The PSP, or PlayStation Portable, is universally hailed as one of the best handheld consoles of all time. From its form factor to the incredible library of games, the console has so much to offer, even if it’s been two decades since its release. So, if you’ve managed to snag the handheld in working condition and are confused where to start, here are the 15 best PSP games that you must play before selling it off.
List of Best PSP Games
If you want a quick look at the best PSP games, check out the handy table given below. Also, it’s important to note that the PSP digital store is no longer in service. To purchase these games, you’ll either have to look for the physical copies online, purchase them via the PS3 digital store, or use an Android emulator.
You could also sidestep these complications altogether and get your handheld jailbroken. But hey, we don’t want to give you any ideas.
Game Genre Release Date God of War: Chains of Olympus Action-Adventure March 4, 2008 GTA: Chinatown Wars Open-world Action-Adventure October 20, 2009 SMT: Persona 3 Portable RPG/Social-Sim July 6, 2010 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Stealth, Action-Adventure June 8, 2010 GTA: Vice City Stories Open-world Action-Adventure October 31, 2006 Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection Fighting July 25, 2006 Gran Turismo Sim-cade Racing October 1, 2009 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII ARPG March 25, 2008 Monster Hunter Freedom Unite ARPG May 23, 2008 Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny Fighting September 1, 2009 Killzone: Liberation Top-down Shooter October 31, 2006 Burnout Legends Arcade Racing September 13, 2005 God of War: Ghost of Sparta Action-Adventure November 2, 2010 Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2 – Another Road Fighter November 20, 2007 Patapon 2 Rhythm ARPG April 12, 2007
God of War: Chains of Olympus
- Release Date: March 4, 2008
- Developer(s): Ready at Dawn
There’s no better way to start this list than with what is literally the highest-rated PSP game of all time. God of War: Chains of Olympus was the first title to push the handheld beyond its limits, thanks to its gorgeous lighting and impressively detailed environments. It put the little machine under so much stress that Sony had to release an official firmware update that raised the PSP processor’s clock speed.
Developed by Ready at Dawn, this prequel takes players back to Kratos’s years of service to the gods. It showcases a more vulnerable side of Kratos as he wrestles with the loss of his daughter, Calliope, and goes to surprising lengths just for the chance of reuniting with her. The gameplay is another area where Chains of Olympus excels, as it translates the series’ iconic hack-and-slash mechanics to a single analog stick without losing an ounce of impact.
The only real complaint that can be levied against this GOW prequel is its brief runtime. But besides that, the game is an absolute must-play for any PSP owner.
GTA: Chinatown Wars
- Release Date: October 20, 2009
- Developer(s): Rockstar Leeds, Rockstar North
GTA: Chinatown Wars is probably the most visually distinct entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. By 2009, the PSP had already received two GTA games that largely stuck with the graphical style and gameplay mechanics established by GTA 3. But with Chinatown Wars, Rockstar Leeds decided to swing for the fences.
Through the use of a cel-shaded art style as well as a top-down perspective, Chinatown Wars immediately stood out from the pack. The game also featured addictive mini-games that were a perfect match for the PSP’s buttons. Instead of just hitting Triangle to steal a car, players had to engage in quick-time events to hotwire vehicles or unscrew their panels. There was even a drug-dealing economy that let you buy low and sell high across the city to erect a criminal empire.
Unique touches such as these helped instill that feeling of exclusivity. The feeling that Chinatown Wars was made specifically for PSP, and wasn’t a trimmed-down port of a PS3 game. For all these reasons and more, GTA: Chinatown Wars is undeniably one of the best PSP games ever made.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable
- Release Date: July 6, 2010
- Developer(s): Atlus
As many fans now know, Persona is the perfect franchise to play on the go. Its core social-sim gameplay loop, combined with the tactical dungeon crawling, works so well on a handheld console. And guess what the first handheld to receive a full-fat Persona was? Well, it was the PSP, of course!
