Sony recently revealed that it’s considering bringing more of their exclusives to PC. Now, this got us thinking—the PlayStation has had a number of great exclusives over the years, but if we only pick a limited number, which ones would we want to be brought over.
At first, we thought about putting all sorts of limitations to help limit our choices. However, after thinking about it, we realize that we would end up with a rather disappointing list that would have left out a lot of fan favorites.
In the end, we just decided to follow our hearts and simply put in all the games we wish would come to PC, before trimming it down to a reasonable size. The only rule we had was that we wouldn’t list any PS5 exclusives as Sony will most likely keep those on their next-gen console.
Without much further ado, here are six PlayStation exclusives we’d like to see ported to PC.
1. Ghost of Tsushima
Might as well start with the most obvious one. Ghost of Tsushima is arguably one of the greatest games to come out on PlayStation 4. On gameplay alone, in how it refines the open-world genre, it’s worth bringing to a wider audience on PC.
However, what really makes us want to see a PC port of Ghost of Tsushima is the technical prowess on display. Even on the PlayStation 4’s aging hardware, it’s still one of the most beautiful games ever released. The game amazes with its smart use of color and its jaw-droppingly dramatic particle system—where do you think all those leaves come from. In addition, it’s also one of the fastest loading games on the system, with lightning-fast load times even on the standard 5,400 RPM HDD.
Now imagine all of that but on more powerful hardware, running at 4K resolution at 60 or even 120 fps. Imagine the load times if the game was on a high-speed m.2 or even NVME SSD. Imagine if the game had enough processing power to run proper inverse kinematics so that your character’s feet would align properly on slopes—the game’s one technical weakness on the console.
2. Bloodborne
Another much-requested port, Bloodborne took the gameplay of developer From Software’s Dark Souls series and gave it a more action-oriented twist. While the game is still far from a button masher, the changes to the combat made it distinct enough to give it its own identity compared to its brethren. Add to that a unique, new Lovecraftian cosmic horror setting (as compared to Dark Souls’ gothic horror) and you have the makings of a fan-favorite.
There is, however, one major problem with Bloodborne: it’s framerate PlayStation 4 it atrocious. More than just the fact that the game is locked to 30 fps, the game actually fails to keep running at 30fps. Instead, it’ll keep dipping by two or free frames per second every other second for most of the game, dropping down much lower during the more intensive parts of the game.
This constant dipping leads to the game having uneven frame pacing, which can make playing the game uncomfortable for some. Now, other From Software developed games have similar frame pacing issues, however, these were much easier to deal with on PC where players could simply adjust their settings to get a stable framerate or wait for someone to fix the issue via a mod—yes, we know someone has modded Bloodborne to run at 60 fps on PS4, but it requires developer hardware to work.
A PC port then of Bloodborne would allow players these same options.
3. God of War
Santa Monica Studio’s 2018 soft reboot of God of War turned a series that used to be primarily focused on blood and gore and turned it into something a bit more rounded. It took series lead Kratos from a somewhat flat, if fun to play character, and turned him into one of the best videogame dads we’ve seen to date, giving us a reason to care not just for him, but for his son Atreus.
On the gameplay side, it took what was Sony’s take on a Devil May Cry-style character action game and turned it into something more akin to Dark Soul, with more focus on precise timing and dodging over combos—albeit without the latter‘s stamina meter. Not that the latter was needed, especially with how challenging the game could be, especially if you went for some of its optional boss fights.
Unlike the two preceding entries on this list, this one is here just because it’s a really good game, and it would be great if more people got to play it.
4. Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection
The Uncharted series of games is one that players need to experience in its entirety. The way the characters grow and change over the course of the games means that the series makes much more sense as a whole.
This is one of the few flagship franchises where you can really see a character grow from game to game. This isn’t a Mario where the Princess gets kidnapped every game, or a Zelda where Ganon needs to be defeated by a new Link every generation. Uncharted’s characters grow, change and age with each installment and each often hints at some milestone the characters reach in between installments.
Beyond the story, these games were some of the most technically impressive games when they came out. Naughty Dog has a knack of getting the most out of the PlayStation hardware—remember when the first Uncharted game was pulling off water effects that had previously been the domain of high-end PC games like Crysis?
Seeing these games then on the PC where there are fewer hardware limits would be a dream.
5. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Remember how we said that the Uncharted games need to be experienced in its entirety? Well, this is why we’re also adding the fourth game in the series, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End to this list. In fact, having to decide between the fourth game and the compilation of the first three games is what made us decide to get rid of the “one game per franchise” rule we often use in these lists.
