin’ tootin’” is typically the “shootin’”, so when a game like Desperados begs players to take a more careful and methodical approach to missions, instead of unloading twin revolvers on everything that moves, some people might get turned off. It’s a shame, as Desperados 3 is well worth checking out.
While it might be the latest entry in this long running series, Desperados 3 is a prequel to the first game, meaning that even if you don’t know your saddle from your saloon, you can still enjoy what the game has to offer. Following longtime hero John Cooper and his band of friends, you’ll control up to five characters at a time, each with their own abilities, as you try to infiltrate and execute your way to some frontier justice.
17. Berserk And The Band Of The Hawk
Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
If you read or watched Game of Thrones and your first immediate thought was “nah, make it more traumatic”, then congratulations: Berserk is the franchise for you.
A manga series dating back to the late 80s, Berserk is another one of those properties that might not be known by everyone, but there’s a good chance that it’s had a huge influence on one of your favorite games or anime. Half of the aesthetic and tone of the Soulsborne games plus Elden Ring can be traced back to Berserk, with Guts’ iconic greatsword even featuring as a recurring weapon.
If you want a good video game that’s actually about Berserk though, consider Berserk And The Band Of The Hawk, the Dynasty Warriors clone from Omega Force. Thinking about it, turning Berserk into a Musou game seems like the most natural partnership anyway, as you’ve got plenty of big weapons to play with, a roster of varied characters and a seemingly never ending supply of monsters to kill. Couple that with the fact that it covers more than just the Golden Age arc, and this one is easy to recommend. Just be warned: it’s a lil pricey.
16. Blazing Chrome
Developer: JoyMasher
Publisher: The Arcade Crew
There have been many games over the years that have tried to recapture the magic that was the original Contra. Even Konami themselves haven’t been able to do it with their various remakes, reboots and retries, so when a studio like JoyMasher can just knock it out of the park with a game like Blazing Chrome, you know it’s going to be something special. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like a lot of people remember how great of a game Blazing Chrome is, so let us remind you.
Mashing together the gameplay of Contra with the impeccable sprite work of games like Metal Slug, Blazing Chrome is a brutally hard run and gun spread across six stages, each of which will test you to your very limits. With multiple difficulties, extra modes and two unlockable characters with a totally different playstyle, Blazing Chrome has enough here to keep you coming back for a while, and if you get stuck, there’s even local co-op. Saving humanity from robots is much easier with a friend, after all.
15. Pyre
Developer: Supergiant Games
Publisher: Supergiant Games
Supergiant Games have certainly been able to live up to their moniker, coming out of the gate strong with the release of Bastion in 2011. More recently, their work on Hades, which launched in early access in December 2018, has made the godlike roguelike a shining beacon of the entire genre, while Hades 2 is among the most anticipated games of all-time right now. But what about those 7 years previously?
Alongside ports of Bastion, they released two other games. One was Transistor, which had some influence in the design of Hades, but the other is Supergiant’s most overlooked release: Pyre.
In truth, Pyre’s overlooked status might be because it’s a difficult game to actually quantify and explain. It’s a party-based RPG, with you amassing a cabal of kooky characters called Exiles, but instead of exploring an overworld to fight the big bad, you’re competing against other bands of exiles in competitions known as Rites, all for a chance to return home, absolved of any transgressions they may have committed. The Rites themselves are 3v3 contests, with both teams looking to extinguish the other team’s pyre using a Celestial Orb.
Like we said, it’s a really strange one to nail down, but once you get sucked into the rhythms of the game, and form bonds with the lovable characters you encounter, there’s truly nothing else like Pyre.
14. Shadow Warrior 3
Developer: Flying Wild Hog
Publisher: Devolver Digital
The resurgence of DOOM in 2016, along with its sequel, DOOM Eternal, can be considered the inspiration for a whole wave of boomer shooters to hit storefronts in recent years, but it definitely wasn’t the first old school shooter to be revived on PS4. Shadow Warrior beat DOOM to the punch in that respect, and while the series has kind of lived in DOOM’s shadow since 2016, it’s definitely still worthy of your attention. If you want the arguable best of the whole series though, skip straight to Shadow Warrior 3. It’s not like the story is that important anyway.