Persona 3 Portable is a streamlined version of the classic PS2 game, featuring all the characters, social links, and oddities that made it so special. The only major change came in the form of a visual novel-style interface, which replaced the original’s overworld exploration. To help compensate for this transition, the devs added the groundbreaking option to pick a female protagonist, supplemented by new social links, music tracks, and generally, a new perspective on the main story.
P3 Portable is basically 80+ hours of high-quality content baked into a UMD and ready to be devoured. We cannot recommend it more if you’re looking for a PSP game to get lost in.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
- Release Date: June 8, 2010
- Developer(s): Kojima Productions
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker delivers a tactical experience so thorough that it feels more like a mainline numbered entry than a handheld spin-off. Directed by Hideo Kojima himself, the game places you in the boots of Big Boss during the 1970s as he builds his private army, the Militaires Sans Frontières. Featuring high-quality voice acting, stunning comic-book-style cinematics by artist Ashley Wood, and a deep, politically charged narrative, the game expertly bridges the gap between Snake Eater and the original Metal Gear.
Peace Walker can also be credited with introducing features that went on to become a mainstay in the franchise. From movement upgrades such as crouch-walking to fundamental mechanics such as Mother Base management and even the Fulton Recovery system, this unassuming PSP game helped set the stage for MGS V. Just like Chinatown Wars, MGS: Peace Walker was tailor-made for Sony’s handheld, and it’s part of the reason why it belongs on our best PSP games list.
GTA: Vice City Stories
- Release Date: October 31, 2006
- Developer(s): Rockstar Leeds, Rockstar North
Set two years before the events of the iconic GTA: Vice City, this “Stories” prequel helps set up the back-stabbing menace we’d later come to know as Lance Vance. You’ll take control of his brother Victor, an ex-soldier forced to turn to crime to help support his family. You’ll also run into other familiar faces, including Ricardo Diaz and Phil Cassidy. At the time, this was a surprisingly emotional narrative for a GTA game, and it did a great job of making you understand Victor’s moral dilemma.
What Vice City Stories is best known for is, of course, the innovative Empire Building system. This layered mechanic allowed players to seize businesses from rival gangs and transform them into profitable ventures like protection rackets, smuggling rings, or high-end robbery hubs. Not only was this excellent for replayability, but it also introduced a dose of territory management that made the open world more reactive to your actions.
Graphically, its rendition of Vice City was impressive for the hardware, and we cannot wait to see how GTA 6 modernizes the iconic urban sprawl.
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection
- Release Date: July 25, 2006
- Developer(s): Namco, Eighting
Tekken: Dark Resurrection is a PSP port of Tekken 5 that was heralded as the gold standard for handheld fighting games at the time. The title introduced fundamental changes to the original, modifying everything from characters’ movesets to rebalancing signature attacks. The package also included new stages, more customization options, and even a couple of new game modes.
The best part was that the game ran a buttery-smooth 60 FPS during gameplay. It didn’t have to make any drastic graphical sacrifices to achieve this either. The PSP would go on to receive a Tekken 6 port as well, but Dark Resurrection remains the handheld’s zenith as far as fighting games are concerned.
Gran Turismo
- Release Date: October 1, 2009
- Developer(s): Polyphone Digital
Gran Turismo on the PSP is a monumental feat of engineering, packing the series’ legendary “Real Driving Simulator” physics and an eye-watering car list into a portable UMD. With over 800 vehicles and 45 tracks, it remains one of the most content-rich racing games ever released for a handheld. Most impressively, the game maintains a silky-smooth 60 FPS during gameplay, all while looking like a treat for the eyes, especially on the console’s small screen.
