Getting a new console is one of the best feelings as a gamer. From pulling open the box to holding that new controller in hand for the very first time, there are a few moments more memorable if you call yourself a lover of video games.
The industry is almost four months into the latest console generation, and it seems as if gamers are getting excited about new games and features daily . While the new console’s libraries have begun to fill out, some are looking back rather than forward with their PlayStation 5. A personal favorite feature of Sony’s new machine has been the ability to play PlayStation 4 titles, sometimes doing so in a better fashion than was ever possible on the PS4.
Ever since the PS5’s launch, games from the last-generation have been coming out with new patches , making it so that these older games take full advantage of the horsepower provided by the new consoles.
Now, many players may find themselves either returning to favorites with a new coat of paint or getting to experience PS4 classics they may have missed for the first time. Here is The Direct's list of the best PlayStation 4 games to revisit on the PlayStation 5.
MARVEL’S AVENGERS
Okay, yes, we're starting off start this list off with one of 2020’s most lauded games. Crystal Dynamic’s Marvel's Avengers has all the makings of something special. You pair one of the industry’s best developers with an IP as beloved as The Avengers, and it should produce solid good. Well, it didn’t.
Marvel’s Avengers launched with plenty of bugs, a lack of end game content, and what some would describe as simple gameplay. Now, while playing the game on the PlayStation 5 does not change some of those things, it does make the experience a little better. And, with the content coming down the line, that is exciting .
If you are a Marvel fan just looking for a fun Avengers story on your new PlayStation, give this a look. PS5 cleans up some bugs from release and improves the unstable last-gen frame rate, making a less than stellar experience a bit better.
MINECRAFT
For number two on the list, we have to mention Minecraft . As a gamer myself, I've put more hours into Minecraft on my PS5 than I have on any other platform, and it plays best on this new generation of consoles. Though this is just the PS4 version being played on new hardware with no special next-gen patch, this already fantastic game is now better.
The benefits of the SSD alone make this worth diving back into. The game loads up in seconds, and the world itself feels just a bit crisper. It may be my eyes deceiving me, but that fog on the horizon that every console Minecraft player has become accustomed to is just a bit thinner.
If this is what this title looks like now, one can only imagine what is in store when an official next-gen patch hits.
DAYS GONE
Days Gone is going to start a bit of a trend on this list. There are a handful of PlayStation first-party games that have had quite the glow-up on the latest hardware. The world of Days Gone has been a technical marvel since day one.
How the team at Bend Studio managed to get that many characters on screen at once in their Freaker hordes without melting PlayStation 4 internals is beyond. But, playing the game initially, players could feel that this was pushing Sony’s last-gen console to the brink.
On PlayStation 5, that is not the case. Days Gone plays like a dream, running at a stable 60 frames per second with 4K dynamic resolution. While the game might not many's favorite of the PS4’s exclusive library, you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t at least pop into Deacon St. John’s adventure on that big white Sony monolith.
CONTROL
Control was a game I had an interest in when it came out, but never got the chance to play it. Well, that changed on the PlayStation 5. This game is stunning. Even before the new consoles, I would load videos of Control running on some insane PC on YouTube, marveling at the beautiful chaos.
And while you don’t get all the PC bells and whistle with Control on PlayStation 5, you get close. Players get the chance to choose between a 30 fps Ray-Tracing mode or 60 fps Performance mode with next-gen versions of the title.
And it’s not just in the graphics. One of the biggest criticisms for Remedy Entertainment’s latest upon release was the unresponsive menus and slow-to-appear map. If you have played Control for even an hour, you know that you are constantly looking at the map to find the next objective. And when it takes up to 20 seconds for the map to appear every time, that adds up.
On PS5, those map problems are gone, so you can pop it up at any time with ease. It’s a simple thing but makes a world of difference.
GOD OF WAR
If you have not played God of War , stop reading this right now and go play it! God of War (2018) is arguably one of the best video games of all time. It was a technical marvel when it came out almost three years ago and is a technical marvel now.
The one-shot (for lack of a better term) gimmick of this game is immensely impressive on both PlayStation 4 and 5. GoW is a must on PlayStation 5 whether it’s your first or hundredth time.
The PS5 patch makes it so there are compromises. Where before players had to decide on a resolution or performance mode, now they can get the best of both worlds. The “Enhanced Performance Mode” outputs at 2160p at 60 fps, meaning the game runs silky smooth, and you get to see every detail in this nordic journey.
If this is what God of War: Ragnarök is going to look like, then players should be ready for it to push some serious boundaries.
GHOST OF TSUSHIMA
I did not touch Ghost of Tsushima on PS4. I missed out on one of the best games of last year, and I can’t even give a good reason as to why. Well, I have atoned for my sins and am currently taking in what could be the most visually stunning video games I have ever experienced.
Ghost on PS5 is the poster child for what backward compatibility can be. While it has all the shiny numbers of 4K and 60 fps, it goes beyond that. The Insomniac Games developed samurai epic is jaw-dropping.
The game loads up in seconds, and when it does, it is awe-inspiring. Whether it’s getting into a fast-paced brawl with Mongols or just taking in the moon as it reflects on the individual blades of grass, every moment is a spectacle to take in.
Multiple times in my playthrough have I called my girlfriend over just to show her a sunrise coming up over the horizon, or the detail in some lilies growing at the bottom of a waterfall. It’s poetic, almost.
Yes, Ghost of Tsushima came out on PS4, but it's one of the best things to play on PS5 right now.