The PlayStation 2 in Numbers on its 20th Anniversary

The legendary PlayStation 2, also know as PS2, is one of the most memorable video game consoles ever. And today Sony celebrates 20th anniversary of its launch in Japan.

It has been two decades since the PS2 was released in Japan in March 4, 2000. It became a smashing success since the moment it was released thanks to the success of its previous version, the PlayStation 1. It introduced a new level of graphics and gaming quality that surpassed greatly the PS1. And that is why I dedicate today’s entry to the king console of the videogame industry and to those top-selling games that once become popular and played by gamers all over the world. 

A bit of history

It all started after the launch of the PlayStation 1. The success of this console consolidated Sony’s decision to continue in the video game industry. So it is said that the PlayStation 2 already started its development back in late 1994 in total secret.

By 1997 rumors began to leak about possible specifications and its design. But the official announced did not arrive until March 1, 1999. And in that year’s Tokyo Game Show (in September 20, 1999) Sony finally unveiled the PlayStation 2 causing great expectation.

The rest of the story is already well known. The success was so great that up until now no gaming console has managed to exceed the total sales of the PS2, not even its successors. And to prove it, as an image is worth more than 1,000 words, we have developed the following chart. It compares the number of sales of the four Sony PlayStations so far.

Best-selling PlayStation 2 games

In total, Sony has sold more than 158.85 million PlayStation2 units, and shipped more than 1.24 billion PS2 games worldwide, making it the most popular and sold console of Sony of all times. The following chart that we created looking at the fiscal data that Sony shares on its official website compares the sales number of the four Sony consoles to date and shows how the PS2 outperforms all of them year after year.

This data mean that the PS2 was unrivaled in terms of sales during the time it was sold. But these number are just numbers that do not reflect the technological leap that this new console represented and, above all, the greatness of the games that were developed.

Titles such as Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2, Devil May Cry, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Shadow of the Colossus, Final Fantasy X and X-II, Gran Turismo 3, Metal Gear Solid 3, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves, Jak and Daxter, God of War, Resident Evil 4 and a very long etcetera have been praised by both the critics and the public. They have provided us great moments over the past decade. That is why, although this gaming system has not been produced for years, these games are still being bought and played today.

To commemorate this 20th anniversary and spread the word to young generations about these games that were once considered the best of their time in terms of gameplay and graphics, as well as a resounding success in sales, I have made and uploaded the following video to my YouTube account. Play it!

Of course, this is just a top 10 arranged by number of sales. But there are other very good games that, although they did not become a best seller, they were highly regarded by critics. Here I present you a more complete list of all the PS2 games that have contributed to the success of the console.

