My top PSP games playable on Vita (2019)

(Editor’s note – please check out my newest, up-to-date list of the 25 best PSP games playable on Vita!)

 

25. Patapon, Patapon 2 & Patapon 3

So I’m kicking things off with three of the PSP’s most unique titles (one of which has now made its way to the PS4, where it seemingly failed to gain any traction for a second time). Patapon sees you control a tribe of little stick warriors using rhythmic beats – it’s bizarre but actually pretty fun. If you’re getting one of these, try the second which easily has the most content.

 

24. Prince of Persia: Revelations (review here) & Prince of Persia: Rival Swords

In Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Ubisoft had a sure-fire hit that was loved by a tonne of gamers and while the two sequels that followed didn’t shine quite as brightly, they’re equally good in their own right. They’ve taken a further beating in the porting process to PSP but don’t let that put you off – if you want some solid action-adventure titles, look no further.

 

23. Ratatouille (review here)

Cash-in platformers were a dime a dozen during the sixth and seventh generations and while Ratatouille isn’t the best example of the genre, it’s still a charming game that’s a good representation of the film I love. You’ll run around Paris collecting cheese and rescuing Remy’s friends and it’s all good fun.

 

22. Call of Duty: Roads to Victory (review here)

It’s rather amusing that the best Call of Duty game you can buy on Vita isn’t the native title based on the ever-popular Black Ops sub-series, but a PSP entry developed by mobile studio Amaze Entertainment. It’s short and focused on WWII which isn’t my favourite period (plus it can only be bought through a voucher), but it’s worth checking out if you’re a fan of handheld first-person shooters.

 

21. Motorstorm: Arctic Edge

I never would have thought that Motorstorm, the manic off-road racing series seemingly designed to show off the PS3’s next generation tech, would be possible on the little PSP but somehow BigBig Studios not only managed it but arguably made the best entry in the whole franchise. It features all the same car-combat gameplay fans love, but with a well-realised snowy aesthetic thrown in for good measure.

 

20. SSX On Tour

Another snowy game – this time one that you can only get if you bought it before it was removed from PSN a few years ago (luckily I did, since SSX is one of my favourite franchises of all time). The arcade-y and easy to master gameplay is fully in tact here and although the new aesthetic is a bit garish, it hardly takes away from the fantastic design that’s on show here.

 

19. Persona 3 Portable

The game that took Atlus’ Persona franchise from niche curiosity to global blockbuster, Persona 3 is a deep and nuanced JRPG about a group of high school students who become embroiled in the occult and are able to summon demons. It drags at times and the dungeon crawling gets a little repetitive, but the fantastic characterisation here makes it more than worthwhile to see to the end.

 

18. Death Jr. (review here) & Death Jr. 2: Root of Evil

Once touted as PSP’s ‘killer app’, Death Jr. now seems consigned to the annals of time as a has-been 3D platformer series but returning to it recently showed me what a surprisingly enjoyable game it is. There’s niggles with the camera at times and a high level of jank throughout, but as a whole it’s well worth giving another try.

 

17. Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness (review here) & Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days

Nippon Ichi’s premier franchise may have been superseded by more advanced Vita-native sequels (of which Disgaea 4 is the one you’ll want to check out), but returning to the series’ roots with these first two entries is still a worthwhile endeavour thanks to their charming characters and bonkers stories. The strategy RPG gameplay is really fun too, if a little too grindy for me these days.

 

16. Ape Escape (review here)

Oddly, the game that helped define twin analogue sticks on the dualshock controller proved that you can actually play it with one stick – very well in fact as Ape Escape is among the finest 3D platformers on the PSP and well suited to picking up on Vita. Capturing crazy monkeys has never been more enjoyable, it was great to revisit this classic on the go.

 

15. Resistance: Retribution (review here)

While Sony kept plowing money into Killzone, their other shooter franchise (Resistance) kept chugging along and arguably delivered its best (and certainly most under-rated) entry on their handheld instead. Flipping the perspective to third-person and taking a slower, more methodical approach (much more reminiscent of the first entry) worked wonders – it actually plays better on Vita thanks to the second stick too.

 

14. LittleBigPlanet

If you play one LittleBigPlanet game on Vita, make sure it’s the native entry, which is a fantastic representation of the console’s ability and an amazing 2D platformer. Don’t sleep on playing the PSP game too though – which is equally as charming and fun, just a little simpler and without the online features anymore. That might not seem like a glowing recommendation but believe me – this is a brilliant game.

