Ranker’s Top 5 Games Available for PlayStation

NOTE: Readers are still voting on this list all the time, and the ranking changes frequently. Changes in the list ranking may not immediately be reflected in this blog.

In one sense, Christmas shopping for young people is very simple: buy video games. A whopping 38% of Americans ages 18-34 are gamers, according to a study conducted in July 2021 by the Entertainment Software Company. But of course, buying the right gift isn’t as simple as buying any new video game. If you’re buying for an avid gamer, it’s very likely they already own the most popular titles. How do shoppers with little experience in the gaming world pick out gifts tailored to the tastes of their loved ones?

We’re going to explore one potential method of identifying ideal gamer gifts using Ranker Insights. By looking at the voting behavior of gamers on Ranker, we can see how a preference for one video game makes them statistically more likely to prefer another. We took a look at Ranker’s list of the most popular titles for PlayStation 4 (58K votes), a current leader in the platform wars, and determined the other, less popular games they’re more likely to love. The results can help video game-illiterate shoppers buy the perfect gift for the gamer in their lives — and demonstrate how psychographic correlations can be used to optimize holiday shopping more generally.

#1: GTA V

GTA V Fans’ Top 5 Video Games:

1. Soma

2. Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag

3. Prey

4. The Last Of Us

5. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

The Grand Theft Auto series from Rockstar Games is a perpetual favorite, with its latest entry remaining a marquee name even though it was released in 2013. It’s a famously lurid action-adventure game that lets players do virtually whatever they want in an open-world imitation of Los Angeles. But while fans of GTA V also love a few other action-adventure titles, like the post-apocalyptic The Last of Us and the latest installment of popular PlayStation platformer Uncharted, they also have a surprising preference for quieter, darker games.

Soma, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, and Prey are unique games with one thing in common: an emphasis on stealth. These games require players to employ patience and keep their nerves on edge as they sneak past threats, a sharp contrast with the gleeful shoot-em-up tone of Grand Theft Auto. Two of these games, Soma and Prey, also heavily feature horror elements that can make for a creepy playing experience. Shoppers can simply get one of these games that GTA V fans are more likely to love, or they can look for any game that relies heavily on stealth and produces tense, scary situations to surprise them with a more counterintuitive but statistically backed choice.

#2: Red Dead Redemption II

Red Dead Redemption II Fans’ Top 5 Video Games:

1. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

2. Call of Duty: Black Ops

3. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

4. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

5. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

Red Dead Redemption is Rockstar’s other wildly popular open-world game, with the second installment set in the open frontier of late 19th century America. Red Dead’s unique, immersive world attracts gamers who like similar high-concept adventure fare: two Uncharted games, the latest Witcher installment, and zombie shooter Resident Evil all make an appearance in their Top 5. There’s also Black Ops from the iconic first-person-shooter game Call of Duty. The takeaway here: fans of the game love strong stories to their video games set in an interesting, immersive world. Just don’t forget to make sure that immersive world also has plenty of guns in it.

#3: Spider-Man

Spider-Man Fans’ Top 5 Video Games:

1. Batman: Arkham Knight

2. Ghost of Tsushima

3. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

4. The Last Of Us

5. Detroit: Become Human

Spider-Man surprised people, proving to be a genuinely well-executed and innovative game as opposed to just a cash-grab timed for release alongside the latest Spider-Man movie. On this list are other games that make the most of their expensive intellectual property, including Arkham Knight, a Batman story that plays more like a mystery/horror than a superhero game, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Also among the preferences of Spider-Man fans are Ghost of Tsushima and Detroit: Become Human, two other adventure games praised for their novelty and innovation. The bottom line: fans of Spider-Man aren’t necessarily just Marvel fans, or even comic book fanatics in general. The game attracts people who love spending hours exploring new worlds, which means that people buying for them should consider reviews of prospective gifts rather than just searching for titles featuring popular superheroes.

#4: Ghost of Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima Fans’ Top 5 Video Games:

1. Horizon Zero Dawn

2. Spider-Man

3. Red Dead Redemption II

4. Days Gone

5. inFAMOUS Second Son

Ghost of Tsushima is a roaming action-adventure game that places the hero in 13th century Japan as the last living member of a samurai clan tasked with taking on hordes of invading Mongol warriors. It’s not a plot or setting you see often in video games, and judging from the tastes of its fans, that’s a big part of what attracts people to the game.

From Horizon Zero Dawn, which takes place in a future where humans are hunted by rogue machines, to inFAMOUS Second Son, which follows a morally ambiguous superhuman fighting a totalitarian government, the tastes of Tsushima fans lean toward imaginative adventure games in an open world. While Spider-Man and Second Son largely take place in crowded urban environments, Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption II, and the post-apocalyptic Days Gone are set in more sparse worlds. As long as the title offers an exciting premise and engaging story, Ghost of Tsushima fans are game.

#5: God of War (2018)

God of War Fans’ Top 5 Video Games:

1. Spider-Man

2. Ghost of Tsushima

3. The Last Of Us

4. Death Stranding

5. Resident Evil Village

The 2018 sequel to God of War III is unique on this list because it is a traditional adventure game that puts players on a set path, rather than an open-world game that lets players choose where to go and what to do. This franchise built a huge following for its strong plot, which pulls from ancient Greek and Norse mythology, and this latest installment in particular was praised for its tender story about a father and son. With such a specific, and yet popular game, how do you identify what else fans are more likely to enjoy?

The data tells us a story similar to some of the other games on this list: again, fans of God of War tend to like other single-player adventure games that immerse players in new, richly detailed worlds. Death Stranding offers us an additional insight into God of War fans, though — the title comes from video game auteur Hideo Kojima, and it divided gamers with its slow pace. A fan who prefers this game is likely more willing to go outside of traditional shoot-em-ups looking for cerebral stimulation (which makes sense, given that God of War is known for both its story and for featuring puzzle elements to its gameplay). A God of War player is more likely to be drawn to cerebral games like Death Stranding and strategy games like Civilization than the average console owner, though you also can’t go wrong with any of the other four popular platformers we’ve found they’re more likely to love.

These stories are crafted using Ranker Insights, which takes over one billion votes cast on Ranker.com and converts them into actionable psychographics about pop culture fans across the world. To learn more about how our Ranker Insights can be customized to serve your business needs, visit insights.ranker.com, or email us at insights@ranker.com.

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