The best Action/adventure
It's not always easy to define an action/adventure game because they can be so different, and they tend to overlap in multiple genres. At the very least, you can expect fast-paced gameplay and a lot of, well, action. There are a ton of fantastic action/adventure games on PlayStation 4 just waiting for you to step foot into their worlds. Now's a good time as any, so what are you waiting for?
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Star Wars fans had every right to be wary of a new game from EA. The company dropped the ball with Star Wars Battlefront, and though its sequel eventually fared much better, its launch was marred by controversy. It became an expectation that a bad Star Wars game was going to be released. Luckily, Jedi: Fallen Order bucked that trend.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order takes players to iconic locations such as Dathomir and Kashyyyk, and introduces new ones like Bogano. Cal Kestis' journey from a young Jedi Padawan to a fugitive being hunted by the Empire after Order 66 fits right within the universe. It also helps that the game has gorgeous visuals and stunning lightsaber battles that actually make you feel like you're in a galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
EA actually made a good single-player Star Wars game! I can't believe it either. Follow Padawan Cal Kestis on the run from Inquisitors after Order 66 destroys the Jedi and the Republic.
Control
Remedy Entertainment has something of its own cinematic universe going on here. Cult classic Alan Wake never received a proper sequel, but Control expands on its universe in new and interesting ways — it's even set to receive an AWE expansion, which fans have assumed is a stealth Alan Wake Expansion because of its initials.
Control is weird horror done right, with surrealist environments and wacky missions that feel as if they were pulled directly from the mind of David Lynch. When an otherworldly threat begins seeping into our world, for lack of a better word, it's your job to stop it. Good things there's an entire bureau dedicated to doing just that. Bad thing: the bureau is effectively Ground Zero for the weirdness. Oh, and the building defies the laws of physics, and you have superpowers.
Control
David Lynch fans should feel right at home in Remedy Entertainment's weird horror title. Control bends minds and reality as a supernatural threat leaks into our world. It also has a connection to Alan Wake, so that's cool.
Batman Arkham Collection
You can never go wrong with the caped crusader. The Batman Arkham Collection bundles three of the very best Batman games ever made, in part due to their stellar scripts, voice acting, and gameplay. Don't let Batman Arkham Knight's performance problems on PC stop you from enjoying it on PS4.
If you're a Batman fan, you owe it to yourself to play this series. It helps that Warner Bros. is rumored to be working on a new entry centered around the Court of Owls, which is expected to be announced in August. This collection features an entirely new tale not found in the comics, though it certainly pulls inspiration from them, so you shouldn't be spoiled.
Batman Arkham Collection
The Dark Knight faces some of his toughest challenges yet in Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight in this three-game collection. Before Marvel's Spider-Man swung onto PS4, this was the premiere superhero video game series.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 has horse balls that actually shrink in cold weather. What more do you want? Honestly, though, the attention to detail that Rockstar Games has is impressive, if a little concerning. Some players have almost found it too immersive and realistic, but that's part of what makes Red Dead Redemption 2 so good. It's almost a simulator in that regard.
Following up to Red Dead Redemption was always going to be tough, so Rockstar decided to look to its past to make a prequel. Taking place over a decade before John Marston's story, players get to see what the Van der Linde gang was like through the eyes of Arthur Morgan. The Wild West may be dying, but there is still a lot of looting and shooting to do.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 brings a new meaning to the words realism and immersion. This outlaw adventure takes place during the decline of the Wild West, and not everyone is too keen on giving up their way of life.
Days Gone
You can tell that post-apocalyptic scenarios are popular because about a million of them are on this list, including Days Gone. This time around, it's your typical "Oh no, zombies!" story, except it throws a little flare by starring a motorcycle-riding outlaw. As he discovers that his wife, once thought dead, may actually be alive, he begins to search for her, inadvertently stumbling upon a conspiracy involving the outbreak.
A big focus on the gameplay is around the motorcycle, which is used as a crucial mode of transportation and is also a character itself, in some ways. There's a good mix between action and stealth, with an emphasis on laying traps to take out the many, many hordes across the map. Trust me. You don't want to go up against a zombie horde a hundred strong with a half-cocked gun and no ammunition.
Days Gone
Days Gone didn't get enough love when it came out, and if you missed out on it, you should give it a shot. The zombie apocalypse may have been done a thousand times, but there's something cathartic about smashing a zombies' brain in that never gets old.
Prey
Arkane is the master at immersive sims. The studio put its expertise to good use in Prey, not to be confused with the game of a similar title by Human Head Studios. After a sequel never got off the ground and was eventually canceled, Arkane was tasked with creating a reboot of sorts. It just so happens that the reboot bears little resemblance to the original.
Taking place in an alternate timeline aboard the Talos I space station, you must find out what happened to its inhabitants as a deadly alien known as the Typhon escapes confinement and ravages the station. There's a little mix of horror, action-adventure, and stealth here (with a dash of Metroidvania inspiration), along with some fun telekinetic powers to play around with.
Prey
Not to be confused with the 2006 game from Human Head Studios, Prey (2017) is a re-imagining of the aforementioned title from the creative minds behind Dishonored at Arkane Studios. This is an immersive sim fan's dream.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
It didn't win Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019 for nothing. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is exactly what Dark Souls and Bloodborne fans were looking for. FromSoftware delivered another immaculate and brutally unforgiving title, this time set in a fictionalized Japan with creatures from myth and fiction playing a large role.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a game few people beat, and while there's something to be said about its lack of accessibility, there's no denying that the combat is intense. With a beautiful world waiting to be explored, it's hard to put the controller down, even after you're beaten over and over again. Maybe we're all just gluttons for punishment.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Another Souls-like gem, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, is an unforgiving and brutal game developed by FromSoftware. There aren't any difficulty levels to choose from, so you better get good.
Immortals Fenyx Rising
With Ubisoft tending to focus on gritty and realistic games, Immortals Fenyx Rising was a great palate cleanser. It's been called a mix between Assassin's Creed Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for good reason. It takes the Greek mythological aspects of Odyssey and combines them with the style, open-world gameplay, and puzzle-solving of Breath of the Wild. It's ultimately a fantastic game that was severely underappreciated when released.
Washed up on the Golden Isle, a young hero sets out to defeat the titan Typhon, who escaped his imprisonment in Tartarus and vows to seek vengeance on the gods who wronged him. Players will eventually help and befriend Athena, Ares, Aphrodite, and Hephaistos 1 along with a few more powerful gods — along their journey to save the Golden Isle. It's also narrated by Zeus and Prometheus, adding some extra flavor and humor to the adventure.
Immortals Fenyx Rising
Immortals Fenyx Rising is a run romp in a land inspired by Greek mythology. As a young hero who finds their brother turned to stone, you'll work with the gods to help defeat Typhon and save the day with your newfound abilities.
