Feeling Back Pain Yet?
The greatest-selling gaming console of all time is officially old enough to rent a car from Hertz. The PlayStation 2 wasn’t just a console; it was a household essential. Everyone had one, or at least knew someone who did. With one of the most legendary game libraries ever assembled, the PS2 defined an era. So while we wait for more of its classics to make their way to modern hardware, let’s fire up the nostalgia engine and revisit our – 25 best PS2 games of all time – from this early-2000s relic in honor and celebration of its 25th! – By the way, this list is not ranked in any specific order – we love them all.
Honorable Mentions – I want to give a shoutout to Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne – It’s just infinitely better to play on PC so I can’t in good faith place it on this list. I really enjoy the western-game GUN – but I played it first as a launch title for the Xbox 360. Also – Tony Hawk’s Underground almost made the list.
Table of Contents
Bully
A wonderfully juvenile take on the GTA formula. We play as lovable bad-boy rebel Jimmy, trying to maneuver and survive at Bullworth Academy — a place full of bullies and maniacs. Stink bombs, hallway brawls, Halloween pranks — this game has everything you’d expect out of GTA Jr.
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sly and the gang are back on a mission to collect all the Clockwerk parts before they can be reassembled. With improved controls, new upgrades, a more fleshed-out narrative, an actual health bar, and playable Bentley and Murray segments, this entry easily stands out as the best in the series.
Resident Evil 4
Arguably the father of the third-person shooter, this classic follows our favorite rookie cop turned secret service agent on a mission to rescue the president’s daughter. Leon finds himself deep in rural Spain, where a deranged neo-pagan cult has its sights set on world domination. Infected with a parasite that’s slowly stripping away his humanity, he must save Ashley, stop the cult, and find a cure. Chainsaw-wielding lunatics, towering monsters, a pint-sized Napoleon, and a damsel in distress all come together to create one gloriously B-movie-esque masterpiece.
(Preorder Resident Evil Requiem Deluxe Edition + Steelbook – PlayStation 5)
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Deadly Alliance brought a dead series back to life — and Deception made it bigger, badder, and bolder. The Dragon King Onaga has returned from the grave with his sights set on reclaiming his throne. Our favorite kombatants step up to stop this scaly tyrant and save the realms. Beyond the arcade mode, we got Tetris Kombat, a full-fledged 3D story-driven RPG mode, and even a surprisingly entertaining Chess Kombat.
(Buy Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection for Playstation 5)
SIREN
A bizarre and underrated gem, Siren follows a large cast of characters trapped in a haunted village in rural Japan. The game takes a uniquely intricate approach to storytelling, using a kind of butterfly-effect progression — unlocking a door that isn’t even part of your objective might open a new path for another character in a later mission. Unorthodox as it is, Siren’s eerie atmosphere and J-horror aesthetic make it stand out from nearly every other title of its time.
Shadow of the Colossus
An epic yet deceptively simple masterpiece. A lone man sets out on a quest to bring his beloved back to life — by obeying a mysterious, booming voice that demands he slay all the Colossi, towering beasts that roam a vast and haunting land. With minimalist gameplay and storytelling set against one of the most breathtakingly beautiful worlds ever crafted, this title rightfully earned its place among the greatest games of its generation.
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Before the gritty, hyper-realistic style of the 360 era, we had the “History Channel reenactment” phase of war games. This title fits right in — basically a cable-friendly Band of Brothers. The characters and dialogue are surprisingly engaging, and while the set pieces and battles aren’t as gruesome as later entries, they’re still a blast to play through.
Smackdown vs Raw 2007
Guaranteed to please any wrestling fan, this game has “mid-2000s” written all over it. The soundtrack is a perfect time capsule of hip-hop, rap, rock, and alternative bangers. SmackDown vs. Raw is packed to the brim with content and modes — every match type you can imagine, a create-a-wrestler feature, and a full story mode. It offers hours of chaotic fun. Sure, the combat, commentary, and physics haven’t exactly aged gracefully, but that only adds to its charm — much like watching a gloriously over-the-top wrestling match from the late ’80s.
Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
King of the tie-in game genre. Peter Jackson took a hands-on approach with this one, making it clear he didn’t want another half-baked, movie-based cash-in. The entire cast reprises their roles and delivers phenomenal performances. Rather than a strict shot-for-shot adaptation, the narrative was tweaked for better pacing. Playing as Jack offers an action-adventure-survival horror experience that’s genuinely intense, while controlling Kong and smashing a V-Rex’s jaws? Nothing short of epic.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run
The most shameless — and utterly entertaining — GTA clone ever made. Springfield is overrun by mysterious camera drones, and no one knows why. Government cover-up? Elaborate prank? Nope — Earth has been turned into a reality TV show… for aliens! The entire cast is here, the show’s writers infused their signature humor, and overall, it’s just a blast cruising around a fully realized Springfield and interacting with its quirky townsfolk.
Destroy All Humans!
A perfect love letter to ’50s sci-fi, Destroy All Humans! follows Crypto and his alien overlord on a mission to study, probe, and conquer planet Earth. One of the funniest games on the PS2, it fully leans into its 1950s setting — a world where everyone is secretly jaded and bitter beneath the façade of a perfect suburban life. Armed to the teeth, you’re packing serious heat to zap, disintegrate, blow up, and generally wreak utter havoc. Make no mistake — these aliens emphatically do not come in peace.