Shadow Warrior 3 once again thrusts players into the combat boots of Lo Wang, a man who makes perhaps too many jokes about the fact his last name is Wang. Anyway, there’s a dragon on the loose that’s practically ended the entire world, so Wang has to form an alliance with a former villain to take down a much bigger threat. As for the gameplay, it doesn’t really evolve beyond “use big gun to shoot bigger enemy”, but it’s fast paced and all the weapons are satisfying to use.
All in all, Shadow Warrior 3 is an incredibly fun way to spend a few hours.
13. No Straight Roads
Developer: Metronomik
Publisher: Sold Out Ltd
Hi-Fi Rush might have blown everyone away in 2023 with its depiction of a rock duo fighting back against an oppressive regime, with rhythm action gameplay guiding the combat, but what you might not know is that Hi-Fi Rush wasn’t the first with that idea. To be fair, we don’t know if No Straight Roads was the first either, but according to our calculations, 2020 came before 2023, so No Straight Roads gets a worthy mention here. If you’ve never heard of this game before, you should definitely try seeking it out.
Described by our own Jimmy as like a “modern Dreamcast game”, No Straight Roads follows the two-person rock duo of Mayday and Zuke, known as Bunk Bed Junction, as they try and take down the titular tyrannical EDM empire. Try saying that three times fast. Each character has their own moveset and playstyle, as the rhythm-based combat tasks players with following the beat to take down the game’s various enemies.
Throw in an excellent soundtrack, and No Straight Roads is an absolutely underrated gem that deserves to be part of your library.
12. Fuga: Melodies Of Steel
Developer: CyberConnect2
Publisher: CyberConnect2
Who knew that sticking anthropomorphic kittens and puppies in a giant walking tank and forcing them to be child soldiers confronting their own mortality would be such a compelling game? Apparently, CyberConnect2 did, as they’re the ones who created the excellent RPG Fuga: Melodies Of Steel, and if any part of that opening sentence has you curious, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. PlayStation as a brand has always been considered to be a home to fantastic RPGs, and if you want one that’s criminally underrated, Fuga is your best bet.
Set in a war-torn world ravaged by the Berman Empire, six children have managed to seek refuge inside a giant tank called the Taranis. This ancient relic is able to face the might of the Empire head-on, with the kids rescuing more little tykes along the way, but the twist comes with the game’s Soul Cannon feature. If the fight against the Berman Empire is getting too tough, you can deploy the Soul Cannon, which is capable of massive destruction, but requires sacrificing a party member in order to use it.
The choices you make will affect which children ultimately survive, making Fuga; Melodies Of Steel an utterly thrilling experience.
11. Paradise Killer
Developer: Kaizen Game Works
Publisher: Fellow Traveller
You know, there’s not enough games on PlayStation that are A E S T H E T I C. Yes, it needs to be spelt like that, it’s part of the, well, aesthetic. Anyway, you know the type of vibe we’re referring to: plenty of retro PC graphics, a few palm trees for no reason and a liberal usage of the colours blue and pink. Think of that one vaporwave song you know and you’re about there. Anyway, we need to see more of that in video games, and while Paradise Killer offers plenty of that to go around, it’s the story and characters that’ll keep you invested.
An open world detective game, you control Lady Love Dies, a master detective and immortal who’s been exiled for a million days, brought back into the fold to investigate the death of the entire Syndicate Council; a group who’ve been trying to resurrect ancient gods. All the evidence points to one person, but with the Judge believing there’s something more to the story, you’re tasked with finding the truth.
What makes Paradise Killer compelling is you can call for the trial at any time, with the evidence you’ve found until then deciding who’s found guilty or not. But is that really what happened? Guess you’ll have to go again.
10. ECHO
Developer: Ultra Ultra
Publisher: Ultra Ultra
ECHO wasn’t only one of 2017’s best indie games, but also one of the best overall. Its core mechanic is one of the most innovative ever seen in a game, so much so that it’s a shock nobody else has even tried to ape it so far.
