Best PS2 Multiplayer Games For More Than Two Players

Many video game consoles have made an undeniable mark on the industry, but the leap forward that came with the PlayStation 2 is unbelievable. The Sony console brought with it many impressive features and what’s largely considered to be one of the best libraries of games for any console.

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The PlayStation 2 found tremendous success with most of its ideas, but it also pushed forward certain innovations that flew under the radar. The PS2 is largely a two-player console, but the advent of Sony’s multitap allowed more people to jump in on the multiplayer action. However, most people might not have used this feature all that much.

Updated on February 14, 2025, by Michael Llewellyn: The PS2 was and still is an excellent console. Whether one wants to play single-player games or dust it off for a nostalgic night of local co-op gaming the PlayStation 2 is a reliable choice with gameplay that surpasses its age. This list is updated to include another title with excellent multiplayer co-op for more than two players (WWE SmackDown vs. Raw).

23

WWE SmackDown! Vs. Raw

Six-Player Multiplayer Matches With A Multitap Peripheral

Systems

Released

November 2, 2004

Although it’s not as iconic as WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain, the sixth installment in the SmackDown series was the first to feature the brand rivalry between Raw and SmackDown and is still a solid entry. It features updated graphics, a detailed create-a-wrestler mode, and a new challenge mode to unlock more wrestlers and content. It featured legends like Brutus The Barber Beefcake, Bret Hart, Andre The Giant, The Road Warriors/The Legion of Doom, and more.

With a multitap peripheral, up to six players can join in local co-op tag team matches. However, the biggest disappointment is that, in exchange for improved presentation and features, WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW has a smaller roster than its predecessor.

22

Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Four-Player Co-Op Action RPG

Released

October 24, 2006

Marvel Ultimate Alliance is a dungeon-crawler-style action role-playing game, similar to the Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance series and the X-Men Legends games before it. It’s a good single-player game where players can switch characters on the fly, but it’s even better with friends in local co-op mode. Marvel Ultimate Alliance supports up to four players at once.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance offers a diverse roster of characters, including Spider-Man, Captain America, Hulk, The Fantastic Four, Blade, and Daredevil, among others. It remains one of the best superhero games ever made and features a decent story with one of Marvel’s greatest villains, Dr. Doom. Doom has put together a faction called “The Masters of Evil” that includes a good rogues gallery of minor and major supervillains as minibosses and main bosses.

21

Champions Of Norrath

Up To Four-Player Local Co-Op

Champions of Norrath

Systems

Released

February 10, 2004

Champions of Norrath was one of the PlayStation 2’s best and most polished action RPGs. It’s also an excellent multiplayer game that supports up to four players in local co-op. It is set in the same universe as the long-running EverQuest MMORPG series. Champions run on the same engine as Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance but feature more in-depth character customization, smoother gameplay, and tons of randomized loot to find by fighting through its varied 50 missions and levels.

Some of the more challenging enemies in Champions of Norrath require strategic approaches rather than hacking and slashing through hordes of mindless goblins, and players have the option of choosing from five different classes. Playable characters include the Barbarian Warrior, a strong Conan-like warrior who is a master of melee weapons; the Wood Elf Ranger, a skilled archer; the Erudite Wizard, a formidable magic user; the High Elf Cleric, a healer; and the Dark Elf Shadow Knight, who combines weapons and sorcery.

20

X-Men Legends

Four-Player Co-Op Action RPG

X-Men Legends

Released

September 21, 2004

Those who want to live out the fantasy of being one of the X-Men mutants will have a blast with X-Men Legends. This PS2 release dropped in 2004 and gave players the chance to jump into a top-down beat-em-up featuring some of the best characters from the X-Men franchise. There are 15 different characters to choose from, each with their own unique abilities and powers, with popular names like Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Rogue, and Storm making the roster alongside others.

A couch-cooperative affair, up to four players can hop into this adventure and fight alongside one another as they fight foes and iconic X-Men bosses and enemies. It’s one of the better cooperative experiences out there and a great choice for those who like beat-em-up style releases.

