Feature

5 PS4 Games That Do DLC Right

Much is said and written about all the horrid aspects of DLC in the modern gaming world, mysterious season passes that feature little content in the end, skins for characters that cost the same as a pint of beer, and post-release content campaigns that run into hundreds of Pounds/Euros/Dollars. So much negativity surrounds the nefarious practices (and quite rightly too) that it almost drowns out the fact that there are still companies out there doing it right. So to show that it isn’t all doom and gloom, here are some recent examples of games that do DLC right.

The best PS4 games for DLC

GTA Online

For all the furore surrounding GTA Online’s launch, it’s easy to forget what has followed in the years after.. Rockstar has provided a mountain of extra content, all of it free, including five or six healthily-sized updates a year for GTA V’s online component since October 2013, such as the oft-delayed Heists. Each update has brought new modes, vehicles, weapons, character apparel and even extra features like the map editor and video editor. It may have had its issues to begin with, but the constant free updates has meant Rockstar’s crime caper remains a popular fixture.

gta online

The Witcher III

I think we’ve used up all the superlatives when it comes to The Witcher III, and I’m sure you’re all well aware of why. One of the biggest positives about the game stems from CD Projeckt Red’s generosity with the DLC content. Everyone got a whole bunch of free extras in the first weeks of release, and when the developer did put out paid DLC it was ruddy marvelous. Needless to say, CD Projeckt Red are the bar other devs and publishers need to reach.

Dying Light

Before Dying Light, Techland made some games with great concepts and ambition, but didn’t quite match it on a technical level. Dying Light saw the Polish developer come on leaps and bounds (it’s still one of my favourite games of this generation). This especially applied to its approach to DLC. While the extra missions and Horde mode were fairly reasonable for the money, it was the other bits of DLC that set Techland apart. Firstly, it gave the previously pre-order exclusive ‘Be a Zombie’ mode free to everyone as an apology for the delay of physical retail copies of the game, and then it went and gave more free DLC away as part of a tongue-in-cheek Twitter campaign. The cherry on top was how the developer took its time with the expansion, The Following, making it almost as big as the original game and charging season pass holders no extra for it. It will even come with a patch that improves the visuals further.

Driveclub

Like GTA Online, Driveclub suffered from a poor launch, missing key features, servers going belly up, and generally the game was written off as a failure. The turnaround from that has been hugely impressive. The promised updates have arrived, the servers work, but more importantly (for this article anyway), the DLC output since has been superb in quality and value. Extra tracks, cars, modes and even a whole expansion that brings bikes into the fold. Slowly, but surely, Evolutions Studios’ social racer has become one of the best exclusives on PS4.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Okay, so Bioware’s RPG may pale in the shadow of The Witcher III now, but it’s still a pretty decent game, and boy, did it do a handsome serving of DLC content. As well as chucking in a free multiplayer mode and giving you some new customisation offerings, Bioware kept up its fine reputation with extra content by featuring three sizeable DLC packs that added plenty of new areas, quests, creatures and characters to the already hefty main game.

Any game you want to champion as a force for good in DLC? Tell us in the comments.