Sony is gearing up for another solid year for its flagship games console, the PlayStation 4, as the system looks set to receive a boatload of PS4 exclusive titles from the company’s various first-party studios throughout 2017. Okay, so we won’t be seeing the likes of Death Stranding, The Last of Us Part 2, or perhaps even God of War in 2017, but there’s no reason to let your PS4 sit around collecting dust for the next 12 months.
To get you pumped for the year ahead, we’ve compiled a list of every confirmed PlayStation exclusive title for 2017 so far; be sure to keep checking back as we’ll be adding to this article as more games are confirmed to launch this year.
PS4 exclusives confirmed for 2017
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2064: Read Only Memories
Release date: January 17
Originally released in 2015, this updated version of 2064 features numerous extras including full voice acting and all-new puzzles. If you haven’t already played the cyberpunk classic, then now is the perfect time to pick it up on PS4 to kick-start the new year.
Gravity Rush 2
Release date: January 20
The follow-up to one of PlayStation Vita’s most celebrated titles, Gravity Rush 2 sees the return of likable protagonist Kat as she navigates vibrant, large-scale worlds with gravity-shifting powers. With more powers up her sleeves this time around, Gravity Rush 2 expands upon its predecessor with more variety and omph that is sure to get fans of the original game hot under the collar.
Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue
Release date: January 24
Square Enix is one of the first major studios out the gate with a PS4-exclusive in 2017, namely in the shape of Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue. Seen as something of a precursor to the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 3, Final Chapter Prologue contains three offerings: a high-definition remake of Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, plus the complementary Kingdom Hearts x Back Cover. All spruced up and looking lush on Sony’s flagship home console, 2.8 is sure to satisfy Kingdom Hearts fans for a good while; at least until the PS4 version of Kingdom Hearts 1.5 & 2.5 show up in March, as the third chapter isn’t likely going to be with us until 2018.
Tales of Berseria
Release date: January 24
The latest installment in the venerated JRPG series, Tales of Berseria takes place in the Holy Midgand, with players following the journey of 19-year-old Velvet as she travels across the kingdom with her group of pirate buddies. Keeping with series tradition, Tales of Berseria employs the Linear Motion Battle System for combat, which allows you to freely roam the area and rotate the camera at will. There’s plenty of new content in store to spice things up however, ensuring Berseria keeps the franchise evolving after more than two decades of engrossing gamers within its compelling storytelling and evocative game world.
Yakuza 0
Release date: January 24
SEGA’s gangster-’em-up prequel finally makes its way to western PS4s later this month, with the action taking place in 1988 as series staple, Kazuma Kiryu, finds himself climbing the ranks of the Japanese criminal underworld alongside chum Goro Majima. Set in a fictionalized version of Tokyo’s Kabukicho Shinjuku Golden Gai and Osaka’s Dotonbor, Yakuza 0 is chock full of pulse-pounding, bone-breaking combat as gamers battle against local goons while exploring the lush open-world, which in keeping in with the franchise’s long-standing tradition, is full of side quests and various other distractions. Needless to say, this should tide you over nicely until Yakuza 6 finally shows its face over here.
Double Dragon 4
Release date: January 30
Featuring staff members from the original arcade version of Double Dragon, this fourth numbered entry in the classic beat-’em-up series once again features series protagonists Billy and Jimmy Lee duffing up hordes of bad guys in side-scrolling action. Keeping in with the old-school vibe of the Double Dragon games, Double Dragon 4’s visuals featured an appropriate retro-style aesthetic, so much so you’ll be bathing in nostalgia every time you pick up the pad.
Digimon World: Next Order
Release date: January 31
Digimon World: Next Order is pretty significant in the sense it’s the first game in the series to arrive on western shores for over a decade. So, something for the fans for sure. Here, we find a high school teenager sucked into the Digital World, where he finds it under attack by legions of Machinedramons.
Nioh
Release date: February 9
The brainchild of Team Ninja, Nioh takes place in a demon-infested Sengoku-era Japan and takes on a Dark Souls-esque dungeon crawler, with players controlling blonde-haired samurai hero, William. Featuring blood-pumping hack-’n-slash combat, players battle against legions of demonic foes known as Yokai, while nabbing loot such as new weapons and money. Nioh is noted for having a lengthy production cycle that dates back to 2004, though various issues meant it wasn’t able to show its face until now.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Release date: February 28
Guerrilla Games’ ambitious action-RPG sees players following season hunter, Aloy, as she battles robotic foes across a stunning, post-apocalyptic environment ripe with intrigue. With a lush open-world to explore, heaps of side quests, and adrenaline-pumping combat (all without the aid of guns, we might add), Horizon looks to be one of the PS4’s most compelling new IPs to date.
Nier Automata
Release date: March 7
Developed by Platinum Games, Nier is the follow-up to the much-loved 2010 action-RPG original, and plonks gamers in the midst of an intense war between the remnants of humanity and otherworldly-craft machines. The game takes place in an open-world setting, with gamers controlling numerous and powerful android soldiers as they wage war against the machine invaders, unlocking abilities and more characters as you progress.
