10 Best PSP Games of All Time of 2026

Crisis Core is the best RPG value on the PSP and the closest runner-up to our top pick. Square Enix shipped it to North American retailers on March 25, 2008 at a suggested $39.99, and today a used UMD lists at $21.99 before sales at DKOldies. The story follows Zack Fair and his ambition to become a SOLDIER 1st Class before the events of Final Fantasy VII. Square Enix's launch release lists a real-time battle system powered by the DMW (Digital Mind Wave), which triggers special attacks and Final Fantasy summons, plus 300 side missions with unique accessories and a Hard Mode added for North America. It is rated T. The side missions are optional padding for completionists, and players who know nothing of Final Fantasy VII will miss some references. Square Enix now sells Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, an HD remaster with full voice acting, on Steam and consoles.

God of War: Chains of Olympus is our top PSP pick because it delivers the full God of War formula on a handheld. Sony announced the North American release on March 4, 2008, and its launch release cited a 94% rating on GameRankings.com along with Editor's Choice awards from IGN, GamePro and PlayStation: The Official Magazine. The story is a prequel to the first game: the gods have been made powerless and Kratos faces demonic creatures from Greek mythology across dark, untouched environments. Sony lists new combat moves, magic and weapons next to existing favorites, plus story-driven puzzles. Ready at Dawn, which made Daxter, co-developed it with Santa Monica Studio. A used UMD lists at $49.99 before sales at DKOldies, which is the main drawback, and the M rating rules it out for younger players. PS3 owners can also play it in the God of War: Origins Collection.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite has the most content of any game on this list. Capcom shipped it to North American retailers on June 23, 2009 at a suggested $29.99, after it sold over 3.4 million copies in Japan. You create a hunter, track large monsters and carve them for parts to craft armor, weapons and items. Capcom's launch post lists over 400 quests, hundreds of pieces of armor and weapons and environments from deserts and jungles to snow and caves, and says there is enough content for well over 500 hours. A co-op mode lets friends hunt together, and Felyne Companions set traps and distract monsters for solo players. It is rated T. The learning curve is the steepest here: early hunts are slow and the systems take time to understand. A used UMD lists at $39.99 at DKOldies. It ranks fourth because its ease score trails the games above it.

Patapon is the cheapest game on this list and one of the most original on the system. Sony released it in North America on February 26, 2008 at an MSRP of $19.99, and a used UMD now lists at $14.99 before sales at DKOldies. You play a drum-wielding leader: combinations of button-timed drumbeats tell the Patapon tribe to march, retreat, attack, defend, charge or use magic in real time. Sony's release lists more than 30 missions, unit types such as archers, infantry and cavalry, more than 100 weapon and shield upgrades and five music-based mini-games. French artist Rolito designed the characters and served as chief artist. It is rated E. The rhythm controls are the whole game, so anyone who struggles with timing will find the early missions hard, and building a stronger army means repeating hunts. For everyone else it is a strong, low-cost addition to a PSP or PPSSPP library.

Daxter is the best platformer on this list and one of the cheapest games at $16.99 for a used UMD at DKOldies. Sony launched it on March 14, 2006 as the first solo game for the Jak and Daxter series sidekick. Ready At Dawn, which later co-developed God of War: Chains of Olympus, built it. The story covers the two years Daxter spends searching for Jak, working as a pest exterminator in Haven City. Sony lists crawling, wall climbing and sneaking up on enemies, an electric swatter and bug spray gun, and dream levels where Daxter plays the action hero. A two-player Bug Combat mini-game runs wirelessly over Ad Hoc mode, and linking with Jak X: Combat Racing on PS2 unlocks secret characters and vehicles. It is rated E10+. The multiplayer and PS2 extras need extra hardware, so most players will treat it as a single-player platformer.

LocoRoco is the easiest game on this list to hand to anyone. Sony released it in North America on September 5, 2006, and it is rated E. You do not move the characters directly: you tilt or bump the world with the PSP's L and R shoulder buttons so the LocoRoco roll, grow, divide and squeeze past obstacles through more than 40 levels. Sony lists six types of LocoRoco, each with its own voice and song, three mini-games, wireless game sharing and the LocoHouse, a playhouse built from dozens of pieces found in the levels. Director Tsutomu Kouno took the idea from oil and water in classic toys, and Sony's release lists best-of-show PSP awards from IGN, 1Up.com and GameSpy at E3 2006. Experienced players will find it gentle, and the tilting feel depends on mapping the shoulder buttons well in PPSSPP. A used UMD lists at $21.99 before sales at DKOldies.

Tekken: Dark Resurrection is the fighting game pick for a PSP library. Namco Bandai Games America shipped it to North American stores on July 25, 2006, and a used UMD now lists at $22.99 at DKOldies. Namco Bandai's release, which we read as reposted by Gaming Nexus because the original page is gone, lists two new fighters, Lili and Dragunov, the return of Armor King, and fan favorites such as Jin, Paul, Steve and Kazuya. It promises double the customizable items of Tekken 5, the Tekken Bowling and Gold Rush mini-games and wireless ad-hoc battles. A Ghost infrastructure mode let players upload and download ghost fighter data over the internet and compare ranks, which relied on network services from 2006. It ranks below the single-player picks because two-player matches need a second PSP and the fighting system takes practice. Arcade mode and mini-games still give solo players plenty to do.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is the strategy pick for a PSP library. The setting is Ivalice after its defeat in the Fifty Years' War, where two dukes fight for the regency and the conflict becomes the War of the Lions; Ramza, third son of House Beoulve, and his commoner friend Delita are caught in it. Square Enix's current store page lists turn-based battles on 3D battlefields where terrain and turn order decide fights, over 20 jobs such as white mage, black mage and dragoon, hundreds of abilities that stay usable after a job change, and tameable chocobos. That page describes Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, whose classic version keeps the War of the Lions translation, so it is the legal modern option. On PSP, a used UMD lists at $34.99 before sales at DKOldies. New players face a steep learning curve, which is why it ranks ninth despite its depth.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker has the deepest systems of any action game on the PSP, but its used price keeps it in eighth place. Konami's current store page sets the story ten years after Metal Gear Solid 3: Big Boss runs an independent military unit and is asked to investigate an armed group in Costa Rica, a country without a military. Missions mix solo infiltration with co-op alongside comrades, called SENYU, and competitive multiplayer. Between missions you grow Mother Base, an offshore facility with staff quarters, development labs and storage for captured weapons, which adds a management layer to the stealth. Konami's page describes the HD Collection version sold as the Master Collection Version, which supports online play for up to six and includes a Screenplay Book and Master Book. A used PSP UMD lists at $78.99 before sales at DKOldies, so players who only want to play may prefer the Steam release.

Persona 3 Portable scores highest on capabilities after Monster Hunter, but its used disc price drops it to last place. Atlus U.S.A. scheduled the PSP release for July 6, 2010. Its press release lists a new female protagonist whose route adds Social Links, special events and romance options, plus Skill Cards, part-time jobs, five difficulty settings from beginner to maniac and the ability to control your teammates directly in battle. The game mixes a school year of daily life with fights in the tower of Tartarus during the hidden Dark Hour. It is rated M. A used UMD lists at $185.99 before sales at DKOldies, far more than any other game here. Atlus now sells a remaster of Persona 3 Portable on Steam, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox with updated graphics, quick save and both protagonists, which is the practical choice unless you collect PSP discs.