Does gaming begin to hurt even when you love your current pick of video games? Yes, it is true. The source of your joy sometimes turns into a trap you want to get out of but cannot. Why? Because you realize late in the game that all those hours that you spent are not that exciting anymore. It’s not that you didn’t enjoy the game; it’s just that after investing hours and hours in it, you want something more.
Sure, you can take a break from gaming altogether. But when you come back, some of you would want something along the lines of the thrill of chasing down somebody, breaking into a top-secret facility, or uncovering some lost ancient secret. If we had to summarise all these activities, it’s called having a virtual adventure. And here, in this article, we’ll talk about some pretty amazing adventure titles you can play on PS4.
Adventure Games Over the Years: A Quick Recap
From text-based adventures in the late 70s to visual ones aided by 3D graphics and animations, adventure games have come a long way. Yet, it would not be wrong to say that with the advent of modern-age game design in the 90s, many gamers began preferring the action titles that had come up (like Bethesda’s Doom). And the 2000s were also not that great for adventure games.
But adventure titles never went out of style. And when the developers combined different sub-genres like action and role-playing with a good, deep narrative, the genre got a new lease of life. Now, there are so many quality adventure titles across major platforms like PS5/PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
Adventure Games: The Reason Behind Their Popularity
Some of the most popular video games today are adventure games, and you know why? Firstly, it is because of their engaging storylines. The story is the heart of an adventure game. A well-crafted storyline will pull in anyone curious enough, be it in any medium, and video games are no exception. After all, we love living vicariously in games.
The second reason is that modern adventure games combine a lot of elements like action, tactics, role play, teamwork, a thrilling quest for something, etc., in a single game package. There is something for most of the gaming crowd there. If it is just hack-n-slash or pure shooting with less emphasis on the storyline, you are bound to lose interest after a certain time. Not everyone wants to just rack up their kill count in multiplayer maps they have played hundreds (maybe thousands) of times.
The third and derived reason is that adventure games try to go beyond the repetitive nature of gameplay. We aren’t saying that the repetitive gameplay is always bad for the players; it actually helps give them a solid foothold and helps them master the game. But after playing a title for a long time, it can get boring. Adventure games, in general, have the advantage of offering something new to the players, be it in theme, battle scenario, or story.
Some of the biggest games on PS4 you’ve heard of come under the broad category of Adventure games, like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, God of War, God of War: Ragnarök, Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part I and II, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Days Gone, Uncharted, Tomb Raider, Fallout 4, etc.
Here we suggest the 12 best adventure games for PS4 that are sure to make your gaming experience rewarding.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is a first-person PS VR survival horror game. It is set in The Walking Dead universe created by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore. The story of the game is set in New Orleans. A few years have elapsed after the virus outbreak, and the city is now flooded. As you might expect, walkers and survivors both are present in the city; the un-zombified people are trying to stay alive, as usual. It is a day-by-day struggle for them.
In the VR game, which is promised to give 15+ hours of gameplay, the world of New Orleans lies for you to explore. You can scavenge weapons, all sorts of essentials, and also craft items.
In this city, the living are not all united; instead, they are split into two warring factions with different ideologies. They are The Tower and The Reclaimed. The Tower seeks to control every individual by enforcing their own brand of law. The Reclaimed, on the flip side, is a group that puts freedom above everything else. Will the two ever meet?
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
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The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners - The Complete Edition (PSVR) - PlayStation 4 | 1,099 Reviews |
$29.99 |
Buy on Amazon |
One of the major plot points in the story is that somehow you get to know of a “long-lost mystery in the city that could turn the tide of the war.” Now, the pursuit of something like this holds the key to human survival.
Developer: Skydance Interactive
Publisher: Skybound Games
Release date: May 5, 2020
Life is Strange: True Colors
Life is Strange: True Colors is a third-person supernatural mystery game. The game’s story begins when Alex Chen, the chief protagonist, visits her brother Gabe in the town of Haven Springs. It has been years since both met, and her brother gives her a warm welcome. Alex also makes friends with the denizens of the town. But soon, in a tragic turn of events, Gabe dies mysteriously, and people in the town start acting a bit odd. Yet there are some who believe Gabe’s was not a natural death.
