5 Best PS1 Games, According To Metacritic

When Sony officially joined the home console market with the original PlayStation in 1994, it did so with an epic splash. Sony's PlayStation accomplished something else no other console had, becoming the first to sell over 100 million units. This impressive feat was done thanks to a robust library of games published for the platform throughout the '90s. While everyone has their own PlayStation favorites, there are a handful of games that have received universal acclaim on review aggregate sites like Metacritic.

With that in mind, we're looking at the highest-rated games for the original PlayStation on Metacritic (where there's a tie, preference goes to the title with more published reviews). These games range from franchise starters to reinventions of fan-favorite established properties. There were truly games for all kinds of fans on the PlayStation and we're highlighting the ones that critically tower above the rest. These are the five best PS1 games according to Metacritic.

1995's "Chrono Trigger" is one of those retro games that everyone needs to play at least once, with the Super Nintendo release exemplifying the charm of '90s RPGs. The series received a standalone sequel on the PlayStation with the release of "Chrono Cross" in 1999, featuring a largely new cast of characters. The game's teenage protagonist, Serge, discovers the existence of parallel worlds and works with a small band of characters to discover the true nature of his past. Throughout this quest, Serge and his friends are pursued by the villainous Lynx, with reality hanging in the balance.

Universally acclaimed just like its predecessor, "Chrono Cross" has a Metacritic score of 94. The official U.S. PlayStation magazine called it a "masterpiece" and "one of the best RPGs of all time" in its review, and that sentiment was echoed by the majority of other outlets. Nearly 30 years later, we're still not sure if we will ever get another "Chrono Trigger" sequel, though "Chrono Cross" was remastered for modern platforms in 2022 and released under the title "Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition," giving fans old and new alike a chance to experience the beloved RPG on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows.

The highest-rated "Final Fantasy" game on the PlayStation is 2000's "Final Fantasy IX," the third mainline title on the console. The game marked a return to the medieval fantasy aesthetics of the first entry, moving away from the steampunk worlds of its immediate predecessors. The protagonist is a young thief named Zidane Tribal who sets out to stop a war between nations in the realm of Gaia. The game also features a more cartoonish character design and a more pronounced sense of humor than its self-serious preceding titles.

"Final Fantasy IX" has a critical score of 94 on Metacritic, with several reviews on the website calling the game a "masterpiece." In a glowing review, Gamestyle said: "For anyone not to fall in love with it would truly amaze me. Everything is set just right and you are drawn into the story right from the very offset." That assessment certainly holds to this day, with this entry having refined the gameplay as well as the presentation of the franchise's 16-bit era. The last mainline title released for the original PlayStation, "Final Fantasy IX" has mysteries that remain unsolved today, a testament to its engrossing and deceptively deep story.

Another franchise that flourished on the original PlayStation was "Tekken," with the series porting its first three titles exclusively to the Sony console after their arcade debuts. 1997's "Tekken 3," which is set 19 years after the events of its predecessor, introduces a new generation of fighters to take on the returning veterans. Among the newcomers is Jin Kazama, son of the existing characters Kazuya Mishima and Jun Kazama, ready to forge his own legacy. The PlayStation port added additional characters and a beat'em-up gameplay mode, bringing new dimensions to the experience.

"Tekken 3" is one of the best arcade fighting games of all time and its PlayStation port does it absolute justice. The game holds a 96 Metacritic score, with the vast majority of reviews praising its fighting systems and the significant improvements it made over prior entries in the series. Some even proclaimed the port to be superior. "A better-than-arcade overall game translation here that will truly stand the test of time and perhaps be the best fighter we will ever see released on the PlayStation," Absolute PlayStation said in its review, and how right it was — "Tekken 3" still stands as the critical pinnacle of the series.

"Gran Turismo" is one of the best retro racing games of all time and the Sony series began on the original PlayStation in 1997. A much more realistic racing game than many of its genre contemporaries, the original "Gran Turismo" features 140 vehicles and 11 tracks to choose from. The game has an arcade racing mode and simulation mode, with players unlocking more content within both modes as they progress. It boasts an impressive soundtrack for its era, with the likes of Garbage and The Chemical Brothers providing mood-setting music.

"Gran Turismo" holds a Metacritic score of 96. A review from IGN published in 1998 declared the game to be "the best racing game the PlayStation has ever seen," which was the general consensus among critics. "Visually, 'Gran Turismo' set new standards right down to the finest details including the brilliant lighting effects," said Hot Games, while Adrenaline Vault called it "the last word in console racing games, period." Unfortunately, "Gran Turismo" and its 1999 sequel are classic PS1 games that are unplayable today, having never been re-released for modern platforms.

There are only three near-perfect PS1 games according to Metacritic, and we've already covered two of them in "Tekken 3" and "Gran Turismo." The most highly rated of them all is 2000's "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2," which GQ called "the crown jewel of a video gaming franchise that dominated early 2000s pop culture" on the game's 20th anniversary in 2020. It's widely remembered as one of the standout games of that generation, and the PlayStation version of "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2" has the highest score of the bunch on Metacritic, boasting a near-perfect 98.

The sequel improved greatly upon its predecessor, enhancing the presentation and adding new content to the experience, including a multiplayer tag mode. Most impressively, the game introduces a park editor mode for players to design and play in their own skate parks. A contemporary review from Eurogamer called it "the most addictive game of this year," lauding its excellent controls and visuals. Setting a high bar for sports games of all genres, "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2" is an all-time great with a soundtrack for the ages.