Sony has a bevy of studios that have produced some incredible work for the PlayStation platform. One of the more beloved developers under PlayStation Studios is Santa Monica Studio, who is most known for creating the God of War franchise since the PlayStation 2 era.
Along with making a beloved series, Sony Santa Monica is also known for helping develop some of the most creative PlayStation indie games. And when looking at the best games the studio has ever made, it is hard not to keep these in the conversation. God of War is also restricted to entries that best represent a style of game.
10 Hohokum
Santa Monica Studio has worked on quite a few indie projects, some of which end up larger than others. Hohokum is a delightful yet small game by Honeyslug that Santa Monica Studio helped debut on PlayStation and the PlayStation Vita. The exploration game has players take on the role of a rainbow snake.
Hohokum does have objectives that are only important for those looking to beat the game, such as picking up and carrying objects to specific parts of an area. But for the most part, the goal of the game is just to relax and have fun checking out different areas and their unique art style or setting.
9 Kinetica
While Santa Monica Studio is mostly known for the God of War franchise, the first game that the studio developed on its own was actually a racing title called Kinetica, which was only released on the PlayStation 2 but did get a re-release in 2016 on the PlayStation 4.
Set in the future, Kinetica pits twelve racers against each other as they zoom around major cities in Kinetic Suits, which gave them wheels for their hands and feet. There are 15 total tracks that are split between three cups, otherwise known as seasons. This game's engine would soon be used to make the first God of War game.
8 Downhill Domination
Kinetica wasn't the only racing game that Santa Monica Studio had a hand in. Downhill Domination is another PlayStation 2 game that has a focus on mountain biking. It was co-developed by Santa Monica and Incognito Entertainment, the latter of which is known for the Twisted Metal franchise.
There is both a single player mode and a multiplayer mode for up to four individuals. Along with racing down treacherous mountains, Downhill Domination is also known for featuring real-life professional racers in the BMX scene. That includes Eric Carter, Missy Glove, and Tara Llanes.
7 Everybody's Gone To The Rapture
The Chinese Room, known for making one of the first games to be referred to as a walking simulator, partnered with Sony and Santa Monica Studio to develop a new entry for the genre that would later release on PlayStation 4 called Everybody's Gone to the Rapture.
Taking place in a fictional village called Yaughton in 1984, players are placed in a town where all the residents have disappeared without a known cause.The goal of the game is to wander around the village following clues that will lead to understanding the events that led up to and caused the mysterious event.
6 The Unfinished Swan
Another walking simulator that Sony Santa Monica had a hand in helping with is Giant Sparrow's The Unfinished Swan. This is the debut game from this studio, who would later go on to make What Remains of Edith Finch, another critically-acclaimed walking simulator.
The Unfinished Swan takes place inside a painting that the main character, a boy named Monroe, was working on. Along with exploring the environment, the main gameplay mechanic is Monroe's ability to throw paint at objects in the world to be able to see the objects that are in it or activate specific pathways.
5 Sound Shapes
It doesn't matter how small a project is, Santa Monica Studio was willing to lend a hand during its external development program. One of the games with one of the smallest initial teams around it is Sound Shapes, a musical 2D platformer from Queasy Games.
Unlike a lot of 2D platformers, Sound Shapes moved away from putting a focus on difficulty and instead on providing a beautiful sequence of events that matched up to the music of that level. There were many collaborators on the project, such as Deadmau5 and Beck. Those who did like difficulty, however, could try the game's Death Mode.
4 Twisted Metal: Black
As mentioned earlier, Incognito Entertainment was known for being the studio behind the Twisted Metal franchise. One of the more popular entries in the series was Twisted Metal: Black, which was a reboot on the PlayStation 2. Assisting with the development of this game was Sony Santa Monica.
Just like other entries in the franchise, Twisted Metal: Black is a vehicular combat game that has players choosing a character then racing around an arena while attempting to knock out opponents using weapons at their disposal. There are a ton fo characters in the game, all of which have their own story campaign that is unique to them.
3 God Of War 2
There is no secret the series that means the most to Santa Monica Studio, with the developer having been behind two standout periods of the God of War franchise. While there are multiple great titles to choose from the PlayStation 2 era, God of War 2 is frequently cited as one of the best games ever made.
God of War 2 takes place after Kratos has killed Ares to become the new God of War. However, he is betrayed by Zeus and is dragged to the underworld. After being rescued by the Titan Gaia, he goes back in time to take revenge on the king of the gods.
2 Journey
Thatgamecompany is known for making truly mind-blowing, beautiful experiences that are meant to invoke feelings rather than immerse the player in deep gameplay mechanics. One of their greatest masterpieces is Journey, which was developed by them and Santa Monica Studio.
While the specific details of the story or never made clear, players make their way through a desert as a robed individual. Players will have the ability to use a musical chime to activate pieces of fabric that will help unlock pathways to the next area. At one point, players can be joined by another player randomly with no communication and will only learn their identity at the end of Journey.
1 God Of War: Ragnarok
After many years off from the franchise, Sony Santa Monica decided to reboot God of War in 2018. This provided a completely different approach to gameplay while placing Kratos in a world under the Norse mythology. But while the initial reboot was a masterpiece, its sequel grew even further from that.
God of War: Ragnarok tells the story of Kratos and his son Aterus as they deal with the ramifications of their actions in the first game. This includes being threatened by Odin and his son Thor, the latter of which Kratos is forced to fight early on. Ragnarok sees many characters of the previous game return, along with a plethora of new enemy types.