Best Classic Games On PS Plus

Key Takeaways

• Timesplitters: Future Perfect is a fun FPS with customization and quirky characters.
• Dark Cloud offers addictive combat, exploration, and village building in a unique ARPG.
• Jak and Daxter is a stellar platformer with solid puzzles, humor, and adventure.

Gaming was a completely different beast before online multiplayer, microtransactions, and DLC. I’m not saying modern games aren’t good, but there’s a charm that retro games have that you simply can’t find nowadays.

If you want to try the classics or just want a trip down memory lane, here are the best Classic Games you can find on PS Plus.

10

Timesplitters: Future Perfect

Where’s My Timesplitters 4?

Timesplitters: Future Perfect is the last in a trilogy of incredible first-person shooters from the PS2 era. It’s a celebration of the series, and there are dozens of weird and whacky characters and guns to play with.

This is an old-school arena shooter with solid visuals, controls, and an overwhelming amount of content.

Balancing takes a backseat to chaotic fun, but the game is so customizable that you can shape the gameplay to your liking. Future Perfect even has a map editor, and while primitive, it absolutely works, and you can make simple arenas within minutes.

Whether you want to play through the silly story, blow up your friends, or shoot cow carcasses with an Injector Gun, there’s something for everyone in Timesplitters: Future Perfect.

9

Dark Cloud

An Incredible Action RPG

Dark Cloud is a superb Action RPG that features addictive combat and exploration. While many RPGs of the time offer turn-based fighting, Dark Cloud combat is all in real-time.

Fighting and exploration are addictive, but the part that makes the game truly stand out is village building. I’m not about to spoil a classic here, but a massive part of the story in Dark Cloud is rebuilding a town.

You’ll collect everything from paths to shops on your adventure and can assemble the village as you see fit. There’s also a ton of fantastic weapons to use.

Village building and action combat shouldn’t go well together, but Dark Cloud blends the two so masterfully it feels like a match made in heaven.

8

Jak and Daxter

A Critically Acclaimed 3D Platformer

While the sequel, Jak 2, is arguably the best game in the series, I can’t recommend it without playing the original first. Long before Naughty Dog made The Last Of Us, they made platformers like Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter.

The studio put on a masterclass in 3D platforming, and Jak and Daxter has it all. Solid jump puzzles, gorgeous graphics, humor, everything you could want from an Adventure game is here.

The best thing about this recommendation is if you enjoy Jak and Daxter, the rest of the series is also available on PS Classics.

7

Kurushi Final

Don’t Get Crushed!

Also known as I.Q.: Intelligent Qube, Kurushi Final is a unique puzzle game forcing you to make snap decisions or face the consequences.

You’re trapped on a floating corridor with a wall of blocks slowly rolling toward you. You can delete blocks one at a time, and the goal is to clear them without getting squashed.

If you screw up, the play area gets smaller, and if you fall off the edge, you aren’t coming back! There’s plenty of strategy in Kurushi, with special blocks to consider once you’ve learned the ropes.

Kurushi Final is incredibly tense for a puzzler, and the ominous empty void surrounding you makes for a bizarrely unsettling game at times.

6

Ridge Racer Type 4

An Iconic Arcade Racer

I think it’s fair to say that the Ridge Racer series lost its way with Unbounded, where the series traded slick Drift Racing for cheap destruction thrills.

If you want to see the series at its best, you can beat Ridge Racer Type 4. This is a gorgeous racer by PS1 standards, with an unforgettable soundtrack, superb controls, and a respectable library of cars.

There’s even a story mode, which is pretty cheesy but charming all the same. Everyone remembers Gran Turismo 1&2 on the PlayStation, but if “sim” racing isn’t for you, Ridge Racer Type 4 may become your favorite driving game on the system.

5

Ape Escape

It’ll Drive You Bananas

Ape Escape is an adorable (if frustrating) 3D platformer that spawned an entire franchise. As the title implies, your goal is to capture monkeys scattered across each of the title’s gorgeous and colorful locales.

As Ape Escape is set in the future, you can use plenty of ridiculous gadgets, but they only help so much. Ape Escape is infuriating at times, and your patience will be tested.

Interestingly enough, this title was the first PlayStation game where a controller with analog sticks was mandatory. Like Jak and Daxter, the whole series is available on PS Classics, and there isn’t a bad game among the original trilogy.

4

Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus

You Can Control Farts With Your Brain

Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus is a phenomenal 2D adventure game where you must save your friends from the evil Glukkons in the horrific Soulstorm Brewery. You play as Abe, and he’s not your typical gun-wielding badass.

In fact, Abe is pretty feeble, so you’ll need to use your cunning and wits to survive. Abe does have one trademark trick up his sleeve. He can possess creatures and force them to do his bidding, and the possibilities are endless. He can also talk his way out of situations, laugh, and yes, even fart.

Abe’s Exoddus may be over 25 years old, but the backgrounds and environments are jaw-dropping to this day. The artwork is sublime, and combined with the unique gameplay, your journey through Necrum and the Brewery will be unforgettable.

Oddworld: Soulstorm offers a modern take on Exoddus, but doesn’t hold a candle to the original.

3

Lumines

All The Hallmarks Of A Classic

Lumines is simple enough that anyone can pick it up and play. But like all great puzzlers, it’s laced with complexity for those who care enough to learn.

On the surface, Lumines is a straightforward block-matching game. Gather four blocks of the same color together and wait for the scrolling line to clear them. Easy, right?

The catch is the speed of the scrolling line, which is tied to the music. Every stage in Lumines has a different musical genre and forces you to adjust your playstyle on the fly for those sweet high scores.

Many of the best puzzle games on the planet are wonderfully accessible, with a simple gameplay loop. Lumines fits the bill but with a welcome modern twist.

2

Worms World Party

Kamikaze!

Many Worms players regard Armageddon as the best in the series. It’s still played today and maintains an active community on PC. As we’re not talking about PC games, let me introduce Worms World Party.

Worms World Party is essentially Worms Armageddon with a sprinkle of new modes and optional modifiers. The core gameplay of Armageddon is still here, but with many ways to shake up the formula.

This would be DLC nowadays, but as that wasn’t a thing two decades ago, it was released as a new title.

Worms is a timeless turn-based strategy game, and skill-based weapons like the Bazooka and Grenades will take hundreds of hours to master.

1

Tekken 2

Enter The King Of Iron Fist Tournament

If you’re into Fighting games, you have to play Tekken 2. While a little rough around the edges, Tekken 2 means business, and many characters you know and love in Tekken 8 debuted in this title.

Tekken 2 also has a fair share of features we don’t always see nowadays. Every character has a unique FMV outro when you beat the game, and you can unlock new fighters instead of buying them. Imagine that!

Tekken 3 came along a few years later and revolutionized the genre, but make no mistake, Tekken 2 is a timeless classic and one of the best fighters on the PS1.

If you love Tekken but want to experience it without Rage Arts, Heat, and 20-second combos, you could do far worse than Tekken 2.

There are so many bangers on PS Plus that I couldn’t fit every great game on this list. I’ve tried to include as many genres as possible, but don’t be offended if I’ve not included your favorites.