The Best Exclusive Games Coming to PS4 2018

There’s a strong argument to be made that most console buyers don’t care too much about technical specifications, or whether they’re “loyal” to Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo. It’s much simpler than that: they just want the console with the best games.

For the most part, major releases tend to come out on multiple consoles. New games that are exclusive to one console, therefore, can be an extremely big deal, and when a particular console racks up enough must-play exclusives, it tends to pull away from its competition.

This is one of the main reasons – perhaps the main reason – why the PS2 blew all of its competitors out of the water. Sony are well aware of this, and have continued to focus on nailing big exclusives ever since; look at the incredible success of Horizon: Zero Dawn last year, for example. 2018 is shaping up to be no different. Without further ado, here are the best exclusive games coming to the PS4 in 2018.

• Spider-Man

For our money, there still hasn’t been a truly great Spider-Man game. There have been worthy efforts, sure – 2004’s Spider-Man 2, in particular – but no developer has yet managed to nail how it should feel to be everybody’s favourite web-slinger.

Based on some incredible gameplay videos and promising interviews, this is (hopefully) about to change, with developers Insomniac Games’ upcoming effort. The action looks just scripted enough to be exciting, whilst allowing the improvisation that Spider-Man thrives on. It’s not linked to any particular upcoming Spider-Man movie, either, leaving the plot possibilities wide open. We’ve got skyscraper-high hopes for this one.

• God of War

God of War has been one of the PlayStation’s most iconic franchises, ever since the first title was released back in 2005. Each entry since then has truly pushed its respective console to the limit, and we’d expect the new one – imaginatively titled “God of War” – to do the same. Given the formidable power that the PS4 is packing, that’s an exciting prospect indeed.

The title indicates this will be a franchise reboot, and developers SIE have reportedly built their new game engine from the ground up. This game will also be based on Norse mythology for the first time; a break from the series’ historical Ancient Greek influences. Despite these changes, we expect the new God of War to be just as epic, innovative and incredibly violent as its predecessors.

• Shadow of the Colossus

The original Shadow of the Colossus was one of the least heralded masterpieces on the PlayStation 2. Its simplistic concept – roam around, killing enormous monsters – belied a subtle, touching story. It did feel, however, as if the sheer scale of the thing was too much for the poor PS2 to handle.

Shadow of the Colossus was technically re-released on PS3, but it was little more than a HD makeover. This year, we’re getting a true remake. The world and everything in it has been reconstructed anew, with stunning visual results. The control scheme – which could prove finicky and frustrating on the original – has been completely reworked. They’ve even added a new photo mode, allowing you to admire this majestic, gorgeous game in all of its glory.

If you haven’t played Shadow of the Colossus in its previous iterations, you absolutely have to try this one. If you have played the others, then we don’t even need to persuade you; you’ve probably preordered it already.

• Detroit: Become Human

This is truly something of a wild card, upon which media members seem to hold extremely divergent views. Sony’s willingness to take chances on their exclusives has paid off many times before, however, and our fingers are securely crossed that it will do again.

Detroit: Become Human is the upcoming release from Quantic Dream, whose most famous game – Heavy Rain, for the PS3 – provoked a similarly conflicted reaction. Like its predecessor, Detroit will be heavily focused on characters and story over action-packed gameplay. The intriguing plot revolves around the hot topic of artificial intelligence, and puts a different spin on clear influences like Blade Runner.

This certainly won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, with its relatively restricted gameplay, but – if everything goes to plan – this has all the makings of an under-the-radar classic.

• The Last of Us Part II

This is arguably our most anticipated game of the bunch. The original Last of Us was a stone-cold classic, coming right at the end of the PS3’s cycle and ending it on a high.

So, why is it at the end of our list? We’re simply not sure when it’s coming out yet. The original was published all the way back in 2013, so Naughty Dog has certainly had long enough! As of yet, however, all we have is a single (incredible) teaser trailer, and (strong) rumours that it will finally be released in 2018. Here’s hoping the rumours are true, for all of our sakes!

That’s our shortlist of exciting exclusives arriving 2018. Which titles are you most looking forward to playing? Be sure to leave your thoughts and comments below.