The Best PS2 Games According To Metacritic

The PlayStation revolutionized the face of gaming by introducing 3D games that didn’t require a pricey microchip, add-on, or an expensive ‘multimedia system’. Then it was succeeded by the PlayStation 2, which became the most successful console ever made…eventually. People weren’t actually hot on its limited library at release, including some Dreamcast ports that were mostly better on Sega’s machine. Then, because it was the first out of the door, its specs and hardware weren’t quite as advanced as that of Microsoft’s new Xbox and the Nintendo Gamecube.

However, that head start would make it the primary console of its generation. People who picked the PS2 up as a cheaper DVD player soon found they were on the first floor to play some of the best, most groundbreaking games in history. Which led to many more getting their own PS2, until it sold 160 million units. For anyone wanting to try out this classic console, or are after that hit of nostalgia, here are just a few of the PlayStation 2’s greatest hits.

Updated December 8, 2024, by Dave Heath: Originally, this list ranked games based on their Metacritic ratings alone, which produced some interesting rankings. Magazines back in the 2000s really liked their Madden games. Not to insult the gridiron franchise and its entries, but are Madden‘s 02-04 truly better than Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, Final Fantasy 10, and Shadow of the Colossus?

This update does away with the Metacritic angle to offer a wide variety of games that showed what the PS2 could do. Some people preferred the Xbox for the FPS joy of Halo, or the quirky, creative titles the Gamecube offered. But for epic adventures, touching stories, fighting game fun, and getting the winning touchdown, people often went to the PS2.

16 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

The Cinematic Platformer Gets a Facelift for the 2000s

The original Prince of Persia was the genesis for cinematic platformers. Its games used more realistic physics to help its heroes get around elaborate obstacles and traps. Flashback, Out of this World, and Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssee all own something to Jordan Mechner’s old-school action adventure title. However, when 3D gaming became the norm, adapting the Arabian adventurer to the third dimension proved to be a challenge. Prince of Persia 3D is best left forgotten.

Ubisoft had better luck when they revived it as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Like the original, it sees an unnamed prince try to save a princess from a wicked vizier. But now, he works with the princess to stop the vizier from using the titular Sands to take control of the land of Azad. The Prince can fight back, but combat isn’t the main focus. Instead, with the Dagger of Time, the player can rewind time by 10 seconds to find openings to strike back, get the right time to jump around tricky obstacles, or avoid death.

15 Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

The PS1’s Best Racing Series Makes Its PS2 Debut

The PS1 was a pretty good system for crazier car games, like the sleek, futuristic fun of the Wipeout games, the kart racing challenge of Crash Team Racing, or the gas-powered mayhem of Twisted Metal. But players who wanted something more realistic gravitated towards the Gran Turismo games. The first game became the PS1’s best-selling game of all time, and its sequel was its gameplay peak. Then Polyphony Digital had to make a sequel for the PS2.

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec is a bit of a two-steps-forward, one-step-back affair. The graphics were stellar for their time, and the vehicle handling got more realistic, especially if players were using the GT Force steering wheel, which applied force feedback with each turn and maneuver. However, it had fewer cars on offer than GT2, and its challenging gameplay made getting upgrades tough. Nonetheless, it’s still part of the series’ golden age, standing proud with its predecessor and its smoother successor Gran Turismo 4.

14 Resident Evil 4

Too Big for One Console to Keep

Resident Evil 4 was meant to be a Gamecube exclusive. It was part of the ‘Capcom 5’, next to Viewtiful Joe, Killer 7, P.N.03 and Dead Phoenix, which would all help beef up the Gamecube’s library. Instead, Dead Phoenix got canceled, and all but P.N.03 got ports to other consoles. Still, Nintendo had the last laugh. The PS2 ports of RE4, VJ, and K7 are generally considered to be weaker than their originals, thanks to their graphical compromises, longer load times, etc.

