100 Best PlayStation Games of All Time (40 – 21)

Putting together a list of the 100 best Playstation games of all time is no easy task but the crew here at Goomba Stomp have been working around the clock to get it done. We are almost at the finish line but before we reveal our number one pick, we still have 39 other entries to get through. Here is a list of our top 40 Playstation games released exclusively for a Sony console.

Top 40 Playstation Games of All Time

40 –  Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner

Few mech games have matched the organic controls and the cinematically-calculated-yet-frenzied action of Konami’s Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (first released for the PS2) – the third and final game in the short-lived but highly praised Zone of the Enders series – which spawned three games, an hour-long OVA and an anime series, all within the span of just three years.

As a result of being created, produced and overseen by Hideo Kojima, and featuring art direction by Metal Gear’s Yoji Shinkawa, the Zone of the Enders series is intrinsically tied to the Sons of Liberty-era of Metal Gear, and 2nd Runner probably exhibits that same spirit more than any other game in the entire series. The same kind of subversion of genre, of trying out ambitious gameplay ideas, pushing the limits of the PS2’s hardware, it’s all there. Zapping enemies, selecting multiple targets to blast them into oblivion, and close quarters hand-to-hand melee, it’s simply the best realization of how a mech out of an anime should feel to control.

The game’s heavy reliance on dialogue, and its ambition to act out as a cheesy anime is, however, a pain to get through. To put it frankly, the voice acting downright sucks, on a hilarious level. If you thought MGS2’s “We’ve managed to avoid drowning” was a doozy, then boy, are you in for a treat. It’s something that makes what should be an easily accessible experience, an intro to mecha even, a bit of an embarrassment. What’s crazier is that the game has received two remasters since its initial release, and both times, the option to switch to the less obnoxious Japanese voice acting is missing.

But, if you can through the cringe-inducing cutscenes, you’re in for one of the most fun gameplay experiences of your life. Not a bad trade-off, I’d say. (Maxwell N)

39 –  Xenosaga Trilogy 

The Xeno games of Tetsuya Takahashi and Soraya Saga have always been outliers in the world of RPGs, and the Xenosaga trilogy on PS2 is certainly no exception.

An insanely ambitious and incredibly dense trio of games, the Xenosaga team had the audacity to plan out a six-part magnum opus of time, space, religion, philosophy, and dreams before the first game was even released. Though they may have overshot a bit (only three of the games would see release) Xenosaga still stands as one of the most awe-inspiring, uncompromising visions in gaming history.

This is a game that has romantic tension between a scientist and the android who murdered her boyfriend. This is a game where a psychopathic sadist molests a little girl for information in a scene that couldn’t be released in North America without censorship. This is a game where a robot stood in for the crucified Christ in a multi-layered dream sequence. And all of that was just in the first game.

Xenosaga isn’t just a trilogy of games, it’s an honest to God experience. Diving into this world is a serious investment in a time when gamers have never been more back-logged, but there has never, ever been anything quite like this series in the history of gaming. The fact that the closest thing I can find to compare to the density of the mythology of these games would be either Mass Effect or Metal Gear Solid should tell you something about the company these games keep. (Mike Worby)

38 – Kingdom Hearts

Disney and Square’s whimsical, console-hopping, action-RPG series all began here. Mixing dozens of Disney movies, the Final Fantasy series, and a heap of Star Wars, just because, Kingdom Hearts introduces players to a universe of colorful characters, varied worlds and really hard bosses.

Kingdom Hearts marks the long-time Final Fantasy character designer Tetsuya Nomura’s first time as a director. The gameplay is solid, with plenty of customizable abilities and cool magic attacks, combined with the constant introduction of guest characters from the Disney worlds, who each have their own abilities. As its recent HD remaster proves, the game also has a great aesthetic that – while not cel-shaded like other cartoon-based games – holds up even if the other graphics technology doesn’t.

The core narrative of Sora leaving home to find his friends has never been as simply endearing as it was in this first installment before the series’ original characters started to outshine the Disney and Final Fantasy ones. It’s easy to forget that Maleficent, the deliciously terrifying villain from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, is the antagonist of much of this first game.

