A broken pair of glasses tells you almost everything about Naughty Dog’s priorities: the violence matters because somebody has to live with it. Across Joel and Ellie’s journeys, scavenging and stealth make survival feel grubby rather than heroic. PC players can experience both stories through Part I and Part II Remastered, although describing either as an enjoyable evening requires a fairly flexible definition of “enjoyable.” | © Naughty Dog
Peter Parker can catch a falling car more easily than he can keep his personal life together. Insomniac understands that imbalance, grounding its superhero spectacle in relationships that crime-fighting constantly interrupts. Both games made the jump to PC, with the original arriving through its remaster. The sequel adds playable Miles Morales and web wings, making an already irresistible trip across New York dangerously effective at postponing actual missions. | © Insomniac Games
Aim for the glowing component, knock off a weapon, then discover you have annoyed something considerably larger than yourself. Horizon makes hunting machines a satisfying exercise in dismantling moving puzzles, with Aloy’s investigation into humanity’s collapse supplying the bigger mystery. Both adventures eventually reached PC, where their landscapes are obvious showpieces, but figuring out how to take a mechanical predator apart remains the more compelling attraction. | © Guerrilla Games
Kratos has survived Greek mythology, but explaining himself to his son presents an entirely different difficulty setting. His Norse adventures build their drama around that uncomfortable relationship, giving the quieter conversations as much purpose as the boss fights. Both are available on PC, complete with an axe whose returning thud practically deserves its own credit. Ragnarök expands the family tensions into a conflict with consequences across the Nine Realms. | © Santa Monica Studio
Reloading after death usually offers a clean break; Returnal makes it part of Selene’s nightmare. Its alien landscapes shuffle between attempts, while weapons and upgrades encourage experiments that might end spectacularly badly. Housemarque’s arcade background shows in the readable projectile patterns and relentless movement, even when the screen resembles an angry planetarium. The former PS5 exclusive subsequently reached PC, carrying its unsettling domestic mysteries along with the gunfire. | © Housemarque
Follow the wind and you might find your objective; follow a fox and the invasion can wait another ten minutes. Ghost of Tsushima makes navigation part of its atmosphere, encouraging you to look at the landscape instead of permanently consulting a minimap. Jin Sakai’s swordplay supplies a sharper rhythm, particularly during duels. The PC release brings the Director’s Cut, including Iki Island’s more personal examination of his family history. | © Sucker Punch Productions
Saving the planet can wait. Somebody nearby wants to play Queen’s Blood, and Cloud apparently has priorities. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth uses these ridiculous diversions to give its travelling party time to become people rather than a procession of iconic character designs. Beneath the sightseeing sits a battle system that makes switching between teammates genuinely rewarding. Its arrival on PC opened another route into an adventure first released for PS5. | © Square Enix
Retirement looks exhausting when Nathan Drake attempts it. Uncharted 4 drags him back into treasure hunting through his brother’s return, balancing enormous action sequences against the damage caused by another convenient lie. The Lost Legacy gives Chloe and Nadine their own excellent partnership. Both reached PC in Legacy of Thieves Collection, pairing a sprawling farewell with a tighter adventure that proves the series can function perfectly well without its usual leading man. | © Naughty Dog
The chapter-ending flowcharts in Detroit: Become Human are excellent at exposing how much trouble you could have avoided. Connor, Kara, and Markus occupy different corners of an android uprising, with decisions capable of cutting entire storylines short. Its political parallels can be painfully blunt, but the branching structure gives mistakes unusual permanence. Originally released for PS4, it later brought those uncomfortable choices to PC, where restarting remains a powerful temptation. | © Quantic Dream
A bridge built by somebody you will never meet can inspire more gratitude than an entire quest reward screen. That is the peculiar achievement of Death Stranding, where shared infrastructure turns solitary deliveries into a collective rebuilding effort. Sam’s cargo makes every slope and river worth considering, lending physical weight to the journey. The original PS4 release expanded to PC, while the Director’s Cut eventually brought the expedition to Xbox. | © Kojima Productions
Button-mashing in Nioh is an efficient way to become somebody else’s cautionary tale. Stances change how weapons behave, while properly timed Ki Pulses recover stamina and let skilled players maintain pressure. The sequel complicates that satisfying foundation with yokai abilities and a custom protagonist. Both games received Complete Editions on PC, bundling their expansions into packages generous enough to make your steadily growing collection of embarrassing deaths feel like value. | © Team Ninja
Turning an enemy into decorative shrubbery is an excellent argument for giving game developers unreasonable weapons budgets. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart surrounds its imaginative arsenal with wonderfully expressive animation, while Rivet’s introduction gives the familiar double act a welcome counterpart. Dimension-hopping helped sell the game as a PS5 technical showcase; its subsequent PC port brought those same extravagant transitions to another platform. Fortunately, the shooting deserves attention beyond the loading technology. | © Insomniac Games
Underneath the stitching and cheerful scenery, Sackboy: A Big Adventure has a surprisingly ruthless talent for exposing unreliable friends. Up to four players can tackle its handcrafted stages together, although cooperation tends to deteriorate around collectibles and awkward jumps. Sumo Digital trades LittleBigPlanet’s level-building emphasis for a dedicated 3D platformer, with musical stages among its highlights. The PC version preserves that appealing balance between family entertainment and very petty competition. | © Sumo Digital
Petrol becomes a horror mechanic when your escape plan has an empty tank. Days Gone ties survival to Deacon’s motorcycle, making repairs and refuelling part of the tension between settlements. Its strongest encounters send hordes of Freakers pouring through the scenery, demanding escape routes rather than heroic last stands. After launching on PS4, the game reached PC with options including unlocked frame rates, giving those frantic retreats more room to run smoothly. | © Bend Studio
Three button presses sound like a reassuringly small barrier between you and golfing competence. Then the wind changes, your timing slips, and an adorable cartoon golfer becomes the face of profound disappointment. Everybody’s Golf built its appeal around that accessible swing system and deceptively demanding courses. The series eventually ventured beyond PlayStation with Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots, a new installment released for PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC rather than a port of an older entry. | © Bandai Namco Entertainment
Buying a console for one game is an expensive commitment, especially when that game eventually turns up on hardware you already own. PlayStation fans know the feeling. These 15 former PlayStation exclusives once helped justify picking Sony over the competition, but their days behind that particular fence are over. If you missed them the first time, you might finally get to see what all the fuss was about.
