Summary
- Partnerships made PS1 a success, allowing for the transfer of exclusives to other consoles like Nintendo Switch.
- Recent ports and remasters of PS1 games on Switch, including SaGa Frontier 2 and Spyro Trilogy, offer updated gameplay.
- Exclusive PS1 classics like Final Fantasy 7 are now available on Switch, providing enhanced graphics and new gameplay features.
The PS1 became a huge success for Sony, which was a gamble. They got a lot of franchises that were once Nintendo exclusives, like Final Fantasy from Squaresoft and Breath of Fire from Capcom. Their partnerships are what made the PS1 successful, but while exclusives are nice, it’s also great to live in a modern era where PS1 games can now be enjoyed on other consoles like the Nintendo Switch.
8 Most Influential PS1 Games, Ranked
Sony’s first console packed in a lot of game changers that are well remembered. Here's which titles left a lasting impression on the world of gaming.
Some PS1 games have received minimal ports, remasters, and even remakes to enjoy on the Nintendo Switch. From RPGs to platformers, let’s go through the best available options and rank their overall quality. To keep things interesting, these PS1 games were not available on Nintendo hardware until the Switch.
8 SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered
A Breathtaking PS1 RPG That Has Aged Well
SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered
- Released
- March 27, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ // Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix, Bullets
- Genre(s)
- RPG, JRPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, iOS
SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered is a recent port to the Switch and other consoles, as it was shadow-dropped during a 2025 Nintendo Direct. The SaGa series is often underrated by Square Enix fans as it lives in the shadow of both Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.
The gameplay of this game and others can be hard to comprehend as characters level up, stats, and learn skills through repetition. SaGa Frontier 2 has a learning curve, but the watercolor visuals are so striking that Switch fans will want this in their collection.
7 Mega Man X Legacy Collection
X And Zero Team Up
Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 + 2
- Released
- July 24, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Mega Man X Legacy Collection contains the first four Mega Man X games, the first three of which were SNES exclusives. The best game of the PS1 generation is still Mega Man X4, which has a split campaign between Mega Man and Zero with anime cutscenes that have aged poorly but are still funny.
Mega Man fans may also want to check out Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 to play Mega Man 8 for some good platforming and some equally hilarious anime cutscenes, but Mega Man X4 is still the better option.
6 Spyro Reignited Trilogy
Fly High In This Dragon Platformer
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
- Released
- November 13, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief
- Developer(s)
- Toys for Bob
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Spyro Reignited Trilogy contains three exclusive PS1 platformers that helped make Insomniac a household name. Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon were all fully remastered in HD.
8 Best PS1 Action JRPGs, Ranked
There's no better way to relive the glory days of PlayStation 1 than jumping into these action JRPGs that still retain their quality today.
The gameplay was not altered, so they’re not technically remakes even though the quality of the graphics says otherwise. The first game is still the best, but all three games offer some of the dragon-based platforming of all time and deserve to be played.
5 Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Three Games For The Price Of One
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
- Released
- June 30, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief
- Developer(s)
- Vicarious Visions
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
The Spyro games are great, but platformer fans of the PS1 generation were into the Crash Bandicoot series more. Like Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy remasters three games in one collection, including Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot: Warped.
The first game is the weakest of the bunch as it doesn’t have that humor that the others had, but overall, these games are chock-full of interesting levels, from shooting down blimps with a bi-plane to riding a polar bear.
4 Star Ocean: The Second Story R
An HD-2D Remake
Star Ocean: The Second Story R
- Released
- November 2, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
Star Ocean: The Second Story R is an HD-2D remake of Star Ocean: The Second Story, which was a PS1 exclusive. It did get a PSP-enhanced port at one point, but this version took things to a higher level, completely redoing the art style.
Like the SaGa games, the Star Ocean series can often be overlooked, but if players had to start with one game, this would be it. The action-based combat was innovative at the time, and it’s still fun now.
3 Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
A Crossover Fighting Empire Begins
Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
- Released
- September 12, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Drug Reference, Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action, Fighting
- Platform(s)
- PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics contains X-Men: Children of the Atom, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, and Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes. There are other games too, but those are the PS1 games. Despite various ports to consoles for each game, not one of them hit a Nintendo console.
6 Best PS1 JRPGs That Are Not Part Of A Franchise
Sony’s first console had a lot of one-off JRPGs that went nowhere. Despite the lack of a larger franchise, they still made waves.
These are all solid fighting games, some of the best to ever do it, but Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes is truly where Capcom figured out how to combine their franchises with classic Marvel characters. Watching Mega Man blast Spider-Man is still funny.
2 Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection
Solid Snake Returns
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1
- Released
- October 24, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Konami
- Genre(s)
- Action, Stealth
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection contains Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater in the package. Metal Gear Solid is the PS1 Classic, which technically could be said to have come to a Nintendo console.
It was remade for the GameCube called Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, which redid the graphics and gameplay perspectives, added new cinematic cutscenes, and even had multiplayer. The original polygonal version never came to a Nintendo console, which some still believe is the superior Solid Snake experience.
1 Final Fantasy 7
Still Great With Enhancements
Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- January 31, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation (Original), PC, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Sony certainly made Nintendo fans angry when SquareSoft decided to make the next three Final Fantasy entries exclusive to the PS1 instead of the N64. After decades of waiting, Nintendo fans finally got to play Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 8, and Final Fantasy 9 on the Switch, all of which were remastered graphically with new gameplay mechanics too.
Players could speed up time or become invincible, for example. The console-defining Final Fantasy 7 is THE game to play on Switch, which has a good combat system, a story full of twists and turns, memorable characters, and so on.
8 Best PS4 Games You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
The PlayStation 4 has one of Sony’s biggest libraries so there were bound to be a few that slipped through the cracks.