Summary
- PlayStation 2 was dethroned by Switch in 2024 after a lasting reign. North America received PSP in 2005.
- 2025 marks three PlayStation anniversaries and the potential for sequels to PS2 games.
- God of War remains brutal, Guitar Hero is still party hit, Yakuza and TimeSplitters continue to be must-plays twenty years later.
The PS2 was an unprecedented success following the PS1, which was Sony’s debut console. It reigned supreme for decades but was just recently dethroned in sales by the Switch in 2024. 2005 came near the end of the PS2’s peak, but alongside it, North America got the PSP which debuted in the West a year after Japan.
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Between the two consoles, PlayStation fans have a lot of anniversaries to celebrate in 2025. Are there more PS2 games than PSP games turning 20 in 2025, and what of their qualities? Let’s run down some of the best PlayStation games celebrating twenty years of service in 2025 and hopefully predict if big things are on the horizon.
8
Cold Fear
A Watery Rival To A Masterpiece
Cold Fear
Survival Horror
Third-Person Shooter
- Released
-
May 17, 2005
- Developer(s)
-
Darkworks
Cold Fear had the unfortunate fate of following Resident Evil 4’s debut on the GameCube just a few months later. Any horror game that followed that classic had a hard time getting off the ground regardless of quality. Cold Fear definitely falls more in the line of a goofy horror game with cheesy dialogue and gameplay that can be a bit finicky. However, the setting was unique for a horror game, on a boat, and it’s one of the few horror games that Ubisoft has ever published.
While it isn’t available to emulate on modern Xbox systems, it does run well on the Steam Deck for anyone who wants to give this forgotten horror game a chance on its 20th anniversary. Unfortunately, PlayStation owners aren’t that lucky at the moment unless they have a physical copy and an old console to plug in.
7
Front Mission 5: Scars Of The War
Three Lost Anniversaries
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
- Released
-
December 29, 2005
- Developer(s)
-
Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
-
Square Enix
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War was the mainline release for the franchise in 2005, but there were two other games too. Front Mission: Online was also a PS2 game that took the future mech wars into multiplayer territory, and then Front Mission 2089 was a standard tactical RPG on the DS. The real kicker is that none of these games were released outside of Japan.
Square Enix has been doing good work to revitalize the franchise, like releasing a remake of Front Mission 2 in 2023 after 26 years of not being available in North America. Could 2025 be the year Western fans get to play any of these titles that are now celebrating twenty years of service? It is the 30th anniversary of the franchise altogether, so it would be a good time to release or announce something about its future.
6
God Of War
Another Gory Tale Of The Ancient Greeks
- Released
-
March 22, 2005
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the God of War series, which all began on the PS2. It was a late entry in the console’s lifecycle and one of the most brutal games on the system too. Kratos was an angry man, betrayed by the gods, who tricked him into killing his family and wearing their ashes on his skin.
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That’s pretty messed up, but it fits with the series’ Greek Mythology angle, as most of those creation stories are messed up too. God of War quickly became one of the best-selling PS2 games, leading to sequels and remasters that continue on the modern console generation.
5
Guitar Hero
Become A Living Room Rock Legend
Guitar Hero (2005)
- Released
-
November 8, 2005
- Developer(s)
-
Harmonix Music Systems
The music genre was not a new one in 2005, as Dance Dance Revolution was popular on consoles and in arcades alike. Guitar Hero was a game-changer though, as it allowed players to feel like a rock god from the comfort of their home. This first game flew off the shelves quickly, leading to closets full of plastic guitars and later other instruments as sequels came out.
The series, perhaps, grew too big too fast, leading to its eventual downfall. There hasn’t been a new game since Guitar Hero Live in 2015 and the original Guitar Hero was never remastered. Still, it can be thanked on its 20th anniversary for giving college dorms another reason to party in 2005 on the PS2.
Fusing Deck-Building RPGs And Stealth Gameplay
- Developer: Konami
- Publisher: Konami
- Released: December 8, 2005 (Japan)
- Platform: PSP, Mobile Devices (Japan Only)
Metal Gear Acid 2 is the biggest PSP game of note that’s turning twenty in 2005. While it didn’t make the North American cut until 2006, the West did get the first game shortly after the PSP’s launch. Metal Gear Acid 2 would be the last and only sequel for this spinoff series, which stars an alternative Solid Snake working with a female agent named Venus.
It was a vast improvement over the original thanks to the new cel-shaded art style, story, bosses, card integration into the gameplay, and more. Plus, it came with cardboard VR goggles that worked, albeit not as well as future PlayStation VR endeavors internally.
3
Shadow Of The Colossus
Climbing Titans To Stardom
- Released
-
October 18, 2005
- Publisher(s)
-
Sony Computer Entertainment
Shadow of the Colossus towers above many PS2 games released in and outside of 2005 with an incredible sense of scale. It could be boiled down to a boss rush game, but one set in a world that produces a chilling atmosphere. Why is this boy killing these titans? Where are all the people? Who is the voice guiding the boy’s hand?
7:46
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Could defeating them awaken the girl? It was all a mystery, but avid fans over the years have dug into more context clues. The game was remastered in 2011 and then completely remade in 2018, which is the best way to play nowadays thanks to improved controls and visuals, but the PS2 original is still stunning.
2
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
Ending On A High
In 2024, fans of the TimeSplitters franchise were gifted an early treat on PS5, as all three games were released online. Premium PS+ members could play the entire trilogy from start to finish and relive the good old days of time-traveling shooter shenanigans. They’re also available on Xbox for backwards compatibility.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect was the last game released in the series, and while there were plans for a fourth title, they were canceled. It’s another example of a series burning hot at the start of its life in 2000 and then quickly dying out. At least fans can rest easy knowing that all three games are still must-plays, with this finale ending with a bang, not a whimper.
1
Yakuza
The Dragon Of Dojima Awakens
Action-Adventure
Beat ‘Em Up
- Released
-
September 5, 2006
2025 is a big year for the Yakuza franchise, which began twenty years ago in 2005 in Japan and 2006 in North America. While there are similarities between the two early PS2 games, the series has evolved drastically over time. There were RPG elements and the open-world nature was integrated better into the city life.
In its twenty years of service, Sega has helped produce eight mainline games, a prequel, and several spinoffs of this series. It’s one of the most stacked Sega franchises in recent history and there’s seemingly no slowdown yet, with a new spinoff, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, set to release sometime in 2025. Plus, this first game did get a remake in 2016 on the PS3 and PS4 called Yakuza Kiwami which didn’t leave Japan until 2017, but only the PS4 version was released overseas.
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