19

Tales Of The Abyss

Four-Player Co-Op In Battles

Systems

Released

October 10, 2006

Developer(s)

Namco Tales Studio

There were a lot of great RPGs present on the PS2 but many of them are single-player adventures. Thankfully, there are a handful of RPG releases that allow for multiple players and a few that open themselves up to more than two players at a time. Tales of the Abyss is perhaps one of the best examples of this, giving players the opportunity to enjoy a couch-cooperative RPG experience with a robust story and classic RPG elements. All of the overworld and exploration elements are controlled by one player, but things open up to upwards of four people at one time during combat. It’s a great title with fun and engaging content that will keep players engaged for hours, even when they’re not controlling the action.

18

Shrek 2

Four-Player Co-Op

Movie tie-in games are rarely seen today, but back in the early 2000s, almost every major film release with action sequences had a video game adaptation. Many of these games struggled to impress fans and critics, likely due to them having to stick to tight release schedules that coincided with the film’s release.

Although Shrek 2 is far from a masterpiece, the 4-player PS2 game does offer some great action-packed fun and is still worth a play today for any group looking for some simplistic entertainment.

17

WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain

Six-Player Matches With A Peripheral

Systems

Released

October 27, 2003

WWE video games were once considered to be among the most enjoyable multiplayer sporting releases, with Royal Rumble matches, in particular, bringing hours of joy. Unfortunately, WWE’s gaming franchise has since taken a nosedive, with WWE 2K20‘s disastrous launch being the last straw for many fans.

Thankfully, the classic pro-wrestling games still exist, and WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain remains an absolute blast to play. Up to six people can join the action and have a wealth of iconic WWE stars to choose from.

16

Crash Nitro Kart

Four-Player Racing

Released

November 11, 2003

Vicarious Visions’ Crash Nitro Kart may not have lived up to the high standards that Naughty Dog set with Crash Team Racing in 1999, but it’s still a fantastic kart racer in its own right and great fun to play with friends.

Racing isn’t the only multiplayer mode that Crash Nitro Kart offers, as the game also brings back the Battle Mode from the PlayStation 1 classic.

15

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003

Four-Player Matches

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003

Released

October 29, 2002

Released in October 2002, EA’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 is the highest-rated golf gaming of all time on Metacritic, with a PC Metascore of 92. The game is also excellent on PS2 and allows up to four players to compete across multiple game modes.

Most of the multiplayer modes can be played by alternating with just one controller. Speed golf, however, must be played simultaneously as it requires players to chase after their ball once they’ve hit it, leading to some great golfing races.

14

Buzz!: The Mega Quiz

Eight-Player Games

Buzz!: The Mega Quiz

Systems

Released

October 30, 2007

Although most of the PlayStation 2’s attempts at creating innovative equipment like the EyeToy fell flat, there were a few that performed well; one of which is the Buzz! Buzzer.

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Buzz! The BIG Quiz was the second entry into the Buzz! franchise, and is one of a whopping 13 games from the franchise that appeared on the PlayStation 2. Buzz! The BIG Quiz was a huge hit with causal gamers, earning it the 2006 BAFTA for best Casual and Social game.

13

Rock Band 2

Four-Player Co-Op Mode

Released

December 18, 2008

Developer(s)

Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.

The Rock Band series finally gave people the chance to get a band together with friends while giving them the safety of a virtual crowd to ensure that no fruit would be thrown at the struggling vocalist.

Rock Band differentiated itself from its Guitar Hero competitor by allowing four people to play simultaneously with microphone, drum, lead guitar, and bass guitar controllers.

12

FIFA 2003

Up To Eight Players Can Face Off In Local Versus

FIFA Soccer 2003

Released

November 14, 2002

Developer(s)

EA Canada, Exient Entertainment

One of the strongest entries in the FIFA series during its PlayStation 2 era, FIFA 2003 scored favorably with critics. As the third FIFA game to be released on the console, it was clear that EA had found its feet on the system, offering its most realistic soccer sim yet.

FIFA 2003 lets up to 8 players compete simultaneously on the PS2, via the console’s multi-tap. Otherwise, it is a 2-player game. While the title is a bit dated nowadays, the core gameplay is still a lot of fun.

