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The PlayStation family began in 1994 when the PS1 first hit Japan. A year later the PS1 arrived in North America. After that, the PlayStation brand became a new sensation next to its competitors. It would soon eat its lunch with the launch of the sequel console, the PS2. This system would not be anything without multiplayer support.
There have been plenty of hits on each system. Now, the PlayStation family has since had seven systems altogether. Five consoles and two portables. The PS1, PS2, PSP, PS3, PS Vita, and PS4 systems will be discussed. However, since the PS5 is still in its early stages without a true domineering multiplayer hit yet, it will not be highlighted. Let’s find out what series ruled the multiplayer landscape on PlayStation systems. For fun, their Metacritic scores were added.
6 PS1: Tekken 3 (96)
Two games on the PS1 dominated most party nights. First, there was Twisted Metal. That launched two months after the console did in North America. The first game was a fun proof of concept, but the sequel is well-regarded as the best in the series, or at least on PS1. The derby series only grew from there.
Then there is Tekken for the fighting game crowd. It launched close to Twisted Metal and had another good debut. The series kept getting better and better with each sequel. Tekken 3 is often thought of as the high point for the entire series. Again, both of these games are nearly tied. They helped make multiplayer a thing on PS1.
5 PS2: Guitar Hero (91)
The PS2 launched in 2000. It has since gone on to be the best-selling console of all time. The system was selling well into the lifespan of the PS3. Part of that reason can be thanked to Guitar Hero. The first game launched in 2005 and was an instant hit.
The sequel was where things kicked off though in 2006. Other multiplayer games gathered a good crowd before this including Star Wars Battlefront, Final Fantasy XI, and SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals. However, there was nothing like the Guitar Hero series that captured more than the hardcore gamers. It was a hit to everyone, even non-gamers.
4 PSP: Monster Hunter Freedom (71)
The PSP was not successful in the West despite pushing familiar franchises onto the handheld. The system may have been a complete failure if not for Japan. Over there, Monster Hunter Freedom ruled the gaming space. That series was always bigger in Japan, but this ignited a passion beyond anyone’s understanding.
Monster Hunter Freedom did release in North America, but like other games in the franchise, it was too niche. It didn’t help sales at all over here. There wasn’t a PSP game that the West could call a smash hit in terms of multiplayer experiences. Japan was, and still is, all over this series.
3 PS3: Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (94)
Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare changed the gaming landscape forever. It finally took Halo’s place as the number one shooter on consoles. This was only a year after the PS3 launched. Thanks to the success of its multiplayer, and campaign, the series became a yearly tradition.
Sales kept getting better and better every year. Who wouldn’t want to capitalize on that success? The shooting felt great but so did the addition of RPG mechanics from literally leveling up to customizing weapons. It gave even the worst of gamers something to look forward to if they kept playing. Call of Duty, despite no true mascot for the series, is now synonymous with games as is Mario.
2 PS Vita: PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (75)
The PS Vita is an even harder system to nail down a multiplayer hit for. That’s because there wasn’t even a Monster Hunter game released for it. To put that into perspective, since the series launched on PS2, every generation of consoles after that has had a release of some sort. The PS Vita is the outlier.
The only thing that came close to Monster Hunter was Freedom Wars but even that wasn’t huge in Japan or elsewhere. While there was no clear winner, the portable did have some notable multiplayer releases. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale was a decent clone fighter that is often underrated. Dragon’s Crown is an excellent RPG brawler. Both of those games could be played against PS3 players which helped create a new experience for multiplayer. Can’t take that away from the PS Vita.
1 PS4: Destiny (76)
Destiny helped create a new genre: the looter shooter. It launched a year after the PS4. Support for it, and its sequel were high. However, the landscape soon became too heavily bombarded with games like this. It became hard to keep up with games as a service experience. Now it seems like only the hardcore fans are sticking with Destiny. Maybe the expansion will reignite some heat.
There’s another multiplayer experience that should be noted here too: Fortnite. It too helped define a genre even though it wasn’t the first. It sort of stole the thunder from PUBG and is currently dancing on its grave to the bank. Pop culture changed forever when Fortnite launched and the same can’t be said about Destiny. Not in the mainstream way at least.