Best HDR & 4K PS4 Games
4K PS4 games are the best-looking you can get on Sony’s system right now. And HDR makes it all so much better with vivid colors. Here’s our pick for the top 10 best HDR & 4K PS4 games you can get right now.
4K and HDR aren’t as ubiquitous as something like standard HD, but as time goes on, we are getting to the point where they are finding their way into more and more consumers’ homes. With PS4 Pro, a sort of mid-generation console in the PS4 life cycle, 4K and HDR are at the forefront, so it’s important to look at what those features are and which games use them the best.
Many people in the gaming community understand what 4K is, but to those who aren’t as in touch, 4K can be described as the next iteration of available pixels on-screen. Just as 1080p once was the standard, now 4K (4,000 pixels on screen) is working to replace it.
Additionally, HDR, or high dynamic range is closely tied with resolution, but with a higher emphasis on capturing greater detail from bright and dark areas, allowing for blacker blacks and brighter areas elsewhere.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Best HDR & 4K PS4 Games
As of late, we’ve been seeing more games that utilize the ability to prioritize frame-rate or resolution, much like PCs have been doing for years. Shadow of the Tomb Raider has that functionality, which is not only a neat inclusion, but hopefully setting a standard for more games like it moving forward.
The sheer beauty of this game is enough to entice you to play, but the ability to prioritize resolution or frame rate makes it even better. Whichever you choose, the jungles of South America look absolutely incredible, and even more so on a PS4 Pro. Check out our review.
The Last Guardian – Best HDR & 4K PS4 Games
What’s interesting about this game is the way it looks – not many games feature a gigantic bird-dog that acts as your AI companion throughout the adventure. That combined with the contrast in colors are enough to justify the absurd development time…maybe…
All jokes aside about how long this game took to make – It’s still breathtaking. The fur on Trico, the atmosphere, and lighting are all stunning and it’s worth your time to give this a shot – you can probably find a cheap copy for around $20.00 these days.
Middle Earth: Shadow of War – Best HDR & 4K PS4 Games
The Nemesis system, a feature that was introduced with this game, is reason enough to jump in, even if you aren’t a Lord of the Rings fan. The combat is solid, the XP system is engaging, and that world is just so good looking.
Killing orcs never looked so beautiful. I love how everything in Mordor has a wet and gritty look – it sure sets the tone for a fantastic video game. It takes all the great parts of Assassin’s Creed, the combat from the Batman: Arkham games, and the lore of Lord of the Rings to make up a hefty action RPG.
Detroit: Become Human – Best HDR & 4K PS4 Games
Detroit, the newest game from developer Quantic Dream has a lot to say and does so by throwing you into various branching paths. Seriously, there are over 40 endings with dozens and dozens of choices to be made throughout. It’s also worth noting that this game looks incredible.
This is probably one of the best looking games out there, at least in terms of facial rendering. Although these characters are androids, they pull off the human look quite nicely and truly push the power of the PS4 Pro.
Battlefield 1 – Best HDR & 4K PS4 Games
One of the key features of this game’s visuals is the draw distance – how far you can see without textures loading in. In a game where long-range combat happens often, improved draw distance is immensely important and it cannot be overstated how great it looks in 4K.
World War II games have never looked this good. The attention to detail will leave you in awe, especially when it comes to the environments and the fluidity of the movements at 60 frames per second.
The Last of Us Remastered – Best HDR & 4K PS4 Games
Arguably Naughty Dog’s finest work, The Last of Us allows for prioritization of frame-rate or resolution. Selecting resolution will result in 2560×1440, meaning that this game will knock your socks off with its visuals.
The PS3 version of this game was stunning enough and it looks even better in 4K. The facial expressions and amazing lighting effects are still some of the best in any game available. Naughty Dog is good at what they do.
Horizon: Zero Dawn – Best HDR & 4K PS4 Games
When I first saw the snow in this game and how it reacted to my movements, “What a time to be alive”, popped into my head. It’s incredible that it looks so good, but even more impressive that it’s dynamic and reacts to the player – And that’s just the snow…
There isn’t much else that needs to be said about how gorgeous Horizon is. Not only do the character models look incredible, but the world is immense and vast. It’s hard to strike that balance, but Guerrilla Games pulled it off, wonderfully and I cannot wait to see more of this universe.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Best HDR & 4K PS4 Games
Again, Naughty Dog hit it out of the park with Uncharted 4. It tells a thrilling story that concludes (for now) one of the finest series of action adventure games of all time.
