Best PS2 Games
The PS2's best games include God of War II, Shadow of the Colossus, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Metal Gear Solid 3, and Final Fantasy X. You can play them today on PCSX2 or NetherSX2, once you have a PS2 BIOS.
The PS2 holds one of the largest and deepest libraries in gaming. This is a shortlist worth starting with, sorted by genre, followed by how to play them now.
Best action and adventure games
The PS2 is where the modern action game grew up.
- God of War II is a brutal, cinematic journey through Greek myth and a showcase of what the console could do.
- Shadow of the Colossus is a quiet, haunting adventure. The whole game is toppling sixteen giants, and designers still study it.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas spans three cities in one huge open world. It offered more freedom than almost anything of its era.
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a stealth high point set in a jungle, with a story fans rank among the series' best.
- Resident Evil 4 reinvented survival horror with over-the-shoulder action and has been ported ever since.
- Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening set the bar for fast, stylish character-action combat.
- Okami is a wolf-god adventure with a striking ink-painting art style unlike anything else.
- Bully turns an open world loose inside a boarding school. It comes from the makers of GTA.
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a graceful platformer with time-rewinding combat.
Best RPGs
If you like long stories, the PS2 is a gold mine.
- Final Fantasy X brought the series into full 3D with voice acting and a world people still love.
- Kingdom Hearts II is the Disney and Square crossover at its most polished, with flashy real-time battles.
- Persona 4 blends dungeon crawling with a small-town social calendar, and it built a huge following.
- Dragon Quest VIII is a charming, classic turn-based RPG with a wide world to roam.
- Final Fantasy XII trades random battles for a living, seamless world.
- Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne is a darker, tougher RPG built for genre veterans.
Best racing and fighting games
For quick sessions, these still hold up.
- Gran Turismo 4 is a serious driving simulator with a massive car roster.
- Burnout 3: Takedown is arcade racing built around high-speed crashes and aggression.
- Tekken 5 is a deep, polished fighter and a series high point.
Best platformers and family games
The PS2 had a golden run of mascot platformers.
- Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is a bright open platformer with seamless worlds.
- Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal packs inventive weapons into a shooter-platformer.
- Sly 2: Band of Thieves is a stylish, stealthy cartoon heist adventure.
- Ratchet & Clank and Sly Cooper both began here, and both series still hold up.
The one horror pick
- Silent Hill 2 is a psychological horror landmark, praised for its story and atmosphere above all else.
Where should you start?
Pick by the kind of game you like.
Want cinematic action? Start with God of War II. Prefer a long story? Try Final Fantasy X or Persona 4. Like open worlds? Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Short on time? Burnout 3 or Tekken 5. Any of these are among the best PS2 games to begin with, and all run on an emulator with a BIOS.
How to play these PS2 games today
Use an emulator and a PS2 BIOS. That is the whole setup.
On a PC, PCSX2 runs these games well. On a phone, NetherSX2 does the same. Both need a PS2 BIOS, which you can get from the PS2 BIOS download hub, then add with the install guide. Not sure which emulator suits you? The best PS2 emulator guide breaks it down.
For the games themselves, use your own discs. This site provides the BIOS, not game files, so rip the games you own to play them on an emulator.