A lot has been talked about PlayStation 2 already, Sony’s most sold video game console to date.
Any console’s success is directly linked to the games it has to offer along with seamless gaming experience. Fortunately that has been the case with this sixth generation console that changed the gaming landscape for good.
Here we take you down the memory lane with some of the best PS2 games to play on your PC, Console, and smartphone.
Before moving forwards, let candid for a second. We totally get you that it’s impossible to compile a perfect list of the best PlayStation games.
The variety across genres makes it a difficult thing to cover in a single post. Here is our attempt to gather a list of the best PlayStation 2 games that are worth your time.
Table Of Contents
Best PS2 Games of all time to Play
Here are the best PS2 games to emulate on your PC or android phone. You can simply use the ROM of the games on an emulator to run it.
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1. Tekken 5
Genre: Fighting
First up, we have the legendary Tekken series’ fifth and sixth installment, which moved away from its predecessor’s gameplay mechanics and structure. They have now introduced the crush system, which shows the character’s vulnerability while attacking.Â
The plot set here is immediately after Tekken 4’s ending with Jim Kazama departing from the Hon-Moru dojo. The King of Iron Fist tournament is announced again as Jin battles nightmares of Devil Gene.Â
 A total of 32 characters are playable, with 6 new entrants in the franchise. Unlike the earlier installments, few characters can speak in their native language.Â
2. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Genre: Action-adventure
Grand Theft Auto is considered one of the greatest games ever by multiple reviews and critiques. Its tremendous and growing success across platforms is a testament to its popularity.
Like the earlier installments In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas we get the open-world environment here. As a player, we control the character Carl “CJ” Johnson, who is visiting the fictional town of San Andreas to attend his mother’s funeral.
Things take a turn for the worst when a nefarious gang threatens to frame him for a police officer’s murder unless he cooperates.
The missions are non-linear, meaning you can participate and complete them in any order that you fancy. Keep in mind that the story will progress with completing the primary missions.
3. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
Genre: Sim racing
Get in the driver seat and buckle up, we are going on a game that is raw speed and unfiltered fun.
Along with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, this PS2 game is also listed as one the best game of all time. Gran Turismo 3 was first demonstrated at E3 2000 and 2001.
A shorter version of the game made its debut in Japan and many parts of the world except North America. The game consists of various concept models from Asia and European auto shows.
Coming back to the game, the object is simple – Win all the races, championships and complete license tests to achieve 100% game completion.
For completing the game, it features 19 racecourses, out of which 14 have a reverse race track variant as well. You get a new car as a reward for completing every 25% game.
4. Final Fantasy XII
Genre: Role-playing
Next on the list of the best PS2 games is Final Fantasy XII. A twelfth installment in the series paved the way for an open-world, controllable camera, AI, and several side quests.Â
The game is set in the fictional region of Ivalice, where we get six different controllable characters—starting with Vaan, who takes the story forward.Â
Control the camera as a player and take it for a 360-degree ride. Travel between different overworld by foot, airship, or Chocoboco, a fictional creature is resembling a turkey.Â
Unlike its predecessors, players can see the enemies on the overload and choose their engagement type with them.Â
5. God of War
Genre: Action-adventure, Hack and Slash
Get in the time machine, and let’s travel back to Greek mythology, set in ancient Greek. The world is populated by Olympian gods, Greek mythological beings, and other Titans.
The protagonist here is Kratos, a Spartan warrior, bestowed with the responsibility of serving the Olympian Gods.
Kratos wears weaponry to defend himself and attack the enemies. Blade of Chaos is the primary weapon, a pair of blades attached to the chains wrapped around the arms.
Once the player has completed the main game, a challenge mode is unlocked. It goes by the name of Ten Trials, known as the Challenge of the Gods.
6. Madden NFL 2005
Genre: Sports
The American football made its way to the PS2 games list with Madden FNL 2005, the sixteen installment of the game.
Al Micheals and John Madden make a comeback as the commentator for the game. The soundtrack list features 21 tracks this time around with songs from artists like Will.i.Am, Hoobastank, Green day and others.
Apart from PlayStation, it is available for other videogame consoles and PCs. It was the last NFL Madden game to be release on Sony’s PS2.
7. Guitar Hero
Genre: Music, Rhythm
Let us strum our way into the next PlayStation game of the jams set. Guitar Hero was an unexpected success that paved the path for numerous installments on multiple formats.
Press different buttons on the gamepad in line with the scrolling notes on the screen to make a song. You can either use a gamepad or a 3/4 guitar peripheral, bundled with the game, to play the notes scrolling on the screen.
You get points for hitting the right chords, notes, and sustains. The game’s primary mode is the Career mode, where the player is a part of a band that performs at different venues and events.Â
As a player, we feel like a musician trying to make it big in the arena. This deserves a place on the best PS2 games list.
8. Devil May Cry
Genre: Action-adventure, Hack and Slash
This is the first installment of the ongoing Devil May Cry series; the game undoubtedly set some standards in the genre. Without a doubt, the game deserves a top spot on the best PS2 games ranking.
You play as the protagonist, Dante, who is under attack in his office from a Danish woman. She later turns into an ally after explaining her side.
DMC consists of different levels known as “missions” in the game. They consist of various platforming tasks while defeating enemies, solving puzzles, and more.
The player’s performance is rated on a scale starting with D, then to C, B, A with a chance for S, the top grade.
9. The Getaway
Genre: Action-adventure
The game is set in London in an open-world environment where you can control two players. Mark Hammond, recently released after serving sentence for armed robbery. And the second is, Frank carter, a detective who is sent for to investigate the dodgy scene created by Hammond.
Both the players are controlled from a third-person vision, completing their own individual missions. You can sprint, walk, roll, and shoot guns in the game, similar to Grand Theft Auto.
There is no health bar here but the player bleeds profusely to indicate low health. You get to drive around models from real car makers, which is not the norm in this genre.
10. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Genre: Fighting
Last on our list of the best PS2 games is Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, the third installment of the Budokai Tenkai series. It is also the last to be released for consoles in general.
All in all, the game features a total of 98 characters in 161 different forms. This is considered the largest rooster of characters in the genre. You can record your fights and save them to an SD card.
Take full advantage of the night and day stages for transforming your characters into different forms.
Insert a Tenkaichi 1 or Tenkaichi 2 disc for the Disc Fusion system. It allows you to unlock the “Ultimate Battle” and “Ultimate Battle Z” modes.
How to Play PS2 Games without the Console?
If you don’t have a physical console or it is not available on Craigslist in the region, then don’t worry. You can play PS2 games using PS2 Emulators for PC.
You can also play PlayStation games on a smartphone through PS2 Emulators for Android.
Remember that you will need the original game and BIOS dump to play on these emulators.
Over to You
Creating this non-exhaustive list of the best PS2 games was not easy. We would have missed many great PlayStation games that deserve mention here.
Make sure to tell us the games that need to be added here. This is not an exhaustive list and it will be updated with new PS2 games.