The best PS4 games in 2024

Now that we have the PS5, you'd be forgiven for wondering why you should care about the best PS4 games. But Sony's last-generation console is still wildly popular and perfectly capable at delivering some compelling gaming experiences. 

And thanks to a very mature library, as well as being able to run on the PS5 thanks to backwards compatibility, this list contains a range of games that are very much worth playing today. These range from epic action titles like the rebooted God of War to Tetris and the odd Death Stranding. 

So if you've got a gap in your PS4 library or just want to know what we consider are the best PS4 games, then read on. 

Best PS4 action games

Best PS4 open-world games and RPGs

Best PS4 games for families

Best PS4 games for kids

How to choose the best PS4 game for you

There’s no special trick to selecting the best games on the PS4. It all comes down to which genres you like the most. A lot of these games skew toward the action/adventure genre, including God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Ratchet & Clank and Spider-Man. Many of these games have open-world elements; others are more linear. Either way, if you pick up a first-party, third-person game, you’re almost guaranteed to get something good.

Beyond that, there’s no foolproof method or special tricks. Find a game that sounds interesting, read its synopsis, find some reviews and see if you can get a good price. Newer games are more expensive than old ones, which means that if you haven’t played many of these games before, you can build your library easily by focusing on older titles. Or you could buy long games, which will last you a while before you need to move on. Open-world games are generally longer than their linear counterparts.

Marshall Honorof

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi. 

With contributions from