This year marks the 30th anniversary of PlayStation, celebrating the release of the original PlayStation console in Japan in December 1994.
The celebrations have included a limited-edition PlayStation 5 console that sold out almost instantly; an upcoming weekend of free PlayStation Plus multiplayer; and free console themes based on PlayStation eras past.
There’s also a huge PlayStation sale featuring more than 3,500 deals. But many of them are either repeats of what we’ve had in previous sales or simply not titles we’d recommend too strongly.
We’ve rifled through the entire catalogue to pick out five titles of the best deals that, in at least some cases, also represent the history of PlayStation itself.
Bloodborne: Game of the Year Edition
Bloodborne is an action role-playing game set in a gothic, horror-themed world filled with nightmarish creatures and dark secrets
FromSoftware
The most beloved of all the FromSoftware games among a certain tranche of the Dark Should fandom. This Game of the Year Edition package includes the game’s The Old Hunters DLC, worth £15.99 on its own.
Bloodborne takes the intricate level design and rock-hard combat of the Dark Souls series, but ups the pace and introduces mechanics to encourage you to fight more aggressively. It’s set in an oppressive but occasionally beautiful horror-themed world. And it’s still available only on PS4 — naturally also playable on PlayStation 5.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage Deluxe Edition
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is an action-adventure game set in 9th-century Baghdad
Ubisoft
Mirage was billed as a return to the older style of the Assassin’s Creed games, a tighter experience you could finish in under 20 hours. Not the bloated 100+ hour epic of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
It’s set in Baghdad and sees you play Basim, who “upgrades” from a life of thievery to assassination. The Deluxe edition includes a small handful of in-game items and an extra quest.
However, we’re not here for those extras — just the tidy discount on the game itself.
Star Wars: Jedi Cross-Gen Bundle Edition
The Star Wars: Jedi Cross-Gen Bundle Edition (2024) includes two action-adventure titles: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Respawn
This bundle provides an epic amount of content for under £20.
It includes the PS4 and PlayStation 5 editions of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Each is worth at least a 20-hour playthrough —and that’s before you dig into the side content.
These are immersive third-person action-exploration games in which you play as Cal Kestis, a Jedi on the run from the empire.
God of War (2018) is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment
PlayStation
This PlayStation classic from 2018 has never been this cheap, but there must be at least some who have yet to experience this mature reimagining of one of the original heroes of the PS2 era.
It transforms player character (and Greek demigod) Kratos from an angry ball of violence to a world-weary father.
However, this cinematic adventure is still filled with action and combat, if that’s what you’re after
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Reforged
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – Reforged is a remastered version of the 1996 point-and-click adventure game Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars
Revolution Software
Is there a game that better encompasses the history of PlayStation better than Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Reforged?
The original was one of the surprise PS1 hits, a graphic adventure that proved the worth of the CD format. And now it’s back with this 2024 reworking, which is faithful to the original while avoiding the cheap look some remasters of hand-drawn games often have.
This isn’t a massive discount but the cheapest it has been on PlayStation. It is a clear labour of love that will transport some of you back to 1996.