You play as En as she explores a desolate, mysterious palace in space with clones stalking her at every turn. These clones adapt to how you play and mimic your behaviour, meaning that if you start shooting them down, later clones down the line will shoot you right back. If you creep around constantly, they will creep after you, too.
What this creates is a tense, ever-shifting experience that always keeps you on your toes. Unfortunately, though, it seems to be an experience that not enough people had — developers Ultra Ultra closed down shortly after release.
9. Gravity Rush 2
Developer: SIE Japan Studio
Publisher: SIE
Few fans are as devoted to their favourite thing as Gravity Rush fans are. The series has never shifted a huge amount of copies, it starting out on the Vita certainly not helping its cause, yet those who know about Gravity Rush always want everyone else to know just how great it is.
Spend any time with Gravity Rush 2 and you will understand that devotion. Kat returns one tumble at a time as the world shifts around her, gravity at her whim. There’s not much else out there like it, and Gravity Rush 2 takes what made the original so great and just adds more to it. More ways to tackle enemies, more beautiful landscapes, and more of its distinctive weirdness.
It’s highly unlikely that we will ever see Gravity Rush 3, so you may as well join the cult of Kat and see what all the whispered fuss is about and pick up the second game and its predecessor on the cheap.
8. FURI
Developer: The Game Bakers
Publisher: The Game Bakers
Critical reviews for Furi told a mixed story, reviewers not fully meshing with the game’s insane difficulty and boss rush nature. Player reactions were a little different, however: Furi directly appealed to an audience who likes to be challenged with frenzied, uncompromising action and that audience absolutely lapped it up.
A 3D bullet hell meshed with hack and slash, Furi tales the story of a mysterious warrior after he escapes captivity and his quest to slice and dice his way through those who imprisoned him. What that means for you is increasingly difficult bosses that will make you want to bite your controller in half, but in a fun way.
Featuring a brilliant synthwave soundtrack that will jive with Hotline Miami fans as well as a subtly excellent story, Furi is a dizzying masterclass in how to do rewarding action that rewards the patient.
7. Titanfall 2
Developer: Respawn
Publisher: EA
You probably knew this was going to be here.
EA sending Titanfall 2 out to die is a well-worn story at this point, so much so that it always accompanies any discussion of the game itself. It’s worth constantly repeating, though: Titanfall 2 deserved better.
Titanfall 2 ups the ante from the first game, this time including a short but very sweet single-player campaign that’s among the most memorable of this gen. The relationship between Cooper and BT begs to be explored again in a third game that just doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen, what with Respawn focusing on Apex and Star Wars now.
With the game constantly on sale for a pittance these days, it’s always a good time to right a wrong and play Titanfall 2 again. Maybe buy five or ten copies, whatever makes EA take notice. I’m getting desperate at this point.
6. RUINER
Developer: Reikon Games
Publisher: Devolver Digital
RUINER is arguably an even cooler game than what Cyberpunk 2077 is shaping up to be, and that’s saying something. Drenched in violent reds and featuring quotable line after quotable line, RUINER may be the most stylish game on the PlayStation 4.
The action isn’t bad, either. A twitchy shooter where every mistake is punished with a meaty slap to the ego, you come to depend on some very fun augments as you shoot and slash your way through Rengkok to find your brother.
RUINER is certainly a challenging game that will leave you breathless, but when you manage to clear a room like the good puppy you are without taking a lick of damage, there are few games as empowering.
Also, the soundtrack is an industrial synth nightmare that will make your brain very soggy. Pair this and Furi’s soundtrack and you probably have the best video game music of the 2010s.
5. Concrete Genie
Developer: Pixelopus
Publisher: SIE
The small-scale PS4 exclusives never get as much love as their bigger brethren, Concrete Genie being the perfect example of that. It’s a heartwarming experience that will almost certainly bring a smile to your face.
Sony’s first-party games sometimes get criticised for following a similar formula: third-person narrative-focused action adventure with open world elements. While Concrete is still third-person and it has a small world to uncover, everything else about it is charmingly unique, proving that Sony’s portfolio is more diverse than people give it credit for.
Your job is to bring joy back to the derelict town you visited often in your youth. Playing as Ash, you encounter a benevolent spirit genie who imbues his paintbrush with the ability to bring more genies to life.
