The PS5 is a huge advancement over the PS4, but the platform has been criticized for becoming something of a dumping ground for patched-up older games. This has been bad for new games, but great for reliving your old PS4 favorites.
1 Death Stranding Director’s Cut
Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear Solid fame coined the term “strand game” to describe Death Standing. Loosely, this translates to a game with social elements where players can leave objects like ladders and contribute resources to help one another.
The gameplay revolves around navigating often treacherous terrain, delivering packages, and engaging (or deliberately avoiding) rivals and spectral nasties. It’s chock-full of weird Kojima lore, cinematic cutscenes, and unique terminology. It also has some of the best visuals of the generation.
The Director’s Cut includes all post-launch content and two graphics modes (both target 4K, but one that aims for a smoother 60 frames per second). You can buy Death Stranding: Director’s Cut on PS5, upgrade your old PS4 copy for $10, or subscribe to PlayStation Plus Extra to play.
2 Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut
Ghost of Tsushima is arguably the best open-world game of the PS4 generation. In it, you take on the role of Jin Sakai, a samurai tasked with protecting Tsushima Island during the first Mongol invasion in 1274. The game is heavily influenced by samurai cinema, particularly the films of Akira Kurosawa, which is evident in the heavily stylized presentation.
The game’s visuals are even more stunning in the PS5 director’s cut, with options that target a 4K native resolution and a higher frame rate of 60 fps. Also included in the director’s cut is a brand new campaign set on the neighboring island of Iki, offering more stealth, action, exploration, and trophies to earn.
Buy Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut on PS5 or upgrade your PS4 copy to the director’s cut for a $20 upgrade fee. It’s also available with PlayStation Plus Extra.
3 The Last of Us Part II Remastered
The Last of Us has become one of the most recognizable franchises in gaming, with a successful TV adaptation to boot. When Part II arrived on PS4, it quickly earned its title as one of the best story-driven action games of all time.
With the PS5 remaster, the game is just as good as you remember except with 4K support and higher, more stable frame rates. There’s also a guitar mode where you can play Joel’s guitar, new outfits, and a “lost levels” feature which shows off some unfinished and scrapped ideas along with developer commentary.
Buy Part II outright on the store or upgrade your PS4 copy for $10.
4 God of War (2018)
God of War’s 2018 reboot is a cinematic blood-soaked tale of fatherhood and loss, set against the engrossing backdrop of Norse mythology. It’s the kind of game that Sony has become known for over the years, blending heavy yet satisfying combat with top-tier storytelling and some of the best voice acting in any video game.
You can upgrade your PS4 version for free with an update that delivers 4K resolution and 60 fps graphics support. There’s no PS5 version, simply grab the PS4 version and make sure the game is fully updated.
You can also play God of War if you have a PlayStation Plus Extra subscription.
5 No Man’s Sky
Even if you’ve played No Man’s Sky multiple times, the game is updated so frequently that you’re likely to encounter something new the next time you pick it up. Hello Games’ has taken the project from a disappointing launch through several iterations of major changes, into a title that’s starting to incorporate technology that’s being developed for the studio’s upcoming release Light No Fire.
The game received the next-generation treatment with the release of version 3.10 in October 2020, adding 4K resolution at 60 frames per second to the PS5 edition. Download the game from the store or whack the PS4 disc in your drive and play the latest version completely free of charge.
6 Control: Ultimate Edition
Remedy’s Control was a beloved action-adventure game when it was first released in 2019, and the studio has gone on to experience yet more success with the critically acclaimed Alan Wake 2 in 2023. But there are plenty of reasons to return to Control: Ultimate Edition, starting with the fact that this version now includes all downloadable content in a single package.
On top of this, Remedy added a proper performance mode that breezes along at 60 frames per second, and a more adventurous ray tracing mode that remains one of the best examples of the technology on the console to date.
Pick up Control: Ultimate Edition from the store. The game has a free next-gen patch for PS5 owners, though if you only have the original PS4 edition of Control you’ll need to buy the Ultimate Edition outright again. The game is also available with a PlayStation Plus Extra subscription.
7 Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt RED’s futuristic sci-fi RPG was a mess at launch, with missing features, unstable frame rates, and game-breaking bugs galore. The game is thankfully in much better shape as of the official PS5 upgrade, which arrived in February 2022.
On top of all the work that’s been done to patch up the base game since launch, the next-gen patch adds a 60 fps performance mode and a graphics mode that incorporates ray-traced shadows. There’s also support for the PS5’s spatial audio engine, DualSense haptics, and more.
Best of all, the upgrade is free! You can either grab the PS5 release from the store, download your old PS4 copy, or stick a PS4 disc into your drive and grab the upgrade. There’s even a save transfer feature.
8 Fallout 4
2024 was a great year for Fallout fans. Not only did Amazon’s TV adaptation prove to be both faithful to the original and appealing to newcomers, Bethesda finally delivered a next-generation patch for the last strictly single-player entry in the franchise.
You can now play Fallout 4 with a host of visual improvements, including a native 4K mode that targets 30 fps and a performance mode that targets 60 fps. There’s even a 40 fps target mode that strikes a balance between smooth performance and visual fidelity for players with a 120Hz TV.
Fallout 4 has no native PS5 version, just grab the PS4 version digitally or physically then make sure you install the free update. If you’re feeling social you might also want to give Fallout 76 a shot. Both games are available with a PlayStation Plus Extra subscription.
9 Days Gone
Bend Studio’s open-world zombie game felt distinctly missable when it first arrived in 2019. Since then the game has received a number of updates that improve the base experience, with an option to play in 4K resolution at 60 fps on PS5 thanks to a free patch and the Sony’s backward compatibility mode.
There are still a few performance hitches, particularly with hundreds of zombies on the screen at once, but the game is far more playable than it was at launch and is great value as part of the PlayStation Plus Extra catalog.
10 Metro: Exodus
Based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novels of the same name, the Metro series has become a respected entry in the story-driven first-person shooter world. In it, you take on the role of Artyom, a survivor who must brave the hostile surface of a world ravaged by nuclear war.
Perhaps one of the most visually striking updates of all time, Metro Exodus received its next-generation patch in June 2021 as a free update to all owners of the last-gen version. It delivers 4K visuals, 60 fps gameplay, and the option of enabling a fully ray-traced lighting system that completely changes the way the game looks and plays.
Some games on the list are PS4 versions with patches, while others are separate PS5 versions. It’s possible to install the wrong version (or both versions at once) so make sure you understand the difference and grab the right version.
