5 Best Games on PS Now (April 2021)

PlayStation Now, PlayStation’s subscription service, offers over for a monthly or annual price. With all the choices on the table, it might be difficult to choose a game to spend your time on. Sure you can go through the PlayStation exclusives such as The Last of Us, Uncharted, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Ratchet and Clank, but after that, what’s next? Instead of ending your subscription, there are plenty of other titles to check out. Here are the best games on PS Now.

1. Dead Island

There are so many zombie games out there, and a lot of them are great, but Dead Island still manages to leave a great, lasting impression on me even after all these years. After you pass out from partying on an island, you awaken to find out the island has been infested by zombies, and the only way to survive is to escape. What made the game so compelling was it’s open-world. You had your main missions that would progress the story, but you could take a break from that to complete some side missions. Along the way you meet colorful characters that are also trapped on the island, and they usually ask you to complete quests or they’re looking to sell you something. The game keeps things interesting by allowing you to level up your characters to learn new skills. The amount of different enemies also keeps things fresh as there are different types of zombies on the island. From zombies that sprint at you, to those that blow up when you get too close to them, there’s danger in every corner. 

2. Tekken 7

A game that I’ve been playing for years, Tekken 7 still manages to be fun and engaging. I have put more hours into this title than any other fighting game. When it comes to creative characters, colorful stages, and cool combos, few do it better than Tekken. Although the story mode was subpar, the game is elevated by nearly everything else. The game offers 36 colorful and interesting characters. From a strange-looking ninja, to a father and son that can transform into demons, and even a literal panda, there’s a character for everyone to fall in love with. And those are just the characters that come in the base version, there are plenty more engaging DLC characters. You can spend your time fighting opponent after opponent in offline mode, or you can try your luck online. And if you want to spice things up, you can customize your characters in any way you see fit. Whether it’s the clothes, the hair, or their character panel, it’s entirely up to you. 

3. The Batman: Arkham Series

PS Now offers the first three Batman: Arkham titles: Batman: Arkham Asylum, City, and Origins. One of the best superhero video game franchises, Batman: Arkham is definitely a must-play for superhero and non-superhero fans. Using stealth, bat-gadgets, and your fists, every title sees Batman having to face an array of villains as he fights to keep order. Everyone from Two-Face to the Calendar Man make an appearance in the franchise. The first game, Batman: Arkham Asylum, sees Batman travel to the asylum after the Joker takes over. Its sequel, Batman: Arkham City, has the Caped Crusader fighting from inside a prison-city as he goes against the Joker and Dr. Hugo Strange. Finally in the prequel, Batman: Arkham Origins, Batman has to take down different assassins after Black Mask puts a bounty on him. When it comes to the best that the subscription service has to offer, the Batman games are some of the best PlayStation Now games.  

4. Doom (2016)

If you’re looking for a high-octane adventure, where the action never slows down, Doom is the perfect game. After demons take over a research facility on Mars, the Doom Slayer is unleashed to kill them all. Although the game presents itself as a simple shoot, kill, and move forward game (and it definitely is) it’s far from simple. Looking for collectibles, such as upgrades and data logs make running around each level more interesting as you wonder what secrets are hidden nearby. The gameplay is also more dynamic than it may seem. You have an arsenal of weapons such as your trusty pistol, a shotgun, and of course, the BFG. The problem arises when you run out ammo, so you have to assess when to use a specific gun and on which enemy. And it would be a crime to talk about Doom without mentioning the incredible Composed by Mick Gordon, the soundtrack Best Music/Sound Design at the 2016 Game Awards. All in all, Doom is easily one of the best games on PS Now. 

5. Hollow Knight

I (like so many others) played a plethora of games throughout the pandemic, and I enjoyed most of them. But one that immediately sticks out to me is Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight. You play an unnamed knight who explores an underground kingdom as you fight to discover secrets about the kingdom and about yourself. A metroidvania game, Hollow Knight doesn’t hold your hand. They teach you the bare minimum of what you have to know to survive, and leave you to do the rest. You’ll have to fight bosses, gain abilities, and do a lot of exploring in order to progress the story. Along the way you’ll discover sections, monuments, and stories of the kingdom. Lurking all over the place are different types of insects and monsters that won’t hesitate to kill you. Sure, you’ll meet some friendly faces but those are few and far between. Throughout it all, you will wonder where the hours went as you explore every nook and cranny in the kingdom. I played over 30 hours of the game, and I knew I didn’t explore everything, but I thought I was relatively close. It turns out I wasn’t close at all, in fact, it was pretty laughable how much I missed. Hollow Knight is at the top of my list of games I’ve played during the pandemic, and it’s one of the best Playstation Now games.

It should also be noted that we can expect the Hollow Knight: Silksong Release in the near future. 

When there’s 800 games to choose from, picking which ones to dive into can be difficult. Hopefully this list of the best games on PS Now gave you a bit of guidance on what to spend your time on. 

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