My PS2 is officially 26 years old, but my all-time favorites still hold up on it in 2026

The PlayStation 2 has just turned 26, and it has me feeling sentimental. As the custodian of my older brother's console since 2018, it's been sitting on my TV stand for years now. But I rarely actually play it, despite having an AVI to HDMI adapter – one of the cheapest and best ways to play PS2 games in 2026. Sure, I'll fire it up a few times a year to relive a childhood favorite, but the retro console still requires a lot of effort to set it up on modern hardware. Even then, the results are varied at best, but there are some stand-outs that I don't see talked about as often as others.

While our list of the best PS2 games ranks the most legendary titles of the console's generation, I want to dig into why some feel better to play than others. A lot of this is down to the DualShock controller's obvious lack of dexterity – especially where ports to modern tech are available. I wish I could still play through Quantic Dream's incredible thriller Fahrenheit on PS2, for example, but its clunky handling makes the PC port much easier to recommend today. But there are other options that I absolutely would not play elsewhere – trust me, I've tested out a lifetime's worth of PS2 games to find out. Having gone through all my CD-ROM albums on a mission of will, patience, and rediscovery, these are 10 PS2 games that still live in my head rent free . Happy birthday, PlayStation 2!

Best For: Old-school horror houndsRelease date: September 25, 2001Few games feel as emblematic of the PS2 as Silent Hill 2. The second installation of the survival horror franchise was when Konami really sold us on its brand of tense, layered, creeping psychological terror. It's at the bottom of my list because fixed camera angles are really, really finicky to recommend in 2026 – they're not everyone's cup of tea, mine included. But even with the excellent Silent Hill 2 Remake having launched in 2024, there's something special about playing it on the original hardware.

The scuzzy early '00s tone of both the graphics and the incredible soundtrack make for an even grittier, darker experience, and with the game being not quite as punishing as others in terms of enemy density, avoiding unnecessary combat is very much doable. It might not be one I played in its entirety, but Silent Hill 2 is still a fantastic game to play on PS2 even 25 years later. In fact, the PS2 version even managed to top our list of the best Silent Hill games of all time…it's just that good.

Best for: Open world actionRelease date: October 29, 2002San Andreas might be newer and less clunky, but I was surprised by how deceptively smooth my journey back to GTA Vice City was in 2026. If any game was a reminder of how good a PS2 game could look, even in its relative infancy, this one is it. Not to mention the radio stations are still some of the best ones in any video game out there.

I'm especially impressed by the shooting mechanics. Even without the fluidity of modern console controllers, the DualShock makes driving and heisting far more effortless here than it felt testing out 50 Cent Bulletproof (please don't put yourself through that mess), and shooting feels far smoother than memory serves. My main sticking point with Vice City is that you really do need a decent adapter to amp up the visuals; I needed to tinker with my TV settings a lot to get the contrast and white balance just right, but once that was sorted, I barely noticed the PS2's odd quirks while replaying Tommy Vercetti's 2001 adventure.

Best for: Fans of unserious deep cutsRelease date: February 13, 2003When it comes to the best Resident Evil games to play on the PS2 in 2026, I choose violence over conformity. By that, I mean you should play kitschy spin-off Resident Evil: Dead Aim over the iconic Resident Evil 4 any day. The latter is in much better condition elsewhere, with both the 2005 original and Resident Evil 4 Remake available on Steam, while Dead Aim is a PS2 exclusive that series die-hards simply have to hunt down.

هەفتانە هەرسکردنەکان، چیرۆکەکانی ئەو کۆمەڵگایانەی کە خۆشت دەوێن و زۆر شتی تر

سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/my-ps2-is-officially-26-years-old-but-my-all-time-favorite-games-still-hold-up-on-it-in-2026