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10 Best Budget PS1 & PS2 Games Worth Buying Used
Acclaimed games, tested and working, priced well below typical market value.
A used game's price doesn't have to track its quality. Plenty of the most acclaimed games of the PS1 and PS2 era — games that won Game of the Year awards, sold millions of copies, and still get called some of the best ever made — sell today for less than a fast-food combo meal, simply because the console they're built for isn't new anymore.
Every title below is currently in stock in our shop, tested to confirm it plays correctly, and priced below what you'd typically pay elsewhere for the same condition. We've linked each one's Wikipedia entry too, so you can read up on it before you buy. Prices and availability are current as of this writing — check each listing for the latest.
01
Grand Theft Auto III
PS2 · 2001 · Rockstar Games
The open-world classic that redefined the genre. It was the best-selling game of 2001 and is still widely considered one of the most influential titles ever made — Claude's silent rise through Liberty City's crime scene, told across three sprawling islands.
02
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
PS1 · 2000 · Neversoft
Still regarded by many critics as one of the greatest video games ever made — the sequel that introduced manuals and cash rewards, refining the skating formula until it clicked perfectly.
03
Final Fantasy X
PS2 · 2001 · Square
The JRPG that introduced full voice acting and 3D environments to the series — Tidus's journey through Spira to stop Sin, and one of the best-selling entries in Final Fantasy history at over 8.5 million copies shipped.
04
SSX 3
PS2 · 2003 · EA Canada
The fan-favorite entry in the SSX series — one huge interconnected mountain, a stacked soundtrack, and the trick system critics praised as the series' best. It was the first SSX game to sell a million copies.
05
Onimusha: Warlords
PS2 · 2001 · Capcom
A samurai battles demonic invaders with Resident Evil-style survival horror roots. It was the first PlayStation 2 game to sell a million copies, and remains one of the system's most recognized early hits.
06
Hitman: Blood Money
PS2 · 2006 · IO Interactive
Widely considered the peak of the Hitman series — plan elaborate hits as Agent 47 across some of the most carefully designed levels the stealth genre has ever produced. It still has a strong cult following today.
07
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
PS2 · 2003 · Ubisoft Montreal
The reboot that reinvented the series — rewind time itself while dodging traps and enemies. It won numerous Game of the Year awards and has sold over 14 million copies since release.
08
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
PS2 · 2007 · Neversoft
The best-selling video game of 2007, both in units and revenue — a 70+ song setlist, guest appearances from Slash and Tom Morello, and the series-defining Battle mode.
09
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
PS2 · 2004 · Insomniac Games
The fan-favorite third Ratchet & Clank, which won GameSpot's Best Platformer award in 2004 — huge weapon roster, tight platforming, and plenty of humor, with over 3.2 million copies sold.
10
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
PS2 · 2002 · Rockstar North
The '80s-soaked open-world classic and the best-selling game of 2002 — Tommy Vercetti's rise through Vice City's criminal underworld, with over 17.5 million copies sold overall.
Why these hold up
Almost every game above won major industry awards or sold in the millions when it released — this isn't a list of forgotten curiosities, it's a list of genre-defining titles that happen to run on hardware old enough to be cheap now. Disc-based games from this era also don't have the always-online DRM, mandatory day-one patches, or subscription paywalls that a lot of modern re-releases carry — what you see in the listing is the whole game.
Every game we sell is tested and confirmed working before it's listed, and priced below typical market and retail value — see our
grading guide for what condition labels like "Light Scratches" actually mean, or our
FAQ for shipping and returns.