Best PSP games of all time, ranked

The PlayStation Portable, released in 2004, changed what people expected from handheld gaming. Sony aimed to create more than just a device for short bursts of play; the PSP offered a complete, console-like gaming experience you could hold in your hand, featuring impressive graphics, engaging stories, and robust multiplayer options.

The PSP became a haven for big-name game franchises that remarkably maintained their quality on a handheld device. Games like Grand Theft Auto flourished with titles like Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories. Beloved series such as God of War, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, and Persona all had standout installments created specifically for portable gaming. Alongside these, unique and addictive games like LocoRoco, Patapon, and Lumines demonstrated the PSP’s knack for simple, yet engaging gameplay.

The PSP offered an incredible range of games, from big-budget action titles to dedicated strategy RPGs and popular rhythm games, making it one of the best handheld gaming systems ever created.

With that in mind, here’s our ranking of the best PSP games.

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SSX on Tour

Release date:

October 11, 2005

4(4 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation 2
Xbox
PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: You can ski or snowboard yourself into stardom in SSX On Tour. The game includes 12 levels for racing and performing stunts. You can earn yourself a spot on the professional tour by winning events and improving your skills. Your success moves you up the rankings until you can call yourself the best on the mountain. This version of SSX features new graphical effects and controller feedback designed to capture the speed of your races and the massive air of your tricks. SSX On Tour also includes new music, art, and characters.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Release date:

March 17, 2009

4(9 reviews)

Platforms:

Nintendo DS
Android
PlayStation Portable
iOS

More info

What it’s about: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is an entirely original entry into the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto series, and brings a new level of interactivity to its sprawling open environments. With the use of the DS touch screen, players navigate their way through the streets as they uncover the truth behind an epic tale of crime and corruption within the Triad crime syndicate, delivering the unprecedented amount of depth that has become a true trademark of the franchise.

Beaterator

Release date:

September 29, 2009

4(1 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable
iOS

More info

What it’s about: Beaterator is a portable music maker produced by Rockstar in conjunction with Timbaland.

Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice

Release date:

December 7, 2007

4(3 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: This game is a sequel to the first Pursuit Force. This is a game which alternates between driving and shooting, in which you must keep Capital City safe from five ruthless and well-equipped gangs.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

Release date:

October 24, 2006

4(7 reviews)

Platforms:

Wii
PC (Microsoft Windows)
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
PlayStation 4
Xbox One

More info

What it’s about: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role playing game set within the fictional Marvel Universe. It features many of the superheroes, supervillains, and supporting characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.

Mega Man Powered Up

Release date:

March 2, 2006

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: Mega Man Powered Up, known as Rockman Rockman in Japan, is a remake of the first Mega Man game. It was released worldwide for the PlayStation Portable in March 2006. It was later released in a bundle alongside Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X and was slated for release on the PSP’s PlayStation Network. It was released for the PlayStation Network service in Japan, but a US release did not occur due to technical difficulties. The game uses a chibi-style that was intended for the original game but was not possible at the time. The designers intended to keep this design faithful to the way the characters worked and looked in the original. While it received generally positive reviews, the game sold poorly, and plans for a remake of Mega Man 2 titled Mega Man Powered Up 2 fell through.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

Release date:

December 5, 2006

5(1 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: MPO is the fourth Metal Gear title made specifically for the PSP and the first one to retain the series’ action-based play mechanics. It is the first canonical outing of the Metal Gear Solid series for a portable platform, following the storyline of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Set in Colombia in 1970, six years after the events of Snake Eater, the game follows the exploits of Naked Snake after his former unit, FOX, goes renegade. The game also chronicles the eventual founding of FOXHOUND and The Patriots, as well as the inspiration of the military state Outer Heaven. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops has received highly positive critical reception from critics, and is often viewed as one of the best games released for the PSP. It was praised for its visuals, usage of Metal Gear elements and story, while criticism was directed at the game’s control scheme.

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011

Release date:

October 26, 2010

4(4 reviews)

Platforms:

Wii
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 will empower players more than ever to define their destiny and gameplay experiences in a dynamic and ever-changing WWE. Along the way, your decisions will decide gameplay scenarios, allowing for more spontaneous WWE action in and out of the ring. Enjoy a greater level of interactivity that allows you to customize your WWE experience and control your destinies in all-new Road to WrestleMania story-driven campaigns. You’ve seen the Superstars’ greatest moments on WWE programming. You’ve shared them and lived through them on television, on the web, and at the arenas. Now, it’s time for you to define your ultimate WWE moment, in the most interactive experience in the WWE Universe. This is your moment.

Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai

Release date:

March 7, 2006

4(1 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: The wildly popular Dragon Ball Z series makes its first appearance on the PlayStation Portable with Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai. Play as the good guys or the bad guys in this high-energy fighting game. You can use flight and energy abilities, transformations, and counterattacks, as well as character-specific attacks featured in the Dragon Ball Z TV show. There are 18 playable characters and seven story modes to choose from. Challenge other gamers to multiplayer duels via the PSP Wi-Fi connection.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Release date:

December 8, 2009

4(6 reviews)

Platforms:

Wii
PlayStation 2
PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is the seventh installment in the Silent Hill survival horror series, and a stand-alone reimagining of the original Silent Hill video game. Once again, you will cast Harry Mason searching across the haunted town for his missing daughter Cheryl. Through his exploration, Harry will come across objects and recordings that tell some of the history of Silent Hill. New to the series are a depiction of Silent Hill’s demonic alter-dimension as a world of ice, and the removal of weapons from the game: when the monsters come out, Harry must literally run for his life. Between scenes, the game will cut to a psychiatrist’s office, who asks personal questions about Harry and his past experiences. The game will then alter itself based on the player’s responses, changing characters and lines of dialog to something intended to be more personally uncomfortable.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

Release date:

January 9, 2010

4(3 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: Birth by Sleep is an action roleplaying game that introduces a gameplay aspect called the Command System, which allows players to customize a Command Deck with techniques and abilities that they can perform at will, called Deck Commands. Performing ordinary attacks and Commands fills a gauge displayed above the command deck that, when certain requirements are fulfilled, activates a Command Style that changes the player’s basic attack command with the “Surge” command, which racks up powerful combos depending on what Command Style is activated. Filling the gauge with certain requirements a second time causes the character to change into an even higher level Command Style, which replaces the “Surge” command with the more powerful “Storm” command.

Half-Minute Hero

Release date:

May 28, 2009

4(4 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: You have 00:30 seconds to save the world!

Prepare for the fastest, most frantic gameplay ever! Conquer over 100 levels totaling more than 20 hours of gameplay, 30 seconds at a time!

Challenge the missions on your own or connect wirelessly for blazing-fast, head-to-head competition!

Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2

Release date:

December 6, 2007

4(1 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: The eighth game, and second portable golf title, in the Everybody’s Golf series, known as Hot Shots in North America.

Valkyria Chronicles 2

Release date:

January 21, 2010

4(1 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Vita

More info

What it’s about: Valkyria Chronicles 2 is a sequel to the critically acclaimed tactical RPG Valkyria Chronicles on the PS3, which was released exclusively on the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system. The game takes place two years after the conclusion of the original game and takes you back to the epic adventure set in 1930’s fictitious Europe. In this sequel, you play as a group of young Gallian Military Academy cadets who find themselves plunged into a bitter civil war when the newly formed Gallian Revolutionary Army stages a coup. As the drama and battle unfold, you will experience stories of friendship, love and growing pains during a time of war and revolution. The ‘CANVAS’ engine originally developed by SEGA Game Studios Japan for Valkyria Chronicles has been fully redesigned for the PSP system. This incredibly distinctive engine will power over 20 new distinct and visually stunning environments where you will have over 200 different missions to explore. For the first time ad-hoc Versus and Co-op multiplayer gameplay will now be available. The ‘BLiTZ’ battle system has also been re-designed to offer players the freedom to strategically move around the environment and attack enemies using real-time controls, something never before seen in the tactical role-playing game genre. This game adds some new unit classes and the ability to upgrade or change classes. It also changes the battle system to include multiple map areas that are unlocked as you take over enemy bases revealing more of the battlefield and allowing you to call units into that area.

