20 Games That Defined Each PlayStation Console

Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of the original PlayStation’s launch in North America. To commemorate that momentous occasion, we’ve decided to revisit the brand’s history to identify the games that helped define each PlayStation console, serving as premier exclusives for each iteration of the platform and putting millions of PlayStations into living rooms around the globe. The PlayStation brand is synonymous with some of the most successful and beloved IPs in gaming — Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, The Last of Us, Uncharted, God of War — and continues to be a front-runner when it comes to most players’ default platform for immersive, single-player experiences that push the envelope of what’s possible in interactive media; something that began three decades ago with the arrival of the PS1.

• Release Date — September 9, 1996
• Developer — Naughty Dog
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Genre — Platformer
• Review Aggregate Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)
• Platform — PlayStation

The PlayStation had some excellent launch games when it arrived in North America, but one thing it was distinctly lacking was an iconic mascot. Sega had Sonic, Nintendo had Mario, but Sony had yet to tap into the gaming zeitgeist with a lovable and recognizable icon of its own. It would ultimately be Naughty Dog that delivered Sony its mascot on a silver platter with Crash Bandicoot, which also happened to be one of the few 3D platformers of the era that could stand toe-to-toe with the groundbreaking Super Mario 64. The PlayStation brand was never the same, and Crash’s presence on the PS1 helped legitimize the console.

• Release Date — January 31, 1997
• Developer — Square
• Publisher — Square, Sony Computer Entertainment
• Genre — RPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 92% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation

While it wasn’t the first RPG on the PlayStation, Final Fantasy VII was arguably the biggest and most important game in the genre to arrive on the console, becoming the system’s second-best-selling title throughout its lifespan and kicking off one of the series’ most critically acclaimed eras. Square’s decision to turn its back on a years-long successful partnership with Nintendo in favor of jumping ship to Sony’s PlayStation was a big deal, and it teed up the first 3D entry in the Final Fantasy series to serve as a major paradigm shift for the industry. It certainly did that, helping Final Fantasy cross over into the mainstream and elevating the PS1 to be the definitive winner of the 5th generation “console wars.”

• Release Date — December 23, 1997
• Developer — Polyphony Digital
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Genre — Driving/Racing
• Review Aggregate Score — 96% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation

It’s impossible to talk about the games that helped define each generation of PlayStation hardware without mentioning the PS1’s best-selling game, Gran Turismo. Polyphony Digital was able to push the PlayStation’s hardware to its absolute limit to deliver the most impressive racing simulation game of the era, single-handedly helping to shift the genre away from accessible arcade-style racing games and more towards simulation gameplay with realistic physics and photo-realistic visuals. It’s no wonder that Gran Turismo still holds the crown as the most successful first-party IP under the PlayStation umbrella.

• Release Date — September 3, 1998
• Developer — Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
• Publisher — Konami
• Genre — Action, Stealth
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation

Like Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil before it, Metal Gear Solid signaled a major shift in the way video game stories can and should be told, embracing cinematic direction and narrative techniques to prove that video games had grown up along with their audience. Like many other formerly 2D franchises that successfully made the transition to 3D during the 5th generation, Metal Gear‘s evolution into Metal Gear Solid was a major turning point for both the PlayStation and the games industry as a whole, and it stands as one of the single most important games on the first generation of PlayStation hardware.

• Release Date — July 19, 2001
• Developer — Square Product Development Division 1
• Publisher — Square
• Genre — RPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 92% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 2

With how important Final Fantasy VII had been to the success of the PS1, many gamers waited to pick up their PlayStation 2 consoles until the launch of Final Fantasy X, and it would once again end up being a major system seller. More than its commercial success, though, Final Fantasy X is almost the end of an era for the series; the final “traditional” game in the franchise before the Final Fantasy IP began experimenting with MMORPG and action RPG gameplay. Throw one of the series’ best casts and most emotionally poignant stories into the mix, and you have the definitive RPG on the PS2.

• Release Date — October 23, 2001
• Developer — DMA Design
• Publisher — Rockstar Games
• Genre — Action-Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 97% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 2

When looking back at the gameplay innovations that arose during the 6th generation, one that sticks out above the rest is Grand Theft Auto III‘s ushering in of the true open-world framework. Other 3D games had attempted non-linear exploration and open-world freedom before, but nothing could have prepared gamers for the quantum leap in those frameworks that Grand Theft Auto III delivered. GTA 3 quickly became one of the must-have games on the PS2 not long after its release, and it established the framework for the other two incredible PS2-era GTA games that followed in its footsteps and became two of the system’s most successful games.

