10 Nearly Flawless PS4 Games That Nobody Played

The PlayStation 4 debuted in North America on November 15, 2013, and reached Japan and the rest of the world a few months later. In the years since, it has enjoyed an unbroken run of releases across nearly every genre, and a few more titles are still on the way, even six years after the PS5 arrived. Still, the console is plainly entering its twilight as Sony turns its attention to new hardware and a future without discs. That makes this an ideal moment to revisit ten nearly flawless PS4 games that slipped under the radar, many of which you can still buy digitally or track down on the used market.

10. Infamous: Second Son

Released: March 21, 2014

Infamous: Second Son earns its spot here by the narrowest of margins, since it belongs to a series that was a major hit on the PS3. On PS4, it drew far less attention. Fans still turn up on social media to reminisce about the earlier entries and lament that Sony retired the franchise after Infamous 2. They often don’t realize that Second Son exists at all. It was a thoroughly solid game, and it deserved better than to be the final chapter of a much-loved series. Unless you count Infamous First Light, which arrived a few months later on August 26, as a true sequel rather than a standalone expansion, that is exactly what it became.

9. Gravity Rush 2

Released: Jan. 18, 2017

Anyone who has spent real time with Gravity Rush 2 will tell you it ranks among the finest games of the decade. The trouble is that very few people noticed it, even with Sony publishing and promoting it. It boasts a large roster of female characters, presented in a comic-book style that suits its gravity-bending gameplay perfectly. A handful of ground-bound missions and cramped corridors take that freedom away, which only underscores how exhilarating the rest of the game feels.

8. Summon Night 6: Lost Borders

Released: March 10, 2016

Summon Night 6: Lost Borders comes from Media.Vision, the studio now best known for Digimon Story: Time Stranger and for its contributions to the classic Wild Arms RPG series. Even with that pedigree and the franchise’s devoted cult following, it largely escaped notice. Give it a try now and you’ll discover an engaging strategy RPG with vibrant visuals and approachable combat. Unlike most entries on this list, it isn’t sold on the PlayStation Store, so you’ll need to hunt down a physical copy, and those are getting harder to find.

7. Erica

Released: Aug. 19, 2019

The PS4 generation produced several games that fused interactive play with live-action footage, often with impressive results. Erica is one of them, and we enjoyed it a great deal. Its branching story follows the title character as she grapples with her father’s murder. Darker secrets lurk behind that crime than she first suspects, and a startling revelation waits at the end of her journey. The adventure is short, but if it hooks you, replaying it to make different choices and uncover the alternate endings is well worth your time.

6. Driveclub

Released: Oct. 7, 2014

Driveclub arrived early in the PS4’s lifespan and, unfortunately, was rough around the edges despite its gorgeous screenshots. The team at Evolution Studios kept refining it for months, adding stunning weather effects and polishing countless small details that made the arcade racing experience far more enjoyable. The game eventually became something truly special, but by then players had moved on to other things. It was ultimately removed from the PlayStation Store, its multiplayer servers were shut down, and the studio was absorbed into Codemasters. Even so, the single-player content remains a blast if you can find a physical copy.

5. Zanki Zero: Last Beginning

Released: July 5, 2018

Created by Spike Chunsoft (Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island) and Lancarse (Final Fantasy Resonance), the offbeat Zanki Zero: Last Beginning had no established franchise to lean on when it came time to promote it. That’s a shame, because it merited a much bigger audience. Its story explores life after the world as we know it has ended, touching on themes of loss and family, and it all serves as a pretext for the more familiar pleasures of dungeon crawling. Few games resemble it, so give it a look if you want something unexpected.

4. The Tomorrow Children: Phoenix Edition

Released: Sept. 6, 2022

Sony Interactive Entertainment first published The Tomorrow Children on October 25, 2016. This intriguing action-adventure game from Q-Games was built around microtransactions meant to keep players spending. Running the game online proved more expensive than Sony was willing to bear, and its servers went dark in November 2017. A few years later, The Tomorrow Children: Phoenix Edition appeared, now self-published by Q-Games and heavily reworked. This version needs neither servers nor microtransactions to justify its existence, and it’s back on the PlayStation Store.

3. Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky

Released: Dec. 17, 2015

Longtime fans know tri-Ace best for the Star Ocean series, whose latest original entry was 2022’s Star Ocean: The Divine Force, but the studio occasionally ventures into new territory, as it did with Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky. Developed alongside Spike Chunsoft, the game drew on several of the same creators behind Valkyrie Profile, the Norse mythology-inspired RPG that was itself a standout in its day. Exist Archive offers lovable characters and rewarding combat, though it can turn grindy toward the end. Surprisingly, dungeon exploration is viewed from the side, much like a traditional platformer. It’s an unconventional choice, but it should delight anyone craving a JRPG with a different flavor.

2. Bound

Released: Aug. 16, 2016

Bound is a singular 3D platformer that celebrates love, life, and self-expression. It takes place in a fantastical world inside the mind of a woman reflecting on her earlier years. Dance-inspired movement carries you through sweeping landscapes while stunning artwork unfolds around you. As our reviewer observed, the game reminds us that art, sport, dance, and literature can offer an escape, and may even help us return as slightly different people. If you’ve been searching for a game that embraces the medium as a true art form, you now know where to look.

1. Concrete Genie

Released: Oct. 8, 2019

In Japan, Concrete Genie launched under the name Ash to Mahou no Fude. Whichever title you know it by, this third-person adventure follows Ash, a young painter whose creations spring to life and help transform the tiny fishing town of Denska. With its vivid visuals and heartwarming story, it’s sure to charm players of every age. It also supports PlayStation VR, giving you a reason to dust off that headset. Honestly, its greatest shortcoming is that it ends too quickly, but it’s still a must-play if you value quality over quantity.

Source: Polygon