Resistance: Retribution

Release date:

March 12, 2009

5(1 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: Set in the weeks after Resistance: Fall of Man, Resistance: Retribution follows the story of former British Marine James Grayson. After a personal tragedy – he is forced to kill his own brother inside a Chimeran conversion center – Grayson goes on a vendetta to destroy every conversion center he can find. Eventually Grayson learns that his efforts have been futile… in Western Europe the Chimera have evolved a new method of converting humans to aliens. The European resistance – the Maquis – enlist Grayson’s help, and he joins Cartwright and Parker in Operation Overstrike. The war to retake the European continent has begun.

Wipeout Pure

Release date:

March 24, 2005

5(2 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: WipEout Pure is the first adaptation for the PSP of the long-running Wipeout series. Players take part in a futuristic racing league known as the FX300 Racing League and control a fast hovercrafts on tight, cornering tracks, vying for first place in one of many tournaments. There are ten anti-gravity vehicles available to use (two need to be unlocked), each with their own characteristics in speed, handling and acceleration. Vehicles are further divided into classes that are unlocked gradually. In later classes most of the vehicles become much faster and require more precise steering at fast speeds. In the same vein, players can unlock new tournaments.

Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror

Release date:

March 14, 2006

4(4 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation 2
PlayStation Portable
Super NES CD-ROM System

More info

What it’s about: Dark Mirror is the sequel to Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain. In Dark Mirror, a mysterious operation at an Alaskan oil reserve has Gabe Logan investigating the cause. He is quickly presented with a deeper operation that has him venturing across the world.

Burnout Legends

Release date:

September 13, 2005

5(2 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: Burnout: Legends takes the most explosive moments of the popular Burnout series of racing games, mashes them together and adds some new surprises — giving you the best racing experience to come out for the DS. Use your car as a weapon and battle your way to the front of the pack – by taking out rivals and instigating spectacular crashes. Speed, depth and destruction are waiting for you, in the game of on-the-go automotive anarchy.

LocoRoco

Release date:

June 23, 2006

5(2 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable
Legacy Mobile Device

More info

What it’s about: The peaceful world of the LocoRoco are under attack by the not-so-nice Moja Corps! These evil outer space creatures have come to take the LocoRoco from their land of blowing flowers, lively creatures and pastel scenery. As the planet where the LocoRoco inhabit, you must move them through more than 40 levels of slippery slopes, teetering platforms and maze-like passages. The LocoRoco have the uncanny ability to fluidly morph to their landscape, so all you need is to tilt, roll and bounce the happy blob-like creatures to safety!

Patapon

Release date:

December 20, 2007

4(3 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Vita

More info

What it’s about: Set among a variety of colorful 2D backgrounds, Patapon unfolds through more than 30 missions with more than 20 different environments, where players are tasked with outfitting the Patapon army, collecting resources, and using strategy to grow the tribe into a devastating fighting force. Incorporating various button-timed drumbeats in real-time to control the Patapons, players will strategically traverse through each environment, battling enemies each step of the way. The game presents a variety of warrior types such as archers, infantry, cavalry, and more that players can unlock, along with a wide selection of more than 100 weapon and shield upgrades, allowing players to customize their forces throughout the funky adventure.

LittleBigPlanet

Release date:

October 27, 2008

5(9 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation 3

More info

What it’s about: Welcome to LittleBigPlanet – a world of infinite possibilities, where imagination becomes reality and the powers of creation are firmly in your hands. If you can think of it, you can create it if you can create it, you can share it if you can share it, you can play it – and watch our colorful LittleBigPlanet grow and diversify! It’s a new kind of game that unleashes the creativity in everyone. Design your own character and play over 50 awesome developer levels packed with dangers to navigate, races to win and puzzles to solve. As you play you will learn the skills to build a world of your own by earning creative tools and collecting hundreds of items. Use these items and tools to shape amazing levels of your own, featuring puzzles, challenges, and enemies of your own design. When you are ready, go online to access the LBP community and Share your creations for everyone to play. LittleBigPlanet is a world with no limits – a world that’s yours to shape, build and explore.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

Release date:

September 13, 2007

4(2 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: In CRISIS CORE, players can experience the D.M.W (Digital Mind Wave) system, which enhances the real-time battle system, allowing players to unleash special attacks or call upon various FINAL FANTASY summons. Players can also witness graphics and CG cutscenes coupled with voice acting in a 16:9 widescreen presentation, made possible by the PSP system hardware.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

Release date:

