5 PS1 Games That Defined the 1990s

The first PlayStation launched in Japan in November 1994, ushering in a new era of 3D graphics and replacing cartridges with CDs, which let developers pack even more content into their games. Sony’s first console didn’t come to the United States until May 1995, and EU/Australia players had to wait until July ‘95, but it beat the Nintendo 64 to market by over a year, giving it a leg up on setting fan expectations for what the fifth generation of home consoles would look like. There are dozens of great games on the PlayStation, but a few stand out as the biggest games of the ‘90s. These aren’t necessarily the best games on the system. Instead, they represent where gaming was during the PlayStation’s reign.

Here are the five PS1 games that defined the era.

5) Resident Evil

The first Resident Evil wasn’t the original survival horror game, but it’s absolutely the one that popularized the genre. Producer Tokuro Fujiwara had previously worked on Sweet Home, a 1989 NES game that laid the groundwork for survival horror, but was limited by the technology at the time.

With the PlayStation, Fujiwara and director Shinji Mikami were able to take the genre to the next level, establishing Resident Evil as the landmark survival horror game. Not only did it inspire dozens of imitators and lead to one of Capcom’s biggest series, RE also brought back the zombie craze in general pop culture. The trip to Spencer Mansion turned out to be one of Capcom’s most important games of all time.

4) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

The Castlevania series is one of Konami’s biggest successes, and Symphony of the Night might be the best of the bunch. Somewhat surprisingly (given its legacy), SOTN had a slow start. Then, word of mouth started to build, and it became recognized as one of the best games of the era.

Symphony of the Night is more than just a great game. Like Resident Evil, it helped popularize a genre that’s still a fan favorite in 2025. SOTN is one of the pioneers of the Metroidvania genre, introducing many players to what’s now a go-to genre for many developers. The mix of exploration, nonlinear level design, and subtle RPG elements was a perfect concoction for Konami.

3) Tomb Raider

Eidos Interactive knocked the first Tomb Raider out of the park. The revolutionary movement and gorgeous graphics pleased fans and critics alike, with some saying it almost felt like playing through an action-adventure summer blockbuster.

Of course, that hasn’t aged as well, given how far graphics have come in the decades. Still, Tomb Raider looked exceptional at the time, and Lara Croft quickly became one of the most popular characters in gaming. During the late ’90s, you couldn’t look through a video game magazine without seeing the heroine’s face.

2) Metal Gear Solid

The first Metal Gear Solid game showed that director, producer, and writer Hideo Kojima had a flair for cinematic storytelling. He’s since become one of gaming’s most famous auteurs, but this relatively early version of Kojima was as experimental as he is these days, if not more so.

Metal Gear Solid showed players what gaming could be from a cinematic standpoint. Sure, the gameplay could be clunky at times, but the visual storytelling happening during Snake’s sneaking mission was mind-blowing at the time. And despite some fiddly controls, MGS helped popularize the stealth genre, in addition to setting the bar for what video games could do with a cutscene.

Given how much like a movie Metal Gear Solid is, it’s almost funny that it’s never gotten a film adaptation, when three of the other four games on this list have. That said, part of that might come down to MGS being so movie-like on its own. What else could a film version of the game possibly add? There have been attempts, but nothing concrete has materialized thus far.

1) Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII is one of the most important games of all time for several reasons. The most important of which is that developer Square decided to leave Nintendo behind and sign up with PlayStation. When Nintendo decided to ditch CDs and stick with carts, Square knew its vision for FF7 wouldn’t fit, so it moved to PlayStation to take advantage of the larger storage on CDs.

That partnership has largely held out in the decades since. Look at Final Fantasy XVI. It launched on PlayStation 5 in 2023 and didn’t come to other consoles until a year later. Not every Final Fantasy game has a PlayStation exclusivity window, but earning that with FF7 was a huge boost to Sony’s first console.

FF7 racked up Game of the Year awards from almost every outlet. It was one of the best stories players had seen in a video game to that point, though some would argue Metal Gear Solid bested it a year later. Regardless, FF7 was an astronomical success, introducing players worldwide to JRPGs. It’s since become a multimedia powerhouse, and the three-part Final Fantasy VII Remake continues to prove the game has staying power.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

5 PS1 Games You Forgot Were Awesome