All the previous reasons we’ve given for the previous entry still apply. What we’d like to drive home here is that the Uncharted experience is incomplete without the fourth game. If Sony ever decides to bring the compilation of the original three PlayStation 3 games to PC, then it’ll be a disservice to the series if it doesn’t eventually bring the fourth game to PC as well.
6. Marvel’s Spider-Man
When it was revealed that Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man would be a PlayStation 4 exclusive, more than a few fans of the wall-crawler were disappointed. This was before Sony had bought out Insomniac after all. That, and previous Spider-Man games, including the much-loved Spider-Man 2—still arguably one of the greatest movie tie-in games of all time and, as the first open-world Spidey game, the spiritual ancestor of Insomniac’s game.
Also, many questioned whether it was right for a game based on an IP that Sony didn’t own—they only have rights to the films—to get an exclusive game on Sony’s system.
With these in mind, seeing Insomniac’s take on the wall-crawler arrive on PC would be a great service for fans of the character, or his previous games, who don’t have a PlayStation 4. In addition, it would also help bolster Marvel’s lineup of games, especially in light of the number of games that rival comic book publisher DC has on multiple systems.
Besides, letting more players get their hands on this game could help entice them to get a PlayStation 5 for the upcoming Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
7. The Last of Us
Regardless of the controversy surrounding its sequel, the original The Last of Us is still one of the greatest games of its generation. The game took the popular zombie apocalypse setting and focused more on the human conflicts that result from it, over just shooting zombies which most other games were concerned with. Add to this Naughty Dog’s trademark storytelling chops and technical prowess, and we have another surefire winner.
That said, we’ve already seen what an enhanced version of The Last of Us would look like. An updated version of the game, complete with 60fps support did arrive on the PlayStation 4. A PC version then would simply expand on the premise of The Last of Us Remastered, allowing players to play the game with even higher graphical fidelity, at much higher framerates.
Of course, there’s still also the ever admirable goal of getting more players to experience this masterpiece.
8. Until Dawn
For the most part, horror games tend to eventually get funneled into being shooters with limited ammo. Few games in the genre really capture the feel of the horror movies that inspired them. Until Dawn is one of those games.
Until Dawn is a videogame take on the “teenagers in the woods” genre of horror and it makes the most out of this setting. The game features multiple paths and multiple endings, allowing you to determine who lives and who dies. More importantly, living or dying depends on how familiar the player is with the genre’s tropes. This makes it a great game for horror movie fans looking to test their knowledge.
A PC version of Until Dawn then would allow more fans of the genre, not just those on PlayStation 4, to experience this game. That, and who wouldn’t want to see a virtual Hayden Panettiere in 4K.
9. Shadow of the Colossus
Fumito Ueda’s games are some of the most unique video game experiences, not just on PlayStation, but in gaming in general. Each game he makes focuses on one specific gameplay concept, which he then places in a quasi-medieval world filled with mystery and oozing with atmosphere.
Of all of his games, however, it’s Shadow of the Colossus that is arguably the most beloved. It was, after all, the only one to get a high-definition remake on PlayStation 4. There’s just something about a lone warrior fighting alone against giant colossi to save the girl he loves that seems to resonate with people.
As mentioned, the game received a remake on PlayStation 4. It’s this that teases us with how the game could look with more powerful hardware. Shadow of the Colossus is a game that thrives on its sense of scale, with the titular colossi towering over the hero. Imagine then, how much more epic the game would be in 4K.
10. Tourist Trophy
Probably the most oddball choice in this list. While auto racing simulators have become pretty big on PC, thanks to actual professional racecar drivers also participating in games such as iRacing and Assetto Corsa, motorcycle sims are fewer and far between. Bringing Tourist Trophy to PC then would help fill a gap in the market. In addition, an updated PC release of this game would allow more players to experience this underrated gem.
And a gem Tourist Trophy is. Polyphony brought the same level of detail to Tourist Trophy that they give to their flagship Gran Turismo series. Also, as a spinoff of the latter, it allowed players to experience familiar, fan-favorite tracks in a new light, with players now having to learn how to handle them with bikes.
Also, bringing Tourist Trophy back, even as a port to the PC, could lay the groundwork for a sequel on PlayStation 5.
Whether or not Sony will actually bring any of the games on this list to PC is something only they know. That said, it would be great if some of these masterpieces could get a new life outside of PlayStation. (Read: Sony may bring more of PlayStation exclusives to PC)
Of course, there are other PlayStation games out there that may also be worthy of a PC port. If you have any that you would personally like to see on PC, share them in the comments below.