Twenty-five years ago, on October 26, 2000, the greatest video game console ever made was released in North America. Tucked neatly inside an iconic blue box was the PlayStation 2, the future of gaming and home entertainment.
While the world didn’t know it at the time, everything was about to change forever. And for those of us in the future, sadly, it would never be quite the same again.
Everything about the PS2 looked and felt like the future. That sleek, blue box and the minimalist design still look like what I imagine 1,000 years from now will look like. Like, the PS2 is still futuristic… in 2025… that’s how well they nailed what they were trying to do.
Even the marketing before the console’s release was unlike anything we’d ever seen before. It was sc-fi, it was weird, and… it didn’t really say anything about gaming? Still, somehow, it felt like everything the PS2 was about.
And I still love these ads dearly 25 years later.
Perhaps the secret sauce in the recipe behind the PS2 was its built-in DVD player. At the time, the PS2 was actually cheaper than most DVD players. That made it all the easier for teens to sell mom and dad on the idea of the console—because they could use it, too.
It might sound silly in the era of smart TVs, but it was truly remarkable to be able to watch a DVD copy of The Matrix and play Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty on the same device. And you didn’t have to rewind anything or blow into a cartridge. What a time to be alive.
It was like walking into a new age, which perfectly fit the whole “new millennium” branding that was everywhere at the time.
Of course, you can’t talk about the PS2 without talking about the games. From Grand Theft Auto to Shadow of the Colossus—and a ton of amazing sports games—the PS2’s library is still untouchable a quarter of a century later.
I mean, look at some of these titles and their respective Metacritic scores. The PS2 really was the peak of gaming…
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (97)
- Grand Theft Auto III (97)
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (96)
- Resident Evil 4 (96)
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (95)
- Madden NFL 2003 (95)
- God of War II (93)
- Final Fantasy X (92)
Some other classics on the console include SSX Tricky, Okami, Devil May Cry, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and Kingdom Hearts. And as a huge sports fan, I can’t not mention ESPN NFL 2k5, the greatest football game ever made.
The 13 (!) wrestling games on the system also stand out over two decades later. SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain even belongs in the conversation for the title of greatest wrestling game ever made.
The PlayStation 2 didn’t just define the greatest era in gaming; it created it. For well over a decade, millions of people turned on their PS2 consoles to play their favorite games and watch their favorite movies.
And while modern technology makes it easier to do some of those things, it’s just not the same now. Everything that the PS2 did well—from marketing to games—has never been replicated, which is why it’s still the greatest-selling console ever.
Will we ever see anything like the PS2 ever again? Probably not. But was it amazing to experience it in real time? Absolutely.
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