There were a lot of important franchises that leveled up during the PS1 era, including Final Fantasy and Metal Gear. Then some franchises began on the PS1, like Crash Bandicoot, Resident Evil, Syphon Filter, and more. It was an important system, no one can deny that, with a lot of great titles that are still fun to play today, natively on an old PS1 or through ports on consoles like the Switch.
8 Must-Play PS1 Games, Ranked
With every 10/10 game released, there were a few oddities that helped stabilize the PS1 platform.
Then there are games that, while important in the PS1's library, are not as fun to play today. The voice acting, controls, graphics, and more may be a bit too much to handle for modern gamers without nostalgia glasses. They're not bad, but they just belong in a different time and place. Plus, in most cases, there are better modern versions or sequels that one-upped these games.
Ape Escape
Hard To Master
Ape Escape
- Released
- June 18, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E: Mild Violence
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Ape Escape is one of the more forgotten platformer series exclusive to PlayStation consoles. It was forward-thinking at the time as it used analog sticks to control and take actions in the game. This original game can be played via emulation on a PS5, but even a modern controller can’t help it much, as the controls are a bit awkward, and the PSP version, also on PS5, is slightly more accessible. Further sequels solidified the controls more, making it less awkward to move and switch between tools to capture the various escaped apes.
Crash Bandicoot
Lacks The Humor
Crash Bandicoot
- Released
- September 9, 1996
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Crash Bandicoot is a more beloved platformer series that started on the PS1, but a lot of people tend to forget about this first game. That’s because the controls weren’t perfect back then, and they are even less tactile now. This made some of the levels incredibly hard, plus there wasn’t much personality from the game’s villains or heroes. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is where Naughty Dog figured out the right balance between difficulty, storytelling, and interesting level design, which makes going back to this first game a bit pointless.
Dragon Warrior 7
The 3DS Is Calling
Dragon Warrior 7
- Released
- August 26, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Dragon Warrior 7, later called Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, was a very late PS1 release for both Japan and North America: 2000 and 2001, respectively. The graphics made it seem even more dated as it used sprites not that much better than a SNES game, which wasn’t a bad thing necessarily.
6 Best RPGs Only Available On The PS1, Ranked
These RPGs have yet to receive a coveted re-release on modern consoles and remain trapped to this day on the PlayStation 1.
There is charm to the sprites, but what wasn’t charming was the slow-paced narrative and the game not telling players where to go, necessarily. It was fun on the PS1 for VERY patient players, but anyone who wants to experience this admittedly great Dragon Quest entry should check out the 3DS version, which added a lot of quality-of-life features.
Dynasty Warriors
Even Koei Tecmo Ignores It
Dynasty Warriors
- Released
- February 28, 1997
- ESRB
- T // Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence
- Developer(s)
- Koei
- Genre(s)
- Action
Koei Tecmo just put out a trailer to celebrate 25 years of Dynasty Warriors, going back as far as Dynasty Warriors 2. That should say something about how they feel regarding the actual first game, Dynasty Warriors, which was a PS1 exclusive fighting game. Next to Tekken or the various Street Fighter arcade ports, Dynasty Warriors was not a top-tier fighting game for the console. It had its place in time and can be thanked for bringing fans the hack and slash series that started with Dynasty Warriors 2 on the PS2, but it’s not much of a must-play PS1 game now.
Final Fantasy Chronicles
A Bad Way To Play Two Great RPGS
- Developers: Tose, Square
- Publisher: Square Electronic Arts
- Released: July 2, 2001 (NA)
- Platform: PS1
Final Fantasy Chronicles was a collection of two great SNES RPGs: Final Fantasy 4 and Chrono Trigger. It was the cheapest way to buy and play both, as the SNES cartridges at this point were either hard to find or very expensive. It was a port of convenience, if anything, and there were some cool new features like the CG cutscenes in Final Fantasy 4 or the anime cutscenes in Chrono Trigger. That’s where the praises stop because these are some of the worst ways to play these classics, as the load times were infamously bad, and they didn’t exactly age well. Final Fantasy 4 has tons of great ports to play now, and Chrono Trigger has fewer, but they are better options than this collection.
Medal Of Honor
Console FPS Games Have Evolved
Medal of Honor (1999)
- Released
- October 31, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t // Animated Violence
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Medal of Honor was one of the first big FPS hits on the PS1, which kicked off the franchise. This was before World War 2 games were as commonplace as they would soon become in the 2000s between Medal of Honor sequels and other franchises like Call of Duty.
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.
Players could go through an exciting campaign, fighting Nazis in a competent shooter for consoles. Console FPS games have come a long way since the PS1, and what was good in the 90s is less acceptable now.
Resident Evil 2
The Remake Has It All
Resident Evil 2
- Released
- January 21, 1998
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Resident Evil 2 was a groundbreaking sequel that improved a lot over the original. The switchable discs, leading to multiple scenarios for Leon and Claire, were impressive on the PS1, and the graphics were astoundingly creepy. The polygonal models are still decent for a PS1 game, but there are two reasons why it’s not a good idea to go back to Resident Evil 2 on the PS1. First, the tank controls, like many games that used them on the PS1, are just not easy to put up with today. Also, the remake of the game is just a better experience overall.
Tomb Raider
Two Better Ways To Play With Lara
Tomb Raider
- Released
- November 14, 1996
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Animated Blood, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Tomb Raider has a lot of problems that Resident Evil 2 has on the PS1, namely the tank controls. At the time, this gave Lara more of a weighted feel that made exploring caverns and tombs more harrowing. The platforming is especially clunky on the PS1 compared to the two upgraded versions that fixed the controls and other features. Tomb Raider: Anniversary and Tomb Raider 1–3 Remastered are two great ways to play this original game in Lara's many adventures.
Best Konami Game On Every PlayStation Console
Konami put its stamp on some PlayStation consoles in a big way, while for others, the publisher left less of a mark on their history.