Now, here is the twist. Based on where the narrative was going, you would have expected the story to become a murder mystery. It is, at its base, a mystery, but here the supernatural comes into play as Alex is not just any normal girl; she’s got special powers. She can spot people’s auras and sense just what they are feeling at a particular moment. Imagine someone having natural emotional sensors so strong that they can actually see the color of anyone’s aura. If she focuses hard enough, she can even discover the cause of those emotions in people.
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Life is Strange: True Colors PlayStation 4 with Free Upgrade to the Digital PS5 Version | $15.00 | Buy on Amazon |
You guessed it right. She is going to use those powers to investigate the mystery of her brother’s death. And, in the course of her sleuthing, discover just what the town of Haven Springs is trying to hide.
Developer: Deck Nine Games
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: September 10, 2021
A Way Out
A Way Out is one of those rare action-adventure games that makes 2-player co-op super-interesting. You and your co-op buddy in the game have one thing on their minds: escaping from prison.
The two characters seeking a way out of the prison are Leo and Vincent. Now, these two aren’t fast friends; they barely know each other. But they share one thing in common. The burning desire to flee from prison and create a new life for themselves. They will have to combine their physical agility and smart minds to hoodwink the jail security.
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A Way Out - PlayStation 4 | $63.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The co-op adventures in A Way Out aren’t just about keeping low and fighting when it’s needed. You also get to do things like fishing.
Developer: Hazelight Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release date: March 23, 2018
Days Gone
Days Gone is one of those games that featured a global pandemic long before the coronavirus outbreak happened. So, even if things like a virus infecting a destroying entire cities and states were a thing of pure fiction for you, they won’t be now.
The game features an open-world setting where you play as a drifter and bounty hunter Deacon St. John in the third-person perspective. It has been two years into the pandemic, and you are on the road with your bike, trying to survive. What shall you do next in life depends on whether you wake up to a new day safe and sound.
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Days Gone - Playstation 4 |
$34.99 |
Buy on Amazon |
The single-player game is based on exploration and survival in the wild. Nothing is unimportant in this world that’s slowly being eroded by humans and humanity. So, search places and buildings for useful items and scavenge for weapons. You can craft traps and even weapons from various items. Happy surviving.
Developer: Bend Studio
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release date: April 26, 2019
Far Cry 3
Far Cry 3 is an open-world first-person shooting game that gives you a lot of flexibility in gameplay. You can charge your way in and get the upper hand in battle, or, if you prefer something more tactically challenging, take the stealth route. Fancy yourself a sniper? Far Cry 3 gives you that option too. Take down enemies from afar; you don’t have to get close.
The game’s campaign mode supports co-op multiplayer with up to four players. So, stating the obvious, you can play alongside three of your friends. In order to prevail in the fight, you need to work well as a team. In times of need, you can revive each other, call in support weapons and also fire up the morale with battle cries.
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Far Cry 3 Classic Edition (PS4) |
$20.95 |
Buy on Amazon |
Want more? Then you should check out the Far Cry Map Editor for new game content. You can even design your own maps there.
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release date: November 29, 2012.
Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V)
Grand Theft Auto V, more popularly known as GTA V, is the one open-world game most of us have heard of, if not played already. Immensely popular, the game is set in the fictional Los Santos and Blaine County.
The storyline sees three people from different backgrounds — Michael, Franklin, and Trevor, combining their wits to pull off some dangerous heists.
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Grand Theft Auto V Premium Edition Playstation 4 |
$20.98 |
Buy on Amazon |
The game gives you plenty of freedom in gameplay: you can ride, drive and fly a variety of vehicles, from cars to choppers. There’s also an online mode that sees fresh content quite frequently!
Developer: Rockstar North
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Release date: September 17, 2013
Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawn is a game about what a world can become when it is ravaged by a species (the Machines) that doesn’t care about the life present in it. In the game, you play as Aloy, a young hunter who’s been banished from her tribe.