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Another quintessential PS2 classic, Up Your Arsenal isn’t just a clever title — it takes the series’ fast-paced, run-and-gun formula and cranks it to exhilarating new heights. The combination of inventive gunplay, snappy platforming and more witty humor keeps every level engaging, making this entry arguably the greatest in a long-running and beloved series.
Jak 3
Another banger and the third entry in a beloved series featuring an iconic duo. I want to like Jak 2 more, but that brutal checkpoint system keeps it off this list. If you play the games in order and survive Jak 2, this one feels like a breeze by comparison. It still offers a fair amount of challenge, but nothing punishing — striking what feels like the perfect balance of everything the series had built up to this point. I’m also a sucker for rough desert landscapes.
God of War 2
Wow, “2 Disc Set”… Remember those times? The original God of War trilogy is legendary for its sheer badassery, with Kratos becoming progressively angrier and more unstoppable as the series goes on — each game outdoing the last in intensity and excitement. Everyone should go back and enjoy the OG God of War games before playing this newer modern sequel series.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
If you’ve never played a Metal Gear Solid game, this is the perfect place to start — it’s both newcomer-friendly and canonically the first in the series. The story is excellent, though you don’t need to overthink it to enjoy the experience. This game set the standard for modern stealth mechanics, captivating players with its cinematic presentation, tight gameplay, and unforgettable soundtrack.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
The godfather of the parkour 3D platformer, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time combines fluid movement, inventive rewind mechanics, and incredibly satisfying traversal to make every playthrough a blast. On top of that, its story, characters, setting, and tone cement it as one of the greatest games of all time!… Yes, I did that on purpose.
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Sam Fisher’s most intense mission remains unmatched. This game expanded the possibilities of stealth gameplay, giving players a versatile arsenal and multiple ways to approach objectives. While its big brother Metal Gear often gets more of the spotlight, Splinter Cell offered greater mission variety, replayability, and tactical options in my opinion. I honestly hope this series makes a comeback at some point because Blacklist SUCKED.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening
After the abysmal disaster that was Devil May Cry 2, the only way was up — and Devil May Cry 3 soared. One of the greatest action games of all time, it’s endlessly replayable, with an incredible soundtrack, nonstop stylish combat, and over-the-top silliness that never takes itself too seriously. Fun, challenging, and utterly memorable, it’s a damn near-perfect game from start to finish. The towering ascent, cool bosses, and pursuit of SSStyle make this devilishly satisfying.
Star Wars Battlefront 2
Before the gaming market got flooded with loot boxes and microtransactions, things were simpler. Whatever we dreamed of unlocking in a game, we earned—by playing, not paying. Nowadays, just mentioning ‘Star Wars’ might trigger an eye-roll or a sigh, but there was a time when Star Wars games dominated our free time. The first Battlefront was solid, sure, but the sequel gave us more to do—it allowed our imaginations to run wild with the big PvE battles before online gaming took over the following generation.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Between this game and San Andreas, VICE captured the spirit and magic of gaming’s biggest satire. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a neon-soaked love letter to the 1980s. This game is packed with over-the-top characters, offensive humor and an alive and vibrant satire of Miami to explore and cause mayhem.
Psychonauts
A game that’s weird in all the best ways. You’re jumping into peoples brains and fighting all of their negative thoughts. One of the most imaginative and whacky games – possibly ever. The game is hilarious, it’s clever, and it’s unforgettable. It might not be the greatest game mechanically – but it stays with you just for how ingeniusly creative it is.
Manhunt
One of the main culprits of why your mom always claimed that video games caused children to turn into psychos – honestly, as much as I disagree with this sentiment – Manhunt is a pretty compelling argument for it. This game is brutal. You sneak through dark alleyways and take out enemies in frightfully twisted and cruel ways. But who cares? It’s hilarious, insane, and straight-up awesome.
SSX 3
I’ve always been a huge snowboarding fan… in video games. Aside from the fact that the greatest game that will ever be made is in this genre, SSX 3 is also a timeless shred. With its entire mountain to explore, you get more value for your buck. Kickass cool soundtrack, that classic radical early-2000s vibe, and living out your fantasies of being a cool snowboarding dude tearing down black diamonds without the actual risk of going down the bunny slope—it’s all here!
Silent Hill 2
Enter the foggy town through the eyes of tortured clerk James Sunderland. In pursuit of his missing wife, James descends into a psychological nightmare where nothing is as it seems—harrowing levels, haunting memories, and a town that seems alive with its own dark secrets. The original Silent Hill 2 is, no hyperbole, one of the greatest games ever made—and one of the best showcases of deep psychological horror as an art form in gaming. This is a MUST-PLAY for all gamers.
(Buy Silent Hill f Day One Edition)
Silent Hill 4: The Room
Yeah, yeah. I know – 2 games of the same series back-to-back? Deal with it. Our list – our rules. Anyway – wonky gameplay, fantastic story. Silent Hill 4 departed from the series formula and went for something more of a murder-mystery/suspense angle. This is a narrative that unfolds; it doesn’t just play it safe and try to take a left turn out of nowhere. It progresses very organically and will leave any horror fan at the edge of their seat.
(Checkout Phil’s full retrospective here)
Here’s to 25 more years of Playstation!
I don’t really know how else to end this. Great games. Fond memories. Let’s hope all of these games become accessible on modern consoles—I know I’m a broken record, but seriously…
