Highlights
- The RPGs from the PlayStation 2 era have aged incredibly well, with many gameplay mechanics remaining at the level of today's games.
- Kingdom Hearts 2 stands out as a huge game with a great balance of simplicity and complexity, appealing to both younger and experienced gamers.
- The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age holds up as one of the best-licensed RPGs ever made, with graphics and combat style that still impress today.
The PlayStation 2 era is one of the very best for gaming, with many of the best RPGs of all time having been released for that console and others that were challenging it at the top of the industry during the early 2000s. As such, many of the advancements made by the video game world at that time helped make the games feel much more timeless.
15 PS2 Games That Still Hold Up Well Today
Though the PlayStation 2 is long past its prime, many of the games released on the platform have held up incredibly well.
While graphics have moved forward a great deal since the PS2 in the gaming industry, many of the gameplay mechanics of RPGs at the time were already at the level that they remain today. This helps gamers today feel like many of the games from the PS2 era have aged incredibly well.
Updated on March 28, 2024, by Chris Harkin: The PlayStation 2 era may be long over, but many RPGs from that time are coming up in conversation among gamers again. Partly, this is due to there being a lot of nostalgia for that era of gaming, especially since RPGs are much more popular now and thus many players are finding new beloved games from the era that they missed at the time. Additionally, with remakes of classic games becoming ever more popular in the industry, players are always advocating for amazing, timeless games to get an update of some kind. This makes it likely more games will be added as hidden gems are uncovered and brought back to popularity in the future.
10 Grandia 2
Metascore: 71
Frequently with great RPG franchises, the first game requires more polishing out in terms of narrative and gameplay, such is the case with the Grandia franchise, which improved massively with the sequel. The narrative, about a mercenary set to protect a songstress who reveals ancient secrets about their world, is beautifully written and executed.
Grandia 2 is a game that was forgotten about by the time the PS2 port was released, but in spite of the Dreamcast version standing out more, this was a great game with great gameplay and a wonderfully built combat system that remains brilliant to revisit today.
9 The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age
Metascore: 73
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance , GameCube , PS2 , Xbox (Original) , Xbox 360
- Released
- November 2, 2004
- Developer(s)
- EA Redwood Shores
- Genre(s)
- RPG
There are some failures in the style of The Third Age, one of the most popular licensed Lord of the Rings games ever, particularly the strong comparisons that can be made to Final Fantasy 10. In spite of this, an RPG that adapts the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films is a brilliant idea that would be welcomed by many gamers today.
The Best Lord of the Rings Video Games, Ranked
These titles based on The Lord of the Rings immerse players in the most famous Middle-earth adventure.
As such, it is fortunate that the 2004 graphics hold up well enough today, while the combat style is similar to games like Final Fantasy 10, there are plenty of great original aspects about The Third Age. While players will still very much feel like this is a licensed game, it is one that holds up today as one of the best ever made, particularly in an RPG form.
8 Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne
Metascore: 82
Fans of the modern Persona games still relish the opportunity to revisit the series that started it all, Shin Megami Tensei. While the spin-off franchise, Persona, has surpassed the popularity of these games, the similarities in gameplay make Nocturne especially a great entry to revisit for players who only became invested in the Persona games later.
Following a high school student who becomes a demi-fiend in post-apocalyptic Tokyo, the protagonist of Nocturne becomes instrumental in the machinations of different factions seeking to remake the world in their favored image. With a demon recruitment system and many great elements that remain in the Persona franchise today, a great story takes precedence over aged graphics to make Nocturne truly timeless.
7 Tales Of Symphonia
Metascore: 86
- Platforms: GameCube, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Released: 2003-08-29
- Developers: Namco Tales Studio
- Genre: JRPG
A fascinating game with a story that focuses on Lloyd Irving, who goes on an adventure with his friend, who is destined to save their world. Along the way, they discover that they could doom a world parallel to their own if they save theirs, prompting moral questions of the type that didn't come up often in games at the time.
