Miss some PlayStation 2 games and want to play them once more? Feel nostalgic from many amazing PS2 games on PC via an emulator.
Before, only a handful of PS2 titles were supported by emulators. But now, almost every title is playable, thanks to the ever-growing PCSX2 emulator.
The PCSX2 team has been preserving the legacy of the PS2. As per report, the team has successfully reached 99% of the console’s gaming library. Meaning, 99% of commercially released games on PS2 are now playable on PC using PCSX2 emulator.
The exact numbers are 1.23% in “perfect” state, 97.92% in “playable,” 0.63% “in-game,” and 0.22% under “menus.” The first two states have a total of 99.15%.
However, the work won’t stop there. The team is nearing its next milestone: the stable version of the emulator. This version is for those who don’t want to use the buggy versions, usually called “nightlies.”
The PS2 gaming library has a ton of hits, including Resident Evil 2, GTA San Andreas, Gran Turismo 4, Crash Bandicoot – Wrath of Cortex, and Tekken 5.
To get started, here are the requirements for PCSX2 emulator:
Minimum Requirements | Recommended Requirements |
OS: Windows 10 21H2 1809 or later 64-bit; or Ubuntu 22.04/Debian or newer, Arch Linux or other distro 64-bit; or macOS 11.0 | OS: Windows 10 21H2 1809 or later 64-bit; or Ubuntu 23.04/Debian or newer, Arch Linux or other distro 64-bit; or macOS 11.0 |
CPU: Supports SSE 4.1, PassMark single-thread score of near 1,500 or greater, dual-core with hyperthreading | CPU: Supports AVX2, PassMark single-thread score of near 2,000 or greater, quad-core with hyperthreading |
GPU: PassMark G3D rating of 3,000 or greater, 2GB VRAM | GPU: PassMark G3D rating of 6,000 or greater, 4GB VRAM |
Memory: 4GB RAM | Memory: 8GB RAM |
Direct3D 11 | Direct3D12 |
OpenGL 3.3 | OpenGL 4.6 |
Vulkan 1.1 | Vulkan 1.3 |
You can read more about the heavy system requirements if you’ve a more powerful setup over here. PCSX2 may run on mobile devices as well but you need an extra hand and the team recommends AetherSX2 for that.