Top 10 PlayStation Games That Still Hold Up Today

Top 10 PlayStation Games That Aged Amazingly Well

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, were counting down our picks for the Top 10 PlayStation games that have aged like fine, fine wine.

Though former Sony executive Jim Ryan would make dismissive remarks towards the series in 2017, the Gran Turismo series has actually aged rather gracefully since its inception. Sure, one may probably find a few meticulous nitpicks in controls or visuals, though that is sort of expected when jumping across different generations of console gaming. Overall, every Gran Turismo game still plays exceptionally well with the best controls possible on each platform its appeared on. Be it on PS1, PS2, PSP, or even PS3, you can expect an exceptionally immersive experience that might spark an interest in you in motorsports.

Were not about to sit here and tell you that Fat Princess was a revolution or innovative in any way. In essence, it is a capture-the-flag style game with basic combat. However, for as simplistic as it is, it remains to be one of the most fun games PlayStation ever put out. Between the diverse classes with unique abilities to violent attitude clashing with the cutesy aesthetic, Fat Princess carried a good old fashioned arcade feel in the endless ocean of online multiplayer shooters. And thanks to its casual gameplay, you can still pick up and play it today with no glaring problems to remind you of the benefits of modern gaming.

Speaking of titles with fun and basic gameplay, Patapon has undoubtedly become the PSPs timeless classic with the remasters it has received. All you need to worry about is memorizing musical patterns that issue certain commands and issuing them in time with the beat. The less musically inclined may struggle here, but overall, even the most casual rhythm players can jump into Patapon thanks to this simple mechanic. Just beware that you might find the bosses to be a lot harder later on. And hey - if you like the first game, Patapon 2 and Patapon 3 are also available on PS4 and PS5 as well!

Not many PS3 games have withstood the test of time, and part of that is because of the poor responsiveness of the DualShock 3 controller. It really isnt that great, but in the case of Heavenly Sword, those problems are virtually non-existent. Executing combos and parrying enemies still feel immensely satisfying, more so than almost any PS3 game that came after it! On top of that, the cutscenes still look surprisingly gorgeous with its rich detail, animation, and camerawork. Its just such a shame that few people ever gave Nariko the time of day. Really, if you still have a working PS3, you gotta snag yourself a copy as Heavenly Sword is one of the few games boasting high visual fidelity yet still hasnt seemed like it aged a dayexcept for those turret sections.

Of all the PS3 games you could go back and play and still have a romp with, Tokyo Jungle is the one. When you look at it, you would think it would feel as archaic as it looks! The DualShock 3 really did not have the best input lag at the time, but shockingly, this was one of the most accurate and responsive games on the platform. Landing sneak attacks and killing blows as any animal feels vicious and impactful, and every character mode is detailed enough to where Tokyo Jungle manages to avoid any sort of uncanny valley feeling. So, Sonywhy is this not on PS5 yet?

Now, we know that the visuals are insane. Really, screenshot any portion of this game, and it looks like a wild fever dream of some sort. But the unique art direction is not the only thing that has kept Katamari Damacy looking timeless. Much like Patapon, there is a basic understanding in how the game works that makes so many newer titles look overly complicated. You have a ball. You roll the ball over objects that make your ball bigger. Make the ball as big as you can before time runs out. Easy to explain, easy to handle, easy to play, and so, so much more fun than some of the stuff we see today.

PS2 fanatics may instantly gravitate towards Twisted Metal: Black, but the difficulty can be a bit absurd for some players. As for Head-On, this is basically the most accessible and enjoyable title in the franchise. There is just something wonderfully arcade-y about it between the level design, the music, and the secret minigames that hide on each map. On top of that, the discovery of secret areas and shortcuts give the game a ton of replay value as they can help shape your own strategy. You just dont see that kind of malleability in modern games, you know?

We tried to avoid putting shooters on this becausewell, there werent a lot of FPS games from PlayStation that hold up too well. Up Your Arsenal, while a third-person shooter, excels at one aspect that makes it replayable no matter how old it gets: gunplay. Every weapon you earn packs enough punch to make them feel satisfying when firing, and the response when firing is almost instantaneous. The platforming might take modern audiences some time to grasp, but once you start using the weaponsits gonna be hard to put this down!

With the amount of open world games there are today, its astounding how few companies have learned from Sly 2 in its open world design. While it isnt a single, seamless open world like most games today, Sly 2 still showcased a variety of different areas, encouraging exploration by scattering bottles all over the place and giving the player tons of options of traversal. It wasnt littered with waypoints or pointless collectibles, and all three playable characters handle like a dream. Ah, the good old days of basic game design

Even the original God of War still holds up rather well, but its biggest downside is the reason why it didnt make the list, that being the fluctuating difficulty. God of War II, on the other hand, is almost sheer perfection in how it evolved from its exceptional predecessor. The new weapons, the massive set pieces, the colossal boss battles, the epic music - everything about this games scale was immeasurable at the time as few games ever matched this level of immersion. And to this day, the controls and combat are as immaculate as most big-budget games we see today. Honestly, this is required reading for any self-proclaimed PlayStation fan.

Which PlayStation game do you think still holds up today? Let us know down in the comments.