Without a doubt, the PS4 was and still is one of the most popular consoles on the market. Its strong line-up of games made this point over and over again, from its early exclusives like Infamous: Second Son and Uncharted 4 to more recent releases like The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima.
For several gamers, though, 2018 was arguably its biggest year. Two of the biggest PS4 exclusives, those which continue to define the PS4/PS5 experience, released. And, based on what's known so far about the PS5 in 2022, it seems likely that Sony is intent on repeating 2018's success but with its new console.
God of War, Spider-Man PS4 in 2018
Short and sweet, both God of War and Marvel's Spider-Man released in 2018. If someone didn't have a PS4 by then, it wouldn't take much more than these titles to persuade them. Setting the scene back in 2018, it was huge when God of War was announced. Lots of speculation and discussion went on, as many falls just knew Kratos was going to a Norse setting. Maturing Kratos and giving him a son were no doubt risky moves, but it paid off as God of War is hailed as one of the very best PS4 exclusives.
Marvel's Spider-Man needed no introduction, with fans the world over excited to step into Peter Parker's shoes back when it was announced. It wasn't the first game where players took on the role of the Webhead, but it was the first in a while. As a result, it broke records, received critical acclaim, and left many wanting more. Spider-Man: Miles Morales served as bit of a segue for the franchise, and a proper sequel is highly believed to be in the works.
Overall, these two games helped define the PS4 experience from 2018 on. God of War releasing in April 2018 and Spider-Man releasing in September 2018 created an unforgettable one-two punch that year, and 2022 might just do it again.
God of War: Ragnarok, Spider-Man 2 PS5 in 2022
Right now, God of War: Ragnarok is set to release in 2022 following a delay out of 2021. Nothing but a short teaser has been revealed so far, but there are a ton of rumors that fans will see the game soon. The most recent indicates a God of War: Ragnarok trailer could release in August, which lines up well with the next rumored State of Play taking place early next month.
It all remains up in the air, but if God of War: Ragnarok was going to release this year initially and is about ready to start showing itself off, then it stands to reason that God of War might be targeting an early (say April) 2022 release. Sure, the next God of War is releasing on both PS4 and PS5, but the latter is likely to be the definitive experience.
Spider-Man is a bit iffy in comparison. However, a sequel highly likely as the past two games have set up so much, and recently an image from the Miles Morales actor could have implied the game is further in development than some have speculated. Insomniac tends to keep the wheels spinning, so if this is the case, then it's possible Spider-Man 2 gets a fall 2022 release. Just as in 2018, 2022 could serve up the one-two punch of an early God of War game and a late Spider-Man game. Of course, there's a lot of room for delays and whatnot, but between these two games and every other PS exclusive coming by the end of 2022, it's still a great time to be a fan of the platform.
God of War: Ragnarok is set to release in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.