The PlayStation 2 is considered one of the most terrific creations of the game industry, and for good reason. High quality graphics, a vast library of fun and captivating titles, and original
design made the PS2 the best-selling game system of all time. With the advent of high-end computers, gaming laptops, and smartphones, lots of gamers have shifted their attention to
more sophisticated strategy games, MMORPGs, and RPGs. Still, it doesn’t mean that legendary console games have sunk into oblivion. Presently, more and more gamers go back to playing
retro titles. And the vast majority of these gamers crave to reunite exactly with their favorite PS2 characters.
You know that it’s not an easy task to get a vintage PS2 nowadays. But luckily, you don’t need it to start running old-school PS2 games on your desktop PC. All you need is a reliable emulator
and some cool PS2 ISOs (games) for it. With such a set, you’ll be able to immerse yourself into the atmosphere of retro fun and re-experience nostalgic emotions. Still, many connoisseurs of
retro games may find it challenging to select a good emulator for their desktop systems. Let us assist you in this matter. Below you can find our top picks of the best PS2 emulators that will
enable you to turn your desktop computer into a vintage game system.
RetroArch
If you’re in search of a truly reliable and time-tested emulator, consider using RetroArch. It’s an all-in-one emulation tool that allows you to take advantage of its cores to run thousands of
commercial PS2 games on your PC.
This emulator boasts high performance, crisp graphics, and a sleek intuitive GUI. It’s more powerful and stable than the majority of original standalone PS2 emulators, which makes it the best possible software solution for those who value stability and have previous experience in configuring and setting up emulators.
RetroArch is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux OS.
PCSX2 Emulator
If you prefer standalone emulator, you definitely should pay your attention to the PCSX2 emulator. Tweak some settings, and you’ll be able to improve any game’s quality. Anisotropic
and anti-aliasing filters will smooth the sharp textures and make your game look more pleasing to the eye. Moreover, you can take advantage of an in-built HD video recorder, which can help
you capture the moments of triumph in your game. Speed runners will definitely appreciate this feature.
PCSX2 also comes with some handy pre-configured cheats you may utilize at your discretion. You can download PCSX for free from the official website right now. Still, take note that as any
emulation software, PCSX2 is not immune to short-lived system faults, which results in crashes. Therefore, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with a list of supported games for
PCSX2 before you download an ISO file for some specific game.
RPCS3 Emulator
Though RPCS3 was designed specifically for PS3 games, it may come in handy for running PS2 titles, as well. This program is still a bit raw; nonetheless, it can be successfully utilized for
playing and debugging a wide array of PS2 and PS3 most popular games.