Ranked // The Top 25 PlayStation 2 Games of All-Time!

Don’t Underestimate the Power of PlayStation.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a trip down memory lane, revisiting our favorite gaming consoles and ranking the games that made the respective systems spectacular.

The Playstation 2 is one of the greatest systems of all time. Better than it’s predecessor and it’s follow-up in pretty much every way, the PS2 still grabs every gamer by the feels. So it’s only fitting that we start with the numero uno.

I’ve never had so much fun “researching” for an article. But here we are, and I’ve come at you with my top 25 PS2 games ever!

25. Devil May Cry

Publisher: Capcom
Year: 2001

This was originally planned to be a Resident Evil title, but it was quite obviously too crazy — even for RE. Dante and that blade/gun combo is off the hook. If I didn’t have to put down the controller to go to school, I’d probably still be in Mom’s basement, hands glued to the DualShocks in 2018.

24. Bully

Publisher: Rockstar Games
Year: 2006

For a long period of time there Rockstar got away with a lot of shit. And in today’s politically correct, sensitive, touchy-feely world, this game would never make market.

Perhaps that’s why we’ve seen a 5 year hiatus of the Grand Theft Auto series.

23. GTA III

Publisher: Rockstar Games
Year: 2001

Speaking of Grand Theft Auto, GTA III changed the way video games were played. This game gave birth to the popularity of sandbox gameplay. Not only did it keep the essence of the GTA series, it enhanced it tenfold. I still find myself popping in the disc and reminiscing with Claude — even if he doesn’t speak much.

22. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Publisher: Ubisoft
Year: 2003

All I can say is thank fk for that Dagger of Time-rewind.

21. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2

Publisher: Neversoft
Year: 2000

Yeah, there’s been “better” THPS games, but they only came about due to two things — technological advances and games like this, which set up an entire series for success. And much like the PS2 console, this was better than it’s first, and it’s third in almost every way. The maps, the characters and damn, that soundtrack, make this game an instant classic — one I still find myself playing from time to time.

20. NBA Street Vol. 2

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Year: 2007

The modern day NBA JAM, NBA Street: Vol. 2 was in it’s element with exaggerated moves, dunks and ball movement. i can still hear my older brother yelling in my ears “THIS IS BULLSHIT”.

Just take the L, bro.

19. Rachet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Year: 2004

PlayStation 2’s dynamic duo killed Up Your Arsenal — clearly the best game in the franchise. Mainly due to the weaponary, but the gameplay was killer too.

18. Dead or Alive 2

Publisher: Tecmo
Year: 2000

I think every guy loved the Dead or Alive series, but #2 took the cakes — literally ??

17. Silent Hill 3

Publisher: Konami
Year: 2001

Silent Hill know how to create a creepy AF atmosphere. The monsters within are all-kinds of messed up, from the feminine and club-armed Closer to the disgusting Glutton, to the point that the series’ iconic nurses as easily the most boring enemies. The entire game feeds off horrible environments and characters, but only get more disturbing when you consider the game’s themes of fertility and childbirth, especially given that the protagonist is a teenage girl.

Not many games touch on the fear of pregnancy so directly and unwaveringly, and that’s where SH3 truly innovates. It still creeps me the fk out.

16. Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening

Publisher: Capcom
Year: 2005

This game capped off the series on the PS2 in incredibly gory fashion, and left us with only the best of memories from a series that was so good on the console.

15. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution

Publisher: Sega
Year: 2002

This is second best fighting game on the PS2, and one of the best fighting games ever. This was revolutionary, not evolutionary. It plated a huge part in the development of all fighting games moving forward, and for that, we thank you.

14. ESPN NFL 2k5

Developer: Visual Concepts
Year: 2004

Before EA Sports took over the NFL licensing, there was a game called ESPN’s NFL 2k5. And it was (probably still is) the best NFL game in history. No cap. It’s game play was game-changing, and what’s even better was it’s price point. At just $20, this was the biggest steal in video game history.

13. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Publisher: Konami
Year: 2001

The ending of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is one of the most confusing, talked about, and intellectual endings to any story in the history of video games. Leaving almost everyone confused AF. But that didn’t stop a generation from enjoying the awesomeness that is Snake.

12. Final Fantasy X

Publisher: Square Enix
Year: 2001

Let’s start by saying FF X’s universe is lit. We had to include one from the console’s best RPG franchise, and I think everyone can agree that X is by far the best.

11. GTA Vice City

Publisher: Rockstar Games
Year: 2002

To give you some context on how good this game really is, I played this entire game in hospital while recovering from an appendix operation. For one, it made me forget about the pain, and two, it still made the list, despite the circumstances I was in to try and enjoy the game.

Tommy Vercetti is the second best protagonist in the franchise’s history, partly due to the fact it’s voiced by Ray Liotta, but the supporting cast of Lance Vance and Ken Rosenberg is definitely it’s best. And who didn’t love Love Fist?

