You’d think a console released in 2013 would be gathering dust by now. In most tech cycles, a decade is basically a century. But walk into any used game shop or scroll through eBay, and you’ll see it immediately: video games for a ps4 are still flying off the shelves. It’s weird, right? We have the PS5. We have the Xbox Series X. Yet, Sony’s eighth-generation powerhouse refuses to die.
Honestly, it shouldn't be a surprise.
The PlayStation 4 isn't just a legacy console; it’s the peak of a specific era of gaming where stability met massive production budgets. If you look at the sheer library size, the PS4 has over 3,000 titles. That is an absurd amount of entertainment. Most people haven't even scratched the surface of what this machine can do, and because of the massive install base—over 117 million units—developers kept making games for it way longer than they usually do.
The Myth of the "Next-Gen" Requirement
Everyone tells you that you need the latest hardware to enjoy modern gaming. That’s mostly marketing fluff.
Look at Elden Ring. FromSoftware's masterpiece runs surprisingly well on a base PS4. Sure, you aren't getting 60 frames per second or 4K resolution, but the art direction is so strong that you barely notice the technical concessions after ten minutes of playing. The same goes for God of War Ragnarök. Sony Santa Monica basically performed a miracle by getting that game to look that good on hardware from the Obama administration.
The dirty secret of the industry right now is "cross-gen" development. Because the PS5 was so hard to find during its first two years, developers couldn't afford to ignore the millions of people still using a PS4. This created a golden age for the older console. You’re getting "modern" experiences on a budget.
There’s a massive price gap that nobody talks about. A new PS5 game often retails for $70. Meanwhile, you can pick up some of the best video games for a ps4 for under fifteen bucks at a local thrift store or during a PSN seasonal sale. We are talking about titles like The Last of Us Part II, Bloodborne, and Horizon Zero Dawn. These aren't "old" games in the way a Super Nintendo game is old. They are high-fidelity, cinematic experiences that still look better than 90% of what’s on the market today.
The Library That Defined a Decade
If we’re being real, the PS4 era was when Sony really found its groove with third-person action-adventures. It’s the "Prestige TV" equivalent of gaming.
Take Ghost of Tsushima.
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When Sucker Punch released this in 2020, it pushed the PS4 to its absolute limit. The way the wind moves the grass and the particles fly off your sword—it’s art. If you haven't played it, you’re missing out on one of the best historical fiction stories ever told in a digital medium. And it’s a PS4 game at its core.
Then there’s the niche stuff. The Japanese RPGs. The indie darlings.
- Persona 5 Royal is a 100-hour masterpiece that runs perfectly on any PS4 model.
- Hollow Knight feels like it was born for the DualShock 4 controller.
- Red Dead Redemption 2 is technically a PS4 game, even though it looks like it came from the future.
Rockstar Games spent eight years on Red Dead 2. They optimized it so heavily for the PS4’s Jaguar CPU architecture that it’s almost frightening. When you ride through Saint Denis at night and see the gaslights reflecting in the mud, you realize that "better graphics" on newer consoles is often just a matter of diminishing returns.
Why Performance Doesn't Always Mean Better Play
Let’s talk about the hardware for a second. The PS4 Pro was a weird middle ground, but the base PS4 and the Slim are the real workhorses.
If you’re a casual gamer—someone who plays for an hour after work or on the weekends—do you really care about ray tracing? Probably not. You care if the game crashes. You care if the loading screens take five minutes. While the PS5’s SSD is a godsend for loading, many video games for a ps4 can be vastly improved by just swapping the internal HDD for a cheap $30 SATA SSD. It’s a ten-minute DIY job. Suddenly, The Witcher 3 loads in half the time.
The used market for these discs is a goldmine. Physical media is dying on PC and becoming a luxury on the latest consoles, but for the PS4, it’s still the standard. You can buy a game, play it, and sell it back for exactly what you paid. It makes gaming an almost free hobby if you play your cards right.
The Best Video Games for a PS4 You Need to Play Right Now
If you are digging into this library today, don't just go for the big hits. Everyone knows Spider-Man. Everyone knows Uncharted 4.
Look at 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. It’s a weird mix of a visual novel and a real-time strategy game. It’s one of the best sci-fi stories ever written, and it’s a PlayStation exclusive that feels right at home on the PS4. Or Bloodborne. Ask any hardcore gamer, and they’ll tell you Bloodborne is the reason to own the console. It’s gothic, it’s terrifying, and the atmosphere is thick enough to cut with a saw-cleaver.
The variety is staggering.
- Simulation Fans: Gran Turismo Sport still has a dedicated community and looks phenomenal.
- Horror Buffs: Until Dawn is basically a playable slasher movie where your choices actually kill people.
- Family Gaming: Ratchet & Clank (2016) is basically a Pixar movie you can play with your kids.
Dealing With the "Jet Engine" Problem
We have to be honest: the PS4 has some quirks.
If you’ve owned one for a few years, you know the sound. The fan starts spinning so fast it sounds like a Boeing 747 taking off in your living room. This usually happens because the thermal paste has dried out or the heatsink is clogged with dust.
It’s a design flaw, but it’s fixable. If you’re serious about playing video games for a ps4 in 2026, take the cover off. Blow out the dust with compressed air. It’s a simple bit of maintenance that can extend the life of the console by years. Don't let a little noise stop you from finishing Detroit: Become Human.
The Hidden Value of Remote Play and Portability
The PS4 actually has a really cool ecosystem that people forget about. If you have a decent home network, you can use Remote Play to stream your games to a laptop, a tablet, or even your phone.
I’ve spent hours playing Final Fantasy VII Remake on an iPad while sitting in bed. It works surprisingly well. Since the PS4 is smaller and more rugged than the massive PS5, it’s also a much better "travel console" if you're heading to a cabin or a friend's house.
What the Future Holds for PS4 Owners
Sony has slowly started shifting their focus. The "big" first-party games are starting to skip the PS4 now. You won't see Marvel's Spider-Man 2 or the latest Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on the older hardware.
But does that matter?
The back catalog is so deep that you could play a new, high-quality game every month for the next ten years and still not run out. The indie scene is also still supporting the console because the hardware requirements for 2D platformers and stylized RPGs haven't changed that much.
We are at the point where the PS4 is transitioning from a "current" console to a "classic" one. Much like the PS2 before it, it will likely be remembered as the definitive place to play games for an entire generation of people.
Actionable Steps for PS4 Gamers
If you want to get the most out of your console today, stop paying full price for digital games. The PS Store has a "Deals" tab that refreshes every two weeks—check it religiously. You can often find "Definitive Editions" that include all DLC for under $10.
Next, consider the hardware. If your UI feels laggy, go into the settings and rebuild the database. It’s like defragmenting an old PC and can significantly snappiness. If you have the budget, buy a 1TB SATA SSD (like a Samsung 870 EVO or a Crucial MX500). Swapping the drive doesn't void your warranty, and it transforms the experience of playing open-world games.
Finally, look for physical copies at local libraries. Many public libraries now carry video games for a ps4, allowing you to "rent" the biggest hits of the last decade for free. It’s the ultimate way to catch up on the classics you missed without spending a dime. The PS4 era isn't over; it's just entered its most affordable and accessible phase.