It may not have the flashy battles of the second game or the inevitably tragic events of Birth by Sleep, but the original Kingdom Hearts has positives all of its own. For one, it is the only game in the series with a plot that makes a lick of sense. (Mitchell Akhurst)

37 – Okami

Okami is a near masterpiece of video game design with stunning ink-and-watercolor visuals and a brisk story that saves its best twists for its final act. Set sometime in classical Japanese history, the game combines several Japanese myths, legends and folklore to tell the story of how the land was saved from darkness by the Shinto sun goddess, named Amaterasu. Okami’s greatest stroke of genius is Amaterasu herself, who takes the form of a white wolf, and its distinct cel-shaded visual style. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better-looking game for the PlayStation 2 coupled with an epic tale strung together by several awe-inspiring parables and colourful, characters who’ll linger in your memory long after you’ve completed your quest.

Okami takes its cues from the Legend of Zelda series in particular and achieves similarly outstanding results. This is a dazzling, enchanting, and gorgeously drawn fairy tale that will leave gamers a little more curious and fascinated by the world around them. Okami is an amazing work, filled with a visual intelligence that’s meticulously composed and obscenely clever – yet its breadth and heart give it an appeal that should touch gamers of all ages. (Ricky D)

36 – Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

35 – Silent Hill 3

Released in 2003, Silent Hill 3 built upon the mechanical improvements made in Silent Hill 2 and served as a direct narrative sequel to the events of the first game in the series. Following Heather Mason, the adopted daughter of the original protagonist Harry Mason, the game tells a more straightforward story of mystery and revenge. Although the basic plot can be understood without prior knowledge of the series, the nuance and depth of the story cannot truly be appreciated without the emotional investment that was built during the original Silent Hill.

Beginning with a dream sequence that promptly murders the player, the third game in the franchise showcases its rapidly sped up pace, introducing the nightmarish terrors, that took a decent chunk of time to reach in the preceding games, in a matter of minutes. However, the story doesn’t suffer from this, as it keeps the focus on a smaller, but equally memorable, selection of characters such as Claudia Wolf, the cult’s leader, and main antagonist, and the mysterious Detective Douglass Cartland.

Team Silent’s new game engine allows for smoother running and more detailed environments than ever before, featuring more responsive controls and dynamic lighting. Combat is increasingly difficult this time around, as enemies such as the Closer take many hits to kill and often gang up on the player, but to compensate for this, there is a much more diverse selection of weapons. Uzis, stun guns and knives are spread out somewhat more liberally than previous games, while more ridiculous items such as the Beam Saber and Heather Beam serve as bonus content once the game is finished normally.

To make up for having fewer endings, players are allowed to choose from multiple difficulties, which make combat and puzzles more challenging and unlock several different costumes for Heather. With stronger level design, a streamlined story and improved controls, Silent Hill 3 stands as a worthy sequel to a horror classic that offers its own unique perspective in the series. (Matt Bruzzano)

34 – Ratchet and Clank

33 – Tekken 3

Although the third installment in the popular Tekken fighting game series was originally released in arcades in March 1997, it was the 1998 PlayStation port that really put it on the map. When the Tekken series debuted on Sony’s home console, it was hailed as one of the best fighting games alongside the Dreamcast version of Soul Calibur. Decades later, many gamers will still place Tekken 3 on such a list, and with good reason.

Not only does each character have over 100 unique moves and combos, but Tekken 3 broke new ground by placing a huge emphasis on the third axis, making sidestepping every bit as important as blocking in terms of defense. The tight mechanics and huge roster would have been worth the price tag alone, yet Namco added a full Final Fight-style campaign and a ton of bonus features to keep gamers busy. Tekken 3 is widely regarded as the best game in the franchise, and in my opinion, one of the ten best fighting games ever made. How could we not include it? (Ricky D)

32 – Final Fantasy VIII

First things first, let’s just get this out of the way: not everyone is crazy about Final Fantasy VIII. Among the usual complaints thrown at it are the fact that its battle and junction systems can be leveraged to the point of making the game a cakewalk, and that the switch to drawing magic and only holding a certain amount of spells, instead of the standard MP system, was a huge mistake.

There’s a case to be made for both points, but Final Fantasy VIII is still a fantastic game in spite of these perceived flaws. Featuring one of the tightest, best narratives in the series and a very likable sextuplet of main characters, Final Fantasy VIII gets you caught up in its story of sorcerers and time travel right from the opening moments of its stunning cinematic sword fight between rivals Squall and Seifer.

Boasting incredibly cinematic direction, an insane attention to detail and some of the coolest weapons and limit breaks the series has ever seen, there’s plenty to love about Final Fantasy VIII, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that it also has the most awesome and epic boss battle the series has ever seen during the jaw-dropping finale.