Horizon Zero Dawn features a vast open world teeming with people, creatures, and, of course, the villainous Machines that are destroying Earth.
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Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition Hits - PlayStation 4 | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Aloy will have to use her hunting skills and employ weapons (especially her bow) wisely to give a sound challenge to the Machines. The game features third-person combat and exploration in the wilds.
Developer: Guerilla Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release date: February 28, 2017
It Takes Two
It Takes Two is a one-of-a-kind adventure platformer that’s made for just two players. This two-player co-op game can be played in couch co-op or online. Best to get your spouse to team up with you, as Cody and May — the two playable characters — are a couple. But things aren’t looking too good on the relationship front.
In fact, the two are about to divorce, something their child Rose does not want. She tries to somehow fix things between her parents.
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It Takes Two (PS4) |
$26.25 |
Buy on Amazon |
But in her striving, she accidentally changes them into dolls, and both Cody and May reach a magical world. Guess who is waiting for them there? Dr. Hakim, who fancies himself a love guru.
Developer: Hazelight Studios
Publisher: EA Swiss Sarl
Release date: March 26, 2021
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider is the next game in the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise that began in 2013 with Tomb Raider. It is a Lara Croft game, so you can be sure of risky adventures in remote and lesser-explored areas of the planet. Playability-wise, the game is playable in the third person, and you would control the character of Lara.
In Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara will go to the Lost City of Kitezh looking to solve an ancient mystery. Naturally, you would be curious about this mystery. Let us tell you that immortality is a big part of it. Enough reason for an adventurer to go risk her life.
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Rise of The Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration (PS4) | 3,964 Reviews |
$18.29 |
Buy on Amazon |
Lara’s path will be fraught with perils, both natural and man-made. And there is an organization that’s adamant about stopping her.
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: November 10, 2015
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection collects all three games in the Uncharted trilogy. These are Drake’s Fortune, Among Thieves, and Drake’s Deception. You play as Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter, in the third person perspective.
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Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (Playstation Hits) (PS4) |
$19.45 |
Buy on Amazon |
There are plenty of adventures to be had in these games. If you like exploration, historical mysteries, solving puzzles, and have an adventurer’s spirit, there is a fair chance you may end up liking the games in this collection.
Developer: Bluepoint Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release date: October 9, 2015
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard brings a fresh style of gameplay to the Resident Evil series. In this title, the action is in first person, made possible by the new RE Engine. So, watching your back would be as difficult as in real life. And the action (and the disturbing stuff) would happen a lot closer to you.
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Resident Evil 7 Biohazard Gold Edition - PlayStation 4 |
$27.43 |
Buy on Amazon |
The story of the survival horror game is set in an abandoned farmhouse in the rural US. You are alone in this journey, with no teammate. So, if you think horror is your jam, why don’t you take up the challenge of unraveling the truth of that farmhouse?
Developer: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Publisher: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Release date: January 24, 2017
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is the final Metal Game by Hideo Kojima and the team at Kojima Productions. It is an action-adventure game based on stealth combat. The story is set in 1984.
It starts when Big Boss Snake wakes up after a coma that went on for nine years. A whole lot of time to spend just sleeping, in a way. But the upshot is that he is alive. And has a purpose for the next chapter of his life too.
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Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - PlayStation 4 | 2,508 Reviews | $4.59 | Buy on Amazon |
Snake has unfinished business with the XOF group, which he soon gets ready for. The site of action? USSR occupied Afghanistan. With tactical espionage and plenty of methods to dispatch your enemies, there’s plenty to uncover in one of the best Metal Gear Solid games in recent years.
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Release date: September 1, 2015
Parting Words
Phew! So many games, right? You will find action, shooting, deep storylines, mystery, exploration, and team-based gameplay in these titles. So, which ones are you going to try out on your PS4/PS5? Let us know in the comments.
Also, be sure to check out the best open-world PS4 games, curated for people who love exploring, virtually or otherwise.
P.S. No, we are not going away forever. Just parting for this article! We’ll be back with more exciting news and recommendations. Stay tuned for more Sparkian content.
