What if you could relive high school but do it way, way better? That’s the promise of Persona 5 (now available in a slightly revised and expanded version called Persona 5 Royal), and Atlus’s killer social sim slash dungeon crawler more than delivers. You’re a high school student spending a year at a new school in Tokyo, but you’re anything but ordinary. You and your motley crew of friends have the ability to infiltrate the subconscious “palaces” of the various villains and tormentors who challenge you in the real world, changing their hearts and bringing them to justice. As the days tick by, you’ll spend your afternoons deciding whether to go shopping, hang out with your friends, or head into a dungeon to slay some demons. The more you play, the more the cast expands, the story unfolds, and the mystery deepens. What’s really going on? Where do these mystical powers come from? How’s it all gonna end? And will you finally be able to get Makoto to go out with you?
A Good Match For: Fans of previous Persona games, along with anyone who likes stylish art and killer music. Persona 5 is overflowing with both.
Not A Good Match For: People who hate turn-based JRPG combat, people who don’t like games with a lot of text to read, anyone looking for a game they can finish in a single weekend.
Read our review of Persona 5.
Study our tips for the game.
Watch it in action.
Purchase from: Walmart | Best Buy | GameStop | PS Store
How has this list changed? Read back through our update history:
Update 11/28/2022: We’ve replaced the original 2018 God of War and the 2017 game Horizon Zero Dawn with their more recent and impressive sequels. Also updated Persona 5 to Persona 5 Royal.
Update 8/2/2021: We’ve totally overhauled our list of the best PS4 games, shattering the 12-title limitation. That means re-adding Inside, but also adding Uncharted: Lost Legacy, Pyre, and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Sadly, Tetris Effect has few defenders on staff these days, so it’s gone.
Update 8/7/2020: It’s been a big year for Sony exclusives, as Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part 2—the final two major PS4 releases before the PS5 shows up—kick off Return of the Obra Dinn and Monster Hunter: World.
Update 12/20/2019: We’ve added Outer Wilds and Return of the Obra Dinn while finally saying goodbye to long-tenured entries Overwatch and The Witness.
Update 2/11/2019: We’ve added Tetris Effect, Yakuza 0, and Red Dead Redemption 2 while removing Rocket League, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
Update 11/14/2018: We’ve added Marvel’s Spider-Man and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey while taking off Fortnite and XCOM 2.
Update 5/3/2018: We’ve added God of War and Fortnite Battle Royale while removing The Last of Us Remastered and Hitman.
Update 3/9/2018: We’ve added Monster Hunter: World and XCOM 2 while removing Inside and Resident Evil 7.
Update 6/2/2017: We’ve removed Uncharted 4 to make room for Nier: Automata.
Update 4/19/2017: We’ve added Persona 5 and removed Destiny, which Bungie has been winding down in preparation for a sequel.
Update 3/8/2017: After much debate we’ve added Resident Evil 7 and Horizon Zero Dawn, while removing Diablo 3 and Grand Theft Auto V. These cuts are getting harder and harder, people.
Update 12/09/2016: We’ve added Hitman to the list and retired Metal Gear Solid V.
Update 9/23/2016: Inside makes its way onto the list, while Until Dawn departs.
Update 7/27/2016: Overwatch joins the list; Assassin’s Creed Syndicate comes off.
Update 5/26/2016: Welcome, Nathan Drake. Goodbye, Batman. We’ve replaced Arkham Knight with Uncharted 4 this time around.
Update 2/11/2016: The Witness makes it in, and Fallout 4 heads out. Also, we’ve added a video version of this post up top!
Update 11/26/2015: Fallout 4 and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate hop onto the list, knocking off Final Fantasy XIV and Assassin’s Creed IV.
Update 9/18/2015: The list gets another update: The Binding of Isaac, Transistor, and Dragon Age: Inquisition clear out to make room for Rocket League, Until Dawn, and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
Update 7/16/2015: These swaps are getting harder. After much deliberation we cut Wolfenstein: The New Order, despite our affection for the surprisingly good story-driven first-person shooter. We’re also saying goodbye to another over-achiever, Shadows of Mordor, whose best trick, the Nemesis System, isn’t enough to keep it on our ever more competitive top 12.
Update 04/07/2015: Bloodborne slices its way onto the list while Pixeljunk Shooter Ultimate says goodbye.
Update 11/25/2014: The fall has arrived, and with it a bunch of great games. Dragon Age: Inquisition, GTA V, PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate and The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth edge out Resogun, The LEGO Movie Videogame, Don’t Starve and TowerFall Ascension.
Update 10/21/2014: We’ve added Destiny and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor to the list, and removed Infamous: Second Son and Need for Speed: Rivals to make room.
Update 8/28/2014: Two games enter, two games leave. Outlast and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition make way for Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition and The Last of Us: Remastered.
Update 6/18/2014: Change is in the air, as Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Fez, and Injustice: Gods Among Us clear out to make room for Wolfenstein: The New Order, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and Transistor.
Update 4/14/2014: Our PS4 list has hit its 12-game ceiling, and we’ve added (and removed) more games than in any other single update so far. Rayman: Legends, LEGO Marvel Superheroes, Doki Doki Universe and Strider all clear out to make room for Infamous: Second Son, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Towerfall: Ascension, The LEGO Movie Videogame, and Fez.
Update 3/10/2014: Two more games make it onto the list: Last year’s fine Rayman Legends and the satisfying remake of the NES classic Strider. One more and we’ll be at 12, after which we’ll have to start cutting games to make new additions.
Update 2/14/2014: Our second update brings with it two games: The graphically enhanced Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition and the pee-your-pants-scary Outlast. Only three more additions before we hit our ceiling of 12 and have to start cutting games to make room for new ones.
Update 1/27/2014: Our first addition to the PlayStation 4 Bests list is Klei’s excellent survival game Don’t Starve, which brings the total number up to seven.
Want more of the best games on each system? Check out our complete directory:
The Best PS5 Games • The Best PC Games • The Best Xbox Series X And S Games • The Best Xbox One Games • The Best Wii U Games • The Best Nintendo Switch Games • The Best 3DS Games • The Best PS Vita Games • The Best Xbox 360 Games • The Best PS3 Games • The Best Wii Games • The Best iPhone Games • The Best iPad Games • The Best Android Games • The Best PSP Games • The Best Facebook Games • The Best DS Games • The Best Mac Games • The Best Browser Games • The Best PC Mods
Note: While some games on this list are download-only, all of them can be purchased on the PlayStation 4’s online store. If you buy any of these games through the retail links in this post, our parent company may get a small share of the sale through the retailers’ affiliates program.