• Release Date — November 17, 2004
• Developer — Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
• Publisher — Konami
• Genre — Action, Stealth
• Review Aggregate Score — 91% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 2

Though Metal Gear Solid 2 had arguably been one of the PS2’s early “killer apps” that drove players to adopt the console (myself included), it would end up being the series’ PS2 swansong with Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater that stands as one of the system’s definitive titles. In addition to delivering a Metal Gear experience that was drastically different from its two predecessors, Metal Gear Solid 3 took players back to the beginning of the entire saga, letting them step into the shoes of Big Boss and discover how the world’s greatest soldier got set on the path to becoming the series’ most notorious antagonist.

• Release Date — March 22, 2005
• Developer — Santa Monica Studio
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Genre — Action-Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 2

You could say that Devil May Cry walked so that God of War could run, and you’d be right. But God of War ultimately ekes out a place as the more definitive game on the console thanks to the simple fact that it still remains exclusive to PlayStation hardware, whereas the Devil May Cry series eventually went multi-platform. It doesn’t hurt that the original God of War is also one of the all-time greatest character action games of the era, delivering the kind of spectacle and sense of scale that few other games of the time (or since) were capable of pulling off, and having some absolutely pitch-perfect combat.

• Release Date — June 12, 2008
• Developer — Kojima Productions
• Publisher — Konami
• Genre — Action, Stealth
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 3

The PlayStation 3 got off to the rockiest start of any generation of PlayStation hardware, mostly owing to the fact that the console was notoriously difficult to develop for, and that there were not many big marquee titles available at launch. Just a couple of years later, though, the PS3 would get what’s arguably one of its most important games with the chronologically final entry in the Metal Gear Solid series, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. As a title that’s somehow still exclusive to the PS3, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a visually impressive and forward-thinking experience that mostly lands the big gameplay swings it takes, but it’s the game’s story and conclusion to the saga of Solid Snake that cements it as one of the PlayStation brand’s definitive games.

• Release Date — February 5, 2009
• Developer — FromSoftware
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Genre — Action RPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 89% (Generally Favorable)
• Platform — PlayStation 3

At the time that Demon’s Souls released in 2009, most games had begun to err on the side of accessibility and inclusivity in an effort to draw in more casual players. After all, it was a strategy that had definitively worked for Nintendo with the best-selling Wii. So when FromSoftware delivered a brutal and unforgiving action RPG that was unlike anything else out there, gamers stood up and took notice. While it would be Dark Souls that eventually came along and popularized the formula, the groundwork was laid with Demon’s Souls, and its place as a PS3 exclusive led to it becoming a cult classic on the console that helped to define the future of gaming in ways that still reverberate today.

• Release Date — October 13, 2009
• Developer — Naughty Dog
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Genre — Action-Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 96% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 3

The difference in quality between the first Uncharted and Uncharted 2 is miles wide, with the former being a solid action-adventure game that felt like Tomb Raider with a male protagonist, and the series really coming into its own with the latter. The opening sequence on the train alone is enough to warrant Uncharted 2 a spot on a list of the most definitive PlayStation games, and that it only ramps up in intensity from that iconic segment is proof positive that it’s one of the PS3’s best and most important action games.

• Release Date — June 14, 2013
• Developer — Naughty Dog
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Genre — Action, Stealth, Survival Horror
• Review Aggregate Score — 95% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 3

To close out the studio’s nigh-unbeatable streak on the PlayStation 3, Naughty Dog went back to the drawing board to create an entirely different kind of game from the three Uncharted titles that had helped define the console. Rather than a straightforward swashbuckling action game, Naughty Dog closed out its PS3 era with The Last of Us, a tense, thought-provoking stealth and survival horror title that uncomfortably pointed a magnifying glass at some of the more unseemly aspects of human nature while telling one of the best stories ever presented in a video game. A fitting swansong to the PlayStation 3 and one of the greatest games ever made.

• Release Date — March 24, 2015
• Developer — FromSoftware
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Genre — Action RPG, Soulslike
• Review Aggregate Score — 92% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 4

Much like the two had done with the PlayStation 3 and Demon’s Souls, FromSoftware and Sony partnered up once again for the PlayStation 4 to get an exclusive action RPG title with Bloodborne, and it ended up being both one of the console’s greatest games and arguably FromSoftware’s magnum opus. Bloodborne runs counter to just about everything that FromSoftware had established with Demon’s Souls and the first two Dark Souls games, emphasizing speed and aggression over a methodical approach to combat, and its Lovecraftian narrative is perhaps one of the best and most harrowing tales ever told in an action RPG.

