On November 12, Sony will launch the PlayStation 5, which is releasing alongside a slew of new games that are highly anticipated by many. Even though the PS5 is right around the corner, Sony has said that it will support the PS4 until at least 2022, and is putting its money where its mouth is, as there are numerous games in development that are launching as cross-gen titles on both systems. However, it’s safe to say that after the PS5 comes out, most will be paying attention to it instead of the PS4.
The PS4 had a great run, becoming one of the best-selling video game consoles of all time and easily standing as the best-selling console of its generation. Sony was able to achieve these high sales numbers for a number of reasons, like making consumer-friendly choices and releasing some of the most popular exclusive games.
Here are all the biggest games, developments, and hardware revisions that occurred during the PS4’s lifecycle.
When Sony launched the PlayStation 3, the console had a slow start in terms of sales, largely thanks to its high asking price. PS3 sales caught up to the competition later in the generation, but even so, many would say that Microsoft had more momentum going into 2013 than Sony. But thanks to some head-scratching and anti-consumer choices on the part of Microsoft, Sony was easily able to position its PlayStation 4 console as the “must-have” new system out of the gate. The PS4 launched at a lower price point than its competitor, and did not have an online requirement or any of the other restrictive things that Microsoft had planned.
The PS4 was a massive success right off the bat, but the PS4 launch games weren’t really anything to write home about. As far as exclusives go, the PS4 had Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack, neither of which were exactly critical darlings. But as the years went by, Sony would build one of the most impressive lineups of first-party exclusive games ever.
2014 was a relatively slow year for the PlayStation 4, with Sony not yet hitting its stride in terms of high-quality exclusive releases. Infamous: Second Son and LittleBigPlanet 3 had their fans, sure, but neither game managed to reach the heights of their predecessors. But while Sony struggled with delivering must-have first-party exclusives in 2014, it made up for that by penning an exclusivity deal with one of the year’s hottest new releases, Bungie’s Destiny.
Destiny won numerous awards at the time of its release, and while it was relatively barebones at launch, it and its sequel would go one to become one of the generation’s most-defining games. The Destiny exclusivity deal set a precedent that PS4 was the place to play third-party games, with future deals including the likes of major blockbuster franchises like Call of Duty.
Meanwhile, Sony also introduced its innovative PlayStation Now service. A bit ahead of its time, PlayStation Now is a cloud streaming service that gives PS4 gamers access to a lot of games in exchange for a monthly fee. Technical issues and user internet limitations have kept PlayStation Now from blowing up like one might have anticipated, but the service is still available today, and even allows PS4 gamers to access PS3 titles.
Besides gaming, 2014 is when Sony launched its PlayStation Vue service, allowing an alternative to traditional cable TV. PlayStation Vue was supported for a few years, but was shut down at the beginning of 2020.
PS4’s growing pains continued in 2015 in terms of first-party exclusives, but that’s the year when the console received some of its most popular titles. Besides the slew of high-quality third-party games that launched in 2015, PS4 gamers got exclusive access to popular horror game Until Dawn, as well as the critically-acclaimed Bloodborne from From Software. The PS4 exclusives lineup was padded in 2015 by remasters of games like God of War 3, Gravity Rush, Journey, and Tearaway Unfolded. Plus, fans also got to try Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, a collection of the Uncharted games from the PS3 with improved visuals and other enhancements. Development of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection was handled by Bluepoint Games, a studio that would go on to become integral to Sony’s PS5 launch.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection in 2015 prepared PS4 fans for 2016’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. One of the most critically-acclaimed games of the year, Uncharted 4 is by far one of the PS4’s most-defining titles. Uncharted 4 was a huge success, with many agreeing that it was a fitting way to cap off the Uncharted series. With Uncharted 4‘s addition to the PS4’s lineup of exclusive games, the console really started to establish itself as having one of the most impressive lineups of first-party exclusives in the industry.
While Uncharted 4 garnered a lot of attention from PlayStation fans, Sony also decided to release some major new hardware that year as well. This included the PlayStation 4 Slim, a cheaper and slimmer version of the base console, as well as the PlayStation 4 Pro. As its name implies, the PlayStation 4 pro is an upgraded version of the standard PS4, offering superior performance. The mid-generation upgrade was generally well-received, and helped extend the PS4’s lifespan.
The major new hardware that came in 2016 was the PlayStation VR, however. PlayStation VR has proven to be one of the most successful virtual reality headsets, with Sony ensuring that it’s supported with its signature first-party exclusives. In fact, PlayStation VR exclusive Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is one of the most highly-rated virtual reality games made to date across any VR hardware.
Sony expanded its lineup of first-party exclusive games in 2017 with Horizon Zero Dawn. A brand new IP from Killzone studio Guerrilla Games, Horizon Zero Dawn launched to strong sales and critical acclaim, establishing a brand new franchise for Sony in the process. Sony also released more PlayStation VR games in 2017, and it experimented with PlayLink games. PlayLink Games, for the uninitiated, are party games where players use their cellphones as the controller. While not the blockbuster, big budget releases that many associate with the PlayStation brand, PlayLink Games have proven popular with those who enjoy party games.
In 2018, PlayStation fans got their hands on the Shadow of the Colossus remake from Bluepoint Games, as well as Astro Bot: Rescue Mission for PlayStation VR. However, the headlining PS4 exclusive for 2018 was undoubtedly God of War. Both a continuation and a reboot of Sony’s God of War franchise, God of War on PS4 was a monumental success, earning huge sales and rave reviews from critics. It would go on to be hailed as one of the best games of the year across all platforms, earning numerous year-end accolades in the process.
Another major PS4 exclusive from 2018 was Insomniac’s Spider-Man, which has now become a major franchise for Sony. Spider-Man has been called one of the best superhero games of all time, and it was definitely a system-seller for the PS4 when it launched in 2018.
2018 was a great year for PS4 owners thanks to the high quality exclusives that launched, but it was also notable for Sony finally changing its position on cross-platform play. Sony’s refusal to support cross-play was the subject of much controversy, but following some public pressure, the company finally allowed PS4 gamers to play with those on Xbox, Switch, PC, and other platforms, beginning with the mega-popular Fortnite battle royale from Epic Games.
Having built a strong library of exclusive games, Sony coasted through 2019 and expanded its dominant sales lead over the competition. There was some shake-ups for Sony at the executive level, but otherwise 2019 was a fairly uneventful year for the company as it prepared for its transition from PS4 to its next-generation console, the PS5. One of the more notable PS4 exclusives released in 2019 was Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding, the legendary developers first game since he split from Konami, though it proved to be divisive in the gaming community.
While 2019 didn’t have much in the way of major PS4 exclusives, 2020 has been a different story. Earlier this year, Sony launched The Last of Us 2 to near-universal acclaim, with many hailing it as a Game of the Year contender. It also released Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima, which also earned strong reviews and has established yet another strong new franchise for Sony to expand on with future titles.
Now that the last major PS4 exclusive games have hit the market, all eyes are on Sony’s next-generation console, the PS5. The PlayStation 5 launches on November 12, and it will be interesting to see how its evolution over the years compares to what Sony did with the PS4.
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