No.	Title	Release date	Sales
1	Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	October 26, 2004	17,330,000
2	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	April 28, 2001	14,890,000
3	Gran Turismo 4	December 28, 2004	11,760,000
4	Grand Theft Auto: Vice City	October 27, 2002	9,801,000
5	Final Fantasy X	July 19, 2001	8,500,000
6	Grand Theft Auto III	October 22, 2001	8,105,000
7	Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	November 12, 2001	7,000,000
8	Final Fantasy XII	March 16, 2006	6,000,000
9	Tekken 5	March 31, 2005	6,000,000
10	Kingdom Hearts	March 28, 2002	5,900,000
11	Final Fantasy X-2	March 13, 2003	5,400,000
12	Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King	November 27, 2004	4,880,000
13	Kingdom Hearts II	December 22, 2005	4,757,000
14	God of War	March 22, 2005	4,610,000
15	Madden NFL 2005	August 9, 2004	4,350,000
16	God of War II	March 13, 2007	4,240,000
17	Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy	December 3, 2001	4,200,000
18	EyeToy: Play	July 4, 2003	4,000,000
19	Madden NFL 2004	August 12, 2003	3,950,000
20	Madden NFL 06	August 8, 2005	3,770,000
21	Ratchet & Clank	November 4, 2002	3,710,000
22	Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater	November 17, 2004	3,700,000
23	Need for Speed: Underground	November 17, 2003	3,690,000
24	Medal of Honor: Frontline	May 28, 2002	3,550,000
25	Guitar Hero II	November 7, 2006	3,410,000
26	Pro Evolution Soccer 3	August 7, 2003	3,271,000
27	Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock	October 28, 2007	3,234,000
28	Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal	November 3, 2004	3,218,000
29	Madden NFL 2003	August 12, 2002	3,180,000
30	Pro Evolution Soccer 4	August 5, 2004	3,133,000
31	Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3	October 4, 2007	3,000,000
32	The Getaway	December 11, 2002	3,000,000
33	Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando	November 11, 2003	2,966,000
34	WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006	November 11, 2005	2,900,000
35	Pro Evolution Soccer 2	April 25, 2002	2,859,000
36	Spider-Man	April 15, 2002	2,810,000
37	Madden NFL 07	August 22, 2006	2,800,000
38	SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs	August 27, 2002	2,780,000
39	Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex	October 29, 2001	2,763,000
40	Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies	September 13, 2001	2,640,000
41	Dragon Ball Z: Budokai	November 29, 2002	2,610,000
42	The Simpsons: Hit & Run	September 16, 2003	2,570,000
43	Need for Speed: Most Wanted	November 15, 2005	2,530,000
44	Medal of Honor: Rising Sun	November 11, 2003	2,520,000
45	Dynasty Warriors 4	February 27, 2003	2,515,000
46	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	October 21, 2002	2,510,000
47	Lego Star Wars: The Video Game	April 2, 2005	2,500,000
48	Sonic Unleashed	November 18, 2008	2,450,000
49	Tony Hawk's Underground	October 27, 2003	2,420,000
50	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3	October 28, 2001	2,400,000
51	Tekken Tag Tournament	March 30, 2000	2,367,000
52	Star Wars: Battlefront II	October 31, 2005	2,330,000
53	Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening	February 17, 2005	2,300,000
54	Madden NFL 2002	August 19, 2001	2,300,000
55	Resident Evil 4	October 25, 2005	2,300,000
56	Dynasty Warriors 3	September 20, 2001	2,295,000
57	The Simpsons: Road Rage	November 24, 2001	2,240,000
58	SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs	November 4, 2003	2,171,000
59	Everybody's Golf 3 (HotShots Golf 3 in the US)	July 26, 2001	2,170,000
60	Ratchet: Deadlocked	October 25, 2005	2,169,000
61	Devil May Cry	August 23, 2001	2,160,000
62	Max Payne	December 6, 2001	2,128,000
63	Need for Speed: Underground 2	November 15, 2004	2,106,000
64	Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny	March 7, 2002	2,100,000
65	True Crime: Streets of LA	November 3, 2003	2,085,000
66	Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2	November 14, 2003	2,084,000
67	007: Agent Under Fire	November 13, 2001	2,070,000
68	Onimusha: Warlords	January 25, 2001	2,020,000
69	Tekken 4	March 28, 2002	2,005,000
70	ESPN NFL 2K5	July 20, 2004	2,000,000
71	WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw	November 2, 2004	2,000,000
72	Star Wars: Battlefront	September 20, 2004	1,995,000
73	ATV Offroad Fury	February 5, 2001	1,990,000
74	NBA Live 2005	September 28, 2004	1,980,000
