While the jump from PlayStation 1 to PS2 was very impressive, the leap from Sony's second console to the third was just as exciting, if not more so in some ways. The PS3 was released on November 17th, 2006 with a couple of really strong launch titles, including the likes of Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm. Though it struggled early on due to its steep price point and stiff competition in the form of the Nintendo Wii, the PS3 eventually became one of the best consoles of all time due to its fantastic third-party support and some revolutionary first-party titles.
16 PS3 Games With The Best Storylines
A ton of fantastic tales were told by way of the PlayStation 3, and we're here to tally up the best PS3 games with the strongest narratives.
Over the course of the PS3's life, each year got better and better. There are still some truly fabulous games released in the early days of the console, but both first-party and third-party developers eventually found their way around its unique architecture and were able to develop what would become some of the best games ever made. This generation of games is an odd one, an era that feels largely overlooked, but still maintains a sense of innovation and hardware advancements that lead to tangible improvements.
11 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - 2006
Marvel Action RPG Is A Dream Come True For Comic Book Fans
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
- Platform(s)
- Xbox (Original) , PC , PS2 , Xbox 360 , Nintendo Game Boy Advance , PSP , Wii , PS3 , PS4 , Xbox One
- Released
- October 24, 2006
- Developer(s)
- Raven Software
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Despite its early struggles, the PS3 had an ace up its sleeve in the form of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance as a launch window title. This combination of Diablo and the iconic superheroes of the Marvel Comics universe was an enticing prospect, one that built off the legacy that developer Raven Software had started years prior with X-Men Legends. Offering an impressive roster of some of Marvel's greatest heroes, including Spider-Man, and multiple members of the X-Men and Fantastic Four, it felt like a comic book fan's dream back in 2006.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is still an impressive game to this day, with some incredible representations of comic book characters and an addictive gameplay loop that hangs with the best action RPGs of the time and today. It is filled to the brim with callbacks and references to the wider Marvel universe, exploring everything from Castle Doom to Asgard. Although it isn't possible to purchase it on modern hardware, it's still worth tracking down and playing.
10 Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - 2007
Spectacular Adventure Game That Spawned An Entire Franchise
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
- Platform(s)
- PS3
- Released
- November 19, 2007
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
It didn't take long for developers to start fully grasping the power of the PS3, as Naughty Dog started what became one of the industry's most popular and successful franchises of all time with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune in 2007. Influenced by the likes of Indiana Jones and classic pulp adventure magazines, Uncharted was a technical showpiece of exactly what the PS3 could accomplish with the right team at the helm.
Written and directed by industry legend Amy Henig, Uncharted is still one of the greatest action games ever made, featuring a cast of phenomenal characters and some truly memorable set pieces. It was met with worldwide critical acclaim, spawning an entire franchise of sequels and even a blockbuster movie. The charming writing and sense of adventure were unmatched, establishing Naughty Dog as one of the best developers of the generation.
9 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots - 2008
Swan Song For Solid Snake Is One Of PS3's Best Titles
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Platform(s)
- PS3
- Released
- June 12, 2008
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Genre(s)
- Stealth
Metal Gear was in a strange place in 2008, as series creator Hideo Kojima had expressed a desire to move on from the franchise multiple times. In the years between Metal Gear Solid 2 in 2001 and the fourth mainline entry in 2008, Kojima had focused on Solid Snake's father, Big Boss, and his continuing evolution into the villain he was destined to become. But with the power of the PS3, Kojima sought to finish Solid Snake's story and give him a send-off worthy of a hero.
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There are quite a few PS3 games out there that need to be remastered. Here's a look at 10 we're very interested in.
In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Kojima focused on the themes of age and how war can change. Solid Snake, despite being only 42 years old, is now an old man thanks to the effects of the FOXDIE virus. It's a powerful tale that is backed by some of the best gameplay in the series, as the OctoCamo system allows Snake to blend into environments seamlessly in order to stay hidden. Although Guns of the Patriots is still stuck on the PS3, one can only hope it eventually makes its way to the next version of Konami's Master Collection compilation titles, as it's still one of the finest stealth-action games ever made.