However, RE4 on PS2 did boast some extra features. It was the first version of the game to offer the ‘Separate Ways’ campaign, where players saw what Leon’s frenemy Ada was doing during her side of the game. It also offered new outfits and weapons, like the P.R.L laser gun, which could instantly kill any foe once fully charged. These features would be carried over to every subsequent port of the game, leaving the Gamecube original looking prettier, but more bareboned by comparison.

13 Devil May Cry

An Aborted Survival Horror Sequel Became a Genre-Defining Classic

It’s a familiar story today: Hideki Kamiya’s Resident Evil 4 sequel was deemed too ‘action-heavy’ by producer and series creator Shinji Mikami, who suggested it should be its own game instead. As a result, it became Devil May Cry. The demon hunter Dante travels to Mallet Island, where Mundus, the monstrosity that was responsible for killing his mother and brother, is planning to rise again after being smote by Dante’s legendary demonic father, Sparda.

It still shows some of its RE roots, like its set camera angles, Dante’s inner monologue, elaborate death scenes, and cheesy voice acting. But the mission-based levels, secret challenges, smooth melee combat, and its grading system made it fresh and new back in 2001. Its formula has since been refined, including by Kamiya himself with Bayonetta, but DMC1 was the first game to get the party started.

12 Madden NFL 2005

Making the Winning Play on the PS2

• Developer: EA Tiburon
• Platforms: PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC
• Release: August 2004
• Genre: Sports sim

Based on their Metascores, critics preferred Madden NFL 2005‘s predecessors, particularly 2003. Yet when the series’ fans are asked which PS2 Madden game was the best, they opt for either 2005 or 2008. The latter did have some nice features, but the game was better on its HD counterparts, like the Xbox 360 and PS3. While the former expanded on its predecessor with a refined Franchise mode, varied plays and extra creative options.

The Franchise mode introduced Storyline Central, which turned the player’s team into a group of individuals with their own quirks and needs instead of a horde of NPCs. If players didn’t care for the extra drama, they could vary their defensive plays through Defensive Playmaker Control, helping them fine-tune their team against the tricky AI. Then they could time their stick-flicking right to barrel into a rival player to stop them dead in their tracks, all while their customized fans cheer them on.

11 Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution

Sega’s Iconic Fighter Takes on the Competition

Virtua Fighter isn’t the flashiest series around. When Ryu was flinging fireballs in Street Fighter 2, and Kazuya was flinging his father off a cliff in Tekken, VF was satisfied with just offering players 3D fighting fun. Considering it was the first (proper) 3D fighting game, and certainly the one with the best gameplay, it could afford to rely on these fundamentals over fancy cutscenes and extra modes. It’s still going strong today, with Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O due to revolutionize the series’ 5th installment by being VF5‘s 5th re-release.

That isn’t the only reason it’s called R.E.V.O either, as it’s harking back to Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution (‘VF4: Evo’). It was a reworking of the original Virtua Fighter 4. This game built on its beginner-friendly controls with an extensive training mode, offered more ways to customize characters, and had a Quest Mode that saw players test their skills against AI opponents based on real VF 4 master players. All it lacked was VF4‘s AI training mode, where players could make their own AI fighter akin to Tekken 8‘s Ghost Battles.

10 Tekken 5

The King of Iron Fist Reclaims Its Throne

The 2000s weren’t the best time for fighting games. With the death of the arcade scene, and online play not being commonplace until later in the decade, fans didn’t have much to work with. Dedicated fans could find the likes of Guilty Gear X2 #Reload and the Melty Blood franchise. But without the right arcades, or the right hardware, players only had access to the genre’s biggest hitters. For an in-depth combat experience, there was VF4: Evo. For multiple characters, flashy combos, and plenty of gameplay modes, there was Tekken 5.

The game was a shift back to formula, after Tekken 4‘s approach to space control didn’t find favor with fans. T5 retained T4‘s walled stages, but had more of the old school endless-style stages too. More classic characters came back, like Bruce and Anna, as well as new ones like Asuka, Raven, and Feng Wei. Devil Jin also became playable for the first time, bringing back his T3 move set with the Devil’s laser-blasting moves.