75	Midnight Club: Street Racing	October 26, 2000	1,976,000
76	Spider-Man 2	June 28, 2004	1,930,000
77	Madden NFL 08	August 14, 2007	1,900,000
78	Pro Evolution Soccer 6	April 27, 2006	1,889,000
79	Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3	November 16, 2004	1,836,000
80	Dragon Quest V: Tenku no Hanayome	March 25, 2004	1,811,000
81	007: Nightfire	November 18, 2002	1,808,000
82	Pro Evolution Soccer 5	August 4, 2005	1,806,000
83	Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War	October 21, 2004	1,802,000
84	Namco Museum	December 4, 2001	1,800,000
85	Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith	May 4, 2005	1,771,000
86	ATV Offroad Fury 2	November 9, 2002	1,770,000
87	WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth	October 31, 2002	1,743,000
88	Sonic Mega Collection Plus	November 2, 2004	1,740,000
89	Sonic Heroes	December 30, 2003	1,720,000
90	Call of Duty: Finest Hour	November 16, 2004	1,714,000
91	NBA Street	June 18, 2001	1,713,000
92	Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories	June 6, 2006	1,702,000
93	Devil May Cry 2	January 25, 2003	1,700,000
94	Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance	November 16, 2002	1,700,000
95	Yakuza	December 8, 2005	1,700,000
96	Enter the Matrix	May 14, 2003	1,616,000
97	Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2	October 1, 2002	1,610,000
98	Jak II	October 14, 2003	1,600,000
99	NBA Street Vol. 2	April 28, 2003	1,600,000
100	WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain	October 27, 2003	1,585,000
101	Gran Turismo Concept	January 1, 2002	1,560,000
102	Guitar Hero	November 7, 2005	1,530,000
103	WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007	November 10, 2006	1,530,000
104	Onimusha 3: Demon Siege	February 26, 2004	1,520,000
105	Samurai Warriors	February 11, 2004	1,509,000
106	Virtua Fighter 4	January 31, 2002	1,500,000
107	Bully	October 17, 2006	1,500,000
108	Tony Hawk's Underground 2	October 4, 2004	1,500,000
109	NBA Live 2004	October 14, 2003	1,488,000
110	WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It	November 16, 2001	1,486,000
111	Finding Nemo	May 9, 2003	1,460,000
112	Resident Evil Outbreak	December 11, 2003	1,450,000
113	Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004	September 22, 2003	1,430,000
114	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4	October 23, 2002	1,420,000
115	The Sims	January 12, 2003	1,416,000
116	Hitman 2: Silent Assassin	October 1, 2002	1,412,000
117	Resident Evil Code: Veronica X	March 22, 2001	1,400,000
118	Gran Turismo 4 Prologue	December 4, 2003	1,400,000
119	Bratz: Rock Angelz	October 4, 2005	1,400,000
120	NCAA Football 06	July 11, 2005	1,390,000
121	Crazy Taxi	May 14, 2001	1,383,000
122	Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy	September 12, 2006	1,380,000
123	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	November 5, 2003	1,374,000
124	Star Ocean: Till the End of Time	August 31, 2004	1,363,000
125	Burnout 3: Takedown	September 7, 2004	1,338,000
126	Jak 3	November 9, 2004	1,330,000
127	Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon	December 1, 2002	1,329,000
128	NCAA Football 07	July 18, 2006	1,320,000
129	Soulcalibur II	March 27, 2003	1,310,000
130	Madagascar	May 23, 2005	1,310,000
131	Shrek 2	April 28, 2004	1,300,000
132	Midnight Club II	April 9, 2003	1,280,000
133	NCAA Football 2004	July 16, 2003	1,280,000
134	NBA Live 06	September 26, 2005	1,278,000
135	NFL Blitz	October 28, 2003	1,270,000
136	Everybody's Golf 4	September 26, 2005	1,250,000
137	Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII	January 26, 2006	1,245,000
138	Madden NFL 2001	October 26, 2000	1,236,000
139	Scarface: The World Is Yours	October 8, 2006	1,220,000
140	Pac-Man World 2	February 24, 2002	1,210,000
141	Dark Cloud	December 14, 2000	1,200,000
142	NBA Live 2003	October 8, 2002	1,191,000
143	ESPN NBA 2K5	September 30, 2004	1,190,000
144	Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2	October 5, 2006	1,180,000
145	Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell	March 2003	1,178,000
146	Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses	September 6, 2001	1,178,000
147	Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights	May 20, 2002	1,170,000
148	Jissen Pachi-Slot Hisshoho! Hokuto no Ken	May 27, 2004	1,150,000
149	MVP Baseball 2005	February 22, 2005	1,140,000
150	Twisted Metal: Black	June 18, 2001	1,120,000