The PS2 is a video game that marked the childhood of many people. Launched in March 2000 in Japan, the then super machine from Sony officially arrived in Brazil only in November 2002. Amazingly, the console received games until 2014, totaling an incredible library of more than 4,000 games.
But since 2011, Android receives games from our dear PS2. In this article, we will walk through the fantastic games that have officially arrived on Android. But we will also comment on the unofficial games that are hidden on Google Play.
And to close with a flourish, let’s comment on the most incredible thing that has happened in mobile games in recent years: the PlayStation 2 emulator. Nowadays, the dream of having a portable PlayStation is no longer a game-changer with the original video game. You can use your own cell phone as a PS2, and I’ll tell you, it works so well it’s scary.
Oh and a warning: in this article we are not going to talk about adapted mobile versions of PS2 games. Those games that are “smaller versions” you know. So here’s the warning that we’re not going to talk about Resident Evil 4 Mobile that Capcom made in 2009 or the RE4 made by fan. After all, why play these games when you can play Resident Evil 4 in full on Android, right?
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Without further ado, come to know the history of PS2 games for Android.
Best Android PS2 Games 2022
1. GTA III
The leaps from one generation to the next aren’t usually that surprising nowadays, but back in 2001 it was a shock to see the PlayStation 2 running games like GTA III.
After all, despite open world sandbox games being a common genre these days, on consoles prior to the PS2 generation, it was almost impossible to run a game of the complexity of GTA III.
And even more incredible was this happening on cell phones.
GTA III arrived on Android in 2011 with everything that was in the PlayStation 2 version.
It is worth remembering, at that time, cell phones had a maximum of 512 MB of RAM. Since most users had the Galaxy Y at most with 290 MB of RAM and an “incredible” 180 MB of internal space. Think of the suffocation!
It was a nightmare to install and run GTA III. Only those who had a lot of money could afford to install GTA 3 officially, we had to resort to hacks like Chainfire + SD card and so on. And after everything was set up, the game ran at an incredible 20fps. hahahaha
GTA III was a complete transformation not only in the franchise itself but in the action game genre. Moving from the top-down view to a rich and interactive 3D world, the game also impressed with its sarcasm and dirty jokes.
The game’s story takes place in Liberty City in the year 2001, we follow in the footsteps of Claude, a bandit who was betrayed by his girlfriend during a bank robbery.
After managing to escape from a van. Claude goes to work for the mob as he seeks revenge on his former allies.
Today, maybe GTA III doesn’t seem so innovative, but it was quite a leap for consoles like the PS2 and also for Android phones.
Maybe when the remaster version arrives, more people will appreciate this classic. Until then, you can check out the game on Google Play, it is available for a good price, and of course, nowadays it runs on any potato cell phone.
2. Max Payne
Max Payne was released on Android phones on June 14, 2012.
And No Guys, Max Payne was not released dubbed on cell phones in Brazilian Portuguese as many people think out there.
Neither the PS2 version was dubbed.
What happened was that they took the pt-br dub of Max Payne from PC and applied it to both the PS2 version and the mobile version.
The game was dubbed in a partnership between Remedy Entertainment[1] (now Rockstar Studios) and Greenleaf do Brasil, in a makeshift studio.
The dubbing of the protagonist was in charge of the legendary Mauro Castro.
Many say that Max Payne’s voice acting is ham, but this is due to the very tone of the game.
Max Payne, the game, is a mix of action game, psychological horror and crime tale noir.
The story is all designed for the player to enter the sad and melancholy mind of the protagonist, as he distributes candies in this decadent New York of the 90s.
After having his family killed by users of a new drug, Max Payne goes crazy and decides to deal with the situation in his own way.
He then sets out to deal not only with the masterminds of the crime, but also to take down the cartel that produces the mysterious drug.
What Max did not expect was to discover an immense network of corruption that also involved part of the police.
The game immediately stood out for its heavy story, told through comics as if it were a graphic novel.
