Since the birth of PS3 in 2006 we have seen countless games for that Sony console. In total, according to Wikipedia, a whopping 2,278 games . That figure includes exclusive games from the Japanese territory, discontinued games and more. But it gives an idea of the huge market that it has dominated for a decade.
Unfortunately, everything has an end. And we do not say it only because of how its successor, PS4, took the witness, leaving behind said PlayStation 3 , or the more current PS5, which was accompanied by a total restructuring of the PlayStation Store , but by recent rumors that point to a definitive closure of PSN for both PS3 and PSP and PS Vita in mid-2021. That is why, being forward-looking, we bring you a list of the best games for those three Sony consoles .
Sony essentials still available on PS3
As much as the second-hand market exists to buy games in physical format, we all know that it is not easy to find some titles and that is why the easy resource is to opt for the digital format, at the stroke of a simple click.
If you do not mind not having a disc, here are the most representative of PS3 that you can still find in the PlayStation Store . And except for specific cases, we leave aside those that have received a remaster on PS4, such as the Uncharted trilogy.
In fact, many PSN games have been withdrawn for PS3 , crashing cases like Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, which can no longer be purchased, as well as other flagships of that Sony console, such as Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo 6, Final Fantasy XIII or the first Dark Souls, apart from other franchises with tradition such as Silent Hill, Fallout, Tony Hawk, Spider-man or Virtua Tennis.
- Batman Arkham Origins: the great forgotten of the Arkham collections, the one who resists receiving a remastering . While it failed to shine as brightly as Asylum or City (still available on PS3), it was a remarkable adventure on the Dark Knight’s part. And if you prefer with a touch of metroidvania and in 2.5 D , there is the curious Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate – Deluxe Edition.
- Demon’s Souls: the biggest turning point for From Software , an RPG that came to revolutionize the genre, until its definitive settlement with the rest of Souls. If you have a PS5, the Demon’s Souls remake is mandatory, of course.
- God of War Ascension: if we consider that God of War III has been removed from PSN on PS3 (yes, the list is very surprising, we already warned) and has its own remastering on PS4, the only one exclusive to Kratos on PS3 it is just this “ascension”, a prequel where we saw it in unleashed mode and it was the introduction of a multiplayer mode , both competitive and cooperative.
- inFamous + inFamous 2: these two adventures of Cole McGrath are still exclusive to PS3 and among the most fun to unleash Cole’s enormous potential and whose karma varies depending on whether we do good or evil. If you’re wanting more, on PS4 you have inFamous: Second Son and inFamous: First Light.
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – One of the best PS3 exclusives. If you are passionate about the Hideo Kojima saga, you should play it right now.
- Prince of Persia Trilogy – It’s easy to forget that the Prince of Persia trilogy that was released in a very special bundle for PS2, got a better deal on PS3 under the “Classics HD” label, with remastered graphics or the addition of trophies. . If the future remake of Las Arenas del Tiempo doesn’t give you good vibes, here is the original classic along with El Alma del Guerrero and Las Dos Coronas .
- Puppeteer: one of the great forgotten of the PS3 catalog that also remains exclusive to that Sony console. A rabidly colorful platforms with the good work of Japan Studio in all its beautiful productions.
- Ratchet & Clank: Armed to the Teeth : yes, the highest rated game of the entire saga on PS3 is available on PSN. In fact, you have the entire saga, including the Q-Force or All for One experiments and the PS2 trilogy. This iconic couple is still in full swing on PlayStation consoles after the 2016 reboot of Ratchet & Clank for PS4 pending the next installment on PS5.
- Red Dead Redemption: a sandbox that marked a before and after and that served to demonstrate that the GTA formula could do much more , without limiting itself to current times. With permission from its most current prequel on PS4, the best representation of the Wild West we’ve ever seen in a video game. Bestial.
- The Last of Us: For many people it is the best work that PS3 gave, so if you do not have a PS4 to enjoy its remastering, rock this timeless jewel of Naughty Dog and be dazzled by the brutal story of Joel and Ellie.
- Tokyo Jungle: one of the many rarities that emerged from the digital market, an extremely Japanese game that will surely not leave you indifferent. Because we are facing a survival adventure where we control countless animals, each with its own characteristics. Very original.
There are more exclusives or essential games for PS3 , of course, such as Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10, the Dead Space trilogy with that Extraction to majors at the blow of PlayStation Move in response to that of Wii or Grand Theft Auto IV, apart from jewels hidden or reclaimable video games and still available, such as Split / Second, Tales of Xillia, Mirror’s Edge, Renegade Ops or Sonic Generations, among many more.
The best PSP games on PlayStation Store
PSP ( PlayStation Portable ) was a great start for Sony in the difficult portable sector, almost entirely dominated by Nintendo until then. It was like owning a portable PS2 and it brought a good number of exclusive games to life. Although some of them were later converted to other systems, the convenience offered by playing from anywhere was priceless, of course.
The bad? That the PSP also does not get rid of PSN and many games have disappeared , such as Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, so in cases like this it will be necessary to resort to looking for their UMD in second-hand stores … with obscene prices, in some cases . Not so in digital for those that are still available, like these:
- Daxter : Shortly after the original Jak & Daxter trilogy and trying their luck at racing cars, that talkative weasel from Naughty Dog had a PSP-exclusive platformer that also turned out to be a good game.
