The Best PlayStation Games of 2021

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – January 4, 2022

Which PS5 and PS4 games impressed professional reviewers the most during the past year? We rank the best-reviewed PlayStation titles released between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 by Metascore. Games must have at least 7 reviews from professional critics to be eligible for inclusion. If a game appears on both PlayStation platforms, only the version receiving the higher quantity of critic reviews (typically the PS5 version) is eligible for inclusion. (All scores listed here are from January 2, 2022.)

12 of 14 photo by Private Division

93 Hades (PS5)

(#2) This year's highest-scoring game on the Xbox Series X and #2 for the PlayStation 5 actually ranked among 2020's best games as well—when it was first released for Switch and PC. Supergiant's follow-up to Pyre uses the world of Greek mythology as the setting for a roguelike action-RPG. The well-executed result won two Game Awards (including 2020's best indie) and picked up numerous best-of-the-year honors from game review publications a year ago, and while 2021's versions are virtually identical, you will notice graphical improvements over the Switch release (especially on the newest Xbox and PlayStation hardware).

“While a port to the PlayStation 5, Hades is still a masterclass in game design on this next-gen console. It flawlessly integrates its incredible story with its exceptional gameplay in ways that very few games have been able to achieve before it. The gameplay is tight, complex and addictively fun to engage with. The visuals are absolutely stunning and the music is phenomenal on the PS5 with none of the “issues” of the Nintendo Switch version. So if you’re seeking a compelling game to invest your time in, this Rogue-Lite game called Hades is absolutely worth it!” —Impulsegamer

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