It was December 3, 1994 when the primary PlayStation debuted in Japan, and within the 25 years since, we’ve all created lifetimes of memories with Sony hardware at the middle . To commemorate the occasion, Tom’s Guide’s gaming writers nominated, voted and argued for an inordinate amount of your time over the 25 best games ever to land on PlayStation platforms. Our criteria wasn’t such a lot that the titles had to be exclusive to Sony’s boxes, but that they were in how (or perhaps at the time) closely associated with the brand. It wasn’t easy. Many a important person was sacrificed, and even for shoo-in franchises, like Uncharted, we struggled to return to a consensus on which entries most deserved a spot on this list. In the end, though, we believe we’ve settled on a gaggle of games that evenly spans the PlayStation legacy, across a variety of genres. You might even be surprised to find out how many recent titles earned our honors. With that said, there’s nothing left to do but get down to business. Here are the 25 best PlayStation games of all time.

10. Resident Evil 2 (PS1)

The Resident Evil franchise has grown to span plenty of different genres and platforms, but it began life because the PlayStation’s defining survival horror series. And many fans will tell you that it doesn’t get better than Resident Evil 2, which expanded on the original’s tense zombie-survival action with multiple story scenarios for heroes Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield also together of the foremost iconic computer game locales ever in Raccoon City. There’s a reason Resident Evil 2 was remade for 2019 — the original version’s tense atmosphere, clever puzzles, memorable bosses and story twists hold up as some of the best within the survival horror genre, and bring one among the best PlayStation games of all time. 

9. Ratchet and Clank (PS2)

This 2002 game launched the careers of a pair of Sony’s most famous mascots. While an E-rated game, Ratchet and Clank mixes a lighthearted colorful aesthetic with some more mature elements, making it fun for kids or adults. The leading pair’s relationship changes noticeably through the course of the game, the constant demands of NPCs for your money to progress is spun as desperate people trying to scratch a living while the Blarg and Chairman Drek wage war on the galaxy, plus there’s plenty of suggestive and silly moments if that all sounds too serious. But the gameplay is really what helped the series stand out and get numerous sequels (plus a divisive reboot on PS4).

Platforming is enhanced by Clank’s backpack helicopter rotors or rocket jets, while attacking uses a variety of melée strikes and particularly Insomniac Games’ imaginative weaponry, featuring guns that turn

enemies into chickens, a glove that dispenses suicidal biting robots, and a cannon that vacuums up enemies and shoots them at others.

Every a part of the sport is extremely likable and has aged excellently, making it a clear entry for this list. —Richard Priday

8. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4)

A lot of individuals debated on why Uncharted 4 is over here rather than Uncharted 2, and what I can say is that, while i really like Uncharted 2, Uncharted 4 is better. The deep emotional narrative that we loved within the Last folks are often seen trickling into this game, because it was directed by the exact same person, Neil Druckmann. Uncharted 4 is also arguably the best third-person shooter of all time. It's camera and reticle movement is the smoothest I've ever seen in a video game. Now combine that with simple but cinematic melee combat as well as smooth parkour and a sweet grappling hook — damn, this game was so much fun. The mechanics translated to multiplayer so well that I wish other games would just even attempt to be as good as this. And the way Uncharted 4 wraps up the series is one of the most well-written endings I've ever had the pleasure to witness.

7. Devil May Cry 3 (PS2)

The Devil May Cry series gave us the foremost stylish hack-and-slash games to ever exist. Devil May Cry 3 is that the most vital and therefore the best among them because it not only revamped the gameplay entirely but also gave us more of an emotional narrative and birthed the cocky Dante character that we all know and love today. This game was the primary to introduce fighting styles, like Swordmaster and Gunslinger, which allow you to use a spread of badass new tricks and combos. DMC3 was also the primary to require a deep dive into Vergil's character, who's Dante's brother and therefore the main antagonist of this game. Dante plays the comedic cocky type for a good portion of this game, but damn does it send you on a rollercoaster of emotions toward the end. The game is called Devil May Cry for a reason after all.

6. Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)

Post-apocalyptic worlds can often be grey and familiar sci-fi fare. But Guerilla Games made a totally unique one — filled with tribes of humans living in the shadow of mechanical monsters, all living in an open-world with diverse environments and a touching story of the outcast Aloy finding her place in this world of dangerous technology and unfriendly humans.

The standout element of Horizon Zero Dawn are these robot enemies, built to resemble familiar creatures from nature.

