The PlayStation brand has been doing very well in the past few years, mainly due to the worldwide success of both the PS4 and the PS5. These two home consoles not only boast highly impressive hardware, but also a vast collection of excellent exclusives that span all sorts of genres, from colorful platformers to cinematic action-adventure titles.
Consumers who might be interested in playing a high-quality game on their modern PlayStation system may find themselves overwhelmed by the many available choices. In cases like this, the review aggregate website Open-Critic is a great place to start. Its list of the best-rated video games of all time contains multiple PS3, PS4 and PS5 exclusives that are definitely worth trying out, and the following ten are notorious for having high scores of 90 or more.
Astro Bot – Score: 95
2024’s GOTY Winner Is The Best PlayStation Game Ever Made (According To Open-Critic)
Astro Bot
- Released
- September 6, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
The highest-ranking PlayStation exclusive on Open-Critic is currently Astro Bot, with a total score of 95. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise considering that Team ASOBI’s whimsical 3D platformer won the Game of the Year award in 2024, beating other incredible titles (like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Black Myth: Wukong) in the process.
The thing about Astro Bot is that this was the game Sony and the PlayStation brand really needed at that precise moment. Longtime fans were growing tired of the same old cinematic adventures with hyperrealistic graphics. This 3D platformer delighted everyone with its tight controls, adorable presentation, impeccable level design, an assortment of brilliant power-ups, and its catchy soundtrack. Yes, Astro Bot is also filled to the brim with cameo apperances from classic PlayStation characters (seeing as it was released during the year of the brand’s 30th Anniversary), but the rest of the game is just so well-made that it’s still worth trying out, even without those fun nostalgic cameos.
The Last Of Us: Remastered – Score: 94
The Remaster This Groundbreaking Masterpiece Needed
The Last of Us: Remastered
- Released
- July 29, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Horror
With just one point less than Astro Bot, The Last of Us Remastered also sits quite high up on Open-Critic’s prestigious list. This makes a lot of sense, since the original The Last of Us was a massive critical and commercial success that pushed the technical capabilities of the PlayStation 3 while simultaneously proving how dark, nuanced, and cinematic video game storytelling could be.
This was the PS3’s last great game, so it was only natural for Sony to port it over to the PS4 a little over a year after its initial release, with improved graphics, a few necessary quality-of-life improvements, and the DLC campaign, Left Behind, included on the disc. The Last of Us Remastered is currently the highest-rated entry in the series on Open-Critic, and it should not be confused with the first game’s PS5 remake, The Last of Us Part 1, which currently has a score of 82 on the site.
God Of War – Score: 94
The Reboot That Put The God Of War Franchise Back In The Spotlight
God of War
- Released
- April 20, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
The 2018 God of War reboot was a huge risk for both Sony and Santa Monica Studio. Taking what used to be a violent hack-and-slash series and turning it into a slower, more cinematic, and more narrative-driven action game with RPG elements was always going to be a hard sell. Fortunately, this experiment became a modern masterpiece that received glowing reviews and sold millions of copies.
Truth be told, Kratos used to be one of the least likable protagonists in gaming. With that in mind, this reboot brilliantly put him in a brand-new environment based on Norse Mythology, where he not only had to face a slew of new creatures, enemies, and (of course) deities, but he was also forced to face the repercussions of his previous actions and prevent his godlike powers from defining the fate of his son, Atreus. On top of its interesting premise, the combat system in God of War is engaging and satisfying, and its lifelike graphics are very impressive for the PS4.
Persona 5 – Score: 94
One Of The Best JRPGs Ever Made Was A PlayStation Exclusive For A While
Persona 5
- Released
- September 15, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Drug Reference, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Social Simulation
Persona 5 is now highly regarded as one of the best turn-based JRPGs ever made, and it's directly responsible for turning many people into passionate fans of the genre, but most gamers forget how odd its initial release schedule was. Persona 5 originally launched in September 2016 in Japan, on both the PS4 and the PS3, a seventh-generation console that was discontinued just a few months later. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise, however, considering that all previous Persona titles were PlayStation exclusives as well.
This means that PS3 and PS4 owners were the only people in the world who could enjoy this JRPG masterpiece until the multi-platform release of its enhanced port, Persona 5 Royal, in 2022. Before that, it was definitely worth owning either of those systems just to try Persona 5 out, because its colorful and distinct presentation, addictive life simulation mechanics, cast of lovable characters, and fast-paced and accessible combat system heavily contributed to its massive worldwide popularity.
Journey – Score: 93
A Quiet And Beautiful Piece Of Moving Art
Journey
- Released
- March 13, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone due to Mild Fantasy, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
In 2012, Thatgamecompany, Inc. Released a fascinating digital-only game on PlayStation Network that was simply titled Journey, and it immediately made an impact on the entire industry. This is a very simple but effective adventure about a robed figure who has to travel through a massive desert. There’s no combat, no enemies, and not a single word spoken throughout the entire game.
