Danial Norjidi
The top downloads for 2022 on PS5, PS4 and PS VR in the United States and Canada region were recently unveiled on the PlayStation Blog.
Here’s a look at the top 10 most downloaded games on those platforms last year.
PLAYSTATION 5
Taking the top spot on the 2022 charts for the PS5 was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, a first-person shooter from Activision described as having “a globe-trotting single-player campaign immersive multiplayer combat and a narrative-driven, co-op Special Ops”.
In second place was Sony Santa Monica-developed PlayStation exclusive God of War Ragnarok, a sequel to 2018’s God of War that continues the story of Kratos and his son Atreus.
As the PlayStation website describes, “Fimbulwinter is well underway. Kratos and Atreus must journey to each of the Nine Realms in search of answers as Asgardian forces prepare for a prophesied battle that will end the world. Along the way they will explore stunning, mythical landscapes, and face fearsome enemies.”
NBA 2K23, the latest release in 2K’s long-running series of basketball simulation games took third spot on the downloads chart, followed by fourth-placed Elden Ring, FromSoftware’s action role-playing game set in a fantasy world created by Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki and Song of Ice and Fire author George R R Martin.
Two EA Sports games were in the top 10, with the fifth spot going to American football title Madden NFL 23, while football simulation game FIFA 23 was seventh, behind sixth placed open-world title Grand Theft Auto V, which showed its enduring popularity nine years on from its initial release back on the PS3.
PlayStation exclusive Horizon Forbidden West, an action-adventure title by Guerrilla Games, took the eighth spot on the list.
A follow-up to 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn, the sequel sees the return of protagonist Aloy “as she braves the Forbidden West – a majestic but dangerous frontier that conceals mysterious new threats”.
Fellow PlayStation exclusive driving simulation game Gran Turismo 7 charted ninth on the list, while Dying Light 2, an action role-playing game set in an open world zombie-apocalypse rounded out the top 10.
PLAYSTATION 4
As with the PS5 downloads, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II took first place on the PS4 chart, followed by Grand Theft Auto V in second.
The third most downloaded PS4 game was open-world sandbox title Minecraft, where players “explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles”, and can also opt to play “in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armour to fend off the dangerous mobs”.
The PS4 downloads chart saw Elden Ring garner a fourth placed finish as it did with the PS5 list, while NBA 2K23 rounded out the top five.
Red Dead Redemption 2, an open world action-adventure title set in a fictionalised version of America in 1899 finished in sixth place, with the previous iteration of 2K’s basketball simulation games, NBA 2K22, taking seventh.
Madden NFL 23 was the eighth most downloaded PS4 game, while God of War Ragnarok finished ninth, ahead of 10th placed FIFA 23.
PLAYSTATION VR
The most downloaded game on PlayStation’s virtual reality (VR) platform for 2022 was Beat Saber, a rhythm game where players equip virtual sabers to slice blocks that represent musical beats.
Second on the chart was Job Simulator, a game set in the year 2050, in a world where robots have replaced all human jobs.
Job Simulator sees players “relive the glory days of work by simulating the ins and outs of being a gourmet chef, an office worker, a convenience store clerk, and more”.
Taking the third spot on the chart was first-person shooter Superhot VR, a game in which time moves only when the player moves, while boxing title Creed: Rise to Glory punched its way into fourth place.
Swordsman VR, a story-driven, physics-based medieval combat game, occupied the fifth spot on the list, followed by VR platform game Astro Bot Rescue Mission in sixth and adventure game Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality in seventh place on the chart.
VR gladiator simulation game Gorn garnered the eighth spot on the list, ahead of ninth-placed Batman: Arkham VR where the player gets to experience Gotham City through the eyes of the caped crusader, while action horror title The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners was 10th.
FREE-TO-PLAY (PS5 AND PS4)
The top 10 free-to-play titles on PS5 and PS4 were also revealed by the PlayStation Blog, with the top spot going to Fall Guys, a game where players compete with hordes of other contestants online through rounds of obstacles and challenges until a single victor remains.
Ever popular battle-royale title Fortnite was in second place, ahead of first-person shooter battle royale game Call of Duty Warzone/Warzone 2.0 in third.
Crossover fighting game Multiversus, occupied the fourth spot on the chart, ahead of team-based action game Overwatch 2 in fifth and battle royale-hero shooter title Apex Legends in sixth.
The free-to-play chart also saw vehicular football game Rocket League score a seventh-placed finish on the list, ahead of battle-royale title PUBG: Battlegrounds in eighth.
Rec Room, a title in which players “build and play games together” earned the ninth spot on the 2022 chart, ahead of 10th-placed Rumbleverse, a brawler battle royale game focussed on melee combat.