The holidays are upon us yet again and if you’re anything like me, you are currently racking your brain for gift ideas for family, friends, and perhaps a Secret Santa recipient or two who you know very little about. Whether you’re buying something for someone you’ve known your entire life or an acquaintance from the office, if they own a PlayStation, and you’re willing to spend a certain amount on a gift for them, then picking up a PS5 or PS4 game is the best way to go.
Settling on that is only half the battle, of course. If you like the idea of buying someone a PlayStation game, and I can only assume you do otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this, then now you need to decide which game to buy them. That’s where this guide comes in. Below you will find a list of some fantastic PlayStation games for PS5, PS4, and in some cases both covering multiple genres along with links to storefronts on which you can buy them. If there’s not a game below for the PlayStation owner in your life, it’s probably time to start exploring other gift avenues.
All of our picks can either be bought digitally through the PlayStation Store, or physically via the other storefronts listed.
Best PlayStation Games To Give As Gifts
End The Year Of Shadow In Style
Sonic X Shadow Generations is a double package of a remastered version of the 2011 title Sonic Generations, alongside an all-new campaign featuring Shadow the Hedgehog and both 2D and 3D levels.
Sega has been celebrating the Year of Shadow throughout 2024, giving the dark, brooding hedgehog some long-overdue attention. From Lego sets to Loungefly backpacks, Shadow has been the star of a lot of things this year. However, one of the highlights has been Sonic x Shadow Generations, a remaster of 2011’s Sonic Generations combined with an entirely new game with Shadow as its star.
Whether you buy this one as a gift for yourself or someone else, I strongly recommend playing the remastered half first before moving on to Shadow Generations. The remaster is fine, but the new content is where this game really shines. Every bit the game Shadow deserves and the perfect gift to accompany the hedgehog’s cinematic debut in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 which speeds into cinemas this December.
Part Two Of The Remake Of The Best Final Fantasy Ever
Final Fantasy Rebirth is the second part of the FF7 Remake project. It continues the story of Cloud Strife, a former SOLDIER turned mercenary who joins Avalanche, a group of eco-terrorists seeking to save the planet from the malevolent Sephiroth. As the party pushes out of Midgar, leaving the Shinra Corporation devastated, where will their paths take them?
- One of the best games released in 20204
- Hours and hours of entertainment
- Really need to have played Final Fantasy 7 Remake first
The beauty of the holidays, for a lot of people anyway, is that between the video game release schedule slipping into hibernation, usually until late January, and having time off of work, you have the chance to catch up on things you’ve missed. That can either be a bunch of smaller games you swore you’d get to, or you can fill your entire Christmas with a huge game like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and have the time of your life.
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Square Enix released the second part of its Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy in February of this year and turned the formula on its head. While part one kind of followed the original’s story, Rebirth has really stirred things up. Whether you have played the original or not, this is a fantastic game for those who played the game 25 years ago and want to experience a reimagined version of its story, or new fans who simply want to play a fantastic game that takes them on an incredible and emotional journey.
Let Him Be Your GPU
When the PS5 mothership is attacked by Astro’s long-standing galactic nemesis, scrambling its wires and scattering the crew throughout space, only Astro can make things right! Setting off on his biggest mission yet, he needs your help to rescue the stranded crew and rebuild the mothership.
Even though I fell in love with Rebirth, it has been pipped to my Game of the Year spot. That award will go to Astro Bot, and from the second I played it for the very first time, that was never in any doubt. Astro Bot is a special game. There are a lot of other platformers out there, and in a world that has been dominated by Mario for almost 40 years, it takes something special to stand out. Astro Bot is it.
Those unfamiliar with the modern-day PlayStation mascot might see this on store shelves and assume it’s for kids. They’re half right. Astro Bot is a fantastic game for kids of all ages. My four-year-old is obsessed and has completed it. Yes, that was a very transparent brag that I have a four-year-old who can complete video games. I’m 30 years older and had just as much fun with it, if not more. A truly generational game, and no PS5 collection is complete without it.
Aloy’s First Game Looks Better Than Ever Before
Horizon Zero Dawn has received the remaster treatment. The PS4 game’s visuals have been overhauled for the PS5, and ten hours of dialogue has been re-recorded to bring the first Horizon game up to the same standards as Forbidden West.
- Best looking version of the original Horizon game
- Fantastic starting point for people getting into the series
- It’s only been seven years since the original was released
- Anyone who already owns it can upgrade for $10
PlayStation has been criticized for remastering games that haven’t been around for all that long, not to mention games that still look great since so little time has passed. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered might be the most prominent example of that so far. However, whether you played the original or not, I compel you to give the remaster a try and take a look at just how much better its already stunning visuals are having been given a PS5 overhaul.
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Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is a great gift for a PlayStation owner who doesn’t already own the game as if they haven’t got the PS4 version that they can upgrade for $10, that likely means they haven’t played it, and they really should. A lot of people give the Horizon games a hard time, but there’s a reason it has become a PlayStation pillar in such a short space of time. This will be one of the best-looking games anyone has played, regardless of who you buy it for.
Minecraft
There’s A Reason It’s The Best-Selling Game Of All Time
Minecraft is a game made up of blocks, creatures, and community. You can survive the night or build a work of art – the choice is all yours. But if the thought of exploring a vast new world all on your own feels overwhelming, then fear not! Minecraft has no set goal and can be played however you’d like! This is why it’s sometimes called a “sandbox game” – there are lots of things for you to do, and lots of ways that you can play.
Speaking of games that look better than ever, Minecraft is finally available on PS5. Okay, it has technically been playable on PS5 since the day the console launched, however, until October of this year, the version of Minecraft you could play on PlayStation’s latest console was built for PS4. The version available through the links above is native to PS5 which means it will look and run better than any other version of the game previously available on PlayStation consoles.
Like Astro Bot, Minecraft is a game loved by kids and adults alike. There’s no doubt Minecraft has a huge child player base, though. As a dad of a Minecraft-obsessed son who drops them off at a school where almost everyone has either a Minecraft backpack or lunchbox, I can almost guarantee a kid who likes Minecraft will appreciate this polished version of the game if they have the right console to play it on.
Helldivers 2
Give Someone A Taste Of Freedom This Christmas
The Galaxy’s Last Line of Offence. Enlist in the Helldivers and join the fight for freedom across a hostile galaxy in a fast, frantic, and ferocious third-person shooter. Helldivers 2 features Arrowhead’s best cooperative gameplay yet. Collaboration will be vital: Teams will synergize on loadouts, strategize their approach for each mission, and complete objectives together.
On the surface, it might seem like the live service corner of the video game industry has its heavy hitters and that bubble is impenetrable to newcomers. Helldivers 2 proved that’s not categorically the case, rocking up in February to break all sorts of records for PlayStation. It didn’t need to be free-to-play to make an impact either and the sequel is well worth every penny of the $40 you’ll pay for it.
Even if the person you’re buying Helldivers 2 for doesn’t have friends to play with online, the game can be played alone or it has a very friendly community of players who can drop in and help out. Also, unlike Rebirth, you don’t need to have played the first game to understand this one. As a matter of fact, it’s so different from the first Helldivers, it’s probably better if you haven’t.
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