The Uncharted games have always been known for their beauty, attention to detail, and realistic character models – and a Thief’s End pushes that even further. This is the kind of game you might want to show grandma to give a taste of what the best looking video games have to offer.
Spider-Man – Best HDR & 4K PS4 Games
Back in the day, I thought Spider-Man 2 for PS2 was and would always be the best looking Spider-Man game of all time. Boy, have we come a long way. Spider-Man for PS4, pardon the pun, looks *amazing*.
This is undoubtedly the best looking recreations of Manhattan in a video game – not to mention the beauty and fluidity of swinging through the city, as the light from the sun shines in such a vibrant way. Go buy Spider-Man if you haven’t already. We loved it, here’s our review.
God of War – Best HDR & 4K PS4 Games
Arguably one of the best looking 4K PS4 games the system has to offer, God of War released to universal critical acclaim. Departing the sort of silly arcade nature of the older entries in the series, this game acts as a reboot/continuation of those older games.
This 2018 Game of the Year contender deserves all the praise it has received. The performances, the combat, and the visuals – My goodness, if you haven’t experienced God of War on a PS4 Pro in 4K, you need to. It looks phenomenal and we loved it, check out our review.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Many people in the gaming community understand what 4K is, but to those who aren't as in touch, 4K can be described as the next iteration of available pixels on-screen. Just as 1080p once was the standard, now 4K (4,000 pixels onscreen) is working to replace it.
Additionally, HDR, or high dynamic range is closely tied with resolution, but with a higher emphasis on capturing greater detail from bright and dark areas, allowing for blacker blacks and brighter areas elsewhere.
As of late, we've been seeing more games that utilize the ability to prioritize frame rate or resolution, much like PCs have been doing for years. Shadow of the Tomb Raider has that functionality, which is not only a neat inclusion, but hopefully setting a standard for more games like it moving forward.
The sheer beauty of this game is enough to entice you to play, but the ability to prioritize resolution or frame rate makes it even better. Whichever you choose, the jungles of South America look absolutely incredible, and even more so on a PS4 Pro.
The Last Guardian
All jokes aside about how long this game took to make, it’s still breathtaking. The fur on Trico, the atmosphere, and lighting are all stunning and it's worth your time to give this a shot. You can probably find a cheap copy for around $20.00 these days.
Middle Earth: Shadow of War
Killing orcs never looked so beautiful. I love how everything in Mordor has a wet and gritty look - it sure sets the tone for a fantastic video game. It takes all the great parts of Assassin's Creed, the combat from the Batman: Arkham games, and the lore of Lord of the Rings to make up a hefty action RPG.
Detroit: Become Human
This is probably one of the best looking games out there, at least in terms of facial rendering. Although these characters are androids, they pull off the human look quite nicely and truly push the power of the PS4 Pro.
Battlefield 1
World War I games have never looked this good. The attention to detail will leave you in awe, especially when it comes to the environments and the fluidity of the movements at 60 frames per second.
The Last of Us Remastered
The PS3 version of this game was stunning enough and it looks even better in 4K. The facial expressions and amazing lighting effects are still some of the best in any game available. Naughty Dog is good at what they do.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
There isn't much else that needs to be said about how gorgeous Horizon is. Not only do the character models look incredible, but the world is immense and vast. It’s hard to strike that balance, but Guerrilla Games pulled it off, wonderfully and I cannot wait to see more of this universe.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
The Uncharted games have always been known for their beauty, attention to detail, and realistic character models. And a Thief's End pushes that even further. This is the kind of game you might want to show grandma to give a taste of what the best looking video games have to offer.
Spider-Man
This is undoubtedly the best looking recreation of Manhattan in a video game. Not to mention the beauty and fluidity of swinging through the city, as the light from the sun shines in such a vibrant way. Go buy Spider-Man if you haven't already.
God of War
This 2018 Game of the Year contender deserves all the praise it has received. The performances, the combat, and the visuals are all stunning. If you haven’t experienced God of War on a PS4 Pro in 4K, you need to. It looks phenomenal.
About the author
Joseph Yaden
Joseph is a Northern Kentucky University graduate with a bachelors degree in Studio Art. After realizing his passions lie elsewhere, he decided to pursue a career in games journalism with the goal of climbing to the top. He loves action RPGs like Bloodborne and Dark Souls, but is also fond of quirky Nintendo games on the Switch. Joseph can be found listening to Prog Metal and patiently waiting on that new Tool album.