11. Unreal Tournament
Straight out of the box,Unreal Tournamenthas one of the strangest control schemes for a first-person shooter on a console ever. Once you take the time to swap the controls for a more familiar layout,UTtranslates relatively well on the PS2.
Single player is non-existent, other than bot matches, so local multiplayer is where it’s at, including a number ofUnreal Tournament’s legendary game-changing Mutators.
10. Crash Nitro Kart
Crash Nitro Kartisn’tCrash Team Racing, and there are people who will never forgive the game for that. That said,Crash Nitro Kartis still a quality kart racer, and sometimes that’s the exact type of game you need on a console.
Other kart racers exist on the PS2, but if you’re looking forMario Kart-inspired four player mayhem, this is your best bet.
Related:The best racing games on PlayStation 2
9. Soulcalibur II
We’ve already got one fighting game on this list, but 2D fighters aren’t everybody’s cup of tea. On the PS2 you’ve got your fair share of 3D fighters, including a few greatTekkengames, but in this case, we’re going withSoulcalibur II.
8. Contra: Shattered Soldier
Contrahas always been a game largely known for two things: difficulty and co-op.Contra: Shattered Soldierhas both of those, especially the difficulty part.
If you and a buddy have played through the NES and SNESContragames too many times to count, it’s time you metContra: Shattered Soldier.
7. Twisted Metal: Black
Twisted Metal: Blackmight now be better known as the game that would spawnTwisted Metal: Black Online, but unless you’re looking to go online, this is the version to play.
Sadly vehicle combat games seem to have largely disappeared. If you miss the glory days of cars with missile launchers strapped to them, this will take you back.
6. Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest
TakeBaldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, strip theDungeons & Dragonssetting and underlying rules system. Now replace that setting withEverquest’s Norrath, then double the player count.
That’sChampions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuestin a nutshell. WhileDark Alliancemay have a better (skeleton of a) story and setting, if you want to play with more than two people,Norrathis the one to go for.
5. Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
Metal Arms: Glitch in the Systemmight be one of the most underrated PS2 games of all time. The single player offers up some truly challenging third-person shooting and the multiplayer is fantastic as well.
Sadly, on the PS2 you’re limited to two players head to head, rather than the four-player action on the Xbox and GameCube versions. It’s still absolutely worth playing, even today.
4. Star Wars Battlefront II
Yes, it’s a confusing title, but we’re talking about the PS2 game from 2005, not the 2017 game for PS4 and Xbox One.
That said,Star Wars Battlefront IIis cut from the same cloth as its similarly named follow-up, though fans argue that this earlier game is in many ways superior to games that followed.
The PS2 isn’t the best system for the game, but it’s still great.
3. Marvel vs. Capcom 2
One of the best fighting games on the PlayStation 2 also happens to be one of the best multiplayer games on the system? What a surprise!
The large cast of characters means you’ll get plenty of variety, and the easy to pick up but tough to master nature of fighting games makes it satisfying to build your skills against your friends.
Related:The best fighting games on PlayStation 2
2. Red Faction II
First-person shooters weren’t easy to come by on the PlayStation 2, and examples with multiplayer were even harder to find.
Red Faction 2’scampaign may not have been as fun as the first game, but the head-to-head multiplayer more than made up for it.
Even though it’s only two-player, there are plenty of maps and modes to keep things interesting for a while yet.
1. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
While the mainlineBaldur’s Gateseries is a more tactically minded RPG,Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliancetakes its inspiration more fromDiablo.
Playing this on your own would be fairly fun, but add another player and, likeDiablo, the entire experience becomes much more fun. The sequel is also great.
Couch Co-Op Multiplayer Lives On!
The phrase couch co-op gets thrown around a lot these days, even when you’re talking about competitive multiplayer.
While the focus on online multiplayer meant that couch multiplayer took a backseat during the era of the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, it’s back in a big way.
No matter what your system of choice may be from the Xbox Series X|S to the PlayStation 5 or even the Nintendo Switch, you’ve got plenty of options for local multiplayer!