Even fighting mid-sized ones is a stimulating challenge, each featuring different weak spots and elemental strengths. And because you’re fighting with spears, bows, catapults and other lo-tech weaponry, you’ll need to think carefully and maybe lay some traps down before you commence battle. Each game system you expect to find in Horizon Zero Dawn is rendered fresh and new by the combination of setting and Aloy’s abilities, and following the story to discover the truth behind the way the world is or testing your mettle against the most dangerous artificial beasts will keep you engaged until you’ve hit 100% completion.

5. Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4)
After more than a decade of open-world Spider-Man games that ran the gamut from great to god-awful, Insomniac finally perfected the formula with its 2018 wall-crawling masterpiece. Marvel’s Spider-Man captures the joys of swinging around ny City like no game before it, with a decent traversal system that allows you to wall-run, web-zip and swing between skyscrapers with satisfying precision. But Insomniac delivered just as big in the game’s refreshing story, which puts a unique spin on characters like Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson and Otto Octavius while expertly balancing Peter’s struggles with both supervillains and everyday 20-something problems. Factor in a delightfully fun, Arkham-esque combat system and one of the most gorgeous open-world New York City environments to date, and Spider-Man PS4 isn’t just the best Spider-Man game ever made — it’s an all-time PlayStation essential.


4. Bloodborne (PS4)
From Software’s Dark Souls is an immensely popular RPG series known for its unforgiving combat and mysterious world. All three of the games in the series are very good, as is the more recent Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but our favorite example of this genre is the PlayStation 4 exclusive Bloodborne.

Instead of the traditional medieval theme, From Software chose instead a gothic horror setting, with dense urban areas, magic powers stemming from the use of blood, and more modern weaponry, all of which can transform between two modes for additional utility in a fight.

The core ‘tough but fair’ gameplay feels almost like Dark Souls, but a couple of changes, just like the removal of shields and therefore the introduction of a damage-reducing ‘Rally’ mechanic, mean you have to fight with speed and dexterity, making it a minimum of distinct if not preferable for veteran or fresh players. The bosses you face on your journey are as beautifully horrific as the environments, and if you can’t get enough of the gameplay, there’s the Chalice Dungeons; randomly generated levels that have their own progression path outside of the traditional game. Bloodborne is a near-perfect combination of old and new ideas, a great introduction to the ‘souls-like’ genre but also a challenging and distinct experience for veteran players. It’s a nightmare you want to keep having.

3. Final Fantasy VII (PS1)
Modern Final Fantasy wouldn't exist without the PlayStation. And it's possible that the PlayStation as we know it wouldn't exist without Final Fantasy VII. Allow me to explain:

Before Final Fantasy VII, Japanese RPGs were a fairly niche genre. Fans loved the Final Fantasy games on the NES and SNES, but they were never going to be movers and shakers in the gaming world. In certain ways, it was hard to contain Final Fantasy's huge, imaginative worlds and intricate stories on cartridges with sprite-based graphics.

Enter the PlayStation and Final Fantasy VII. Thanks to the massive storage space of a disc-based gaming system, Squaresoft packed FFVII full of 3D graphics, full-motion videos and choral music, all to support a massive, winding story that was unlike anything fans had ever experienced.

And the result? FFVII was a huge crossover hit, which opened the series to a brand-new audience, and made "PlayStation" and "JRPGs" nearly synonymous for a decade. Final Fantasy would eventually diversify to other systems again, but every mainline entry since VII has been on a PlayStation system. No other console can boast that.


2. The Last of Us (PS3)
Among the simplest zombie stories told on any medium, The Last folks packs an emotional weight we hadn't seen in video games before. It starts with the pulse-pounding opening sequence and ends with the shocking final plot twist that will spark debates among you and your friends for years to come. But it isn’t for the faint of heart; Naughty Dog's masterpiece brilliantly blends zombie-killing action with a gorgeous adventure story set in a truly terrifying post-apocalyptic environment. Stealth and attrition are key to surviving this hellscape but as exhilarating as the action sequences are, what elevates The Last of Us is its rich, complex protagonists. The Last of Us is a must-play PlayStation game, one that will keep you awake at night (with the lights on) questioning good and evil.


1. God Of War (PS4)
God of War lands at number one as the best PlayStation game of all time. Are you surprised? We're not surprised. God of War for the PS4 is incredibly significant for its successful relaunch of an already established franchise. It took Kratos, the badass vengeful god from the first trilogy, and turned him into an emotional and relatable character with a toddler . Not only did it bring the story right down to earth, but it also brought the camera and therefore the combat down also , supplying you with less of a hack-and-slash and more of a precision-based action game. Those two radical changes worked, giving us one among the simplest action games and best story-driven narratives we've ever played.