The Best PlayStation Game Every Year 1994 - 2024
Three decades of Sony dominance... but which games come out on top?
In the 1990s, the console war was firmly raging between Nintendo and Sega. It was Sonic vs Mario, blue vs red, Mega Drive vs SNES...
But they were, all of them, deceived for another system was made.
Over three decades ago it was a shock to not only see Sony enter the race with a curious grey box called the PlayStation but carve out their own space in record time. Striking whilst the industry was warming and using their technical know-how, Sony crafted a system that changed the industry forever. In the 31 years since, PlayStation has survived long enough to see Sega fall, Microsoft rise and - through ups and downs of its own - be recognised as the most popular video game system of choice around the world.
But the question remains - across three decades of PlayStation, which games are the cream of the crop? Which titles defined Sony's systems for each year?
And whilst there are 31 games here to talk about, remember that it’s not The Top 31 PlayStation Games Ever. Some years were stuffed with classics and choosing just one was a real Sophie's Choice, so there’s absolutely no way to please everyone (sorry Crash fans).
Like our Xbox list of the same style, this article will only take into account console exclusives, including timed/staggered releases and, in some early cases, games that headed exclusively to the PlayStation from the arcade.
31. 1994 - Ridge Racer
With the original PlayStation launching on December 3rd 1994 in Japan, there’s really only a handful of games to pick from. The console’s launch line-up was a pretty underwhelming bag save for a couple of titles but it’s Namco's Ridge Racer that’s easily the most memorable.
And not just because of that time Kaz Hirai went “RIIIIIDGE RACERRR” at E3.
Of course the PlayStation launched two years ahead of the N64 and managed to get out in front of the Sega Saturn sales-wise with a more competitive price tag. Now it needed at least one game to prove it was the superior console. Ridge Racer felt like it was dragged and dropped from the arcade into the home in a way that seemed impossible back in 1994. The minor concessions of framerate and less background detail didn’t matter when players could jump into such a fast and gratifying 3D title.
But more than just being a solid port, Ridge Racer was a triumph of design and is recognised as the first game to use 3D texture mapping.
It was a pretty small package, lacking any multiplayer mode and not much in the way of a difficulty curve but, as a statement of intent, Ridge Racer was a worthy addition to Sony’s launch line-up. It was a declaration that the PlayStation was laying down the road to the future and then drifting along in it in style.