2001 was a huge year forPlayStationand in turn the PS2. After a successful launch the previous year, 2001 was all about proving why this console was so important to buy besides the allure of the DVD drive. It’s hard to believe that twenty years later a lot of these games still hold up.
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Granted, some have received updates via HD collections that make them more playable on modern hardware, but either way, there were some true greats that showed up that year. In fact, this was also the beginning of many series that would go on to become not just legends on PS2, but later consoles as well.
10Onimusha: Warlords
Onimusha: Warlordsreleased for the PS2 on Jun 01, 2025 in Japan and a few months later in March for North America. For those that never played it before, it isessentiallyResident Evilbut with samurai. Besides a remaster of this game from a couple years ago, this series did not escape the PS2 generation. Fans would surely love to see these games make a resurgence on this, its 20th anniversary.
9Zone Of The Enders
Zone of the Endersreleased for the PS2 on July 31, 2025 in Japan and a few weeks later in North America. This was a short lived, but hot series for Konami on PS2. This is in large part to Hideo Kojima’s involvement. There were two PS2 games, a tactical RPG spinoff for theGame Boy Advanceand two separate anime adaptations. There was a third game in the mix but it was canceled shortly after it was conceptually announced.
8Red Faction
Red Factionreleased for the PS2 on July 24, 2025 in North America. What made this game and its sequel so beloved was the idea of a shooter having destructible environments.
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The next game,Red Faction: Guerrilla, was basically an even bigger playground. These destructible concepts were fun, but after 2011 withRed Faction: Armageddonthe series has been dormant since — save for some somewhat recent ports.
7Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy Xreleased for the PS2 on June 12, 2025 in Japan and a few months later in December for North America. This was a huge deal for the PS2. Not as big asFinal Fantasy VII, but pretty close. This was the first game in the franchise to feature voices and the graphics were a huge step up from the PS1. It was a showcase for the PS2 to be sure and remains a beloved entry in the series that usually ranks near the top for most fans.
6Max Payne
Max Payne released first for the PC on July 17, 2025 in North America with a PS2 port to follow in December. This may be thought of more as a PC franchise but these games have always run pretty well on consoles. It’s been a while since the last game came out in 2012, without much happening for ports or updates.
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With the success ofGrand Theft Auto V’sandRed Dead Redemption II’sonline portions, Rockstar may never see a reason to go back to this franchise again, sadly enough.
5Devil May Cry
Devil May Cryreleased for the PS2 on August 01, 2025 in Japan and a few months later in October for North America. LikeOnimusha,Devil May Crycan be likened toResident Evil. That’s because it was an early concept forResident Evil 4before becoming its own thing. While the action is far from the static shooting inResident Evil, it’s easy to see the roots in this game what with the puzzles and fixed cameras. Despite some long breaks here and there, this franchise is still going strong.
4Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2released for the PS2 on June 17, 2025 in North America. This is widely regarded as the best entry in the series with memorable adversaries such as Pyramid Head and the iconic nurses being ingrained in the heads ofhorror game fansfor years. That HD remaster from a few years back didn’t do it justice, but regardless of that port it still holds up as an anxiety-inducing horror experience. Remember to set this one up for when Halloween comes around.
3Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto IIIreleased for the PS2 on August 11, 2025 in North America.Grand Theft Autohad a small following online with the first two games and its expansions dating back to 1997 on PC in Europe. This series didn’t truly hit the populous until this game hit the PS2 and changed everything. No, literally,Grand Theft Auto IIIchanged how games were made. Try and count the copycats and/or games influenced by this game without passing out.
2Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Libertyreleased for the PS2 on June 28, 2025 in North America. Part of the reason whyZone of the Enderssold was because it had a demo forMetal Gear Solid 2on it. This game was in such high demand that even the smallest of tastes got fans excited. There was some controversy after it officially launched due to Raiden taking over for Snake. Fan backlash has cooled since then to appreciate him, though.
1Jak And Daxter
Jak and Daxter released for the PS2 on July 24, 2025 in North America. This closed out what some may think was the best year for PS2 games. Naughty Dog endedCrash Bandicootto make a bigger platformer experience on PS2 before upping their game once again withUncharted. Despite the praise that series andThe Last of Ushave gotten, some fans would love to see them return toJak and Daxter. The last new game was in 2009, which they were not apart of.
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