9 Grand Theft Auto 3

Taking Liberties With the City

Some older games get higher Metascores than their more refined sequels because of the hype. The first game introduced the new, groundbreaking, fancy gameplay that helped it stand out, making it a must-buy experience. Its sequels just become extensions of their core experience, until they and the rest of the series become another part of the market. Hence, why GTA Vice City and San Andreas are arguably better games than GTA 3, but had less hype.

The GTA games always courted controversy, but its 2D top-down gameplay was ancient compared to, say, Driver‘s open-world racing. Bringing it into 3D, as Claude does odd jobs for the Mafia and other mobsters as he tracks down his ex-girlfriend Catalina, was much more modern. It became one of the most essential titles for its generation, and a system seller for the PS2 before it went multiformat.

8 God Of War

The Ghost of Sparta’s Bloody Debut

By the time God of War hit the scene, hack & slash games had been an established genre. IPs like Marvel’s Ghost Rider and even The Nightmare Before Christmas produced games that saw the player character pulling off combos for high rankings. But after Kratos started his quest for vengeance against Ares, the god who tricked him into killing his own family, hack & slashers began following its lead.

The original game shows its age today, as its graphics and difficulty curve aren’t as refined as later entries. Still, its epic setpieces, and gameplay that was simple to grasp but tricky to master, made it a hit. On top of its five sequels, its formula made its way into rivals like Heavenly Sword, Dante’s Inferno, and the Werehog sections in Sonic Unleashed.

7 Shadow of the Colossus

The Premier Game for Giant Killing

For God of War, Sony Santa Monica Studios had wanted to turn the Titan Cronos into a level unto himself. However, time constraints led them to reduce it to a cutscene. They’d go back to the idea for God of War 3, but by then, Shadow of the Colossus had shown players what it’s like to turn giants into platform challenges. In the game, Wander rides through the open world on Agro, his horse, in search of 16 giants. In vanquishing each one, he thinks it will revive Mono, a girl sacrificed for her ‘cursed destiny.’

Each of the colossi offer a different challenge, as players have to get up close enough to them to find their weak point: a glowing sigil. Some have to be climbed, where players have to hold on tight to avoid being shaken off. Others require Agro’s help, or diving into deep water to reach them. It’s an understated, melancholy game that’s inspired a lot of successors.

6 Okami

Perhaps the PS2’s Most Underrated Game

Today, Okami is considered a classic title, as players help Amaterasu save the world from darkness by fighting off foes with a variety of weapons. The most intriguing of these is the Celestial Brush. Players can use it to draw different shapes that can produce different attacks, get around obstacles, open new paths, and more. Both it and Amaterasu’s stats can be improved with Praise, which is earned by doing sidequests and other little side activities.

So, why did it flop on release? Critics loved this game, as did anyone who did give it a try. It did have flaws, like uneven difficulty, though this didn’t stop its rivals. The game was released late in the PS2’s lifespan, where even its biggest successes had trouble standing out. Its unique woodblock painting-inspired graphics weren’t as wow-inducing as the next-gen games either, despite being picturesque in their own right. As such, the game’s re-releases on modern machines ended up getting a better reception.

The Greatest Trick Hideo Kojima Ever Pulled

Metal Gear started in 1987, but for most people, it may as well have begun in 1998 with Metal Gear Solid. Its mix of fun stealth gameplay with its elaborate twist-filled plot reinvented the franchise. People wanted more, and creator Hideo Kojima kept them on the edge of their seat for its sequel, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. They thought they’d play more of Solid Snake as he snuck around an oil tanker in search for a new conspiracy surrounding a bipedal nuke-launching tank.

They did get that, for about one-third of the game. The remainder followed a new character, Raiden. Kojima took players on a meta journey asking why people wanted to be Solid Snake, why they wanted a sequel to MGS1, and how he and his team played with those expectations. He also commented on the control of digital information, how people pass on their memes (i.e. culture, history, religion, not cat pics), and different ways to mess with NPCs. It was a hit, though fans couldn’t help but feel that they got trolled.

