5 PlayStation 2 RPGs That Still Hold Up Today

The PlayStation 2 is the best-selling console of all time, so it’s not a stretch to say that developers were releasing as many games as possible to try to capture a slice of that massive audience. One of the genres that saw the most success on the PS2 was role-playing games. With hundreds to choose from, it’s tough to pick which PlayStation 2 RPGs you should go back and play if you missed them, but there are a few that stand out from the crowd.

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Here are the five PlayStation 2 role-playing games that still hold up today.

5) Kingdom Hearts 2

Mixing Final Fantasy and Disney seemed like a weird idea at first, but developer Square Enix pulled it off with the original Kingdom Hearts. The first game had a few rough edges (I’m looking at you, Gummi Ships), but it was good enough to capture the hearts of millions of players. That led to the sequel, which took things up a notch.

Kingdom Hearts 2 takes everything you loved (and even a few things you didn’t) and makes them much better. Heck, even the much-maligned Gummi Ship segments were improved. Plus, players got to dig deep into the Disney catalog, visiting worlds based on Tron and Steamboat Willie in addition to more contemporary worlds based on franchises like Mulan and Pirates of the Caribbean. Toss in another epic hidden fight against Sephiroth, and you have what many view as the best game in the series.

4) Suikoden III

Most fans view Suikoden II as the peak of the series. While I agree with them, that game launched on the original PlayStation, making it ineligible for this list. Thankfully, Suikoden III was a solid follow-up that captured the spirit of the series as it arrived on a new console.

It’s not a perfect game; Suikoden III‘s music leaves much to be desired, and there are a few pacing issues. That said, the sprawling narrative is spread across three protagonists, and finding all of the many recruitable companions remains a blast. The team at Konami also tossed players a bone, getting rid of the time limits for recruiting certain characters, which made it a bit easier to recruit all 108 stars of Destiny.

3) Dark Cloud 2

Level-5 has almost always made great-looking games, and Dark Cloud 2 is no different. This sequel takes the same basic mechanics from the iconic original, but makes a few key improvements. Most notably, you’ll earn “Geostones,” which are used to rebuild the world outside of the dangerous dungeon.

This adds a light city-builder aspect to Dark Cloud 2, adding an extra layer of strategy to the mix. Beyond the gameplay, Dark Cloud 2 is an easy one to go back to because of how beautiful it is. There just aren’t many better-looking games on the PS2, and it’s still widely available for PlayStation 5 players, giving you no excuse not to give it a try.

2) Persona 4

Persona 4 was released in 2008, which might not seem that strange at first glance. However, it’s important to remember that the PlayStation 3 launched in 2006. Because of the PS2’s massive install base, Atlus decided to focus on the old console instead of putting Persona 4 out on the PS3. In fact, it didn’t even come to the system until 2014 as a PlayStation Classic, which, funnily enough, is the year after the PlayStation 4 launched.

It’s a wild way to do business, but it works for the Persona series. Atlus basically did the same thing with Persona 5 (though not as extreme), and it didn’t hurt sales. Regardless, Persona 4 is a must-play game for RPG fans. The mix of high school drama and hardcore dungeon-delving has always been great, and P4 is the formula at its best. It’s out on just about everything these days, so you can pick it up with ease.

1) Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X was, for many players, the reason they bought a PlayStation 2. It came out roughly a year after the console launched and took visual fidelity to a new level for console players. To that point, we just had not seen a game look like this that wasn’t being powered by a beefy PC.

Better-looking games came around during the PlayStation 2’s lifespan, but it was hard to top how striking FFX’s graphics were compared to everything else at the time. It’s not just a looker either. Final Fantasy X also has the innovative Sphere Grid leveling system, a new battle system, and a moving story filled with twists and turns. Blitzball might not be the best minigame in the series, but it was at least a neat idea. Final Fantasy X is easily one of the easiest games on the PS2 to play today. It’s available nearly everywhere and still looks gorgeous.

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