Journey’s main premise already stood out on its own in the late 2010s, a time in which most mainstream studios were releasing dark and gritty shooters, but its unique multiplayer component also resonated with consumers. Two different players can find each other in the desert, but they are forced to communicate exclusively through musical chimes, a mechanic that gave Journey a magical sense of wonder and humanity that was elevated by its beautiful art style and atmospheric music. Thanks to its influence and success, Journey was later ported to the PS4 in 2015, and to PC in 2019.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End – Score: 93
Nathan Drake’s Final Adventure Lived Up To The Hype
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
- Released
- May 10, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Adventure
Going back to the Uncharted franchise was always going to be a tall task for Naughty Dog, especially after the unprecedented success of the studio’s previous game, The Last of Us. Fortunately, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End not only didn't disappoint, it became one of the absolute best entries in this series.
This game felt like Naughty Dog took everything it had learned when developing The Last of Us and successfully applied it to the Uncharted IP, without removing the bombastic gameplay and universal appeal that were the series' hallmarks. As a result, the plot of Uncharted 4 is way more personal and emotional, but it is still quite optimistic and gives some perfect closure to all of its beloved characters, including Nathan Drake himself. And, of course, the advanced hardware of the PS4 allowed the studio to create some of the biggest levels and most over-the-top set pieces in the entire franchise.
The Last Of Us Part 2 – Score: 93
A Highly Controversial Title That Won The Game Of The Year Award In 2020
The Last of Us Part 2
- Released
- June 19, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
The Last of Us Part 2 is, objectively speaking, an excellent follow-up to Naughty Dog’s 2013 masterpiece. After all, the graphics are way better, the survival horror/third-person shooter gameplay is more refined, and the story is way more complex and even more heartbreaking. It’s also worth pointing out that this long-awaited sequel came out in June 2020, so it gave PS4 users something long and compelling to play in the middle of a global pandemic.
While The Last of Us Part 2 is a great video game that definitely deserves to have a score of 93 on Open-Critic, some people may not entirely agree with its high placement on the site’s list of the best games of all time. Due to some of its bold and unexpected narrative decisions, its reception among dedicated fans of the first game was highly divisive, and the controversy grew even bigger when it went on to win the Game of the Year award at the Game Awards 2020.
God Of War Ragnarok – Score: 92
The Continuation Of Kratos And Atreus’ Story Did Not Disappoint
God of War Ragnarok
- Released
- November 9, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Four years after the God of War reboot made a huge impact on the gaming landscape, Sony and Santa Monica Studio followed it up with an incredible direct sequel: God of War Ragnarok. This game continues Kratos and Atreus’ journey through the dangerous world of Norse Mythology, and, unlike its predecessor, it actually shows them confronting its two most powerful deities: Thor and Odin.
While the plot of God of War (2018) was slower and more personal than usual, Ragnarok picks up the pace and sees both main characters engaging in constant battles against gods and monsters on a regular basis. The gameplay and graphics were not changed all that much, but they were polished enough to make the overall experience feel more fluid and cinematic. While the main campaign has a few slow segments that can get tedious on subsequent playthroughs (which may explain why it has two points less than its predecessor), God of War Ragnarok is still an amazing action game that any PS4 or PS5 owner should add to their collection.
Demon's Souls – Score: 92
The PlayStation 5’s Best Launch Title
Demon's Souls
- Released
- November 12, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG
In 2009, FromSoftware released a unique PS3 exclusive titled Demon's Souls, which gained critical acclaim for its atmosphere and combat, but also became infamous for its tough-as-nails difficulty. While the studio eventually moved on to the Dark Souls franchise, the Demon's Souls IP still belonged to Sony, who brilliantly used it over a decade later to incentivize gamers to purchase a PlayStation 5 on the system's launch date.
Developed by Bluepoint Games (the studio that PlayStation assigns to make its many remasters and remakes), Demon's Souls (2020) is a full-on remake of the classic action RPG from 2009, but with detailed modern graphics and a refined combat system that made the gameplay more accessible for new fans of the Soulslike genre. Additionally, the release of Demon's Souls was of extreme importance for the PlayStation brand, not only because it was a PS5 launch title, but also because, for a few months, it was one of the few games that was 100% exclusive to that console (and wasn’t also available on PS4).
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth – Score: 92
The Second Part Of The FF7 Remake Project Was Even Better Than The First
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Released
- February 29, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG
After Squaresoft and Nintendo went their separate ways in the mid-90s, the Final Fantasy IP pretty much became synonymous with the PlayStation brand, mostly due to the fact that Final Fantasy 7 became one of the best and most popular PS1 games of all time. As a result, almost every subsequent game in this iconic RPG franchise was exclusive to a PlayStation console, including the long-awaited Final Fantasy 7 remake project.
While Final Fantasy 7 Remake was undeniably great (and currently boasts a score of 88 on Open-Critic), its direct follow-up, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, is bigger and better in every way. This sequel allows fans to re-experience the second part of this magical story (with a fair share of brand-new twists and turns) alongside its lovable cast of iconic characters, but modernizes the entire experience with its outstanding graphics, deep and addictive real-time combat system, and a multitude of interesting side-missions. To no one’s surprise, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth went on to become one of the best-reviewed games of 2024, all while it was 100% exclusive to the PS5 (until the eventual release of its PC port in early 2025).