The portable entry marked the very first licensed appearance of manufacturers such as Bugatti and Lamborghini. While it lacked the deep visual tuning of the mainline entries, the sheer variety of vehicles and the all-around polish set a new benchmark for the franchise. Polyphony managed to accomplish all this despite sticking to a 1 GB storage limit. That fact by itself seals Gran Turismo’s place in our list of the best PSP games of all time.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
- Release Date: March 25, 2008
- Developer(s): Square Enix
Crisis Core is set years before the iconic Final Fantasy VII and helps bridge the gaps in its lore. The title delves into the origin of the Buster Sword and explores Sephiroth’s turn to the dark side in these gorgeous CGI cutscenes that were something to behold on the PSP’s display. As for the gameplay, Crisis Core introduced a unique, fast-paced combat system that blended traditional RPG elements with real-time action.
This approach culminated in the unique Digital Mind Wave (DMW) feature, which straps a slot machine to every battle, and triggers powerful limit breaks and cinematic summons based on Zack’s emotional state and memories. This system added a layer of controlled chaos to the combat and felt incredibly visceral on the handheld.
As you might already know, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII went on to receive a console port for modern-day machines. But if you can manage it, the original version is still the best way to experience the fan-favorite title.
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
- Release Date: May 23, 2008
- Developer(s): Capcom
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is the game that arguably defined the PSP’s legacy in Japan, sparking a social phenomenon that changed handheld gaming forever. By taking the fast-paced boss-rush gameplay of the PS2 original and making it portable, it created a unique loop of hunt-carve-craft- repeat that was perfectly suited for the handheld format.
While it is notoriously difficult and demands patience, the satisfaction of finally taking down a towering Rathalos using a giant sword you forged yourself is a feeling few other games on the system can match. While it wasn’t as successful as Monster Hunter World, nor as polished as a direct competitor in Rise, Monster Hunter Freedom remains one of the best PSP games of all time.
Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
- Release Date: September 1, 2009
- Developer(s): Project Soul, Bandai Namco
Building on the robust engine of Soulcalibur IV, Broken Destiny delivers a stunning portable experience with detailed character models and vibrant stages, all running at a blistering 60 frames per second. From the eight-way run movement to the flashy Critical Finishes, the franchise’s signature elements were all carried over perfectly, and felt just as precise on a handheld as they did on a home console.
Of course, the primary draw for fans was the addition of God of War’s Kratos as a playable character. The Ghost of Sparta is arguably the most exciting guest character in the franchise’s history, and it was the PSP that had the honor of hosting him. If you haven’t played a Soulcalibur before, Broken Destiny is a great place to start, especially if you want portability.
Killzone: Liberation
- Release Date: October 31, 2006
- Developer(s): Guerrilla Games
Before Guerrilla Games hit it big with Horizon Zero Dawn, the studio was the custodian of the Killzone franchise. The series was known for frenetic, first-person shooting, so imagine everyone’s surprise when the only Killzone revealed for the PSP turned out to be an isometric spin-off. This switch-up caught many players off guard and left even more disappointed.
Fortunately, Killzone: Liberation turned out to be a breath of fresh air, offering a gritty, top-down, tactical shooter that took full advantage of the handheld’s control scheme. The gameplay is divided into tight, objective-based chapters, where players must rely on taking cover, flanking enemies, and using high-tech gadgets to get past combat encounters. There’s little room for running and gunning here, which helps make these levels feel like chessboards.
To add a strategic layer on top of this gameplay loop, Liberation featured upgrades for weapons as well as protagonist Jan Templar. Players were asked to pick and choose from a variety of options, which meant that chasing upgrades became a pillar of the gameplay loop. While it is true that Killzone: Liberation doesn’t feature the cutting-edge visuals and nail-biting set pieces of the mainline entries, it remains a unique spin-off that’s well worth playing on PSP.
Burnout Legends
- Release Date: September 13, 2005
- Developer(s): Criterion Games, EA
Burnout Legends condenses everything fans know and love about the franchise into a handheld package. From top to bottom, you’re looking at a chaotic arcade racer tailor-made for the PSP (and the Nintendo DS). The spectacular takedowns, the insane crash physics, the overbearing sense of devil-may-care – it’s all here, accompanied by a pulsating punk rock soundscape to egg you on.