4 Final Fantasy 10

The Iconic RPG Series Begins a New Journey

• Developer: Square Product Development Division 1
• Platform: PS2
• Release: December 2001
• Genre: RPG

The PS1’s success saw it pick up a number of classic series. Squaresoft’s Final Fantasy franchise reached new heights with Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 9, among spin-offs like Final Fantasy Tactics. With the PS2 on the horizon, expectations were high. The console was meant to be a graphical powerhouse, so Final Fantasy 10 had to wow people with its looks along with its gameplay. The game was a success graphics-wise, as it still looks beautiful today. Its other aspects are another story.

Every FF game is the best game in the series for one player, and the worst for another. FF10 is no different. Some players detested its voice acting, linear gameplay, and janky Blitzball game. Others loved its story, which tied in themes of racial tension, corruption, and more to produce one of the series’ more emotional endings. Its new battle and summon mechanics added variety, as players could tailor characters in different ways through the Sphere Grid. Anyone could be a healer, powerhouse, or other class via one path or another on its grid.

3 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

When Chaos Was Acceptable in the 80s

GTA 3 gave players a city as a sandbox and told them to go nuts, turning the humble crime series into a juggernaut. But when it comes to GTA‘s PS2 pinnacle, players tend to be torn between Vice City and San Andreas. The latter had more to go in a bigger world, though its 90s L.A. street culture setting arguably didn’t have the charm of GTA: VC‘s 80s excess.

Players help Tommy Vercetti get revenge on the punks who tried to rub him out in a drug bust gone wrong through a cavalcade of 1980s homages. Offering a Miami-based city filled with different vehicles, activities, missions, and gangsters, players could spot references to Scarface, Miami Vice and more while blasting their way through gang wars, watch polygonal strippers do their thing, or simply ride on the beach to 80s hits like ‘Billie Jean.’

2 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Worth a 9, If Not a Perfect 10

If being the next incarnation of Tony Montana didn’t do it for players, taking the city back for the Grove Street Families in GTA: San Andreas would. It had all the carnage, drugs, and murder a fan could want, but its incomplete ‘Hot Coffee’ minigame would be the feature that caused the most trouble. Players would join their date indoors for some ‘hot coffee’, and simulate something other than drinking, so to speak. It was scrapped because it wasn’t really fun, but Rockstar North dummied it out instead of removing it completely. It took one mod to re-enable it, and it caused a furor so big that GTA‘s rivals would reference it.

Nowadays, players are more into its vast overworld, gameplay features, and memorable characters than its old controversies. Still, it did make Rockstar completely cut out Hot Coffee’s data from all re-releases, including its (not-so) Definitive Edition.

A Virtuous Re-Release of the Stealth Series’ Peak

• Developer: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan/Kojima Productions
• Platforms: PS2 (original), PS2, Xbox 360, PS Vita (via MGS HD Collection), PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC (via MGS Master Collection Vol.1)
• Release: March 2006
• Genre: Stealth action adventure game

Japanese and North American fans might have felt hard done by with their copies of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The European port came with exclusive features like the Boss Duel Mode, bonus camouflage, a Demo Theater for cutscenes, and two extra missions in Snake Vs Monkey mode. But they didn’t have to grumble for long. Sll of those features and more came their way in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. It split these features across 3 discs, which each had fancy names like ‘Subsistence,’ ‘Persistence,’ and ‘Existence.’

The most fundamental change was a movable camera, as the top-down view of Snake Eater was more awkward in its more open levels than MGS1 & 2‘s tight corridors. It now resembled the Splinter Cell and Hitman games, where players could shift to any angle for better sneaking. The game also had an online mode, which is still being played today thanks to fan servers. While it did get re-released in later collections, they removed its online mode, duel mode, and Snake Vs Monkey missions, making Subsistence a worthy (and pricey) game to track down.