8 Games That Would Make PS Now a True Competitor to Xbox Game Pass

God of War

A few games every console generation stand out among all others as undeniably great. God of War is one of those titles that takes every individual piece of what makes a game great and fits it into a single package. The only problem is that PS Now needs this game as a permanent addition badly.

God of War was on Sony’s combination streaming/download subscription service momentarily, but that ended in early July. It was a big step forward from not having big exclusive titles available on PS Now. Still, the limited-time release doesn’t do much for the longevity of the service.

God of War is viewed by many to be one of the best Action-Adventure games of all-time, certainly at least of this generation of consoles. It just doesn’t make any sense to keep God of War off the list of PS Now games when it would be a massive title to attract new subscribers.

Persona 5

Persona 5 is undoubtedly one of the best JRPGs on the PS4 and it’s an exclusive title. There’s no better way to sell PS Now to JRPG fans than by including this title in the service. Plus, it’s a game that’s sure to keep people subscribed for a few months since you can easily put in hundreds of hours.

It would also be a great tool for getting people into the franchise. Many people have hundreds of free hours a month right now and a game like Persona 5 is perfect for that. It’s one of the most accessible titles in the franchise yet its depth still holds the attention of hardcore fans.

It may be tricky, potentially, to get Atlus to sign on. Still, the two companies clearly have a fantastic working relationship as Persona 5 is still a PlayStation exclusive.

Gran Turismo Sport

From the beginning of the franchise, Gran Turismo has been all about two things: fantastic simulation racing and mind-blowing graphics. Gran Turismo Sport (GT Sport) took things to the next level with VR, HDR, and support for resolutions above 1080p.

Of course, the gameplay was still just as tight as well. Sadly, this incredible racing is nowhere to be seen on the PS Now service. There are other racing sims like Project Cars, a couple of Grid games, and some of the Dirt games as well. But Sony’s very own racing sim is completely missing

They could harbor a great way to grow the GT Sport community by letting PS Now subscribers jump in and start racing. Most people who aren’t into racing sims won’t want to drop any amount of money on them to try them out. If you just get them in the door on GT Sport, then they’ll likely get hooked.

Death Stranding

Few games this generation are more polarizing than Death Stranding. However, Hideo Kojima’s first release since moving on from Konami and Metal Gear is visibly gorgeous. The vast grassy hills and dark craters make for a beautifully stark contrasting work of art.

Even though Sony dumped tons of money into the project, apparently there’s no rush to get the game on PS Now. This is another one of those games that you can easily dump hundreds of hours into which would help with subscriber retention from month to month.

The massive world and package delivery surely isn’t for everyone. But at this point, putting the game on PS Now would almost assure that you’ll capture that audience of PS4 owners who were on the fence about Death Stranding.

Shadow of the Colossus

From one remake to another. Shadow of the Colossus is one of the best PS2 games of all-time and in 2018 it received a gorgeous remake for this generation. It still carried over some of the janky controls from the original, but it looked much better.

This is a showcase title for the PS4 and it makes no sense to keep it off of PS Now. This is the perfect way to show off the graphics of the PS4 or PS4 Pro in quick bites. You can easily just hop in, ride your horse around the beautiful landscapes, and stare in awe at the scale of the colossi.

There’s just nothing else out there that plays like this game. You would think that’s the kind of game that Sony would want to show off on PS Now.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End closed the book on the story of the character of Nathan Drake. It was a fantastic way to end an acclaimed franchise that left everyone smiling. This was the final payoff for a tale spun across two generations of consoles. So why is it not on PS Now?

If you have PS Now, then you can currently play the first three mainline Uncharted games. They’re all fantastic games that make you fall in love with their characters. And because of that, it’s very likely that you’ll want to see how the stories wrap up once you’ve made it through the first three games.

Besides that, it would be a huge PS Now selling point if they could say that all of Nathan Drake’s story is playable with one subscription.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Before release, the dream was that Resident Evil 7 would be the PSVR’s killer app. It didn’t quite pan out that way, but it was still an incredible horror title that was mostly well-received by fans and critics. Yet, this game is completely absent from PS Now.

There are nine Resident Evil (RE) titles on PS Now as we speak. And not a single one has the number seven in the title. Now some people might say, “Isn’t nine enough already?” And the very truthful answer to that is no. Sure, there are a lot of RE titles on PS Now, but they’re not all that great.

RE7 is one of the better games in the horror franchise and it would be great if it could become more accessible to a wider audience. RE7 isn’t a very long game, which makes it a fantastic starting point for those who might be a bit anxious about trying out a new horror game on PS Now.

Horizon Zero Dawn 

Last and certainly not least is one of the best video games you can get for the PS4. Horizon Zero Dawn is an incredible title that went toe-to-toe with Breath of the Wild and did impressively well. Truly, you can’t wish for a better result when you’re releasing a new IP.

Despite all the love that Horizon gets, it still hasn’t gotten that same love from Sony in the form of a permanent spot on PS Now. When we look back at the defining games of the PS4 this will certainly be one of them. There’s no better way to immortalize this title than by making it available on PS Now permanently.

There will almost inevitably be a Horizon 2 on PS5 so it only makes sense to do this. Not only could PS Now bring in new fans who are interested in the game but it would also be a great way to give old fans a refresher. Most of all, it would be a great way to get everyone excited about the future of the franchise.