11

Mystic Heroes

Four-Player Co-Op

Mystic Heroes

Systems

Released

November 24, 2002

Koei’s explosive Dynasty Warriors series has helped redefine the action genre with its musou games that specialize in seemingly endless hordes of enemies that need to be taken down. The Dynasty Warriors series has spun off in many unique directions, but Mystic Heroes marks one of the first deviations from the norm as it embraces magic and sorcery over melee weapons and pure combat.

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Mystic Heroes never lets up and it’s a title that not only allows for four-person multiplayer but there’s also a co-op mode present that allows for even more of a group experience.

10

Micro Machines V4

Four-Player Split Screen

Micro Machines V4 is an inventive take on the racing genre and while it’s far from a perfect game, it does enough things differently that it deserves its due. The main novelty of Micro Machines is the creative tracks that emphasize the small nature of the vehicles. Players not only race, but they can assault one another with power-ups to gain the advantage.

Micro Machines V4 allows for four players to race at once, but it doesn’t use a split-screen option. If a player is far behind then they’re left off-screen, making it much harder to win.

9

Rayman Arena

Four-Player Versus

Rayman Arena

Released

September 24, 2002

The Rayman franchise is one of the quirkier platformer franchises out there and it’s become a dark horse for Ubisoft over the years. Despite how the Rayman games have done some inventive things for platformers, Rayman Arena (known as Rayman M in Europe) instead focuses on multiplayer gameplay and allows four people to jump in on the action.

Impressively, Rayman Arena offers both battle-type multiplayer as well as foot races, which add a surprising amount of versatility to the spin-off title. While not as acclaimed as the core series, Rayman Arena is much better than it deserves to be.

8

Project Eden

Four-Player Co-Op Split Screen

Systems

Released

October 22, 2001

Developer(s)

Core Design

Project Eden is a title that got greatly overlooked during the PS2 era, but it’s the kind of game that would deeply benefit from a modern remake.

The game is set in a futuristic society where players control a powerful group of law enforcement officers who are hunting for some missing people. There are four members on the team, all of whom have different skills that cater to the game’s puzzles. Project Eden can be played alone where the gamer hops between characters, but the game truly comes alive when four people are playing together and working as a team.

7

Quake 3: Revolution

Four-Player Split Screen

Quake 3: Revolution

Systems

The Quake series is one of the formative shooter franchises for the PC that helped move the genre forward in tremendous ways. The PC was the best place to play Quake during the early 2000s, but the PlayStation 2 offered a satisfying alternative in the form of Quake 3: Revolution.

The port combines Quake 3 Arena and Team Arena, and it’s one of the first games that showed what the PS2 could accomplish with multiplayer that extends beyond simply two players. Quake 3: Revolution allows for four-player frag matches with the game handling the frenetic chaos without compromise.

Four-Player Split Screen

Systems

The video game genre of demolition-based racers has dwindled in more recent years in favor of more traditional titles, but Twisted Metal was one of the original PlayStation’s flagship titles and the series’ big debut on the PlayStation 2 does not disappoint.

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Twisted Metal: Black helps push the destructive title into the next generation of gaming and one of the biggest advents is that this messy chaos supports four players. An online updated version of the game makes the multiplayer experience even more of a priority.

5

007: Nightfire

Four-Player Split Screen

Released

November 18, 2002

The Nintendo 64’s GoldenEye 007 is still looked at as one of the best multiplayer games of all time and The PS2’s 007: Nightfire is the console’s attempt to cash in on the previous title’s success. Nightfall crafts an original story and the multiplayer features many love letters to classic James Bond films.

The multiplayer here may not be as addictive as Goldeneye’s, but it’s still an extremely satisfying substitute. The PlayStation 2 allows for up to four players to join in on the spy action, with the addition of AI bots adding even more to the experience.

4

Tekken Tag Tournament

Four Players Can Duke It Out In 2v2 Play Modes

Systems

Released

1999

Developer(s)

Namco

The Tekken series has been a mainstay of the fighting genre for decades and it’s been exciting to watch the arcade fighter progressively shift over to the home console market. Each of the early games in the series refines the formula a little more, but Tekken Tag Tournament is a juggernaut of a title that packs a lot into one game.

Tekken Tag Tournament still only allows for two fighters in a match at once, but the “tag” aspect of the game allows for four players to duke it out, two-on-two, and leads to some interesting gameplay strategies.