In terms of gameplay, the highlight was the Bullet time effect, which left everything in slow motion in the best Matrix style or films by director John Woo, a joke that is even in the game.
Max Payne is an unmissable game for anyone who enjoys a good story with more adult themes.
3. The Bard’s Tale
The Bard’s Tale is an action-RPG for PlayStation 2 that tells the misadventures of an unprofessional hero.
Unlike the epic knights of other RPGs, in this one you control a bard who just wants to get along with the ladies and outmaneuver other people.
The misadventures of this nameless hero, called only a bard, is accompanied by a narrator who describes in a very funny way his entire journey.
Unfortunately, the bad part of this game is that it is only in English.
Bard’s Tale was originally released in 2004 and arrived on Android phones in September 2012.
The game is still available on Google Play today and works even on basic cell phones. So if you know a little English I highly recommend it, because this is one of the funniest RPGs out there.
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4. GTA Vice City
GTA Vice City arrived on Android on December 6, 2012.
Filled with the vibe of the 80s, Vice City gives us the Rockstar version of the series Miami Vice, but of course, as it is a GTA , you will play with the criminal Tommy Vercetti.
The game’s story begins like this: after being released from jail, Tommy goes straight to the Forelli family’s lawyer.
After spending 15 years in prison, and not having collaborated with the police to turn in his old boss, Tommy thought about getting something in return.
But what he doesn’t know is that his ex-boss wants him “dead in the woods”.
https://youtu.be/bUvx-FASN9c
So the good old crime escalation begins again with lots of car thefts and police chases, all to the sound of sweet 80’s ballads.
GTA Vice City is one of the funniest chapters in the franchise with the right to criticize the “American way of life” and the rock bands of the 80s.
5. GTA San Andreas
This is a game that needs no introduction,
GTA San Andreas is a milestone in the history of video games, and the most loved PlayStation 2 game in Brazil.
But when it arrived on Android in December 2013, it wasn’t exactly cause for celebration.
all buggy and with several compatibility issues.
Does this kind of news sound familiar? Well, Rockstar doesn’t seem to learn.
Fortunately, the years passed and the game got better, just as cell phones got more powerful.
Nowadays, GTA San Andreas runs on any potato.
The most complete world of GTA created for the PS2, San Andreas delivers the biggest maps, the biggest story and the biggest amount of content to explore in a game of the franchise so far.
Maybe even too much. The game had quite controversial minigames, but it’s GTA so it’s okay.
After all, San Andreas appeals and makes fun of every kind of stereotype you can imagine.
After 5 years in Liberty City, our legendary CJ returns to his Los Santos neighborhood to reconnect with friends and family.
Everything is different and he will now have to deal with rival gangs and a growing crime wave, all while having a crooked cop hot on his tail.
Even today GTA San Andreas resonates as one of the best mobile games out there not only for its gameplay and size, but also for its mods like GTA SA RP.
6. Dragon Quest VIII
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is a game that few people know.
It was released on the PlayStation 2 and also officially on mobile phones.
This game with character visuals designed by Akira Toriyama himself arrived on mobile in May 2014 with versions for Android and iOS.
The mobile version is almost identical to the PS2, but with a small difference, the screen format. On mobile, they had the bad idea of putting the game in portrait mode, that is, with the cell phone upright.
In Dragon Quest 8, we control a hero and his troupe of unconventional friends: a troll and a horse.
We later find out that they are actually a king and princess who have been cursed by the wizard Dhoulmagus.
The game follows the JRPG pattern with green fields, random encounters and a little tune at the end of each confrontation.
This type of game is very tight and with turn-based combat.
The progression in Dragon Quest VIII is slow, but the innocent and adventurous tone of the game is the ideal choice for those who like a good JRPG.
7. GTA Liberty City Stories
On February 12, 2016 it was time for yet another GTA to come to cell phones.
This time it was Liberty City Stories, a spin-off that was actually born on the PSP, but was later released for the PS2.
