It’s hard to believe that the PlayStation 2 console is over 25 years old now, having celebrated its special birthday on March 4, 2025. The best PS2 games have helped catapult Sony’s iconic console into legendary status.
While the console is technically part of Generation Z, popular PlayStation 2 releases hit shelves just in time for bright-eyed and bushy-tailed millennials’ first foray into gaming.
The sixth-gen console didn’t get hot enough to fry an egg for nothing; it beautifully ran some of gaming’s most influential titles and kickstarted franchises that have since become global sensations. Revisit your salad days with some of our favorite critical darlings.
Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
Run, rob, ransack, and ruin everything in Grand Theft Auto III. The title’s open-world design sends players endlessly perusing through Liberty City, surely poking their noses where they don’t belong. Despite its controversial and raunchy gameplay, Grand Theft Auto III is one of the PlayStation 2’s best-selling games.
Kingdom Hearts (2002)
Now an expansive franchise, the dreamy Disney RPG is the brainchild of creatives at The Walt Disney Company and Square Enix. The first installment introduced Sora, Kairi, and Riku, setting gamers up for the story-rich series ahead.
While subsequent releases in the franchise lost the plot, Kingdom Hearts remains a classic that’s easily one of the best PS2 games you’ll ever play.
Ratchet & Clank (2002)
Insomniac Games joined Sony Entertainment Interactive to release Ratchet & Clank. In this action-adventure third-person shooter, gamers follow the intergalactic antics of Lombax mechanic Ratchet and his robotic buddy Clank as they work to escape their uninhabitable planet.
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Persona 3 (2006)
Roleplaying games and life sims’ best elements combine in Persona 3. The title tells the tale of a protagonist balancing education, everyday life, relationships, and otherworldly Shadows. Don’t dilly-dally; use your time wisely or risk losing everything.
Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005)
Star Wars: Battlefront walked so its 2005 sequel could run — literally. The second installment in the Battlefront franchise keeps everything that made the first game great, but it adds exciting new modes as well as sprinting and rolling capabilities. The LucasArts first-person shooter always has a space among my list of FPS all-timers.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003)
Explore Springfield and rub elbows with its often-insufferable citizens in The Simpsons: Hit & Run. The game, released in 2003, is a pseudo-sequel to The Simpsons: Road Rage, released two years prior. Enjoy explorative Grand Theft Auto-like gameplay and Crazy Taxi-ish mechanics, but with Homer at the helm.
Sadly, there’s little to no chance of a modern remake for one of the best PS2 games ever made. We’ll always have the memories, though!
Max Payne (2001)
Rockstar Studios’ early 2000s neo-noir shooter follows the titular vigilante protagonist through a Gotham-like New York City as he seeks justice for his family’s deaths at the hands of the mob. You’ll say, “Yeah, see?” in no time.
Okami (2006)
Japanese mythology takes center stage in this beautifully animated tale. In one of the last releases before Sony’s shift to PlayStation 3, players navigate sun deity-turned-white wolf Okami Amaterasu through a striking retelling of classic Japanese folklore.
God of War (2005)
God of War pushed the PS2 hardware to its limits, delivering an incredible action-packed experience that felt innovative and ahead of its time.
It proved that spectacle in a video game could be a selling point, provided the gameplay kept up with it, and boy, did it ever. God of War‘s combat remains incredibly satisfying.
Katamari Damacy (2004)
Despite being nearly old enough to drink, Katamari Damacy still holds up. In this kitschy all-ages puzzler, players push the Prince about cluttered spaces in various environments, using a massive adhesive ball (called a “katamari“) to roll up increasingly larger tchotchkes. Roll well enough, and you might save the cosmos from the King’s control.
It’s weird, it’s wacky, and it’s highly addictive; the perfect recipe for one of the best PS2 games that’s still a blast to play today.
SSX Tricky (2001)
Catch an adrenaline rush like no other in SSX Tricky, a snowboarding game sequel that manages to outdo its predecessor in nearly every way. Shred, get big air, complete dazzling (and impossible) tricks, and customize your character. Crank up the volume, too — the game’s soundtrack and reactive music are Uber-invigorating.
Devil May Cry (2001)
A failed attempt to create Resident Evil 4 led to a new IP featuring our demon and killing pizza-eating protagonist Dante. Devil May Cry changed the action genre forever, infusing fast-paced hack and slash combat with massive amounts of swagger. Pick up your weapons and crank that music to eleven; those demons aren’t going to slay themselves.
Devil May Cry is not only one of the best PS2 games, but one of the most influential action titles of all time.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
Hideo Kojima must have got tired of predicting the future and decided to set Metal Gear Solid 3 at the peak of the Cold War in 1964. Playing as Naked Snake, you are dropped behind enemy lines with barely any equipment while trying to stop a nuclear threat. Earning the title of Big Boss is an emotional journey filled with action that every gamer should experience.
Guitar Hero II (2006)
Sometimes, the best PS2 games are the ones about living out our rockstar dreams.
Nearly two decades after its release, I’ve lost some dexterity and plastic instrument prowess to the sands of time. Though you’re not gonna find the equipment you need anywhere outside an online marketplace or local game store, the tracks are just as awesome as they were in the mid-aughts. The innovative franchise somehow made multiplayer gaming even more social and collaborative.
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