These are the 25 PS4 hidden gems players keep telling each other to try. We surveyed players: 18,156 recommendations from people trading overlooked PS4 picks, with every game they named counted. A pick other players backed counts for more than a lone shout.
Days Gone takes #1, named nearly one and a half times as often as Mad Max at #2.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is #3, a hair ahead of The Order: 1886 at #4. Hidden is a strong word for The Witcher 3, but that is where players put it.

25. Yakuza 0 (2015)


Yakuza 0 is an action-adventure beat 'em up and a prequel to the Yakuza series, set in 1988 Japan during the country's economic bubble era. The game follows two protagonists: Kazuma Kiryu in Tokyo's Kamurocho district and Goro Majima in Osaka's Sotenbori district. Players alternate between their stories as they navigate the criminal underworld, engaging in street fights using multiple switchable combat styles, managing businesses, and participating in a wide variety of side activities and minigames. The game is largely credited with bringing the long-running franchise to mainstream Western attention.


24. Tearaway: Unfolded (2015)


Journey through a vibrant, living papery world, with a plucky messenger who has a unique message to deliver - to you! Choose to guide either atoi or iota on this adventure, each a bold courier with an expressive personality and a unique message for you locked away inside their envelope head. In order to read it though, they're going to need your help to deliver it!


23. Vampyr (2018)


London, 1918. You are newly-turned Vampyr Dr. Jonathan Reid. As a doctor, you must find a cure to save the city’s flu-ravaged citizens. As a Vampyr, you are cursed to feed on those you vowed to heal.
Will you embrace the monster within? Survive and fight against Vampyr hunters, undead skals, and other supernatural creatures. Use your unholy powers to manipulate and delve into the lives of those around you, to decide who will be your next victim. Struggle to live with your decisions… your actions will save or doom London.


22. Helldivers (2015)


Helldivers is a topdown shooter set in a satirical dystopian future where mankind is ruled by a managed democracy. You are part of the Helldivers – the spearhead of humanity’s defense against the perpetual alien threat on Super Earth.
With up to four player co-op missions, working together as a team is vital, whether calling in strikes or placing weapons, each action must be totally synchronized to achieve the objectives. This isn’t just a four player co-op game; it’s a co-op game that relies on the global efforts of the entire Helldivers community!


21. The Last Guardian (2016)


In a strange and mystical land, a young boy discovers a mysterious creature with which he forms a deep, unbreakable bond. The unlikely pair must rely on each other to journey through towering, treacherous ruins filled with unknown dangers. Experience the journey of a lifetime in this touching, emotional story of friendship and trust.


20. Driveclub (2014)


DRIVECLUB brings to life the heart and soul of car culture. An incredible, authentic and immersive PS4 driving experience, DRIVECLUB makes you feel the exhilaration of driving the most powerful and beautifully designed cars in the world; all rendered in staggering detail, inside and out as you race them in richly detailed real-world locations alongside your Club.


19. Until Dawn (2015)


Until Dawn is an interactive drama survival horror video game. It was originally planned as a first-person game for the PlayStation 3's motion controller PlayStation Move, but the motion controls were later dropped when it became a PlayStation 4 exclusive game.
Until Dawn is designed to be played multiple times, as players will miss out on quite a bit of content with a single playthrough. Each will last about nine hours in length and the game mechanics utilize a new in-game system called the "Butterfly Effect" in which any choice of action by the player may cause unforeseen consequences later on. For example, locating a weapon in an earlier chapter may allow the player to pick it up down the line when a chase scene leads back to the same room. Throughout the game, players will make difficult decisions during ethical or moral dilemmas, such as sacrificing one character to save another. The Butterfly Effect system blurs the line between right and wrong decisions and it is possible for players to keep all eight characters alive as well as having all eight of them die, allowing for many different paths and scenarios as well as offering several different endings. Until Dawn has a strict auto-save system to prevent players from reloading a previous save file to an earlier point in the game if they regret an in-game decision they have made. The only way to change the player's choice is to restart the game from the beginning or continue to the end and start a new game. In a developer interview, it has been said that Until Dawn has "hundreds of endings". Different endings have different variations depending on the combination of characters alive at the end of the game.
The gameplay is focused on exploration, quick-time events and discovering clues as well as making decisions. There is an in-game system that will keep track of all of the clues and secrets players have discovered in total, even if there are multiple playthroughs; these clues will allow the player to piece together the mysteries of Blackwood. In terms of the gameplay mechanics and theme, Until Dawn has been noted to be similar to Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls.
Until Dawn was met with a positive critical response upon release, with praise directed at the visuals, choice mechanic, horror elements, music, voice acting and gameplay design. Most of the criticism the game drew was concerning the story, mostly the second half, camera angles, character movements and partially linear plot.


18. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)


Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is the sequel to Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and a prequel to the original Metal Gear. The game has a complex story with long cut-scene sequences, but there are fewer and they are shorter compared to earlier Metal Gear Solid titles. Most of the gameplay mechanics introduced in Ground Zeroes are carried over: it is still an action game and stealth oriented but replaces the linear corridor design from most earlier titles with large open world environments that offer the player unrestricted freedom for the approach. The world has now a real-time day and night cycle and various weather effects that influence enemy behaviour, visibility and sound. Sabotaging or destroying certain structures can also influence other parts of the map.


17. Resogun (2013)


Resogun is a shoot 'em up game. Unleash an explosive array of devastating weapons to obliterate hordes of ruthless enemies while making sure you rescue the last survivors and keep your multiplier going!
Push yourself to the limits trying to climb the global leaderboards for each game mode and difficulty setting. Join forces with your friends online and show off your skills in action packed co-op multiplayer.


16. No Man's Sky (2016)


No Man's Sky is an action-adventure survival game set in a procedurally generated universe containing over 18 quintillion planets. Players explore star systems, gather resources, trade with alien species, and upgrade their equipment while following an overarching narrative involving a mysterious entity called the Atlas. The game is built around four pillars: exploration, survival, combat, and trading. Since its 2016 launch, it has received numerous free updates adding multiplayer, base building, fleet management, and virtual reality support.


15. The Evil Within (2014)


The Evil Within embodies the meaning of pure survival horror. Highly-crafted environments, horrifying anxiety, and an intricate story are combined to create an immersive world that will bring you to the height of tension. With limited resources at your disposal, you’ll fight for survival and experience profound fear in this perfect blend of horror and action.


14. God of War (2018)


God of War is the sequel to God of War III as well as a continuation of the canon God of War chronology. Unlike previous installments, this game focuses on Norse mythology and follows an older and more seasoned Kratos and his son Atreus in the years since the third game. It is in this harsh, unforgiving world that he must fight to survive… and teach his son to do the same.


13. Alien: Isolation (2014)


Alien: Isolation is a survival horror game based on the Alien franchise. As Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, you will navigate through an increasingly volatile world as you find yourself confronted on all sides by a panicked population and an unpredictable Alien. You must scavenge resources, improvise solutions and use your wits, not just to succeed in your mission but to simply stay alive. In addition to the main story mode there's Survivor mode in which the player needs to escape from a specially designed map fulfilling secondary objectives along the way, while being aggressively hunted by the alien. This mode includes online leaderboards.


12. Horizon Zero Dawn (2017)


Welcome to a vibrant world rich with the beauty of nature – but inhabited by awe-inspiring, highly advanced machines. As a young machine hunter named Aloy, you must unravel the mysteries of this world and find your own destiny.


11. NieR: Automata (2017)


NieR: Automata tells the story of androids 2B, 9S and A2 and their battle to reclaim the machine-driven dystopia overrun by powerful machines.


10. Soma (2015)


SOMA is a sci-fi horror game from Frictional Games, the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It is an unsettling story about identity, consciousness, and what it means to be human.
Enter the world of SOMA and face horrors buried deep beneath the ocean waves. Delve through locked terminals and secret documents to uncover the truth behind the chaos. Seek out the last remaining inhabitants and take part in the events that will ultimately shape the fate of the station. But be careful, danger lurks in every corner: corrupted humans, twisted creatures, insane robots, and even an inscrutable omnipresent A.I. You will need to figure out how to deal with each one of them. Just remember there’s no fighting back, either you outsmart your enemies or you get ready to run.


9. Titanfall 2 (2016)


Titanfall 2 is a first-person shooter with both a single-player campaign and competitive multiplayer. The campaign follows a Militia rifleman who bonds with a Titan, a large bipedal mech, after his pilot is killed. Gameplay combines fast-paced infantry movement, including wall-running and double-jumping, with sections where the player controls the Titan in combat. Multiplayer features team-based modes with players fighting as both Pilots and Titans on the same battlefield.


