PlayStation has been around for 30 years, and across that time they have brought the gaming community endless joy with their iconic systems and memorable games. Those three decades have also spawned its fair share of gaming series that fall under the PlayStation umbrella, with many of these franchises rising to be some of the most recognisable and celebrated in the industry.
From the original PlayStation up to the PS5, Sony’s first-party and partner studios have been working hard to create series that stand toe-to-toe with the likes of those from Nintendo, Sega, and other big publishers. If you’ve been into gaming anytime since 1994, then chances are you have fond memories with at least one of these series.
For this list, the PlayStation series will encompass any gaming franchise with at least two mainline entries that have been developed exclusively for Sony consoles (PC ports notwithstanding).
It was a match made in comic book/gaming heaven. Longtime Sony-affiliate studio Insomniac was going to make a Spider-Man game for the PS4. After years of everybody’s favourite web-slinger being largely MIA from the gaming scene, it was time for his great reintroduction.
And boy, did it pay off. Marvel’s Spider-Man was an instant smash hit when it swung its way onto the PS4 in 2018, and after two equally successful sequels for the PS5, it’s clear that this was a PlayStation series that was here to stay.
Sly Cooper came right in the middle of thePlayStation 2 golden era of 3D platformers, where it felt as though developers of these kinds of games could hardly put a step wrong. Sucker Punch Productions certainly didn’t miss with a wildly creative trilogy of stealth platformers that spared no expense on character and atmosphere.
The game’s gorgeous cel-shaded art style and slick gameplay can only be matched by its colourful cast of characters. Sanzaru Games developed a fourth Sly Cooper game in 2013, but it has been largely silent for gaming’s favourite racoon since then.
Guerrilla Games were already known for their other iconic PlayStation series, Killzone, before they pivoted away from the first-person shooter genre towards open-world action-adventure with Horizon. What remained consistent across the two series was the studio’s penchant for jaw-droppingly stunning visuals, tight storytelling, and a level of polish that most triple-A games could only dream of.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where dinosaur-like machines rule the landscape, you play as the huntress Aloy who attempts to discover the mysteries at the heart of this broken world. Both Horizon: Zero Dawn and Horizon: Forbidden West are terrific open-world experiences that have quickly elevated this series into the upper echelons of PlayStation series.
True, these three games aren’t technically a trilogy in the traditional sense. But it’s hard to separate the mechanical, thematic, and artistic ties that hold together Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian – three games that carve out a quintessential space in PlayStation’s ecosystem.
Fumito Ueda and his team crafted a trilogy of games that subverted common video game tropes in favour of emotional experiences that used scale and minimalism in ways few developers had attempted before. The influence of these games cannot be overstated, with a whole generation of indie developers taking after their bold artistic expressions.
Having spanned across four generations of PlayStation consoles – and both handhelds – Ratchet & Clank is as big a Sony institute as anything else. These action platformers are built on a winning formula of excellent humour, vibrant worlds, and ridiculous weapons that have entertained games of all ages for over two decades.
From the series’ early days on the PlayStation 2, all the way through to the terrific Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart for the PS5, this franchise has maintained relevance thanks to keeping to a (relatively) high bar of quality across its entries. Let’s just not talk about the movie.
It’s rare to find a PlayStation series that has new entries released for every system from the PS One through to the PS5. It should come as no surprise, then, that Gran Turismo can not only lay claim to this impressive feat (other than skipping the PS Vita, sorry) but is also thebest-selling PlayStation series of all time.
For decades, Gran Turismo has been at the front of the pack of the driving simulation genre. Known for its attention to detail and incredibly realistic handling, it’s not hard to see why this series has connected with tens of millions of gamers.
4Jak And Daxter
A Turning Point For Naughty Dog
The first of Naughty Dog’s series to make this list – and certainly not the last – Jak and Daxter marked a turning point for the studio. While the first game in the series was a highly-polished 3D platformer that built on the foundations laid by Crash Bandicoot, the following sequels showcased a new dimension of storytelling maturity that would serve the studio well.
Jak and Daxter’s constant need to innovate and reinvent – while still maintaining a cohesive narrative and thematic throughline – is what makes it such a fascinating series. With abrilliant cast of charactersand tight mechanics all around, it’s high time for a Jak and Daxter return.
Despite only having two main games in its series, The Last of Us has already earned the title of being one of PlayStation’s most respected series. From the groundbreaking storytelling of the first game to the nuanced character development of the second, this duology has pushed the boundaries of what we expect from video game narratives.
Beyond the excellent writing and voice performances, The Last of Us has also won over gamers with its polished gameplay that combines elements of third-person shooters, stealth, and survival games. Now adapted into an award-winning HBO television series, it appears as if everything The Last of Us touches turns into gold.
Few video game series capture the spirit of a Hollywood blockbuster quite like Uncharted. This globe-trotting franchise follows the adventures of treasure hunter Nathan Drake and pals as they do everything from discovering the lost city of Eldorado to discovering the lost city of Shambhala… there are a lot of lost cities in Uncharted.
And while the action-packed gameplay and gorgeous landscapes are certainly hallmarks of the series, it’s the razor-sharp dialogue and contagiously charismatic voice performances that have endeared Uncharted to generations of gamers. It’s as big a PlayStation series as there’s ever been, selling millions of copies and influencing over fifteen years’ worth of prestige, highly-polished, and typically third-person series from Sony’s studios.
There’s something to be said about a video game series that can have a significant impact on the industry not once, but twice. God of War was already a household name in gaming, thanks to its much-loved Greek-based original trilogy and related spinoffs, but after returning with a critically lauded soft reboot in 2018, it became clear this was a series for the ages.
The story of Kratos seeking vengeance on the gods of Olympus before reconciling his past through fatherhood in the world of Norse mythology is the basis for a truly timeless video game series. God of War is quintessentially PlayStation, with both brands having evolved and adapted to meet the changing demands of the industry for close to two decades. Without a doubt, worthy of the gods.
