Highlights
- The PlayStation Portable was a successful handheld console that had a great library of games, showcasing its strengths and impressive graphics.
- Some underrated gems on the PSP include "Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands" and "The Godfather: Mob Wars," which still have impressive visuals to this day.
- Other notable games on the PSP include "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories," "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7," and "Persona 3 Portable," all of which utilized the PSP's hardware well and still look great.
The PlayStation Portable is one of the most popular and beloved consoles of all time. It was an instant hit upon launch, featuring a wealth of excellent titles that players still remember fondly to this day. The fact that this handheld console managed to be a success despite facing competition from the king of handheld gaming, Nintendo, speaks volumes when it comes to just how impressive this console's sales numbers really were.
It's a shame that the PlayStation Vita never reached these heights of success, although some people point the finger at Sony for focusing solely on their home consoles and not giving this console the support it deserved. After all, the PSP was littered with numerous amazing games, with the titles listed below being particularly notable for still having an impressive level of graphical fidelity to this day.
Updated on September 6, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: The PlayStation Portable was one of the best handhelds that fans could enjoy a bunch of amazing games on. The library of this impressive console was truly something, and fans loved the litany of impressive titles on this console that did a great job of showcasing its strengths. While many people may assume that the graphics on this handheld were nothing spectacular, the fact is that many games made the most of the PSP's hardware to let players enjoy some true gems. Even now, fans can boot up this console if they still have a copy and play games that still look pretty great to this day. This list has been updated to include a few more of the best-looking PSP games.
13 Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
With the Prince of Persia movie coming out in 2010, Ubisoft decided to cash in on its hype by releasing the first game in the main series for many years. Assassin's Creed had taken over from the ashes of the series, but Forgotten Sands promised to bring the Prince back to the realm of relevancy once again. Unfortunately, the rather uninspired nature of this game on main consoles led to most people forgetting about a title that didn't really leave a lasting impact on fans.
However, the version of this title on the PSP was a gem that fans absolutely loved. The 2.5D sidescroller was a blast to play through and allowed players to utilize all of the Prince's signature tricks in a game that was easily one of the PSP's most underrated gems that deserved more time in the spotlight, with its visuals still looking pretty decent to this day.
12 The Godfather: Mob Wars
Most people aren't aware that there's a game based on The Godfather... on the PSP, no less! The Godfather is a game that fans of titles with boundless crime should definitely check out, mainly because of how fun this game is despite seeming like a cash grab with an established IP's name slapped on it.
The game was originally released on major consoles, with the PSP re-release coming soon after. While it lacks the open-world element from the parent release, The Godfather: Mob Wars is a great accompaniment to the movie and allows players to live out the fantasy of being a gangster in this universe while working for the Corleone family.
11 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
The 3D GTA games released on the PSP were pretty great in their own right, allowing players to roam around familiar locales while experiencing completely new stories. Two games were released that adopted this format, with both Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories doing a great job of letting players enjoy a full-fledged GTA game on a portable console.
Vice City Stories is considered by many to be the superior title, and understandably so. The game's rendition of Miami feels as fresh as ever, and players will have a great time mowing down their enemies as Vic Vance.
10 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7
The recent ground-up remaster of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 has been nothing short of incredible. However, while this glow-up has been received fairly well, there's no denying that the look of the original Crisis Core was also pretty great in its own right.
This prequel took a look at Zack's adventures as a member of SOLDIER before his untimely death. It looked gorgeous on the PSP, and fans are glad that this game has been remastered with modern and updated controls for modern consoles.
9 Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3 was the game that catapulted the popularity of this series to the stratosphere. However, Atlus believed that this series had way more potential and decided to re-release an updated version of the game on the PSP.
The end result was Persona 3 Portable, a game that made the most of the PSP's limited hardware and has finally been ported over to modern consoles. The game adopts a visual novel aesthetic to make up for the PSP's lack of power and looks pretty gorgeous regardless, with the addition of a new protagonist being welcomed by the fanbase.
8 Final Fantasy Tactics: The War Of The Lions
Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the greatest tactical role-playing games of all time. So, it's only a given that an updated version of this game would turn some heads.
The 2D art style has aged like a fine wine and still looks amazing today, with the tight gameplay still holding up quite well. All in all, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is probably the best Final Fantasy spin-off around that fans should definitely check out.
7 Lumines 2
The idea of a matching puzzle game making this list sounds downright ridiculous, but it's the amazing set dressing around this title that makes it such a blast to play through. The first Lumines game was a joy to play through, with its outpouring of colors and music making for a great time.
Lumines 2 expands on this concept even more, adding a ton of content into the mix to make any fan of the title enjoy their time with the game. The music choices may not be up everyone's alley, but most players who get lost in this amazing celebration of sound and visuals won't mind it at all!
6 Jeanne d'Arc
Another tactical JRPG makes its way on the list in the form of Jeanne d'Arc. The title combines real-life historical figures and a fantasy setting to great effect. It helps that the 2D art style of this game is timeless and still looks amazing even today.
Many veterans of tactical JRPGs consider this game to be one of the most underappreciated games in the entire genre and one that more people need to check out.
5 Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Tactics Ogre is a part of the lesser-known Ogre Battle series, with Let Us Cling Together being a pretty fun title on the Super Nintendo. The release of its remaster, Tactics Ogre: Reborn, on modern platforms, has been a welcome sight for fans of this niche title.
Most of these fans came from the release of this title on the PSP, with the game looking pretty great on this platform, too. Of course, it helped that the strategic gameplay of this title was quite fun as well!
4 Patapon 3
It's only a given that 2D games on the PlayStation Portable would age nicely. Patapon 3 definitely fits in this category, with its rhythm-based gameplay being a ton of fun to play through.
The idea of playing drums with the PSP's face buttons and controlling an army of Patapons is a pretty novel and fun concept that the game absolutely rolls with. Patapon 3 is an underrated gem indeed, and players looking for a unique rhythm game should definitely check this title out.
3 God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta
The God of War games on the PS2 were pretty legendary, but no one expected these titles on the PSP to look as good as they did. Chains of Olympus was a great start for Santa Monica Studio, and Ghost of Sparta was a marked improvement on every front.
It was clear that the developers learned some tricks while working on the first PSP title since Ghost of Sparta looks incredible during certain moments. To this day, fans find it hard to believe that such a great title managed to run on the PSP without any hiccups!
2 LocoRoco 2
LocoRoco 2 is one of the most unique platforming games around and a great sequel that improves upon the original while adding several new features of its own. It helps that its clean 2D aesthetic helped the game age quite well and makes it infinitely playable to this day.
The fact that players need to tilt the environment to manipulate the LocoRocos and help them pass certain obstacles makes for a simple yet great gameplay loop. The sequel lets LocoRocos squeeze through tiny gaps, swim underwater, and perform various other functions to make the platforming challenges more dynamic and interesting.
1 Final Fantasy Type-0
Another Final Fantasy title makes its way on this list in the form of Final Fantasy Type-0. Set in the Fabula Nova Crystallis universe, Final Fantasy Type-0 features a pretty mature story that depicts the brutality and senselessness of war.
The graphics are amazing, and Western fans were glad to finally play this game when the remastered edition came out on the PS4. The ending is an emotional gut punch, with the game's beautiful CG cutscenes further contributing to its timelessness.