A true classic in every sense of the word, Final Fantasy VIII succeeds in a lot of ways because it’s so different, and its these differences that still make it stand out in the series even 17 years after its original release. (Mike Worby)

31 – Grand Theft Auto III

Is there a purer motive than revenge? Grand Theft Auto III kicks off with the protagonist named Claude and his girlfriend Catalina in the middle of a bank heist. All is going well until Catalina decides to put a bullet in her companion and leaves him for dead. Unfortunately for her, Claude not only survives but also manages to escape police custody, allowing him to embark on his quest for vengeance. Left with few options and even fewer allies, Claude finds himself working as a thug for the Mafia.

From there, the player interacts with other major criminal organizations, including the Yakuza and Columbian Cartel; using them, betraying them, and eventually eliminating them, all along the path to ultimately finding his ex, and putting her eight feet under. GTA III may not have the robust plot and more complex characters featured in later games in the series, but the simplicity and satisfaction of Claude’s story are still as enjoyable now in 2016 as it was back in 2001.

While GTA III’s narrative can be described as simple, the game’s design is anything but. From its mission structure to its open world and how the player interacts with their environment, Grand Theft Auto III changed the way games were played. DMA Design (now known as Rockstar North) did not pioneer the concept of open world design, nor are they credited with creating the first sandbox-style experience with a living and breathing world to explore. GTA III was able to take these elements and combine them with such nuance and scale that it single-handedly ushered in the age of the 3D open-world sandbox game.

By giving the player a massive open world to explore at their leisure, allowing the player to interact and traverse the landscape via multiple modes of transport, and offering a huge amount of story-based missions, GTA III changed the way developers would look at game design moving forward. Seen as a monumental achievement, Grand Theft Auto III is considered to be one of the most influential video games ever created, right up there with the likes of Doom and Super Mario Bros. (Matt De Azevedo)

30 – Marvel’s Spider-Man

Nearly five years after the release of the PlayStation 4, Sony doesn’t seem to be slowing down one bit in giving gamers worldwide reason after reason to buy this generation’s best-selling console. If not for God of War and Monster Hunter World, the PS4 is once again a must-have system for anyone wanting to play Sony’s exclusive titles thanks to the amazing job Insomniac Games did on Marvel’s Spider-Man. It may not be groundbreaking like God of War but, at its best, Spider-Man might just be the finest superhero video game ever made, and one of the most enjoyable games I played this year.

Swinging about the richly detailed open-world recreation of Manhattan is an absolute blast and it helps that the game does such a great job at maintaining an urgent tone, since there’s never a moment that doesn’t go by in which you don’t have something important to do. If Spidey’s cell phone isn’t ringing, there’s always something to keep your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man busy. As you progress, you’ll unlock new abilities and new power suits that not only open up the game more but help keep everything fresh and exciting.

Seriously, the traversal system in Spider-Man is a joy and it gets better the further you progress in the story. Furthermore, Spider-Man is also one of the best looking games of 2018. From the day and night cycle to the photo mode to the gorgeous cutscenes, there’s always a reason to stop and snap a screenshot. Everything from the city design, various costumes, cinematography, and CG effects is top-notch – not to mention, John Paesano’s music is absolutely fantastic as well.

Where the game shines most is its story. Boasting six entertaining villains, a deep emotional focus and a finale that may leave some players in tears, Spider-Man is hands down the best Spider-Man story (outside the comics) since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. Last, but not least, the epic boss battles in Spider-Man rival most action scenes in Marvel movies and the added little touches such as Spidey’s Twitter feed, various side quests, and multiple Easter Eggs keep players coming back for more and more. There’s a reason why Spider-Man’s platinum completion rate is insane. The game is hard to put down and begs players to explore every nook and cranny. All in all, this game is a blockbuster with both a heart and a brain. (Ricky D)

29 – Horizon Zero Dawn

Before Horizon Zero Dawn was revealed at Sony’s best-of-all-time 2015 E3 presser, it’s hard to imagine many people being too excited at the prospect of an open world game from the studio that had done little but create Killzone titles for various PlayStation consoles since 2004. You’d think the reveal of a Final Fantasy VII remake, Shenmue III, and the news that The Last Guardian was actually a real game that might be released one day would overshadow anything else that happened during Sony’s blockbuster conference, but Horizon Zero Dawn looked so impressive in its debut showing that people couldn’t stop talking about it.

