5 Best PS3 Games Of All Time, Ranked

Though the PlayStation 3 reveal ended up being a big flop, the Sony home console eventually bounced back and won over gamers. Sony's first high-definition console, the hardware contained a Blu-ray disc drive and boasted its own internal hard drive compared to Sony's prior platforms. The PS3 also boasted a healthy mix of third-party titles and console-exclusive games, with the platform serving as Sony's primary home console from 2006 to 2013. Many of Sony's biggest established franchises saw new titles on the PS3 while brand-new properties made their debut on the console.

This is all to say that the PlayStation 3 featured a robust library of video games that thrilled players around the world. While everyone has their own favorites, there are a handful of games that stand out above the rest as the console's most positively memorable. With so many fantastic PS3 games also available on rival platforms like the Xbox 360, we're primarily focusing on titles that were PS3-exclusive at the time of their respective launch. These are the five best PS3 games of all time ranked, capturing the best the Sony console had to offer.

The penultimate story in the entire "Metal Gear" timeline, "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" is the final adventure of original series protagonist Solid Snake. The 2008 game has Snake suffering from a degenerative condition that has significantly accelerated his aging. Agreeing to go on one last mission, Snake moves to stop his nemesis, Liquid Snake, who has seemingly possessed the body of his other old enemy, Revolver Ocelot. This kickstarts a globe-spanning assignment as Liquid Ocelot plots to subjugate artificial intelligence programs controlling private military contractors around the world.

"Metal Gear Solid 4" feels more like creator Hideo Kojima's full vision for the game than its eventual sequel "Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain." There is an ambitiously cinematic scope to the game – including notoriously long cutscenes — including callbacks to the entire history of the franchise. At the same time, the series' penchant for tactical espionage action, right from a vicious opening battle in the Middle East, is firmly intact and noticeably refined. Though it seemed like Konami would never re-release "Metal Gear Solid 4," it will thankfully be included in the "Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Volume 2."

The original 2008 "LittleBigPlanet" was a primarily side-scrolling platformer with level design elements and a handcrafted art design. The game's 2011 sequel "LittleBigPlanet 2" retained the platforming gameplay but really doubled down on the level design features and online functionality. But more than just creating and sharing customized platforming levels, players can create levels revolving around racing, light RPG elements, and puzzle-solving gameplay. The game's main story campaign has returning protagonist Sackboy out to save Craftworld once again from a new threat.

While the original "LittleBigPlanet" is still one of the more beautiful games on the PlayStation 3, "LittleBigPlanet 2" takes it to the next level. The developers wisely realized the game's core appeal was in giving players the option to create for themselves, not just explore the worlds they created for them. This shift marked the franchise moving forward, at least as far as its mainline titles were positioned. A work of art in gaming that invites players to make and share art of their own, "LittleBigPlanet 2" is a cozy gem.

Beyond games that constantly pushed the technical limitations of the PlayStation 3, the console also boasted an extensive library of indie titles with innovative premises and gameplay. Indie developer Thatgamecompany released several games for the PS3, the best of these being "Journey." The 2012 game has players control a nameless cloaked figure in a vast desert, traversing the landscape to reach a tall mountain looming on the horizon. The character activates runes to progress, floating through air currents and sliding through the sand to reach their destination.

Thatgamecompany excels at making memorable games that you complete in one sitting and "Journey" certainly fits this score. But more than the studio's prior titles, "Flower" and "Flow," "Journey" really invites players to take their time and enjoy the ride, taking in its magnificent vistas and environmental effects. The game also features a multiplayer component, encouraging players to share the trip together, helping each other along the way. The best indie title released for the PlayStation 3, "Journey" is a quietly emotional experience and one worth getting lost in.

Another Sony franchise that got its start on the PlayStation 3 is "Uncharted," which began with 2007's "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune." The game's 2009 direct sequel "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" feels like an all-around improvement in gameplay, presentation, and story. Opening in media res, adventurer Nathan Drake is double-crossed by a pair of old associates while hunting for Marco Polo's lost treasure. Realizing the mythical loot is linked to the fabled ancient city of Shambhala, Nate and his friends confront a small army trying to claim the treasure for themselves.

Right from its opening set piece, it's clear that developer Naughty Dog has taken feedback to the first "Uncharted" game to heart. "Among Thieves" significantly refines the third-person shooter elements of its predecessor, including a more intuitive cover system. The action sequences feel much bigger too, whether it's Nate trying to climb out of a train hanging over a cliff or the final showdown in Shambhala. Though Naughty Dog appears finished with the "Uncharted" series, "Uncharted 2" remains a high point worth revisiting.

Though Naughty Dog had been a presence on PlayStations since "Crash Bandicoot," the developer really came into its own during the PS3 era. In addition to "Uncharted," the studio also started the "Last of Us" franchise on the console, which launched in 2013. The game takes place in a world overwhelmed by a fungal infection that turns those afflicted into violent, zombie-like individuals. Joel Miller agrees to escort teenager Ellie cross-country after she develops an immunity to the fungus, braving the infected and various hostile factions along the way.

After the HBO adaptation and the vitriolic backlash to "The Last of Us Part II," it's easy to forget how big a deal the original game was when it debuted. "The Last of Us" is one of the most intense experiences on the PlayStation 3 and, coming at the end of its generation, one of the most impressively rendered. The brutal fights and encounters with the infected are harrowing each time, while the game presents a cinematically sweeping tale of two wounded characters bonding through their journey. Clinching the two top spots here, Naughty Dog ended the PS3 era in survival horror style with "The Last of Us."