The PlayStation Now subscription service has been available since October of last year, with new games being added almost every month. If you’re not aware of this great new gaming deal, you’re missing out—for $19.99/£12.99, you can earn unlimited access to a huge library of over 180 PS3 games that can be streamed right to your PS4 or other compatible device.
If that’s not good enough, many of these are among the most beloved and critically acclaimed titles in PlayStation history. That means that if you missed out on some of the masterpieces from the last generation, or just have a nostalgic hankering to revisit some classics, you’ve got a huge number of them right at your fingertips. In fact, there are so many that it can actually be a little daunting, which is why we’ve done the hard work for you and outlined 10 of the most awesome games you can’t afford to miss on PS Now’s subscription service.
1. Borderlands 2 (Metacritic: 91)
Borderlands 2 blends action role-playing and first-person shooting into a wild, cel-shaded hybrid that’s left many people hopelessly addicted—it remains, to this day, the all-time bestseller by 2K Games. Prepare to lose your life to hours upon hours of shooting and looting if you start streaming this post-apocalyptic adventure. And if you can’t get enough of exploring the planet Pandora’s open-world wasteland, the original Borderlands is available on PS Now as well!
2. BioShock (Metacritic: 94)
If there’s a first-person shooter that’s loved just as much by once-in-a-while players as hardcore genre diehards, it’s got to be BioShock. Those who don’t normally partake in FPS action are inevitably pulled in by the compelling narrative and foreboding setting, while shooter vets can’t get enough of the varied Plasmid powers and excellent level design. Plus, BioShock shows up constantly on lists of games with the most outrageous and memorable plot twists—and if you don’t know why that is, you need to make 2K’s 2007 tour-de-force a priority. And once you’re subscribed to PS Now, you can return to Rapture in BioShock 2 and check out Columbia in BioShock Infinite as well.
3. Batman: Arkham City (Metacritic: 96)
Rocksteady’s second Batman adventure took the framework of the critically-acclaimed Arkham Asylum and expanded it to include the kind of massive urban environments people expect when they see the Caped Crusader. Bigger, better, and more polished, Arkham City features one of the most compulsively explorable open worlds in gaming history and an ending that must be seen to be believed. If you get a kick out of gliding over Gotham, you can see where it all started by playing Asylum and prequel Origins, both of which come with your PS Now subscription.
4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Metacritic: 96)
Not many developers can say they’ve created one of the most critically acclaimed of the last decade, or the winner of over 200 Game of the Year awards, but Uncharted 2: Among Thieves creators Naughty Dog can truthfully make both those claims. Frequently cited as one of the best games of all time, Nathan Drake’s second outing formed the basis for the PS3 generation’s focus on cinematic experiences, leading a Boston Globe reporter to say that “no video game has ever done a better job of capturing the style and rhythm of the movies.”
And if you want to get a taste of an early use of PS3 technology, you can try out Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, and see where the adventure heads next with Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, both on PS Now.
5. Journey (Metacritic: 92)
Independently-published titles can bring some of the most fresh and unusual experiences to the world of gaming, and Journey is certainly no exception. Playing as a nameless figure traveling through a vast desert, thatgamecompany’s 2012 masterpiece won numerous Game of the Year awards and was frequently cited by critics as one of the most cathartic, emotional experiences you can have playing a video game. It was also the first video game ever to have its soundtrack nominated for a Grammy Award. If you’re looking for a few hours of pure audiovisual magic, it’s hard to top Journey.
6. The Last of Us (Metacritic: 95)
Lightning struck twice on PS3 when Naughty Dog created not just one, but two of the most revolutionary and beloved games of the last generation. The Last of Us is in good company with Uncharted 2 for picking up award after award, but don’t just take our word for it—experience the emotional, character-driven story of Joel and Ellie for yourself. It’s one of the most detailed and intricate fusions of narrative and gameplay out there. Plus, once you’re done with the original adventure, you can play the stand-alone expansion The Last of Us: Left Behind on PS Now as well.
7. Ico/Shadow of the Colossus Collection (Metacritic: 92)
Okay, okay, this is sort of cheating, it’s two games—but Fumito Ueda’s masterful duology (soon to be a trilogy with the release of The Last Guardian on PS4) really is best experienced together. Ico follows the titular horned boy as he leads a princess away from certain doom, while Shadow of the Colossus sees a young man named Wander take on a series of sixteen larger-than-life titans. Both games serve as compelling examples for the “video games are art” argument, but again, the emotion and immersion of these two masterworks is so much better experienced than talked about.
8. Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time (Metacritic: 87)
Ratchet and Clank are making waves this year thanks to a feature film and an accompanying new PS4 game, so get caught up with some of the duo’s previous adventures in Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time. Continuing in the series’ delightful tradition of innuendo-laced titles, this third entry in the Future series brings out all the stops, including inventive new items and the ability to fly your ship freely around a huge map. And naturally, the series’ emphasis on wacky weapons is well and truly accounted for: there’s a collection of awesome guns with which to defeat Dr. Nefarious and his army of goons. What better way to prepare for the duo’s 2016 iterations?
9. God of War III (Metacritic: 92)
God of War was one of the most celebrated series on PS2, so naturally, expectations were sky-high for the franchise’s first foray into HD. God of War III doesn’t disappoint, wrapping up the original trilogy with some of the most astonishingly over-the-top third-person action available on PlayStation. Kratos’ adventures come to an end as he takes on Zeus, leader of the Olympian Gods himself, fighting through immense bosses, tricky platforming sections and devious puzzles on his way there. And if you can’t get enough God of War goodness, there’s plenty more to go around on PS Now’s subscription service, from the first two adventures to remastered versions of previously-portable entries Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta.
10. Killzone 2 (Metacritic: 91)
Last but certainly not least, it’s Guerilla Games’ second fast-paced and unbelievably intense entry to its Killzone series. Killzone 2 has a sci-fi narrative filled with military action and intrigue, making its single-player campaign well-worth playing, and its critically-acclaimed, strikingly detailed multiplayer modes should have no problem keeping step with the first-person shooters of today. You can even watch the franchise evolve its concepts further by checking out 2011’s Killzone 3, which is also available through your PS Now subscription.
So what are you waiting for? The only thing standing between you and some of the most celebrated, critically-acclaimed games in history is a subscription fee. Catch up on missed masterpieces or revisit old favorites—whatever you plan to do on PS Now, there’s a whole lot of fun in your future.