And it’s easy to see why. Talk about elevator pitches. How’s this? A woman who appears to live in the stone age but also in the future has to fight robot dinosaurs using a hi-tech bow and arrow. You had me at robot dinosaurs.

Horizon Zero Dawn tells a wonderful sci-fi yarn in a world full of interesting characters, but it’s the combat that truly steals the show. Heroine Aloy must defeat dangerous, robotic dinosaurs using an array of arrows, bombs, and traps, and the thrill of taking down an enormous, hulking, metallic beast never gets old. Each creature approaches combat in a different way, and so the strategy you’ll need differs, from using trip wires to fell a herd so you can easily pick off the stragglers, to dislodging a rocket launcher off the back of behemoth to use against it in battle.

Horizon only really stumbles in the human-on-human combat, which feels a little like an afterthought and never comes close to the thrill of battling the robototic creatures that roam the world. Horizon Zero Dawn is an exhilarating first entry into what will undoubtedly, in time, become one of PlayStation’s stalwart franchises for the PS5 and perhaps beyond. (John Cal McCormick)

28 – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater came out of nowhere to revolutionize gaming in 1999. It set a pretty high standard for the genre, and sports games in general. It made Tony Hawk a household name and set in stone a franchise that would last longer than it should have – and while Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater hasn’t aged particularly well, it’s still the second best in the series, surpassed only by the third entry.

Neversoft hit the ball out of the park with the very first game and packaged it with a killer soundtrack and an all-star roster to boot. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was the reason why my friends and I all purchased a PlayStation that year. It made gaming “cool” and there was no other game I sunk more hours into on my PS1. (Ricky D)

27 – Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

After the massive cliffhanger ending of Sons of Liberty, Hideo Kojima had a lot of options when deciding where the Metal Gear series would go next. After the Raiden fiasco, fans were expecting some sort of trolling from Kojima, and something was clearly amiss when Snake Eater was eventually shown at E3 2003. The playable character went by the name ‘Snake’, and he certainly looked and sounded like the iconic hero, but signs pointed to the game taking place in the 1960s.

Some fans theorized that the footage shown in the trailer was simply Solid Snake doing a VR Mission set in the past, but others put two and two together and realized MGS3‘s Snake was a different character altogether. Taking the series back to its roots, in MGS3 players would take up the role of Naked Snake, the man who would eventually become known as ‘Big Boss’, with the events of the game not only pre-dating the two previous Metal Gear Solid titles but also taking place chronologically before the original Metal Gear games.

Originally planned as a PlayStation 3 game, Kojima had lofty expectations. He wasn’t sure if the hardware available at the time would be able to handle the lush jungle setting he’d imagined for the game, but with the PS3 still years off, he took the gamble and went for it on the PS2, and it paid off in spades. Previous titles had Snake limited to indoor environments and tight corridors, but Snake Eater opened up a whole new can of worms. The game’s excellent and more open level design – in combination with new additions such as interchangeable camouflage and the requirement to hunt for food – took the series to all new heights.

Keeping up with tradition, Kojima would eventually release an enhanced edition of the game, known as Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. This version came with some additional content, but unlike the enhanced editions of previous titles, Subsistence also changed the base game dramatically by dropping the fixed camera angles and incorporating a fully 3D user-controlled camera. The new camera setup allowed for unparalleled control, and in combination with the already solid gameplay mechanics, MGS3 is seen by many as the high point in stealth game design.

From the unforgettable boss fight with The End to the tragic story of The Boss and everything in-between, Metal Gear Solid 3 is not only a mechanical masterpiece but also a landmark when it comes to video game narrative and character development. (Matt De Azevedo)

26 – Persona 3

25 – Valkyria Chronicles

A neutral land caught between two warring factions, the nation of Gallia finds itself being invaded by the Imperial Alliance as they attempt to seize the Gallian’s cache of valuable ore. Inhabitants of the border city of Bruhl are forced to take up arms in order to defend their land. Outnumbered and outmatched, the town watch’s captain, Alicia Melchiott, and Welkin Gunther, the son of a legendary soldier, are forced to retreat to the Gallian capital where they join the militia and embark on a quest to defend their home.