There are some noteworthy concessions here, including the 30 FPS target. But despite this, that feeling of blazing through the asphalt remains intact. So, if you’re looking for an excellent casual racing title, then Burnout Legends might be the best PSP game for your needs.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
- Release Date: November 2, 2010
- Developer(s): Ready at Dawn
Arriving two years after Chains of Olympus, God of War: Ghost of Sparta is Kratos’s swan song on the PSP and a studio highlight for the now-defunct Ready at Dawn. The entry was yet another prequel that explores the Spartans’ past, focusing on the epic search for Kratos’s long-lost brother, Deimos. It’s a darker, more personal journey that fills the gap between the first and second mainline games, delivering a level of cinematic polish and scale that many thought was impossible for a handheld to achieve.
As you’d expect, the gameplay is polished to a sheen and spruced up by the introduction of new tools like the Arms of Sparta and Thera’s Bane. The coterie of enemies was also expanded to include Greek monstrocities like Minotaurs and Harpies, as well as more fictional foes in Triton warriors and Boreas beasts. There is generally a lot more gameplay here compared to Chains of Olympus, which results in a significantly longer runtime.
To sum things up, Ghost of Sparta is the definitive God of War experience on the PSP. There are no cutbacks here, no cases of restricted ambition. This is a full-fat Spartan adventure where you battle with some of the most fearsome enemies in the entire franchise, all while experiencing a captivating story. If there’s one entry on this list worthy of being hailed as the best PSP game of all time, it’s this.
Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2 – Another Road
- Release Date: November 20, 2007
- Developer(s): Bandai Namco, Dimps
The classic Shin Budokai offshoot of the Dragon Ball fighting games was actually my first introduction to the franchise as a whole. Before 2002’s Budokai, I didn’t know my Cells from my Vegetas, nor did I understand the concept of Ki. These games played a massive role in sparking my DBZ fandom, and the entry that I hold very fond memories of is 2007’s Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2.
Released as Shin Budokai 2 – Another Road outside Japan, the game used the same gameplay framework as its predecessor but supplemented it with a boatload of new content. You had new fighters, new transformations, new character arcs, and a refreshed story mode centered around Future Trunks.
This narrative, told through static visual novel-style cutscenes, was surprisingly engaging, with the cherry on top being the titular “Another Road” mechanic. The roster was also stuffed to the brim, featuring every Saiyan warrior and interdimensional villain that you could ask for. To top it all off, the music is genuinely fantastic, gracefully switching between lo-fi menu themes and guitar-heavy battle tracks with riffs that will linger in your head for hours.
Perhaps this is nostalgia talking, but Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2 is a near-flawless game that is an essential part of the PSP catalogue.
Patapon 2
- Release Date: November 27, 2007
- Developer(s): Japan Studio, Pyramid
Nearly two decades since its release, and I still cannot, for the life of me, explain what Patapon 2 is. It’s one of those games that need to be experienced to grasp the full breadth of, but here’s my best shot: Patapon 2 is a rhythm-action god game, where you command a tiny army of stickmen by jamming to drum beats using the PSP’s face buttons. You’ll go through these colorful hand-drawn backdrops, nodding your head the whole way, while the titular Patapon chuck spears at your musical command.
Your bite-sized tribe slowly evolves over time, gaining access to new unit types, weapons, and upgrades that add a surprising amount of depth to the experience. What starts off as a simple march forward quickly turns into a careful balancing act, where maintaining rhythm is just as important as choosing the right formation for each encounter. Drop the beat for even a second, and your entire army falls out of sync, often with disastrous results.
This adventure is as brief as it is joyous. You could beat the game over a weekend, and its drum beats will reverberate in your ears for the whole month. And trust me, you won’t be complaining.
And that wraps up our list of the 15 best PSP games to play before selling off the handheld. Do you have a favorite game that we missed out on? Let us know in the comments.
