15 Essential PS4 Games Every New Owner Must Play

5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

It'll forever be a crying shame that the backstage happenings between Konami and Hideo Kojima soured how MGS V's story comes together in the end (which is to say, it doesn't), but for the gameplay, scope of the open world and sheer minute-to-minute enjoyability of the thing, The Phantom Pain is the best-playing entry in the saga by a mile.

Going open world for the first time, you're tasked with rebuilding your own Mother Base HQ by hoovering up as many new recruits as possible. This gives MGS V a bit of a Pokémon vibe as you whip out your binoculars, scout various bases and mark high value targets for extraction. There are seemingly millions of ways to go about doing this, involving everything from tying balloons to vehicles full of troops, to unlocking tons of fancy weapons, to even deploying with your own robo-suit, canine companion or half-naked supernatural sniper buddy.

Yes, it's as crazy as that all sounds, but thanks to Kojima Productions being one of the best studios in the business, The Phantom Pain spins all of its various plates with ease.