 

13. Ridge Racer 

Compared to LittleBigPlanet, the PSP version of Ridge Racer is better in every way than its Vita counterpart – smoother performance, more modes, more vehicles, more tracks and more enjoyment. It was the showcase title for the handheld’s launch and somehow still manages to look gorgeous today even on a bigger screen.

 

12. Ys Seven

The start of the Ys series’ new direction could have been a worrying thing, but thankfully Falcom handled it with the care it deserved and made one of the PSP’s best JRPG’s. A fast-paced action game with party-based combat, I do miss little things like the platforming challenges and more puzzle-focused dungeons, but everything else about this one took the franchise to exciting new places.

 

11. Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (review here)

Ironically showing that size doesn’t matter at all, High Impact Games somehow managed to heroically squeeze the core Ratchet & Clank experience down to the PSP and made a solid new entry to the franchise. The story is a little naff but otherwise it’s all here – shooting, platforming and plenty of comedy, all as fun as ever.

 

10. Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars (review here)

Somehow, SEGA’s classic arcade franchise Crazy Taxi not only managed to make its way to PSP, but with a package that included both of the first two games in the series. Sure there’s some performance niggles and the soundtracks are changed, but this is the same brilliant game you’ll remember except on the go – which makes it all the more enjoyable.

 

9. Star Wars Battlefront II (review here), Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (review here) & Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron

The Star Wars Battlefront formula feels as fresh now as it ever has (particularly in light of the poorly-conceived reboots under EA) and PSP has access to three fantastic entries – II is a chopped down but faithful port of the best home console version while Elite and Renegade Squadron offer their own take on the forumla. Elite even has almost seamless ground-to-space battles which is truly an impressive feat.

 

8. Burnout Legends & Burnout Dominator

Burnout Legends is a blistering compilation of previous games in the series that keeps all the speed and mayhem and packages it into a fantastic handheld title; while Burnout Dominator is a brand new entry designed specifically for the hardware. They’re both undoubtedly worth checking out if you like racing games – but only if you have a North American account, sadly.

 

7. God of War: Chains of Olympus (review here) & God of War: Ghost of Sparta

Cramming the visceral action of the hyper-violent God of War series onto Sony’s tiny handheld is no easy task, but Ready at Dawn not only managed to do it – but do it in style. Expanding Kratos’ world with more hack ‘n’ slash action, plenty of gods to kill and a surprisingly touching story (in Ghost), it’s no wonder these titles remain the most revered on PSP to this day.

 

6. Tekken 6

While I’m still bitter about the complete lack of a Vita-native Tekken title (considering the series’ long history with PlayStation), the pain is relieved slightly by the amazing quality of this PSP entry, which distils the action down for handheld play perfectly. Fast paced, gorgeous to look at and with plenty of reasons to keep coming back – this one is definitely the real deal.

 

5. Daxter (review here) & Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier (review here)

While one is a mid-quel set between the first two titles and the other is technically the fourth mainline entry, both of these games set in the Jak & Daxter universe deliver the same lovable characters and varied action-platforming I’ve come to expect from the series. Daxter is the better game overall, but I’d easily recommend both of them to any Vita owner.

 

4. Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (review here)

Dissidia somehow manages to both respect its source material (as a crossover of characters from numerous entries in the long-running Final Fantasy series) and provide a compelling 3D arena fighter with some very unique ideas. Throw in a surprisingly enjoyable world-map elements, plenty of replayability and numerous other features and you’ve got a game that you’re not going to want to miss.

 

3. WipEout Pure (review here) & WipEout Pulse

Rapidly becoming my favourite franchise ever created, WipEout is a fast-paced futuristic racer that encourages precision and track memorisation over anything else, and it got two of its best entries on the PSP in Pure and Pulse. There’s a metric tonne of content between these two games that will keep you playing for months and they’re both gorgeous too.

 

2. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories & Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

If squeezing God of War onto PSP was a technical marvel then getting Grand Theft Auto on there was something else – Rockstar’s classic series is perfectly represented on Sony’s handheld and both its major cities are represented here. Vice City Stories is my favourite of the two due to the setting and empire-building mechanic, but you really can’t go wrong with either.

 

1. Ys: The Oath in Felghana

Still sitting unopposed at the top of my list, the absolute pinnacle of the Ys series and one of the best action-RPG’s ever made. Its focus on singular combat with movement techniques gives it an almost platformer-esque vibe while the bosses are among the most fierce and enjoyable you’ll come across in gaming. You need to have this title on your Vita memory card.

 

My top PS1 games playable on Vita (2019) – now up!