10. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
If you’re looking for a traditional stealthy Assassin’s Creed experience, then be warned that pure stealth is no longer a viable option - but Odyssey’s improvements on the action RPG elements introduced in Origins have created a breathtaking reimagining of Ancient Greece that was clearly produced with endless research and passion. The game is huge in scope - with an enormous open-world map, over 40 hours of engrossing story and that again in downloadable content.
9. Red Dead Redemption 2
You’ll struggle to find games with a more beautiful and authentically populated open-world than Red Dead Redemption 2. The main story alone takes around 50 hours to complete and is a fantastic tale told well through a rich cast of characters. That’s to say nothing of all the temping side missions and world-building. Spilling with content, you’ll spend hours of your time just running errands, bonding with your horse and fishing with your in-game pals.
8. Grand Theft Auto V
Home to one of the largest and most densely populated open worlds out there, GTA 5 is still one of the best games on the PS4. It’s a near-perfect third-person shooter with a focus on gun combat and fast driving, mechanics which it absolutely nails. Switching between three separate characters throughout the 50-hour story keeps things fresh, and thanks to side missions and online multiplayer, many easily rack up hundreds of hours of playtime.
7. Wasteland 3
The series that inspired Fallout is back with a brand new offering. It offers a deep, old school roleplaying experience coupled with turn-based tactical combat, and enough modern updates to keep it feeling fresh and vital. There’s so much choice and variation that it warrants plenty of replays. There’s so much of this game to discover; in fact, the developers claim that certain choices will mean you miss thousands of lines of dialogue!
6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Set in a huge and beautiful game world spilling with rich characters, The Witcher 3 will be talked about for years to come. An extensive and gripping story means that its 50-hour story feels gone in a flash - but luckily the game doubles in size thanks to the expansion packs. It’s a masterpiece of game design. But be warned - combat is a lot more tactical than it seems. If you’re used to rushing in, you’ll find this game very difficult.
5. Bloodborne
Bloodborne is a game that pushes you to the very limit. The great difficulty of the gameplay means that you’ll be dying hundreds of times in any one playthrough - and this densely-packed game means a playthrough might take over 50 hours. Yet the payoffs of victory are ecstasy by comparison - when you’ve conquered Bloodborne, you won’t remember the pain. You’ll remember all of the well-earned successes and how good they felt when you achieved them.
4. Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
There’s a strong argument to be made that 2012’s Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is one of the most underrated games of the modern era. Fortunately, it’s been given a second lease on life with Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. Offering a vibrant, massive open world, charming inhabitants and a nice variety of quests, you can easily sink more than 100 hours into it. It’s a wonder why it didn’t spawn a multi-game franchise like it was intended to do. Perhaps the second time’s the charm.
3. Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisition is one of the most engrossing RPG experiences on the Playstation and blends together a strong story with timeless character-building mechanics. Thanks to an epic main story and densely packed downloadable content, you can spend nearly a hundred hours in this world and still have plenty to do. Come for the traditional medieval fantasy aesthetic, stay for the engrossing gameplay and settlement management.
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition
Yet another open-ended Bethesda title for the list! This masterpiece of action roleplaying is so well known that it’s meme-worthy, which also comes with the unfortunate side-effect of watering down how truly well made this game is. With so much rich choice and variety available, you may not spend all your playtime on one character - but you can easily spend over a hundred hours on just the base game, to say nothing of the additional expansions.
1. Persona 5
As if the gameplay wasn’t enough, what sets Persona 5 apart from the crowd is the innovative design - everything from the menu screens to the gameplay visuals ooze style. The loveable turn-based combat is designed to really draw you into the grand story - a standard playthrough is averaged at around 100 hours and a completionist might spend nearly 200. This game is truly unique, in ways that you’ll love the second you pick it up.