8 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - 2009
Outstanding Sequel To 2007 Blockbuster Exceeds Expectations
Sequels to massively successful games are often saddled with unfair expectations, but Uncharted 2: Among Thieves managed to take every aspect of the first game and improve on it. The gameplay feels tighter, the writing and performances are top-notch and the pacing could not be more perfect. From the thrilling opening scene of escaping a damaged train all the way to the explosive climax in Shambhala, Uncharted 2 is a non-stop thrill ride that is still one of the PS3's greatest achievements.
Uncharted 2 was so ahead of its time graphically, that when the trilogy was ported to the PS4 in The Nathan Drake Collection, this sequel didn't feel at all out of place on the new hardware. It looked like it could have passed as a first-generation PS4 game, a testament to the talented team at Naughty Dog and how they were able to make Drake's second adventure into one of the PS3's finest titles.
7 God Of War 3 - 2010
Kratos' Greatest Adventure On PS3 Is One Of The Franchise's Best
Despite the fact that the PS3 was deep into its first year, the sequel to 2005's God of War did not come to the console and instead shipped on the PS2. The install base of the PS2 was simply too large to ignore, but Sony Santa Monica opted to make use of the PS3 hardware in order to power Kratos' next adventure. And it paid off, as God of War 3 is still one of the best entries in the franchise and a landmark title for the PS3.
One of Kratos' last journeys through the Greek world before the 2018 reboot, God of War 3 features some of the franchise's most visceral and gory combat to date. Everything about the way Kratos attacks to the way he brutalizes enemies in grapple movies, it all feels absolutely fantastic to experience. Although the franchise has recently been rebooted and is still producing top-tier games to this day, God of War 3 remains one of the best titles in the series.
6 Dead Island - 2011
First-Person Zombie RPG Is A Breath Of Fresh Air
Despite a trailer that promised an emotional, heartfelt story about surviving a zombie apocalypse, the retail version of Dead Island took a slight detour. The final game felt more like Zombieland than The Walking Dead, but it was something that helped elevate the game beyond the typical zombie fare that was seen at the time. While a lot of zombie fiction was focused on dark, serious stories, Dead Island was set on a bright tropical island with a cast of somewhat campy characters.
6 Great First-Person Zombie Games To Play If You Like Dead Island
Players who love the thrill of fighting the undead in Dead Island will also enjoy these similarly action-packed survival horror FPS games.
Dead Island could be played either in 4-player co-op or solo, but the fantastic design of the game meant that single-player experiences weren't hampered. It never felt like you were missing out by playing alone. The massive selection of weapons, impressive visuals, and some terrific shooting mechanics all blend together in a magnificent way, something that carried over to the long-troubled sequel that finally launched in 2023.
5 The Walking Dead - 2012
Graphic Adventure Game That Captures The Emotional Heartbeat Of Zombie Comic
Two years into the record-breaking run of the original Walking Dead series, developer Telltale Games sought to explore a different side of Robert Kirkman's massively successful comic book series. Though it's not canon to the television show, it does take place within the same universe as the comic, something made evident by its graphic novel-style graphics. Backed by a strong script, a brilliant cast of characters, and some of the best voice performances ever heard, The Walking Dead was hugely popular and spawned multiple seasons and a few spin-offs.
Feeling like an evolution of older point-and-click adventure games, The Walking Dead puts its focus clearly on character progression and choices. The ongoing relationship between lead character Lee Everett and a delightful child known as Clementine is the heart of the story, a heart-wrenching tale of survival and found family that is easily one of the industry's greatest all-time stories. Future seasons of this series took Clementine on a long, difficult journey, but it all started with this stellar game that is readily available on modern platforms.