November 2, 2010

5(4 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: “Marking Kratos’ second foray into portable gaming, God of War: Ghost of Sparta stands as a spin-off nestled between the events of God of War and God of War II. Despite ascending to the title of the god of war, Kratos remains haunted by nightmarish visions. One such vision compels him to embark on a new journey when he witnesses his mother, Callisto, imprisoned in Atlantis under the dominion of the sea god Poseidon. Against Athena’s counsel to ignore the vision, Kratos sets forth to unravel his past and, in the process, rescue his long-lost brother, Deimos, from the clutches of the god of death, Thanatos. This second instalment for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) maintains a gameplay style akin to its predecessor, introducing a handful of new mechanics. Kratos wields his trusty Blades of Athena in this quest, now augmented with a new magic known as Thera’s Bane, amplifying the potency of his attacks. The game also introduces several new magical items and a fresh secondary weapon. In addition to the captivating story mode, Ghost of Sparta offers the “Temple of Zeus,” a location where players can spend orbs acquired in the Battle Arena to acquire various art and other bonuses.”

Lumines

Release date:

December 12, 2004

4(5 reviews)

Platforms:

PC (Microsoft Windows)
Xbox 360
PlayStation Portable
iOS
Legacy Mobile Device

More info

What it’s about: Lumines is a block-dropping game, that may seem at first to be similar to Columns and Tetris. A 2 x 2 square (an O tetromino) made of four smaller block pieces is dropped into the playing field, which may appear different as the player advances through levels or skins. The small blocks that comprise the larger blocks will be one of two different colors. The objective is to rotate and align the blocks in such a way as to create 2×2 squares of the same color, which may span multiple blocks and, indeed, share blocks. For example, if one should get a 2×3 area of matching blocks, the middle portion will “share” itself with both the left and right halves and create two 2×2 squares. After the “timeline”, which is synchronized to the music, sweeps over the matching blocks, they disappear. When too many unmatched blocks pile up to the point where no more blocks may be dropped in the playing field, the game ends. When part of a falling block hits an obstruction, the unobstructed portion of the block will split off and continue to fall. More points are scored by creating the largest number of squares during one “timeline” sweep. Increasing score multipliers are earned by repeatedly clearing squares on consecutive timeline sweeps. Bonuses are also awarded by reducing all remaining tiles to one single color or for removing all non-active tiles from the screen altogether. Occasionally, a block falls with a special square of one of the two colors with a “jewel” in the center. This square, when cleared as part of a matched 2×2 square, will cause all individual blocks of the same color that are horizontally or vertically adjacent to the matched 2×2 square, or to an adjacent square, to be cleared without score. These can be used for both generating large bonuses, since generally several blocks of the other color will be formed once these are removed, as well as to help the player recover if the field becomes too cluttered.

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters

Release date:

February 13, 2007

3(6 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation 2
PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (known as Ratchet & Clank 5 in Japan) is a 2007 platformer video game developed by High Impact Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2. The game is the first Ratchet & Clank title on the PSP handheld. Development company High Impact Games was spawned from the original Ratchet & Clank developer, Insomniac Games. The story is about Ratchet and Clank as they are interrupted from their vacation to search for a kidnapped girl and encounter a forgotten race known as the Technomites.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

Release date:

October 31, 2006

4(2 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation 2
PlayStation 3
PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: The PlayStation Portable follow-up to Rockstar’s monumental handheld entry in the series, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. As in Liberty City Stories, this game ventures back to the location of the second PS2 game.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

Release date:

March 27, 2008

4(4 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable
iOS

More info

What it’s about: Japan’s most successful PSP title, Monster Hunter Portable 2G, is heading to Europe and US. Renamed Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, this latest installment in the epic Monster Hunter series delivers over 500 hours of gameplay spanning some 400 missions. Added with previously unreleased monsters, weapons and missions and you have the biggest Monster Hunter game to date. Using the Ad-Hoc connection players can adventure with up to three friends for a savaging multiplayer hunting party. From devising the strategy to executing the attack, players will need to work together in order to hunt down the ferocious beasts and progress through the wide range of quests on offer. Players will be rewarded for their use of deep fighting combat systems, encouraging them to seek out the more experienced hunters and team up in order to learn from their experience. Even in single player mode Hunters won’t be alone thanks to the introduction of the new AI Felyne feature. Accompanying players on quests your furry ally will helping them battle monsters and gather extra resources.