What makes Concrete Genie so special is that you can personalise these genies from a wide array of options, all while making brilliant use of the DualShock 4’s often overlooked tech. If you need an uplifting game, Pixelopus’ underrated marvel could be just what you need.
4. The Evil Within 2
Developer: Tango Gameworks
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Few horror franchises have been as original this generation as The Evil Within, though that may have been to a fault for the original game. While the original’s tales of STEM and undercover agents may have lost many, The Evil Within 2 concentrates things into a far simpler, more effective yet still terrifying ride.
You return as Sebastian, the grizzled detective from the first game, as he dives back into STEM to save his missing daughter. With the semi-open world of Union to explore and many twisted monsters to escape, you are sent on a wild descent that’s as eye-catching as it is chilling.
Despite strong critical reception and positive word of mouth, The Evil Within 2 was a sales failure for Bethesda. Maybe the original game dissuaded too many people, or maybe the marketing was all wrong, but The Evil Within 2 deserves to be recognised as one of the best survival horror games of this gen.
Imagine Resident Evil 4.5 and you will begin to understand why so many speak so highly of this game.
3. Wandersong
Developer: Greg Lobanov
Publisher: Humble Bundle
Sometimes all you need is a little bit of hope and a whole lot of singing. Wandersong is exactly that, it telling the tale of a pacifist bard who tries to save his planet from extinction by bringing everyone together.
Rather than swinging your sword to slay beasties, Wandersong is all about using the power of the bard’s voice to make your way past obstacles and bring things to life, illuminating the world and people around him as he goes.
If that sounds saccharine, yeah, it is, but there’s a yearning for togetherness and compassion surrounding Wandersong, as well as its constantly optimistic attitude, that’s hard to not be utterly swayed by, no matter how bad a mood you are in.
Thanks to its great sense of humour, likeable characters, and simple yet smart gameplay, Wandersong could be the perfect antidote for everything that’s going on in the world right now. It’s a digital pick-me-up that should be prescribed by doctors.
2. Days Gone
Developer: SIE Bend Studio
Publisher: SIE
There’s no denying that Days Gone had a shaky start, both in terms of performance and how its first ten hours took shape. Patience was a virtue for Days Gone players, however, and while it’s not the best PS4 exclusive of all time, it’s a damn sight better than most give it credit for.
You play as Deacon St. John (still such a wild name choice) as he motorbikes across a desolate America following a devastating virus. All that’s left are Freakers, bandits, and a few good people in-between. Deacon himself seems to struggle with where he fits into this world a tragedy, leading to an engaging character study that’s perhaps a tad too slow to really get going for some.
What you’re probably here for is the game’s many challenging hordes of Freakers, though. How you take them on is totally up to you, so whether you want to go in all guns blazing and inevitably fail or carefully set up traps and funnel enemies into chokepoints, Days Gone’s combat is inventive and, most importantly, hell of a lot of fun.
As well as all that, the background lore and how it sets up a possible sequel is fascinating. If you’ve been on the fence about Days Gone, its price has been slowly slipping for a while now, so why not rev your way across this open world and give it a chance?
1. Knack II
Developer: SIE Japan Studio
Publisher: SIE
Did I stutter? Did I?
Look, listen. Stay with me.
It’s hard to separate Knack from its memes at this point, it being ironically revered beyond the point of a joke. While it’s true Knack and its sequel are hardly the best platformers out there, it still has something about it that just makes it guilt-free fun.
Knack II is a significant improvement over the original, it featuring more gameplay variation and a cinematic, MCU-inspired scale that make it an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. Thanks to its low difficulty and surprisingly great co-op, it’s a good way to spend time with the little ones, too.
What I’m saying here is that not every game needs to push the technical envelope like The Last of Us Part II or deliver an amazing narrative like God of War. Sometimes it’s worth recognising games that don’t hold any pretences and just do what video games are designed to do: providing an entertaining escape from reality. Knack, shrinking bits and all, certainly delivers that.
READ NEXT: Best PS4 Multiplayer Games You Should Play
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site.