Valkyria Chronicles is set in a fictional continent called Europa and tells a story which is clearly inspired by the real-life events of World War II. An absolutely beautiful game to behold, Valkyria Chronicles uses an art style which makes the game seem like a watercolor painting come to life, but the beauty of the visuals is starkly contrasted by heavy plot elements. The game isn’t afraid to touch upon very real issues, such as racism and the far-reaching effects war has on both those directly involved and those unfortunate enough to be caught up in its wave of destruction. Valkyria Chronicles is far from a historical reenactment, however, as the game has a heavy dose of supernatural powers and outlandish characters. Valkyria Chronicles does a fantastic job of meshing real-world issues with crazy anime tropes and succeeds in creating a grounded yet over-the-top adventure that will have players feeling the entire gamut of emotions.

Mechanically speaking, Valkyria Chronicles is a joy to experience. It’s predominantly a Tactical-RPG, akin to XCOM and Fire Emblem, but Sega opted to ditch the classic isometric view and grid-based combat typically associated with the sub-genre, and instead went with a surprisingly well done 3rd person shooter perspective. Characters are free to move anywhere in the 3D space, only limited by their movement meter. The game features different classes which all have different weapon types, and each individual character has their own personality traits and attributes. As with other Tactical-RPGs, positioning and spatial awareness is key to overcoming your foes. Valkyria Chronicles truly shines when it comes to its mission structure and level design, as the game constantly provides interesting objectives and challenging scenarios.

Comparable to legends of the genre such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre, Valkyria Chronicles is simply a must-play for any and all fans of tactics-based role-playing games. (Matt De Azevedo)

24 – Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Looking back, it’s hard to decide what the best Grand Theft Auto game is. Grand Theft Auto V has sold over 100 million copies, is one of the most financially successful entertainment products of all time (with over $6 billion in worldwide revenue) and has given gamers new content every year since its release. Grand Theft Auto 3 is considered one of the most influential games of all time, showing what an open-world game could offer, while Grant Theft Auto Vice is fondly remembered for its setting, story, soundtrack and cinematic influences such as Miami Vice and Scarface.

Meanwhile, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas improved on the formula of its predecessor by featuring a fully-realized character to play with along with an enormous cast of talented celebrity voice actors to help bring the story to life. It features a massive world with an endless list of things to do, and at the time of its release featured the deepest, most detailed environment of any game in the series by expanding the map from a city to an entire state.

While the majority of our staff have fond memories of playing the previous two titles as kids, that amount of nostalgia can’t overshadow just how superior Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was at the time and regardless if you think San Andreas is the best in the franchise or not, there is no denying that it is a spectacular feat and set a benchmark against which all other open world games would be judged moving forward. (Ricky D)

23 – Katamari Damacy

22 – Resident Evil

Resident Evil is credited with bringing the survival horror genre to the masses and ushering in a golden age of truly terrifying video games. Originally conceived as a remake of Capcom’s earlier horror-themed game Sweet Home, Shinji Mikami, took gameplay design cues from Alone in the Dark and established a formula that has proven a success time and time again.

The first game in the series may seem dated, but the simple premise and duplicitous puzzle box mansion hold up incredibly well twenty years later. For those who love the series’ puzzle elements, the original is unparalleled. The opening sequence sets up a campy tone with unintentionally hilarious voice acting, but once you’re knee deep in the mansion, things become unbearably tense. Resident Evil requires patience, and what makes the game so good is the slow burn. It’s punishing at times, so proceed with caution. (Ricky da Conceicao)

21 – Chrono Cross

A lot of people aren’t necessarily crazy about Chrono Cross, and in a lot of ways, their feelings are totally understandable. More of a spiritual successor than an actual sequel, Chrono Cross is only tangentially connected to its beloved forebear, Chrono Trigger, and for folks who thought they’d be time-hopping again with Crono and co, Chrono Cross‘ more low-key take of moving back and forth between alternate dimensions would certainly have been jarring.

That said, though, Cross came packed to the brim with plenty of charm all its own. Its story, which centered around the repercussions of the events from Trigger, followed a cast of dozens as they unraveled the mysteries of the alternate timeline, and in particular, why your main character happens to be dead in that world. Of course, the small scope of the adventure spins wildly out of control (as these things are wont to do) and soon you’re passing the frozen void of life and death, and even meeting up with fate itself.

It’s a thorough, involving and fantastic adventure and one that deserves to be played by more people to this day. Chrono Cross may not have the enduring legacy of some of Square’s other PSX RPGs but it’s a wonderfully designed game and well worth your time if you’re a Chrono Trigger fan, plus it has easily one of the best soundtracks of all time. Give it a go, you won’t be disappointed. (Mike Worby)

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