Even though the PlayStation 5 hasn't been used to its fullest potential, with many games still being released cross-generation, it's at least meant that some PS4 games have never been better. The PS5, thankfully, has backward compatibility with the last generation of consoles and has opened up new avenues for performance upgrades.
Whether through a retroactive patch, native ports, or remasters, various games have arguably seen their definitive states thanks to framerate boosts and crisper 4K visual fidelity. The Last of Us Part II and God of War are great examples of patches/backward compatibility, while Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection showcases what remasters are capable of.
10 The Last Of Us Part II
Developer Naughty Dog has an impressive catalog of beloved games, and The Last of Us series has been its latest sensation. The acclaimed HBO series has only been a boon for the franchise, and it'll likely put more retroactive attention on The Last of Us Part II.
This sequel continues Joel and Ellie's story with shocking revelations years after the events of the first game, and from a gameplay perspective, it's made all the better on PS5. Though there's no remaster or native port (yet), the patched improvements make the overall experience feel smoother. Players will still get the same upscaled 4K resolution but will now benefit from a locked 60 FPS instead of the 30 seen when played on a PS4 or PS4 Pro.
9 God Of War
Santa Monica Studios' God of War was an emphatic soft reboot for the beloved PlayStation IP. The 2018 game easily ranks among the best God of War games in the series, and it also benefits from the PS5's horsepower despite not having a remaster or native port.
Kratos and Atreus' Nordic-fantasy quest and cathartic third-person combat can now be played at an improved checkerboard 4K resolution. However, the selling point here is being able to render such high graphical fidelity while also running at a locked 60 FPS, something no version of the PS4 can do.
8 Control: Ultimate Edition
Control was a welcome hit from 2019, well-received for its inventive premise in telling a sci-fi thriller. The action-adventure title was also lauded for its combat mechanics and striking visuals, bolstered overall thanks to the native PS5 port.
The graphics as is are solid, but it's the art direction that makes it so distinctive. And in that department, the PS5 version of Control: Ultimate Edition offers an upscaled 4K resolution at 30 FPS with ray-tracing turned on. Overall performance is improved as well, though, as simply playing without ray-tracing effects still boasts an upscaled 4K resolution with 60 FPS to get the most out of gameplay and graphics.
7 Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
The original Final Fantasy VII on the PS1 quickly became one of the most acclaimed Final Fantasy installments. That gave 2020's remake much to live up to, and while it made creative changes that could have surprising implications down the line, Remake was praised as a grandiose reimagining.
Final Fantasy VII Remake looked, played, and performed impressively on the PS4, given the limitations of the time, but the Intergrade port easily makes this the best version. Even based on what the PS4 Pro can provide, Intergrade on PS5 offers noticeable graphical upgrades across both Quality Mode (30 FPS) and Performance Mode (60 FPS). Not to mention that Intergrade is the only way to play the Yuffie story DLC.
6 Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition
Since the game's original release, Guerilla Games made the fresh-faced Horizon IP a PlayStation staple. Last year's sequel capitalized on that critical success, but Aloy's debut in Horizon Zero Dawn is still a compelling adventure through backward compatibility on PS5.
The game was widely praised for its innovative storytelling and setting, combining elements of both prehistory and sci-fi, with its world being a visual showstopper. And with Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition on Sony's latest console, players can enjoy faster loading times, a checkerboard 4K resolution to make graphics even crisper, and the all-important 60 FPS boost. Plus, the Complete Edition includes The Frozen Wilds DLC expansion with all these retroactive improvements.
5 Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Though it's a technicality since the original trilogy was released during the PS3/Xbox 360 generation, the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition collection of remasters for the PS4/Xbox One sees some worthwhile improvements on PS5. These three games were from BioWare's golden era, with the trilogy proving to be a rewarding sci-fi epic.
The trilogy was overdue for a facelift, and this remastered collection strikes the right balance of faithfulness and streamlining some of the clunkier gameplay mechanics. When played on PS5 through backward compatibility, players get expectedly faster loading times, but the most welcome enhancements are 4K resolution and 60 FPS when in Quality Mode.
4 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains one of the greatest action RPGs on any platform. Geralt of Rivia's curtain call is CD Projekt Red's biggest critical and commercial achievement. The original version of the game was already a stunning sight to behold and get lost in, but the recent Next-Gen Update takes things up a notch.
It isn't quite a remaster – and certainly not a remake – but this native PS5 port gives another visual, performance, and mechanical touch to take Geralt through the next console generation. Ray-traced effects look great, but even the 4K performance mode at 60 FPS is plenty to make this immersive dark-fantasy tale even more so. Likewise, faster loading and tweaks to gameplay – tightened camera angles in combat, and a new Sign-casting method – make combat more engaging.
3 Uncharted: Legacy Of Theives Collection
The Uncharted series is another PlayStation tentpole franchise, bringing swashbuckling Indiana Jones-like exploits to a new IP. The recent Legacy of Thieves Collection is also a compilation of remasters, in this case, of A Thief's End and the spin-off The Lost Legacy.
Being proper remasters, these versions are now the undisputed best ways to play these titles (on console), with Nathan Drake's climactic finale in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End getting a native 4K resolution and 30 FPS in Quality, with upscaled 4K/60 FPS in Performance, and even 1080p/120 FPS in Performance Plus. Just as well, the fan-favorite Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross' venture in The Lost Legacy gets the same treatment.
2 Dark Souls III
Souls-like is one of the more recent subgenres to get popularized by a developer, with FromSoftware's Dark Souls trilogy thrusting it into the mainstream. Dark Souls III keeps the challenge intact while feeling like the most mechanically streamlined in the series, and its performance smoothed out on PS5.
Regarding visuals, FromSoftware games have always excelled in dark-fantasy art direction rather than graphical fidelity, but there are no improvements at 1080p through backward compatibility. Performance is the focus in this case, and that's more than enough for Dark Souls III, with the locked 60 FPS setting being a marked improvement over the base PS4.
1 No Man's Sky
When it initially launched, Hello Games' No Man's Sky became infamous for how underwhelming it was compared to what was being marketed. However, in the years since, the game has become one of the gaming industry's most remarkable comeback stories. Where it was once known for having barren locales with little substantive gameplay content, several updates have made it both engaging and replayable.
The developer team did an excellent job with post-launch support to flesh it out with better survival elements, space fleet management, base building, multiplayer features, and more to make its gameplay loop worthwhile. Now with a PS5 port, No Man's Sky also benefits from a locked 60 FPS setting and a native 4K resolution.