Tekken: Dark Resurrection

Release date:

July 6, 2006

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: The power of the greatest fighting dynasty… in the pal of your hands.

Tekken: Dark Resurrection has arrived on the PSP system. Fight with new characters Lili and Dragunov or other favorites including Jin, Heihachi, and Armor King.

-Wireless ad hoc battle with up to 2 players to prove who is the real champion.
-Customize your character with twice the items and share your creation using the Ghost feature.
-Play mini-games in ad hoc mode or individually for a change in the action.
-Stunning graphics on 19 stages of pain.

Daxter

Release date:

March 14, 2006

4(2 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: Daxter is a platformer developed by Ready at Dawn and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), it serves as a midquel set between Jak II and Jak 3 from the Jak and Daxter series. The game follows Daxter, a comical ottsel, as he works as a pest exterminator in Haven City while searching for his captured friend, Jak. Gameplay focuses on platforming, combat, and gadget-based puzzles, with Daxter using unique tools like a bug swatter and spray gun to defeat enemies. It features detailed environments, engaging minigames, and the series’ signature humor.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

Release date:

May 8, 2007

Platforms:

Android
PlayStation Portable
iOS

More info

What it’s about: An updated version of the PlayStation game Final Fantasy Tactics, released on PlayStation Portable and later released on iOS and Android. “The stage is set for what history would one day record as the War of the Lions. Experience new CG cinematics. Meet new Characters. Explore new jobs & missions. Wage new multiplayer battles. Behold a new legend!”

Persona 3 Portable

Release date:

November 1, 2009

4(8 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Vita

More info

What it’s about: Persona 3 Portable is an enhanced remake of Persona 3 for the PlayStation Portable. The game features an option to play as a female character, which alters some aspects of the story. In addition to the new playable character, there are two new difficulty levels to select from alongside the original game’s three. The game also features some other story related changes regardless of the player character gender. The battle system is also updated to be closer that of Persona 4.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Release date:

April 29, 2010

5(2 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is an action-adventure stealth video game and is the third action-based Metal Gear title made specifically for the PSP. The gameplay consists of two primary modes: Mission and Mother Base. Mission are the actual action sequences of the game where the player must infiltrate an enemy territory or fight a boss, whereas Mother Base is an army management. Some changes have been made to the standard Metal Gear formula: the player is now unable to move or shoot while laying down and while pinned to a wall, making Peace Walker the first game since Metal Gear to lack any crawling ability.

God of War: Chains of Olympus

Release date:

March 4, 2008

4(4 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: Kratos makes his inaugural appearance on a portable gaming platform in the third instalment of the God of War series. Chains of Olympus serves as a prequel, unfolding its narrative a decade before the events in the original God of War. While retaining the familiar gameplay dynamics of its predecessors, subtle modifications enhance the overall experience. Kratos embarks on a journey through various levels, engaging in relentless combat against foes and formidable bosses, deciphering puzzles based on manipulating boxes, and participating in quick-time events. Throughout his odyssey, he amasses red orbs to fortify his weapons and abilities, secures Gorgon eyeballs to augment his health, and acquires Phoenix feathers to amplify his magical prowess. The game’s controls underwent refinement to harmonize with the reduced button configuration of the PSP. Dodging, for instance, now necessitates the utilization of both shoulder buttons and the analogue stick. The iconic Blades of Chaos, synonymous with the God of War series, make a return, accompanied by an array of new weapons and magical spells such as the Sun Shield, Efreet spell, and Light of Dawn. The narrative unfolds as the Gods dispatch Kratos to the city of Attica, charging him with the defence against an encroaching Persian army. However, as Morpheus unleashes chaos, Kratos finds himself compelled to harness his formidable powers to once again rescue the world from impending doom.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

Release date:

October 24, 2005

4(3 reviews)

Platforms:

PlayStation Portable

More info

What it’s about: Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is an action-adventure game set in Liberty City in 1998, serving as a prequel to Grand Theft Auto III. Players assume the role of Toni Cipriani, a member of the Leone crime family, as he returns from hiding to reestablish his position within the organization. The game features open-world exploration, mission-based progression, and various side activities, maintaining the series’ hallmark gameplay elements.

2026-01-17 01:52