Of all consoles, the PlayStation 2 might be the most beloved, partly due to its absurdly deep library and the endless power of nostalgia. I’m not going to argue otherwise either, as the PS2 was and still is a brilliant system that has enough fantastic games to keep somebody busy for a lifetime. Still, we are talking about projects that are roughly 20 years old now, and the industry has changed a lot over that time… which PS2 games are still 10/10s?
A 2003 masterpiece doesn’t need to hold up as one in 2026 to warrant that label, but it certainly helps bring in younger folks who didn’t have the opportunity to play it back in the day. While I can list hundreds of PS2 games worth playing today, only a handful have achieved eternal perfection.
Devil May Cry 3 Is The GOAT Character-Action Game
Dante’s Redemption After One Of The Worst PS2 Games
Let’s kick things off with a personal favorite: Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening. Specifically, the Special Edition.
Capcom’s franchise had such a weird run on the PS2, producing two of the greatest action games ever and separating them with one of the absolute worst. As much as I love the original DMC, Dante’s Awakening is the entry that really shaped the series’ identity, introducing an expansive combat system that would inspire future character-action games. Many would argue that the genre has yet to surpass DMC3, and I am one of those folks.
Presented in glorious 60 FPS and playing like an absolute dream, DMC3 introduced Dante’s 4 combat styles (Trickster, Swordmaster, Gunslinger, and Royalguard), all of which significantly alter the minute-to-minute gameplay and can be upgraded. DMC4 lets you switch between them on the fly, but its predecessor requires you to commit to a single style and master it. If you decide to play most of the game as a Swordmaster, you can just replay the campaign in Royalguard and enjoy a completely different feel.
With a great selection of weapons that can be swapped mid-combo, the addictive style rank metagame, and one of the best collections of bosses in gaming, DMC3 basically doesn’t set a foot wrong.
I could have gone with Devil May Cry for this pick, as its Gothic ambiance is just perfect, but I prefer to replay DMC3.
Special mention to God Hand, which nearly made this article.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner Is Glorious Mecha Action
One Of Konami’s Many PS2 Masterpieces
- The images are taken from the Steam version, as they are more accessible nowadays.
While things have improved recently, Konami basically retired from video game production for the best part of the last decade, just a few years after one of its most successful runs. The Japanese publisher was on fire during the PS2 generation, producing like 20% of the console’s best 20 games. Silent Hill 2 and 3 are both considered all-time horror greats, but their ages shine through just a bit more than Konami’s other masterpieces from this era.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner is maybe the best mecha game of all time, and I say that as somebody who really enjoys Armored Core, Daemon x Machina, and way too many Gundam titles. Building on the ideas of its predecessor, the sequel delivers unrelenting and borderline exhausting action that blends immediate spectacle with a satisfying learning curve. With combat almost exclusively set in the air, Zone of the Enders utilizes a simplistic control scheme that adapts to situational context, spacing, and the target lock, allowing you to focus on the blistering fights without worrying about complicated button presses.
The 2nd Runner is pretty short at about 8 hours, and it doesn’t waste a single second.
God of War 2 Is The Ultimate PS2 Game
Now, This Is How You Do A Swan Song
Technical showcases don’t typically come out at the end of a console’s life, but God of War 2 serves as the ultimate demonstration of what the plucky PS2 could accomplish. Santa Monica pushed the hardware to its breaking point by delivering a sense of cinematic scale that can still drop jaws all these years later. More importantly, GOW2 didn’t choke on its own ambition and used that technical wizardry to craft a complete package.
The original God of War was a deeply flawed triumph that set the stage for a genuinely special sequel, and that’s exactly what happened. By introducing secondary weapons, GOW 2 encourages players not to rely exclusively on the Blades of Athena’s base combo, adding way more variety to its extensive fights. The campaign is paced about as perfectly as any other game on the console, mixing epic set pieces with brutal combat arenas and well-done puzzles. Even the story is solid, although not quite as good as the first chapter.
Even after the PS3 blockbusters and the soft reboot era, God of War 2 is still the best game in the series, at least in my opinion.
Snake Eater Is Perfect, And Subsistence Is Even More Perfect
Let’s get to the other Konami 10/10 PS2 masterpiece. Everybody has their favorites, but I don’t believe it would be controversial to decry Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence as the best PS2 game of all time. The base Snake Eater version alone can claim that throne, and Subsistence elevates it to higher heights thanks to an improved camera system. The switch to a “modern” third-person camera revamps the gameplay, turning MG3 into a stealth-action masterclass.
Rather than relying on tech, Naked Snake must use the environment to blend in, basically acting as the predator. You must camouflage yourself with mud, blend in with the grass, and hunt local wildlife. Although missions are linear, you still make choices regarding how you approach encounters, and you can decide to go down the non-lethal route if you want. MG3 is responsible for some of the greatest boss fights of all time, and some of the most unique.
Persona 4 Holds Up As The PS2’s Swan Song
The Last Great PS2 Game
God of War 2 is typically regarded as the PS2’s Swan Song, but Persona 4 really deserves that crown, just for the fact that it came out at the end of 2008 in North America. The PS3 was 2 years old by that point! For many folks, the last time they turned on the PS2 to play a new game was with Atlus’ JRPG, and they were probably hooked for a good couple of months.
With Persona 4 Golden and the upcoming remake, there is basically no reason to revisit the original PS2 version… but that doesn’t take anything away from its quality. Vanilla P4 was wildly impressive in 2008, and it is still pretty awesome all this time later. As always, you need to manage your social and dungeon lives, with each day only allowing you to complete so many activities. This loop doesn’t take long to become addictive, and it really begins to shine when you dive deep into Social Links and Fusion.
The TV World dungeon can feel a bit repetitive due to procedural generation, but it is enhanced by fun themes, flawless music, thematic boss fights, and great turn-based combat. While not as dark as Persona 3, P4‘s story is arguably the best in the series, which also makes it one of the best in JRPG history.
Burnout 3: Takedown Has Not Slowed Down At All
PS2 Arcade Racing Goodness
The PS2 doesn’t lack top-notch racers, quite a few of which have aged pretty darn well. However, Burnout 3: Takedown has no peers, and the franchise’s subsequent shift to open-world design and eventual retirement only cemented its legacy. If you want to play classic Burnout, this is the game to pick.
An unabashed adrenaline ride, Takedown is unfiltered arcade racing glory, one that lets you move faster than a hedgehog and smash enemies into an early grave. The tight handling lets you feel in complete control at nearly every moment, which in turn lets you embrace chaos and mayhem without a second thought.
I miss Burnout. Why haven’t we gotten at least a remaster of Takedown? That’s just money.
