5 PS2 Games That Defined the 2000s

The 2000s were filled with great games, but most of them ended up on the PlayStation 2. The all-time best-selling console was chock-full of great games, making it very difficult to narrow down a list of the system’s standout titles. With that in mind, this list isn’t about the best games on the PS2. Instead, we’re looking at the system-defining consoles, while adding a small caveat. Because some of the best games of the era (most notably Grand Theft Auto 3 and its sequels) launched on several consoles, the list below is specifically focused on games made by Sony Interactive Entertainment and its many studios. That narrows the focus a bit, but there are still plenty of games to choose from.

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Here are the five PS2 games that helped define the 2000s.

5) Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec wasn’t a launch title for the PlayStation 2, but it was released early enough in the console’s lifespan that it quickly became one of the console’s killer apps. Sure, it didn’t have the sheer quantity of cars that Gran Turismo 2 brought to the table (180 to 650). However, it more than made up for it in quality.

GT3 was one of the best-looking games on the platform for several years, pushing the PS2 to its limits, while providing exceptional opponent AI, car physics, and relatively detailed environments. We don’t see massive graphical leaps like this as much anymore, so it’s hard to remember just how far GT3 took the series.

And the 2000s might’ve been the peak of racing games’ popularity, thanks to hit car movies like The Fast and the Furious and Gone in 60 Seconds. Everyone wanted to jump behind the wheel of a high-powered car, and Gran Turismo 3 was the best in the genre. It wasn’t doing Mario Kart numbers, but GT is one of the few series that can get in the ballpark.

4) SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs

PC gamers had been playing online shooters for years before consoles finally got the privilege. SOCOM was one of the early pioneers of the technology on the PS2, and while the series quickly ran out of steam, the first few games were great. SOCOM 2 was the peak for the series, but it didn’t completely run out of gas until the fifth game.

Zipper Interactive’s shooter never felt as good as Halo, but Zipper Interactive was doing great work trying to push online multiplayer further. Plus, who can forget using your PS2 headset to talk to your buddies during a SOCOM 2 game? Halo 2 and Xbox Live came along and ate its lunch a few years later, but SOCOM deserves some credit.

If nothing else, the success of SOCOM led to MAG, another solid Zipper game that was more notable for its innovations than its gameplay. It might seem quaint compared to PCs at the time, but MAG‘s ability to get 256 players in a single online battle was groundbreaking in 2010.

3) Jak 3

Jak 3 is one of the most 2000s games of all time. You’re still playing as Jak with his ottsel pal Daxter, and many of the same gameplay elements return with a few updates. However, developer Naughty Dog took a big step toward the gritty look that became so popular in the Aughts.

Look at the screenshot above. You instantly notice how brown Jak 3 looks. That was indicative of the time. As was taking a formerly family-friendly mascot and trying to age him up to appeal to a teenage audience.

That’s not a bad thing necessarily, it just feels of the era. It might’ve been annoying spending so much time in the Wasteland, but Jak 3 was still a mostly great game filled with plenty to do. Heck, the racing was so fun, Naughty Dog spun it out into Jax X: Combat Racing a year later.

2) Ratchet & Clank

Ratchet & Clank is similar to Jak in that both series were attempts to give Sony its own mascot. Before moving on, it’s worth shouting out Sly Cooper as well, who could easily take this spot for some players. That said, I think Ratchet & Clank takes the cake for mascot games on the PS2.

After all, there was so much volume for Ratchet & Clank on the platform. In the span of four years, there were just as many games. And while Deadlocked was a step back after the first three games kept improving critically, all four are worth playing.

Importantly, Ratchet & Clank had plenty of staying power for developer Insomniac Games. The team’s first mascot series, Spyro the Dragon, ended with the original PlayStation. Ratchet & Clank not only jumped to the PlayStation 3, but even popped up on the PS4 and PS5. Sony has never had a true mascot, but Ratchet & Clank are as close as it gets.

1) God of War

God of War is another series that has stood the test of time, but was arguably at its peak in the PS2 era. Don’t get me wrong, the modern games are phenomenal games that pushed the series forward in ways that most fans likely never dreamed of. However, those first two games were something special.

From the jump, Santa Monica Studios’ over-the-top action adventure was a critical and commercial darling. That first game is still tied for the series’ best Metacritic score despite how much improvement has gone into the series since. David Jaffe and his team perfectly captured the era of balls-to-the-wall action and a brooding protagonist who converses in grunts instead of sentences.

The violence might seem quaint compared to how excessive games like Mortal Kombat 1 are these days, but in 2005, it was more gratuitous than most gamers had seen. The combo-based combat was easy to pick up and a blast to master. Yes, the quick-time events eventually got a little tired, but some of those early boss kills were jaw-dropping.

Simply put, if you had a PlayStation 2 and wanted to play the best Sony had to offer, God of War and its sequel were incredibly high up the list. And that’s still true in 2025 with God of War Ragnarok and the PS5. It’s been an incredible run for the developer.

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