Key Facts
- Easter eggs, a plethora of villains and a unique representation of New York, make Marvel’s Spider-Man one of the console’s best games. Perfect graphics and fight mechanics also add to its appeal.
- Set in post-apocalyptic Oregon, Days Gone features menacing zombie hordes, excellent graphics, and expansive landscapes.
- Fallout 4 provides a truly immense world which can be foraged for resources, the opportunity to craft weapons, and an engaging combat system.
The PlayStation 4 has tons of great games available, but some of the best are sandbox games. These let players explore an open world in any way they want. Plus, the power of the PlayStation 4 brings these games to new heights with incredibly well-detailed worlds that are packed full of things to see and do.
It is easy to have a gigantic map, but only the best games have large worlds that are well-filled with both characters to interact with and things to do. The PlayStation 4 also received plenty of remakes. However, we left those off to focus on games designed for the eighth generation of consoles. Here are our seven favorite sandbox games on the PlayStation 4.
1. Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Marvel's spider man features the acrobatic abilities, improvisation and web slinging that the wall crawler is famous for, while also introducing elements never before seen in a spider man game
- From traversing with parkour and unique environmental interactions, to new combat and blockbuster action, it's spider man unlike any you've played before;Number of Players: 1 player; Genre: Action /...
- Sony interactive entertainment, insomniac games, and Marvel have teamed up to create a brand new and Authentic spider man adventure
- Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Blood, drug reference, language, violence
Spider-Man is one of the best games on the console. While there were previous Spider-Man games for other ones, this one far exceeds what came before it. Nearly everything in the game is flawless, from the open-world sandbox to the graphics and combat mechanics. The game turned out to be so popular that it got a release on the PS5 as well as a Miles Morales spinoff.
One of the best things about the game is that you don’t have to be a major Spider-Man fan to pick it up and start playing. This is because it doesn’t rely heavily on any specific movie or comic version of the hero for the story. Instead, it uses a plethora of well-known villains in an engaging story that will ensure you keep playing till the end.
In addition, Spider-Man fans still have a lot to look forward to. There are tons of easter-eggs to spot all throughout the game. Plus, once you finish the game’s main missions, there are still tons to see and do with crime still rampant in the city. Speaking of the city, Spider-Man recreates New York City like no game has done before.
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
- PlayStation 4
- From by the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America’s unforgiving heartland
- The game's vast and atmospheric world will also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience
- Developer: Rock Star Studios
- Publisher: Rock Star Games
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the best Western game ever made. While the first game did an excellent job, the sequel perfects many facets and gives gamers the story they’ve been waiting for. With the ending of the first game, players wanted to know the backstory of John Marston and the Van der Linde gang.
The main protagonist is Arthur Morgan, who is not in the original game. However, you later have the chance to play as John Marston. The map is also much larger than the first game’s, with the original map included (except for Mexico). In it, you get to explore a larger swatch of the country, including larger cities and towns.
The story and gameplay are both great, but the map is arguably too large. Unfortunately, the original map area remains largely empty and is not used for most of the game’s main missions. Although the game isn’t quite as emotional as the first one, it does a good job of explaining how things got so bad for John Marston in the previous game.
3. Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the year edition brings together the base game and all the additional content released to date
- Built for endless adventure, the open world of The Witcher sets new standards of size, complexity, and depth
- PlayStation 4 Complete Edition
- Over 800 awards won
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is another standout sandbox game from the eighth generation of consoles. The game is an impressive display of the power of the PlayStation 4 with stunning graphics and a large open world. Although it is the third game in the Witcher series, it introduced many new fans to The Witcher franchise.
The Witcher 3 takes place in a mythical land, and you play as a monster hunter who travels trying to eradicate these monsters. The map is vast but does not feel empty like many other open-world games do. Instead, the game is rich with narrative and things to do. No part of the game feels like you are alone in the environment, as there is always something going on.
Similarly, combat in the game is very deep, with plenty of options. Since it is set in a mythical land, there are no guns or bombs, but it is not quite a hack-and-slash game, either. Instead, it combines multiple gameplay types that really have something for everyone.
4. Days Gone
- Play as bounty hunter Deacon St.John
- Engage in brutal combat with human enemies and feral creatures
- Realistic open-world wilderness setting
- Craft customized items from parts you find throughout the game
- Day and night cycles impact gameplay
Days Gone takes place in post-apocalyptic Oregon, where you play as a biker in an open world. It is an interesting take on the zombie genre that has really been done to death. Days Gone’s story is not nearly as compelling as other Sony-published games, such as The Last of Us, but it still does a pretty good job.