Very similar in setting to GTA 3, this game brings more gameplay mechanics and vehicles to control including planes and helicopters, something that was lacking in the third game.
The story takes place in 1998, three years before the events of GTA 3. With some really cool touches, for example. As it happens before the previous game, some buildings and bridges are unfinished, as they were still under construction.
Although little worshiped, Liberty City Stories is a good game and worth knowing. It is still available on Google Play and runs great on Android 12.
Download GTA Liberty City Stories here
8. Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy
It’s hard to describe Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy without giving away any spoilers.
Conceived by then newcomer Quantic Dream, this is an action-adventure game with a lot of suspense.
As in many Quantic games, this is the typical game where the narrative dictates the rules.
In Fahrenheit we follow the strange story of Lucas Kane, a young man who doesn’t know if what he just did is real or not. Apparently he committed a murder, but from whom? So just playing to find out.
To make matters worse, it seems that he committed this crime when he was possessed by a supposed evil entity.
Indigo Prophecy is a game that is totally out of the ordinary, because in addition to the protagonist, we also control the police officers who are investigating the case.
As it is a game with little action and a lot of story, in fact multiple stories, it may not captivate many people, because to complicate matters even more, it is only available in English.
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy flew by in app stores. It was released in March 2016 and then removed in 2018.
9. Bully Anniversary Edition
Bully rivals GTA San Andreas in popularity.
This is another controversial Rockstar game that was banned in Brazil.
Take control of the uncharismatic Jimmy on another ordinary day at school.
Face bullies, skip class, and try to get into as much trouble as possible.
In this very different approach to the traditional, Rockstar achieved what it always liked to do, create yet another controversial game.
Bully broke several barriers and showed once again the versatility of this production company’s studios.
On Android, the game arrived on December 8, 2016. This time Rockstar decided to work on the port and the game arrived on mobile phones. With even better graphics than the PS2 and Xbox 360 versions.
But Rockstar’s history of shit continues here, the game is not compatible with Android 11 and 12 on several Samsung devices.
10. AetherSX2: the fantastic PlayStation 2 emulator for Android
Now the icing on the cake!
And behold, at the end of 2021, that is, 10 years after the first PlayStation 2 game arrived on Android, something incredible happened.
Programmer Tahlreth (I don’t even know how to pronounce that), forked PCSX2 and made an Android version called AetherSX2.
Created in record time, the application arrived to bury the fake DamonPS2 once and for all.
in record time and to bury it once and for all with the DamonPS2 farce.
The AetherSX2 is so good that it is possible to run PlayStation 2 games even on mid-range phones like the Samsung M21S, yes with Exynos and all.
It is worth remembering that the ideal is to use a smartphone with a Snapdragon 845 processor or higher, but the emulator today is so optimized that it is possible to play several games that require less resources even on entry-level cell phones, as long as they have a 64-bit processor.
It won’t be long before the first apps with “PS2 games” appear inside them + AetherSX2 on Google Play.
Read too:
Hidden Games on Google Play
A topic that became quite popular on the internet, especially on TikTok, was the PS2 games hidden on Google Play.
After all, what is it?
Maybe you don’t know, but it’s become fashionable for some users to take a complete game and put it for free on the Play Store with built-in ads.
In this case, the “PS2 games” that are on the Play Store are: GTA Vice City Stories, Liberty City Stories and even God of War Ghost of Sparta (which isn’t even PS2).
But it turns out that these games are not like that, entirely on PS2.
In fact, the versions that are on Google Play are those of the PSP that run on the PPSSPP emulator.
But calm down, that doesn’t mean you were tricked. At least, not entirely.
Despite being versions of the PSP, these two games also made it to the PlayStation 2.
Both, even if they are spin-offs, are very complete games. Two great games with lots of missions and story and best of all, they can be downloaded for free.
You got the idea, right? That’s why it’s common to appear some “God of War” hidden in Google Play that say it’s a PlayStation 2, but in reality they are PSP games. But these don’t last as long in the app store as the GTAs we’ve mentioned.
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