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMIX
Release date: March 28
Originally released on the PlayStation 3, Square Enix is bringing its high-definition revamps of the original Kingdom Hearts and its sequel to the PS4 to mark the much-loved series’ 15th anniversary this year. Aside from the first two games in the franchise, both ReMIX releases including spruced-up versions of other popular Kingdom Hearts offerings, including Re: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, complete with Trophy support.
MLB: The Show 17
Release date: March 28
Sony San Diego’s annual baseball series has continued to go from strength to strength, and MLB The Show 17 looks set to knock it out of the park again when it launches on PlayStation 4 this March. This latest series installment will feature a number of incremental improvements to the MLB template, including additional career options and a new RPG mode.
Danganronpa 1.2 Reloaded
Release date: March 31
If cult classics are your thing, then Spike Chunsoft’s collection of the first two entries in the Danganronpa series should be right up your street when it hits PS4 this March.
Persona 5
Release date: April 4
The immensely popular JRPG series returns with its fifth numbered installment this spring, with Persona 5 focusing on the exploits of a group of high school students with supernatural powers, who covertly operate as cat burglars. Expect more personas, improved combat, and a host of activities allowing you to sink hours and hours into Atlus’ latest Persona offering.
The Silver Case
Release date: April 18
Those of you who are a fan of Goichi Suda’s idiosyncratic approach to game development will do well to pick up The Silver Case on PS4, a high-definition remake of Suda51’s first title with developer Grasshopper Manufacture. The detective-’em-up takes place in a city known as 24 Wards, and focuses on a series of bizarre murders and the local plod investigating the cases.
Dragon Quest Heroes 2
Release date: April 25
The follow-up to Square Enix’s much-loved Dragon Quest/Dynasty Warriors love child, this vibrant sequel introduces a number of improvements over its predecessor, including extra online play for up to four players, plus expanding the battle system to allow the player to transform into various creatures to duff up your enemies. With a cast of memorable characters and the same pick-up-and-play gameplay that make the original an instant classic, Dragon Quest 2 looks set to be an essential purchase for action-RPG aficionado.
Birthdays: The Beginning
Release date: May 9
Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada’s latest endeavour thrusts players into a sandbox ripe with creativity, as you go about your business of cobbling together cube-shaped worlds that burst to life with unique and diverse lifeforms. Your decisions throughout the game will ultimately shape and evolve a brand new ecosystem.
*The following gamers are so far all confirmed to launch in 2017 but currently have no release date. We’ll update the list when more information becomes available.
Boundless
Developed by Wonderstruck, Boundless features a procedurally generated world where players can freely open portals allowing them to access new, exciting worlds. Those of you who love MMORPGs and dig an expansive sandbox play pit to swallow you up will definitely want to keep an eye on this.
Crash Bandicoot: N.Sane Trilogy
PlayStation’s earliest—albeit, unofficial—mascot returns after a lengthy hiatus with this high-definition overhaul of the first three Crash Bandicoot games (released on PS and PS2 and showcased at PSX in 2016) for the PS4. Helmed by Vicarious Visions, the N.Sane Trilogy isn’t a simple spit and polish job; the studio has meticulously crafted every nook and cranny of the loveable marsupial’s classic platforming antics, offering a whole new experience for veteran fans and a brilliant way for newcomers to find out what all the fuss was about back in the mid-late 1990s.
Death’s Gambit
White Rabbit channels Dark Souls with this 2D side-scrolling dungeon crawler that positively oozes atmosphere. If you love hacking things up with meaty weapons and hoovering up loot, then Death’s Gambit should be just the ticket.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XII remains one of the most celebrated entries in the venerated JRPG series to date, so what better way to remind people than give it a bit of a high-definition spit and polish for PlayStation 4? There’s more content under the hood compared to the original western version too, as this re-release is based on the previously Japanese-only Zodiac Job System edition.
Gran Turismo Sport
Gran Turismo makes its long-awaited PS4 debut this year in the shape of Gran Turismo Sport, a brand new entry in Polyphony Digital’s extolled racing franchise that features a dose of PlayStation VR support to boot. Don’t let the lack of a number in the title fool you; this is a full-fledged Gran Turismo featuring heaps of content and modes, with players competing in Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile-sponsored races for fame and glory.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Nathan Drake’s globetrotting exploits may have come to an end with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, but Naughty Dog’s not quite done with the action-adventure franchise just yet. This standalone expansion to the critically acclaimed trinket-pinching sequel sees Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross teaming up on a mission to track down a legendary Indian artifact, with their adventure taking them to all-new locations. We’re promised a slightly different take on the Uncharted formula, with Chloe’s ballsy attitude contrasting nicely with what we’re used to after almost a decade of playing as Nate. Expect more than a few twists and turns along the way before Uncharted finally bows out.
Check back as we update the PS4 exclusives list as more games are announced and dated.