Players have to battle with a fascinating system that involves the player giving instructions to their AI companions while controlling their own character, making for a multi-line linear motion system. The simplistic, cartoonish graphics don't age much, and between this fun and different battle system, and the brilliant story, players don't even need the remastered Tales of Symphonia with the original version being so timeless.
6 Suikoden 3
Metascore: 86
After a relatively weak opener to the franchise, many fans found it difficult to get into Suikoden as a series, but the incredible Suikoden 2 on the PS1 led to a great deal of excitement for this entry, which managed to live up to the hype and helps make the franchise more memorable today.
With amazing story and character development, Suikoden 3 could get by today even with an average combat system, but that was also brilliant for its time, showcasing the complete package for the modern RPG that fans could easily revisit today and enjoy for its entirety as one of the best Suikoden entries.
5 Kingdom Hearts 2
Metascore: 87
The Kingdom Hearts franchise remains a highly popular one, but it was at its absolute peak when the second main entry was released in 2005. This was one of the later PS2-era games, but it was a huge one, simplistic enough to be great for younger players who loved the Disney IPs included, and with enough complexity for more experienced gamers to also love it.
The Kingdom Hearts franchise is filled with great content, but the expansive world of Kingdom Hearts 2 has yet to be outdone for the grandeur of the scale. The combat is also in the beloved hack-and-slash style that helped make Kingdom Hearts a success with wider appeal than the combat of many other RPGs.
4 Dragon Quest 8: Journey Of The Cursed King
Metascore: 89
The Dragon Quest franchise was one of the original JRPG franchises, and while it isn’t as popular as it once was, Dragon Quest 8 managed to become a defining entry decades after the franchise first began, despite having a traditional style and narrative, this is a great JRPG to revisit today.
Every Mainline Dragon Quest Game, Ranked
There have been many mainline titles in the Dragon Quest series throughout the years though some stand out above the rest.
From the narrative, which tells a typical good vs evil story but in a compelling manner, to the design and art which was amazing for the PS2 era, and in particular the combat system, Dragon Quest 8 is the complete package and a great game for newcomers to the JRPG style.
3 Persona 4
Metascore: 90
Persona 4
- Platform(s)
- PS2 , PS4 , Xbox One , Xbox Series S , Xbox Series X , Switch , PS Vita
- Released
- July 10, 2008
- Developer(s)
- Atlus
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Another game that is frequently seen on lists of the best video games ever made, it is unsurprising that the style of Persona 4 has kept it relevant and highly playable even against more modern competitors. The story of the TV world that high school students fall into, and the personas they use to fight off evil as they search for a murderer, made for an immediate classic.
Being one of the final PS2-exclusive games, Persona 4 was a huge success at the time and has garnered even more love since the release of updated versions, but because the original was released so late in the PS2 era, the graphics hold up amazingly well for a game on that console today.
2 Final Fantasy 10
Metascore: 92
One of the bolder and more intriguing entries in the legendary franchise, Final Fantasy 10 was a major shift for the franchise as it moved from turn-based combat that kept time permanently moving to the more beloved proper time-stops while players chose their next move, giving the combat a more strategic and less frantic feel.
The story of the blitz ball player living in Spira who set about trying to stop Sin is a classic for the series, prompting great memories of this game for many players which are easy to revisit despite the sadness of the ending. The delightful color palette of Spira and the combat system help make this highly enjoyable today in spite of any slight age that shows.
1 Final Fantasy 12
Metascore: 92
Fans will continue to debate which of the PS2 Final Fantasy games is the best, but the brave departures that Final Fantasy 12 made from earlier entries in the series earn it a high place of recognition in terms of timelessness for the franchise.
Sometimes games unfairly age because so many other games copy their style, but much of what Final Fantasy 12 achieved remains unique because the way in which players can micromanage other members of their party in combat is so special and brilliantly executed. Not to mention that the characters and the world of Ivalice were so beautifully explored, and characters like Vayne Solidor are some of the best the franchise has seen.
5 Darkest Persona Games, Ranked
The Persona series has always dealt with some serious themes in their stories, but some of the games are quite a bit darker than others.