4 The Last Of Us - 2013
Cinematic Action Game Set In Apocalypse Stuns On PS3
It's safe to say that no game that was released in 2013 stood a chance against The Last of Us, the harrowing journey of survivor Joel and resourceful Ellie. What begins as a quest to get some guns from a rival group known as the Fireflies becomes a cross-country journey to survive the horde of Infected, but also one that may result in the salvation of humanity, as Ellie's immunity to the disease could hold the key.
The Last Of Us Part 1: 5 Best Improvements In The PS5 Remake
The Last of Us Part 1 has received a PS5 remake, but what are the greatest, actual improvements to the original PS4 game?
Featuring one of the greatest stories ever written for the industry, as well as a cast of truly incredible voice performances, The Last of Us isn't just one of the best PS3 games. It's a contender for one of the finest games ever made, as developer Naughty Dog was able to take full advantage of the PS3. The combat feels harsh and appropriately violent, while the atmosphere and dialog are top-notch. The recent remaster for the PS5 is the best way to experience it today, showing that this decade-old game is still worth playing.
3 The Last Of Us: Left Behind - 2014
The Last Of Us DLC Is Momentous For LGBTQ+ Progress In Games
The Last of Us: Left Behind
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Genre(s)
- Action , Third-Person Shooter
Released just one year after The Last of Us, both as DLC for owners of the season pass and as a standalone title, Left Behind explores Ellie's relationship with best friend Riley in one of the best pieces of additional content a game has ever seen. Taking place three weeks before the first game, Left Behind is a haunting examination of two people in the final moments before their lives change forever.
The relationship between Ellie and Riley was a landmark moment for video games, as their kiss was important to the increasing LGBTQ+ representation in the industry. It was a crucial part of the important change that video games were seeing, but also just as important in further cementing the character of Ellie in the franchise moving forward as its true lead. Left Behind is easily one of the best pieces of DLC ever released, and was also remastered for the PS5 in 2022, making it readily available today.
2 Life Is Strange - 2015
Episodic Adventure Game Features Haunting Story Of Missing Girl
Adventure games were becoming rather popular at this time, as titles like The Walking Dead had proven. But in 2015, developer Dontnod teamed up with Square Enix to create their own take in the form of Life is Strange. This delightful coming-of-age story was able to mix science fiction with a grounded drama, as it chronicled the journey of a girl named Max Caufield after she gained the ability to alter time.
Set in a quiet town known as Arcadia Bay, Life is Strange is a fascinating mystery about what happened to a girl named Rachel Amber and Max's relationship with Chloe Price. Their dynamic is absolutely magnetic, as the game was praised for its fantastic LGBTQ+ representation, something that the series has maintained through multiple sequels. The combination of sharp writing, some fun puzzles, and a unique time-travel gameplay mechanic is still great fun to experience today, as it's available via a fantastic remaster on every major platform.
1 Persona 5 - 2016
The Incredible JRPG Is One Of The PS3's Greatest Games
The oft-delayed Persona 5 finally launched on PS3 in September 2016, alongside a PS4 version on the same day. But in spite of being available on more advanced hardware, Persona 5 was built with the PS3 in mind, and it was clearly made by a talented group that knew exactly how to get the most out of the machine, as evidenced by their work on Catherine five years prior.
Every Persona 5 Game, Explained
With many different versions of Persona 5 available, some players might be confused about the differences, here's an explanation:
Persona 5 was the first mainline game in the series in eight years, as the fourth iteration had come out two console generations before it. Every aspect of what made the series so amazing in previous versions was not only kept but improved on. The combat was slick and stylish, the party is one of the best in the entire genre, and the entire package shaped up into one of the greatest JRPGs that has ever been made. It's been eight years since Persona 5, and no JRPG has come close to matching the ravenous following that this game has created. It's truly a special game and one that shouldn't be missed, no matter what platform it's on.
10 PlayStation 3 Games With Graphics That Have Aged The Best
These PS3 games still look good despite their advanced age.