10. Soulcalibur 2

Publisher: Namco
Year: 2003

I was pretty pissed off when this game had cosole-specific characters. Gamecube getting Link really sucked compared to PS2’s exclusive Heihachi and lame-ass Necrid. That disappointment aside, this game is still the best fighting game on PS2.

Imagine if we got Link . . .

9. Gran Turismo 4

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Year: 2005

If you own a PlayStation, you gotta have at least one Grand Turismo. And this is the one everyone on PS2 needed to have.

Gran Turismo 4 had over 700 cars to choose from, each a near-perfect representation of their real-life counterpart, and each able to be tuned to perfection. But it wasn’t just the cars that made this game. The overall aesthetic and gameplay made this a clear winner of the series on PS2.

8. God of War 2

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Year: 2007

This is the pick of the series by a country mile. It’s pacing spot on, it’s action epic, and it’s gore gory — this trumps both the first instalment and the third on the PS3. And like the aforementioned Grand Turismo, no PlayStation is complete without it.

7. Ico

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Year: 2001

This quietly beautiful game showcased that games truly could be art. Never has holding somebody else’s hand so dramatic. Ico isn’t on this list just because its unusual or emotional, though; it was also an immensely rewarding game. Every twist of the temples crumbling, alien architecture offered new opportunities to experiment and new ways to puzzle out how, exactly, you could help Yorda – who was nowhere near as agile as Ico – get clear of the current obstacle before smoke-monsters showed up to snatch her away. (Also, beating up those monsters with Ico’s occasionally fiery club was oddly satisfying). Ico’s a true classic, and the fact that it happened so early in the PS2’s lifespan was a testament to just how great the following years would be.

6. Silent Hill 2

Publisher: Konami
Year: 2001

Pyramid Head is over here still giving my nightmares, 17 years on. FML. This is true horror at it’s finest. Another reason why games should be considered on the same level as (if not higher than) motion pictures.

5. Kingdom Hearts

Publisher: Square Enix
Year: 2002

On paper, this game wouldn’t work. 100 times out of 100, you would say “nah cheif, that aint it”

But it was it.

When Disney and Square teamed up, they somehow made a masterpiece. Cosplay family are still thanking Disney and Square to this day.

4. Resident Evil 4

Publisher: Capcom
Year: 2005

People are so attached to Resident Evil games, and it shows every time it pops up in a list. All we hear are complaints. And people only complain when they want perfection — they can see the potential.

But I think gamers forget the single most important part of any game — how fkn fun it is to play. A result of it’s fun and not it’s flawed functionality, this game influenced almost every third-person shooter that came after it.

3. Shadow of the Colossus

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Year: 2005

You can be forgiven if you gave up on this game in the early stages, because at a first glance, Shadow of the Colossus looks really empty.

Players are dropped into an wide open world thats devoid of almost any living thing. There’s very little spoken dialogue, and no enemies beyond the 16 giants you’re tasked with destroying. And yet such a barren sounding set up has gone down in history as one of the most universally acclaimed games of all-time, not just on the PlayStation 2.

With such few elements, the game creates such an extraordinarily deep experience. It tells a story less through words than through gameplay, where each fight against a Colossus is a mystery to be solved, one that slowly builds the tragic narrative with each clever use of the simple mechanics in the brilliantly realised world. More than any other entry on this list, Shadow of the Colossus shows how a game can tell a story unlike any other form of media. And it’s a story that every gamer should experience at least once.

This is not only a video game masterpiece, but, at it’s core, art.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Publisher: Konami
Year: 2004

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was a giant step forward for the iconic PlayStation franchise. Set in the 1960s Cold War starring Solid Snake’s near-identical father, Naked Snake, it moved the action into a vast jungle. The game forced you to manage your camouflage, kill animals for food, and heal your wounds with field surgery. The stealth gameplay was ahead of it’s time, as was the emotionally wrenching story built around unforgettable and hugely iconic boss fights. For all those reasons and more, Snake Eater is arguably yet to be overshadowed by any subsequent MGS sequel.

GTA: San Andreas

Publisher: Rockstar Games
Year: 2004

it’s no surprise that this game tops the list of greatest PS2 games of all-time.There is no other game in history that has pushed the capabilities of their time than Rockstar did with San Andreas. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was huge, both in sales and in the world we got to explore — much bigger than Vice City and incredibly larger than GTA III. Hell, we got THREE cities, plus all that countryside junk.

But it’s not just the world we could explore. The storyline and setting was all too familiar, packed with characters you felt you already knew, all of whom were based of those who played a significant part in the 90’s gangster movement. Then there’s the all-star cast and insanely dope soundtrack.

Add to that the addictions a protagonist could now do, like swimming, customizing his entire look, the infamous “Hot Coffee”, literal easter egg hunting and more. The more you seemed to dig into San Andreas, the more you’d find, which gave everyone their own unique experience of the game.

And then there’s this;

“All we had to do was follow the damn train, CJ!”