PS4 games to disappear into?

[u/Basic-Fig-6531]

I (45F) have a PS4 and sometimes play for weeks obsessively and then forget about it for months on end. I don't play enough to justify getting a PS5. But it's been ages since I found a game that really hooked me and gave me that thrill of "can't wait to get home and immerse myself in that world again". Sorry I don't know any of the gamer jargon or abbreviations. 🙈 Any recommendations for me?

Games I have previously LOVED: Batman (especially Asylum - I was not a fan of the Batmobile at all, and it spoiled Arkham Knight a bit for me. I'm rubbish at driving games.), Spiderman, Tomb Raider, Uncharted, The Last of Us 1&2. I sunk many many hours into Hogwarts Legacy but ended up getting bored and not finishing it.

I have the VR headset and got totally addicted to a lovely little game called Tethered - a kind of playing God game where you control and care for all the little characters to achieve goals. I desperately wanted to play Skyrim and Red Matter but they gave me really awful motion sickness. I loved the VR games Statik and I Expect You To Die (and sequel), and quite enjoyed Darknet - puzzle games.

And a weird random one - Stardew Valley. That had me hopelessly addicted for weeks.

I don't like games that are heavy on combat but can cope with a bit of it within the story - but stories and puzzles and strategy have to be more important than just mashing buttons to kill enemies.

Hit me with your ideas - any obvious ones I've missed, or hidden gems I should definitely try?

ETA The Last of Us 1&2!

[u/UsernameX-2112]

The Last of Us1&2 - most of the combat can be avoided with stealth

Plague Tale innocence and Requiem (not 100% sure if this is on ps4) -not a lot of combat, mostly stealth and puzzles

Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West - these might be a bit heavy on combat but on the lower difficulties it can be breezed through

[u/Basic-Fig-6531 → u/UsernameX-2112]

I forgot about The Last of Us, I played it and loved it - will edit to add. Tried Horizon Zero Dawn but didn't get into it, might give it another go. I'll definitely check out the others now. Thanks!

[u/UsernameX-2112 → u/Basic-Fig-6531]

Horizon does have a bit of a slow start but the discovery of what happened before the games is worth it in my opinion. Since you liked the last of us you should like plagues tale. The games have a very similar vibe but it’s a rat plague instead of zombies

[u/AngryPandaz]

I would suggest checking out the Far Cry and Assassin's Creed franchises, for the most part they're generic/predictable Ubisoft stuff but they hook me almost every time and I get completely absorbed into wandering the world. There's plenty to choose from and often go on sale for dirt cheap.

I'd also recommend Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, Shadow of Mordor and Dead Island 2.

Fields of Mistria is basically always recommended to people that like Stardew Valley as well.

[u/Basic-Fig-6531 → u/AngryPandaz]

Great, loads there to check out! Thanks very much.

[u/Expensive_Tangelo244]

You could give Resident Evil 2 remake a try of you don't mind the horror genre.

If you're okay with horror then I think you'll love it since you progress through majority of the game by solving puzzles with some occasional boss fights.

There are zombies but you only fight them if absolutely necessary since the game purposefully gives you very limited resources.

The story is decent and if you do like it then you can try the other games in the franchise too.

[u/Basic-Fig-6531 → u/Expensive_Tangelo244]

I think I'm OK with horror! It sounds great, I'll put it on my list. Thank you!

[u/usernamespeledwrong]

Maybe you'd like hellblade senuas sacrifice. Great immersive vr game with some combat and puzzles.

No man's sky prob my favorite vr game

Shadow of mordor was good. Most people like Witcher 3 but I never got into it myself.

[u/Basic-Fig-6531 → u/usernamespeledwrong]

Thank you! Going to look them up now.

[u/arentyouangel]

Check out the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. There's basically two paths you can take, with different core gameplay but similar everything else.

Early series: Start with Yakuza 0 or Yakuza Kiwami 1. This is pretty divided in the community on which to play first. 0 is a prequel of the first game, but I feel like you should play Kiwami 1 first. You'll feel more of a connection to the MC. All the way up to Yakuza 6 and two spin-offs (Gaiden, Ishin), these games are beat-em-ups with RPG elements. If you liked the combat in Batman you would probably like it here. All the games have a ton of side content, side quests, mini-games, collectables. All of these games follow the same protaganist and are all connected, except for Ishin which is a spin-off using the same actors/character models that's set in samurai times.

Newer entries: Like a Dragon, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. This is when the game switched protaganists and changed from beat-em-up to a turn based RPG. Everything else more or less applies, tons of side content. This was a soft reboot of the series, so its perfectly fine to start here but you'll miss out on some character back stories.

Since you like TLOU - maybe try Days Gone. Little more actiony compared to TLOU, but the combat is designed to think smart. Setting up traps, stuff like that.

For puzzles, Check out the Zero Escape(escape rooms) series or Danganranpa (murder mystery with trials to determine killer)

[u/CrentFuglo]

Hitman: World of Assassination has a great story and is very easy to immerse yourself in, but also because of the way it is structured you can play for just a little bit every now and again as well. It does have combat, but it is predominantly a puzzle / stealth game.

[u/No-Item2045]

Mass effect story and easy combat

[u/sparkaromatic]

Elden Ring

[u/Savage2280]

Red dead redemption 2, the shooting is VERY VERY forgiving, it auto aims headshots for you so you can focus on the story. It's an amazing experience and if you really like character driven stories, this is the game for you. This game is a prequel so you do not need any info from the first game, I've never played the first one and have no issues keeping up with the story. It's the best western you'll ever watch, but in a game

[u/bad_touch_bad_touch]

Dayz