8. Gravity Rush 2 (2017)


Another mind-bending adventure awaits gravity queen Kat as a new danger emerges to threaten the fabric of the universe itself. Still searching for clues behind the mystery of her origin, and with the powerful Raven at her side, Kat must master three unique gravity attack styles as she takes on enemies and massive bosses.


7. Dying Light (2015)


Dying Light is a first-person, action survival horror game set in a vast and dangerous open world. During the day, players traverse an expansive urban environment overrun by a vicious outbreak, scavenging the world for supplies and crafting weapons to defend against the growing infected population. At night, the hunter becomes the hunted, as the infected become aggressive and more dangerous. Most frightening are the predators which only appear after sundown. Players must use everything in their power to survive until the morning’s first light.


6. Infamous Second Son (2014)


Infamous: Second Son, a PlayStation 4 exclusive , brings you an action adventure game where surrounded by a society that fears them, superhumans are ruthlessly hunted down and caged by the Department of Unified Protection. Step into a locked-down Seattle as Delsin Rowe, who has recently discovered his superhuman power and is now capable of fighting back against the oppressive DUP. Enjoy your power as you choose how you will push your awesome abilities to the limit and witness the consequences of your actions as they affect the city and people around you.


5. Bloodborne (2015)


An action RPG in which the player embodies a Hunter who, after being transfused with the mysterious blood local to the city of Yharnam, sets off into a "night of the Hunt", an extended night in which Hunters may phase in and out of dream and reality in order to thin the outbreak of abominable beasts that plague the land and, for the more resilient and insightful Hunters, uncover the answers to the Hunt's many mysteries.


4. The Order: 1886 (2015)


The Order: 1886 introduces players to a unique vision of Victorian-Era London where Man uses advanced technology to battle a powerful and ancient foe. As a member of an elite order of knights, join a centuries-old war that will determine the course of history forever.


3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)


The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an open-world action role-playing game developed by CD Projekt Red.
Set in a dark fantasy world, the game follows Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter searching for his adopted daughter, Ciri, while navigating political conflicts and supernatural threats. Gameplay features exploration, combat, character progression, and branching narratives shaped by player choices. Widely acclaimed for its writing, world-building, and depth, it is considered one of the most influential RPGs of its generation.


2. Mad Max (2015)


In Mad Max, the player takes on the role of titular character Mad Max; a dangerous melee fighter and can use his attacks to kill almost anyone. His weapon of choice is his shotgun. He is assisted by another man called Chumbucket. Chum mainly works with Max to build and upgrade the Magnum Opus vehicle.
Mad Max will feature a variety of weapons which Max can use to defeat enemies. Though the shotgun is Max's weapon of choice, ammo is scarce, and so melee options are the smarter way to go. The 'thunderstick' is an explosive weapon that can be lanced into an enemy's chest, crackling like a lit dynamite fuse before blowing the victim to smithereens. The Harpoon is also one of Max's favorite weapon though it can only be used in-vehicle with Chum riding along. Max's Magnum Opus can be combined with a speedy V12 engine and powerful ramming ability to destroy enemies's vehicles and weaponry. When simultaneously driving and aiming, the game enters slow-motion and allows you to toggle between targets. Not much is known about the vehicular combat and its features.
Mad Max will feature crafting system which can be used to craft new weapons and tools. Max's garage can also be used to change and modify the car's engines, chassis, wheels, body works including paint treatment and the “shell” of the auto-mobile and the car’s weight and attributes update accordingly. Max can also be upgraded though it's plans hasn't fully been implemented.
Many choices are given in the game, such as, either playing silently or aggressively. Max can also get guidance from Chum about how he can complete his objectives strategically. However, its largely up to the player how he can complete the objectives.


1. Days Gone (2019)


Days Gone is an open-world action-adventure game developed by Bend Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Released in April 2019 for PlayStation 4 and later for PC in May 2021, the game is set in a post-apocalyptic world where players control Deacon St. John, a drifter and bounty hunter navigating a landscape overrun by "Freakers," zombie-like creatures created by a global pandemic.
The gameplay focuses on exploration, combat, and survival elements, with players able to use various weapons, craft supplies, and upgrade Deacon’s motorcycle, essential for travelling across the vast and hostile environment. Days Gone combines narrative-driven missions with an open world filled with dynamic events, enemy camps, and environmental challenges.


Every issue features one game worth playing, plus the latest retro news.






