20 PS2 Games That Prove It's The Best Console Ever

They don't make 'em like they used to.

GTA: San Andreas Follow the train
Rockstar

The PlayStation 2 was something special when it was released in 2000. Marking the start of a new millennium as well as the creation of a whole new generation of gamers, Sony couldn't have truly what they unleashed on the world 18 years ago. With over 3,000 games released, 160 million units sold and a 12 year streak producing the dang things, it's clear to see the console's beloved status was earned. And impressively, the PS2 is something that still remains just as entertaining almost two decades on.

Even now, most of the games that define our whole experience of the medium started off on the humble Playstation 2, growing into mammoth franchises and bringing about fantastic remasters defined by their 00's roots.

With the release of the Classic announced recently, it seems only fair to take a trip down memory lane. WhatCulture Gaming has come together to celebrate the 20 very best games that took over our childhood, that kickstarted a decades-long passion, and that made the second Playstation console definitively the most beloved of all time.

God bless that chunky slab of black plastic.

20. Timesplitters: Future Perfect

timesplitters future perfect
Free Radical

The TimeSplitters series has some fantastic entries under its belt, with a trilogy that still stands strong today and a loyal fanbase patiently waiting out their long lost fourth entry. The games introduce a temporal war that has to be fought across numerous generations, proving to be an absolute blast from the past as well as a shooter from the future - and just about everything in between.

Whether you're drawing pistols at dawn in the wild west, or weaving your way through a robot factory in distant 2315 - each instalment has some crazy fun environments tucked under its belt for time travellers the world over.

Bringing about quality first person shooting with a comic-book style and sarcastic humour, Future Perfect is the third entry into the series and features play as the badass Sergeant Cortez - meeting yourself across time periods to secure time crystals.

Complete with quirky side characters ripe for interaction and a big old helping of sassy commentary, Future Perfect is the culmination of Free Radical's games into one big melting pot of improvements - with the best worlds to visit and added vehicles and co-operative play that will have you longing for local split-screen to make it big again.

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Horror film junkie, burrito connoisseur, and serial cat stroker. WhatCulture's least favourite ginger.

Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.

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Video Editor and recent addition to the madness of the Gaming team, when she's not chatting about games, thinking about games, or playing games, she's streaming them on twitch. Tweet her pictures of dogs @DontRachQuit