- Final Fantasy Tactics: War of Lions: review of one of the best SRPGs originating from the first PlayStation, you should play it as soon as you like the Final Fantasy saga or are passionate about strategy games with tactical role-playing.
- God of War: Chains of Olympus + God of War: Ghost of Sparta: two balls that debuted for PlayStation Portable and that you can find in a very special lot for PS3. But if you want to enjoy them from anywhere, the choice is clear: Kratos on PSP is never going to be a bad combination . Hit them hard.
- GTA: Liberty City Stories – Yes, PSP had its own temporary exclusive Grand Theft Auto, the other being Vice City Stories from 2006 (no longer available on PSN). 100% GTA essence but in portable mode. A joy to cause chaos.
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker – It took a while for Konami to get serious about the PSP, first releasing the Metal Gear Acid , where it played with cards and a touch of RPG. With Peace Walker (2010) he returned to the style that amazed us so much since his emergence in 3D in the unforgettable Metal Gear Solid of 1998. Essential.
- Patapon (trilogy): PSP also gave rise to Japanese rarities, the sea of adorable, like the LocoRoco or these Patapon , which enjoyed three installments: a mixture of strategy with action and musical rhythm. PAW-PAW-PAW-PON!
- Persona 3: Portable : Now that the Shin Megami Tensei are widely recognized in the West thanks to the wonderful Persona 5, it is worth remembering that Atlus released a conversion of the PS2 Persona 3 for this great laptop.
- Resistance: Retribution: Without being a console that shines especially with the FPS, this work of Bend Studio (Days Gone) was one of the best in PSP. If you liked the original PS3 trilogy, you should give this chapter a try.
- Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max : Capcom released for this laptop the most complete edition of the latest chapter of the brilliant Alpha, with more characters, an unrestricted Dramatic Battle and more extras. And with hardly any charges, by the way.
- Valkyria Chronicles II: Along with the third installment (Japan exclusive), this sequel to SEGA’s more than vindicable Valkyria Chronicles, still continues as one of the PSP exclusive games . If you are passionate about more tactical strategy and some action, it is an essential that will be a challenge.
Life
Assuming that PS Vita has been the ideal complement to PS4 , especially due to the large number of Cross-Buy games that we reviewed a long time ago, there are purchases that you won’t even have to worry about. And don’t forget that all the ones you’ve bought for PSP can be enjoyed from Vita .
- Fez: no matter how many years go by, Fez will continue to be one of the greatest legends of the indie sector. Surprising. Marvelous. Captivating. Delicious.
- Killzone: Mercenary – As with the PSP, Vita didn’t lavish on quality FPS, save for a few exceptions, like this work from Guerrilla Cambridge. In addition, it comes to replace the absence of Killzone 2 and Killzone 3 on PSN for PS3. The sorrow? Its online mode crashed last year without notice by Sony.
- Persona 4 Golden: Exclusive for almost a decade on Vita until its Steam port , it is an excellent application of Persona 4 on PS2 . A whole bottomless pit that will hook you for days … weeks … months. Careful.
- Rogue Legacy: don’t be fooled by its somewhat outdated aesthetic, because it’s one of the most addictive roguelikes. A game where you will create offspring with each death and that will not stop surprising you with its countless changes. Cool.
- Severed: The (almost) forgotten genre of dungeon-crawlers received a fresh touch and slight scraps of metroidvania mechanics in one of the best temporary exclusives on PlayStation Vita . It is also very original and colorful.
- Shovel Knight: it is one of the indies of the old school par excellence. A fantastic journey back to the times of the NES on an extremely complete and challenging platform that will never cease to amaze you at every turn. Very big.
- Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time: The latest installment to date of Sly Cooper still seems one of the best, in part because it is the most technically advanced. Although if you prefer the PS2 originals, know that you also have the complete trilogy on both Vita and PS3. It’s up to you.
- Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack: a few years before the hit with Guamamelee !, DrinkBox Studios surprised with this sequel to About a Blob on PS3 that benefited from the possibilities of Vita with its touch control in a series of special mechanisms. Its ending is crazy and saving all of Blob’s friends is a most addictive odyssey that will sting you with pleasure.
- Tearaway: one of the games that best exploited Vita’s potential. A marvel that captivates you from the beginning and that gives good use of touch control for certain actions. It improves ostensibly as you progress, too.
- Uncharted: Golden Abyss: PS Vita featured its own exclusive Nathan Drake adventure. A game that withstood the pull and that respected the style of the PS3 trilogy. The novelty for aiming came with the gyroscope (optional).
We leave in the pipeline rarities such as Dokuro , Murasaki Baby, the entire metroidvania catalog in Vita (which is not little), where TimeSpinner and SteamWorld Dig 2 stand out, to name two soon apart from the aforementioned Guacamelee! , or video games developed in Spain, such as the sensational Maldita Castilla EX, a tribute to Capcom’s legendary Ghosts’n Goblins. This Sony laptop has room for everything, being very popular for Visual Novels or to receive retro jewelry of the caliber of Windjammers. In fact, you can enjoy PSOne classics like Suikoden and its sequel, Alundra , the first Silent Hill, or Squaresoft’s Vagrant Story.