• Release Date — May 10, 2016
• Developer — Naughty Dog
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Genre — Action-Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 93% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 4

If there was going to be an action-adventure game to outdo Uncharted 2 as one of the best in the genre, of course it was going to be another game in the Uncharted series. Uncharted 4 is both the series’ final entry and one of the best games on the PlayStation 4, a title that’s still visually impressive and an absolute blast to play nearly 10 years after its initial release. It’s honestly amazing that the game looks as good as it does on last-generation hardware, and Uncharted 4‘s satisfying conclusion to the story of Nathan Drake sticks the landing in a way that should make other long-running and fan-favorite series take notice.

• Release Date — April 20, 2018
• Developer — Santa Monica Studio
• Publisher — Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Genre — Action-Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 4

Taking the long-dormant Kratos and God of War franchise and redefining them for a new generation was a stroke of genius on Santa Monica Studio and Sony’s part, taking the iconic hero out of Greek mythology and planting him into the world of Norse mythology. But the kicker was that Kratos was once again a father, and seeing how that responsibility had changed him and helped him reframe his priorities led to a game in the series with a story that far outshone most other action games. Of course, God of War also had some incredible combat to back up its excellent narrative, becoming one of the PS4’s best-selling and most important exclusives.

• Release Date — September 7, 2018
• Developer — Insomniac Games
• Publisher — Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Genre — Action-Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)
• Platform — PlayStation 4

Sony’s landing of the licensing for a video game based on Spider-Man was a big deal, and the company’s decision to give the project to Ratchet & Clank‘s Insomniac Games was a stroke of genius. While there’s a lot of Batman: Arkham City DNA in Marvel’s Spider-Man, it’s ultimately a very different kind of superhero game that absolutely nails the tone of the comics and provides one of the more satisfying open-world action experiences on the PS4. Spider-Man quickly became one of the PS4’s definitive exclusives, only outshone by the fact that 2018’s God of War reboot released in the same year.

• Release Date — November 19, 2020
• Developer — Bluepoint Games
• Publisher — Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Genre — Action RPG, Soulslike
• Review Aggregate Score — 92% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 5

There’s a lot of cynicism surrounding the concept of the video game remake and how prevalent it’s become this generation, with some decrying the proliferation of remakes of beloved classics as a sign of an industry out of ideas. But occasionally, a remake comes along and delivers a fresh take on a beloved experience, freeing it from exclusivity on dead hardware and allowing it to take on a second life with a new audience. Such is the case with Bluepoint’s remake of Demon’s Souls, which was both the best PS5 launch game and one of the best remakes of the last few years, brilliantly translating the core experience of FromSoftware’s classic to new hardware and underscoring how fantastic a game it remains more than a decade later.

• Release Date — November 9, 2022
• Developer — Santa Monica Studio
• Publisher — Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Genre — Action-Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 5

2018’s God of War ended on such a perfect cliffhanger that it made the wait for the sequel near impossible, and Sony Santa Monica absolutely delivered when Ragnarök released in 2022. In fact, were it not for Elden Ring arriving in the same year, Ragnarök would have easily picked up multiple Game of the Year nods. Seeing how Kratos and Atreus’ relationship continued to develop, all while the two of them worked together to prevent the apocalypse, is one of the greatest modern adventures in gaming, and once again, Ragnarök pushed the limits of how responsive and satisfying a combat system could be.

• Release Date — February 29, 2024
• Developer — Square Enix Creative Business Unit I
• Publisher — Square Enix
• Genre — Action RPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 92% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 5

Even though it’s now arriving on other platforms, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was initially a PS5-exclusive title that reimagined one of the original PS1’s most important games in ways we could have never imagined. Stepping out into the world for the first time in the original Final Fantasy VII was a transformative experience, and it’s much the same in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Rebirth reworks the already great combat from Final Fantasy VII Remake, changes up a familiar story in exciting ways, and even manages to make its vast open-world feel densely packed with plenty of worthwhile activities to pursue.

• Release Date — September 6, 2024
• Developer — Team Asobi
• Publisher — Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Genre — Platformer
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platform — PlayStation 5

Both one of the best 3D platformers ever made and a loving homage to the history of PlayStation hardware, Astro Bot is perhaps the definitive game for the PlayStation 5. In terms of its actual gameplay, Astro Bot is pure joy distilled into an interactive format, with each level delivering one new mechanic after another and leaving you with a smile plastered on your face. From the first moments of the game until the final credits, Astro Bot provides an experience that’s a reminder of the magic of video games, and it also takes you on a trip down memory lane to highlight the impact that each PlayStation console has had on the industry.