Look, the PlayStation 4 isn't just an old box under your TV. People keep talking about it like it’s some ancient relic from a forgotten era, but they're dead wrong. It is 2026, and honestly? The library of most exciting PS4 games still holds up better than half the stuff coming out today.
You don't need a PS5 to feel that specific, heart-thumping adrenaline of a perfect parry or the absolute gut-punch of a story that stays with you for weeks.
We’ve seen the sales numbers. We’ve seen the remasters. But which ones actually make your hands sweat when you pick up the DualShock 4? It’s not always the ones the "top 10" lists shove in your face.
The Brutality of Bloodborne: Why It Still Wins
Everyone loves to talk about Elden Ring now, but Bloodborne is the actual reason most of us are obsessed with FromSoftware. Released way back in 2015, it didn't just invite you to a gothic city called Yharnam—it trapped you there.
The game sold over 2 million copies in its first few months, which is wild for something so punishingly difficult. It’s the speed that gets you. Unlike Dark Souls, where you’re often hiding behind a shield like a coward, Bloodborne forces you to be aggressive.
"If you get hit, you have a tiny window to hit back and earn your health back."
That "Rally" system is pure genius. It turns every fight into a desperate, bloody trade. You aren't just reacting; you’re hunting. Even in 2026, the frame pacing might be a bit wonky at times, but the atmosphere? Untouchable. The Victorian-horror-turned-Lovecraftian-nightmare is a shift most players never saw coming.
God of War: Not Your Daddy's Kratos
For years, Kratos was just a very angry man who liked ripping heads off gods. Then 2018 happened. Santa Monica Studio took a gamble that should have failed. They gave him a son, a beard, and a magical axe that feels better to throw than any gun in a shooter.
It wasn't just a hit; it moved over 23 million units by 2022. That’s an insane number.
The "One-Shot" camera trick is what makes this one of the most exciting PS4 games to actually play. The camera never cuts away. Not during combat, not during cutscenes, not when you're rowing a boat through the Lake of Nine. It creates this weirdly intimate pressure. You're right there with Kratos and Atreus, feeling every awkward silence and every thunderous blow from the Leviathan Axe.
The Controversy of The Last of Us Part II
You can’t talk about the PS4 without the elephant in the room. The Last of Us Part II is polarizing. People argued about the story for years—some still do. But if we’re talking about "exciting" in terms of raw, visceral intensity? Nothing touches this.
The stealth is terrifying.
Naughty Dog built an AI system where enemies call out each other’s names. You kill a guy named "Omar," and his friend starts screaming for him. It’s deeply uncomfortable. It’s supposed to be.
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Technically, it pushed the PS4 to its absolute breaking point. The animations, the facial expressions, the way glass shatters—it’s 2020 tech that still rivals current-gen releases. Whether you loved the narrative choices or hated them, the 10 million people who bought it by 2022 experienced something that didn't play it safe.
A Quick Reality Check on Performance
Let's be real for a second. If you're playing these on a base PS4, you're going to hear those fans spinning like a jet engine.
- Bloodborne: Locked at 30fps (mostly).
- God of War: Beautiful, but the base console struggles in some heavy particle areas.
- Red Dead Redemption 2: It’s a miracle this runs at all, honestly.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: The Joy of Traversal
Most open-world games feel like a chore. You spend 50% of your time looking at a mini-map while your character jogs across a field. Insomniac Games fixed that by making the movement the best part of the game.
Swinging through Manhattan in Marvel's Spider-Man is basically a rhythmic trances. With over 22 million copies sold, it’s one of the best-selling games on the platform for a reason.
It’s the small details that make it exciting. Peter Parker’s voice changes depending on whether he’s exertion-swinging or standing still. If he’s mid-air, he sounds winded. If he’s on the ground, he’s calm. That level of polish is why people still prefer this original PS4 experience even with sequels out.
Ghost of Tsushima: The "Photo Mode" Game
Sucker Punch Productions took a massive pivot from Infamous to feudal Japan. Ghost of Tsushima is basically a Kurosawa film you can play.
What’s wild is how much the Japanese audience loved it. It became the fastest-selling first-party original IP on the PS4, moving over 9.73 million copies by its two-year anniversary. It even got a "Director's Cut" because the demand was so high.
The combat is "Mud, Blood, and Steel." You aren't a superhero; you’re a man trying to survive a Mongol invasion. The standoffs—where you wait for the enemy to twitch before delivering a single, lethal strike—are the most tense moments you can have on the console.
The Underdog: Horizon Zero Dawn
Before Aloy was a household name, Guerrilla Games was known for Killzone. Switching to an open-world RPG about robot dinosaurs was a "make or break" move.
It made.
Taking down a Thunderjaw using only a bow and some tripwires is peak gaming. It requires you to actually use your brain, scanning for weak points and knocking off armor plates. It sold nearly 20 million copies because it offered a world that felt fundamentally new.
How to Get the Most Out of Your PS4 in 2026
If you're diving back into these classics, don't just plug and play. A few small tweaks make a massive difference.
- Swap the HDD for an SSD: This is the single best thing you can do. It won't give you more FPS, but it will slash loading times in Bloodborne and The Witcher 3 by half.
- Clean the Dust: If your PS4 sounds like it's about to explode, it probably is. Pop the top (carefully) and use some compressed air.
- Check for Pro Patches: If you have the PS4 Pro, make sure "Boost Mode" is on in the settings to help with those older titles that never got official updates.
- Rebuild the Database: Go into Safe Mode and run this. It’s like defragging a PC; it makes the UI snappier.
The PS4 generation was defined by risks. Whether it was Sony Santa Monica reimagining a mascot or Naughty Dog challenging what a "hero" looks like, these games aren't just exciting—they’re essential. You don't need the latest hardware to experience the best the industry has ever offered. Just a controller and a bit of patience for the loading screens.
For your next move, consider upgrading that internal drive to a 1TB SATA SSD to breathe new life into your console's performance. You can also check the PlayStation Store for "Greatest Hits" discounts, which often put these massive titles under $20.