The game looks good, with a convincing recreation of various landscapes. Throughout the game, you will meet other survivors. Unfortunately, the gameplay is relatively repetitive, considering much of it consists of getting assigned tasks from other survivor camps and proceeding to carry them out.
However, the game is still incredibly fun, and the motorcycle gives a nice alternative to the usual walking that plagues games of this genre. The undead (called freakers) are also varied, as there are multiple types of them to battle. At times you even have to outrun full hoards of these creatures. Also worth noting is that the freakers are fast-moving, unlike zombies in other games.
5. Fallout 4
- Play as bounty hunter Deacon St.John
- Engage in brutal combat with human enemies and feral creatures
- Realistic open-world wilderness setting
- Craft customized items from parts you find throughout the game
- Day and night cycles impact gameplay
Fallout 4 is the most recent title in the popular Fallout series, and it is definitely an improvement. While past games like New Vegas were very good, Fallout 4 has a massive and stunning open world to explore. You can literally spend hours wandering around the environment foraging for goods.
The game is also full of sidequests that provide even more opportunities to explore. But the biggest concern for post-apocalyptic games is that the world is rather empty. This means they usually aren’t great sandbox games, but Fallout 4 manages to fill the world with both things to do and characters to talk to.
The story is excellent, with a blend of sympathy for bad guys and the need to do everything possible to survive. The map is also good, with the game set in Boston. It is large enough to explore, but it does not feel too large to get around. Also important is the ability to craft a variety of weapons and its great combat system.
6. Watch Dogs 2
- Welcome to the San Francisco Bay Area: Explore a massive and dynamic open-world offering an incredible variety of gameplay possibilities. Hack your way through traffic while you engage in dangerous...
- Hacking is your weapon: Hack into the city’s infrastructure, every connected device, and everyone’s personal database. Take control of drones, cars, cranes, security robots, and much more. Hack...
- You are in CTRL: Use hacking and stealth to complete missions without killing a single enemy or combine hacking and your weapons for a more ferocious approach. Develop different skills to suit your...
- Seamlessly connect with friends: Stay connected to your friends with a brand new seamless multiplayer experience that includes both Co-op and Player vs. Player activities, all available in a shared...
Watch Dogs 2 is the follow-up to the popular first Watch Dogs game that was released on the previous generation of consoles. However, this is a major improvement over the first game as both the visuals and gameplay are much better. There is also a much heavier emphasis on hacking and stealth than in the first game, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The world is very well-detailed and feels fleshed out with the ability to hack anyone walking down the street. The game is set in San Francisco, which it did a good job of recreating. Although the map is pretty large, getting around isn’t too bad as there are multiple options for doing so.
The story is also a big part of the game; the main thing to know is that there is one company that owns a network that connects every device in the San Francisco area. The protagonist is part of a hacktivist group that wants to take down this tech conglomerate.
7. Assassin’s Creed Origins
- Play as Bayek, a protector of Egypt whose personal story will lead to the creation of the Assassin’s Brotherhood
- Experience a completely new way to fight as you loot and use over one hundred weapons with different characteristics and rarities
- Enjoy deep RPG progression mechanics, choose your preferred abilities, and challenge your skills against unique and powerful bosses
- Pick and tackle quests at your own will and pace
- From deserts to lush oasis, from the Mediterranean Sea to the tombs of Giza, fight your way against dangerous factions and wild beasts
While there are many Assassin’s Creed games that could make the list, Origins is enormous and takes place at an interesting time in history. While Assassins Creed games continue getting closer to modern times, Origins goes thousands of years back in time. This provides both unique stories and an even more impressive open world.
The game is set in Ptolemaic Egypt during the time of the Pharaohs. At the time, Cleopatra is attempting to regain power. Meanwhile, there is concern that the Romans may also invade. The map is also massive, but you can use animals for travel. Although the map is large, it is extremely detailed, and there is plenty to see and explore.
The Egyptian setting is a major reason to play, as there are no other games that faithfully recreate this region on the level that Origins does. However, the game does have a slightly different feel than previous Assassin’s Creed games, as it is a much faster pace that is closer to an RPG. The combat and mechanics are also great in Origins, with impressive new features. One nice feature is the return of ship battles from Black Flag.
Conclusion
There are so many great sandbox games on the PlayStation 4 that we couldn’t cover here. Plus, there are still new games coming out on the console even today. Be sure to play these games that we didn’t get a chance to cover:
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The image featured at the top of this post is ©Photo by Sean Stone on Unsplash.
