Recently, EA tweeted single-player games are going away. It would benefit developers, without a doubt, as it’s easier to monetize multiplayer entries. Campaigns, on the other way, won’t make billions, but they build up developer loyalty and reputation. Moreover, on the gamer side, they deliver memorable experiences. We can play and recommend them over and over.
Selecting the Best Campaign Games for PS4 or PS5
While playing games with others is fun, sometimes you prefer going in alone. It allows you to take your time, immerse yourself, and enjoy it without interference. Therefore, we’re looking for the best “campaigns”. In other words, single-player modes take you through a story. It’s the main focus of some of the most memorable titles. We’re browsing through various genres, and we’re taking into consideration fan praise, as well as critical praise. We essentially want stellar campaigns, good enough to make you play right until the end. The quality must combine the story, characters, music, voice-overs, gameplay mechanics, pacing, and variety. If it lacks in one of these categories, like characters, it should make it up in another, like gameplay. Lastly, some of these titles debuted as exclusives for the PS4 or the PS5 or remain exclusive for the platform. After all, single-player campaigns are how PlayStation differentiates itself from the competition.
Best Campaign Games for PS4 or PS5
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the game you should play if you’re looking for an immersive experience. It’s a western RPG, and you follow John Marston, a gang member balancing survival vs. loyalty. The story, the choices, the consequences, and the reactive world are enough to recommend the game. You are truly a gang member as you walk, intimidate, shoot, rob, and collect bounties. On top of that, the main quest is full of memorable moments and goes through a series of distinct scenarios. As for the scenarios, the game constantly showcases top-tier graphics, animations, and combat. You play in third-person in an open world full of towns, mountains, forests, and roads. You can hunt, manage a bandit camp, shoot, steal, collect bounties, ride on a horse, do train heists, and more. Lastly, the title also features a character progression system. There are three skill branches; you level these up by doing specific actions. So, playing will make your character stronger. Yet, power will lean further and further into what you prefer doing. There’s a Wanted system, though, so be careful!
Uncharted: A Thief’s End – The Virtue of the Simple Life
As a whole, the Uncharted series represents Sony’s approach to single-player games. Character-driven third-person linear action-adventures titles with plenty of cinematics. Plus, a nice wrap of good voice-acting, graphics, and music. A Thief’s End is the last main entry in the series, but you can play it and understand the characters immediately. It’s not too difficult: Nathan Drake, a former treasure hunter, goes on a “one-last-mission” deal to find his long-dead brother. So, imagine playing an Indiana Jones game, and the gameplay is great. The areas are linear but include something similar to arena battles. The more open areas are full of enemies you have to beat with firearms, melee, and stealth. Then, you traverse the map and solve puzzles to move on. Lastly, the title features an expansion, The Lost Legacy. It follows other characters in new settings and features new villains. IF you want to play the complete bundle, you can purchase The Legacy Collection for PS4 or PS5.
The Last of Us Part I Remastered
The Last Of Us is another high mark for the PlayStation platform. Albeit the original title came out for PS3, the remastered version is available for PS4, and it looks as good as a new new-gen title. Its graphics, music, and voice acting are a testament to its quality. But the best part is the story; if you haven’t played it, I won’t spoil it. The basics, though, is that you’re playing as Joel, traveling with Ellie across the post-apocalyptic USA. Their goal is to find a cure for a “zombie-like” virus. The game is linear and designed to go from point A to point B. On each end, you’ll see hefty cinematics for character moments. And in-between, you’ll sneak or fight across other humans or monsters. Lastly, combat is frantic, difficult, and sometimes scary. You play in a third-person perspective with various firearms, a bow, and explosives. You can craft in real time, upgrade your weapons, and find collectibles to boost key stats.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a consistent pick for most of our lists. The open-world action RPG features one of the best characters in video games. Moreover, its medieval fantasy universe and lore go as deep as The Lord of The Rings franchise. You play as Geralt Of Rivia, one of the last members of the Witcher guide. These are masters of combat and light sorcery, capable of fighting against mythological monsters. You’re not a hero, though; you do it for money. Moreover, Geralt doesn’t take allegiances, as the guild vows to stay neutral, emotionless, and even. That’s far from the truth. Geralt loves two girls: his lover, Yennefer, and his adopted daughter, Ciri. He embarks on a personal journey to find both across a series of massive open worlds. It’s the setting for an epic journey about love, loyalty, and duty. And as you travel, you’ll level up, complete fully-fledged side quests, and hunt monsters for money. Combat happens in third-person, and you can slash, parry, and dodge. You can also use simple magic, gadgets, and a crossbow.
Persona 5 Royal
Persona 5 is an RPG that debuted as a PlayStation exclusive. Due to its success, it has passed over other platforms. If you try it and like it, we advise you to try Persona 4 as well. The story happens in Tokyo, in modern times. The protagonist is a school student with “Joker” as a pseudonym. He’s being accused of a crime, so you must prove your innocence before it’s too late. So, the game has various mechanics. First, you find evidence by talking to NPCs and interacting with the environment. Then, you explore the Metaverse with your powers to defeat the “Personas,” physical manifestations of the evil desires of the adults. Combat happens by turns. You level up, learn powers, gather a team of powered individuals, and rumble in corridors and castles. The action is the best part of the game, but it’s only as crazy and creative as the story.
Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima is another action-adventure open-world game exclusive for the PlayStation platform. As you’d expect, it’s a character-driven story boasting hefty cinematic value. You play as Jin Sakai, a fictional samurai during the start of the Mongolian invasion of Japan (1274). It’s an alternate story where the warrior defeats the invaders and slays their leader, Kublai Khan. To achieve the task, Jin Sakai must forgo his samurai honor. Victory requires stealth, betrayal, brutality, and violence. It’s not the samurai way, but it’s fun to play. You slash, parry, block, and use various sword stances to counter different weapons. Lastly, the world is fully open, with few map markers. Instead, you follow environmental clues to find the few side quests available for extra loot. That said, you also unlock skills and find better gear as you play-.
God of War
The latest God of War entry is the highest point in the saga. It’s because it changes the formula to deliver a more successful result. In particular, it’s a linear hack & slash / action-adventure hybrid with character progression. Even seeing clips or trailers of the game could tell you about the story quality. It’s a character-driven plot, and the protagonist is Kratos. He’s a rough, old, and tired God of War, trying to leave his past behind. And even though he tries for his son, he can’t. So, you travel alongside Atreus, the son, on a series of linear (but wide) levels). You’ll encounter monsters and gods from Norse mythology along the way. Combat relies on various weapons for attacks, ranged skills, magic, and defensive abilities. Moreover, you can loot a “currency” you can use to improve your armor. You can also level up your character to unlock skills and customize your playstyle. These are also new elements for the series.
Undertale
Undertale is perhaps a game you haven’t heard of or seen. And if you have, it’s great. It deserves as much recognition as it gets. Why? Because it’s the unique RPG game you’ll find, and a single indie creator made the entire thing. This is a 2D story where you control a child. He fell into the Underground, a magical region underneath the Earth full of monsters. These monsters are not very human-friendly, so your journey back to the surface won’t be easy. However, this is, truly, an RPG. You can beat the story without killing a single foe. Once the battle starts, you enter a 2D screen (akin to Pokemon) and make a choice. Charm? Persuasion? Intimidation? Combat? And, by the way, combat is not per turn; it is more like a bullet hell. Then, each choice you make affects the game. Some NPCs react to your unsaved playtime, previous deaths, and more. It’s highly reactive, charming to the core, and full of creativity.
Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal is a fast-paced, gory, and heavy-metal first-person shooter. It’s the sequel to Doom (2016), which is the reboot of the saga. Moreover, it’s an upgrade over its predecessor, as it adds micro-managing mechanics. You’re the Doom Slayer, a one-person army defeating a demonic invasion of Earth and beyond. You’ll unlock various weapons, weapon mods, gadgets, grenades, and more as you play. Because the enemies feature so many weaknesses, skills, and behaviors, you will need all of your arsenals constantly. Moreover, your main “trio” features a chainsaw, a sword, and a flamethrower. Using these weapons will replenish ammo, health, and armor. Then, you can jump, dash, jump on pads, swing on poles, and combine everything in massive arena fights against hundreds of monsters. It all gets crazier with heavy metal riffs pumping through your ears. And as you play, you’ll uncover a terrifying story involving human souls. An alien race is harnessing human suffering as their energy source. Unless you blow all of them up, that is.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
Final Fantasy VII Remake brings back the fabled Final Fantasy VII. But rather than delivering the complete story, it remakes the first portion of the game. In other words, you play the Midgar segment in third-person, with action-RPG combat. You play as Cloud Strife, a new member of the Avalanche eco-terrorist group. They are fighting against Shinra, a megacorporation harnessing the planet as an energy source. As you’d expect from the series, the story is full of fantasy, destiny, magic, and eccentric enemies. The story goes along a linear map, through hefty cinematics, and with the help of a cast of interesting characters. Finding, meeting, and bonding with your companions is one of the best parts of the game. They are cool, good-looking, tough, and fun to use in battle. Lastly, unlike the original title, you play in real-time rather than in turns. Cloud slashes, use skills, combo attacks, and uses items. Battles are tough, so you must time abilities with your team members.
Hades
Hades is a rogue-like dungeon crawler game. It features the key design choices of the indie developer. Namely: hand-drawn scenarios, stellar music, tons of voice-acting, deep themes, and a character driven-stories. Also, the title uses the rogue-like genre to great effect. Each time you die is part of the story. You return to the main hub, and NPCs will feature new interactions to discover new lore, permanent upgrades, and more. Outside of the main hub, you dash, attack, use ranged skills, and customize your powers. Here, you play as Zagreus, Hades’s son. You’re trying to escape the Underworld to meet your mortal mother in the realm of humans. Escaping takes you across several instances in four Acts. If you die, you go back to the beginning and lose the skill modifiers you find. However, you keep currency, which you invest into permanent upgrades, like buying and improving weapons. That said, the gameplay is super smooth and varied. There’re various weapons and dozens of skill modifiers, so you have hundreds of options.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart debuted alongside the PS5. It was a key part of its marketing, as Sony and Insomniac released it to prove the might of their new-gen console. And it does. Not only does it look great, but it also delivers its entire playtime without a single loading screen. That’s a first for consoles; luckily, the gameplay is great. The story is just okay, and it’s something we expect from the action-adventure series. You play as Ratchet, sometimes as Clank, and others as parallel versions of the heroic duo. Each features its skills, but generally, it’s a third-person directional shooter. You jump, swirl, shoot, pick up collectibles, and swap between many insane weapons. Also, it’s a semi-open game. On your quest to stop Doctor Nefarious, you have a ship to travel back to previous quests and pick up what you left. Then, you can invest your currencies in improving your weapons and buying gear.
