A few days ago, someone on the discord linked to a reddit thread listing the ps2’s exclusive library. The list had a bunch of mistake and obmissions I immediatly noticed, and I figured, “Hey, we got some pretty knowledgeable people on here. So why not try to make the most bestest comprehensivest up-to-dateest list of PS2 exclusives ever!?” Besides, I’m bored.
True exclusives
Games that have not been rereleased since their PS2 release. For the purpose of this list, I count remakes as separate games, and do not consider availability of other consumer releases (ex: if a text-heavy JRPG got a Japan only PSP port, it’s off this list).
- hack//G.U. Vol. 1 to 3
- 24: The Game
- Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies (aka Distant Thunder)
- Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
- Aero Elite: Combat Academy (aka Aero Dacing 4)
- AirBlade
- AirForce Delta Strike (aka Deadly Skies)
- Air Tonelico
- Ar Tonelico 2
- Akira Psycho Ball
- Altered Beast (2005)
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am
- Armored Core 2
- Armored Core 2: Another Age
- Armored Core Nexus
- Armored Core Ninebreaker
- Astro Boy
- Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
- Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny
- Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm
- ATV Offroad Fury
- ATV Offroad Fury 2
- ATV Offroad Fury 3
- Black Matrix 2
- Blood Will Tell
- Bombastic
- Breath Of Fire: Dragon Quarter
- Bujingai: The Forsaken City (aka Bujingai: Swordmaster)
- The Bouncer
- Call of Duty World At War: Final Fronts
- Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
- Champions of Norrath
- Clock Tower 3
- Cold Winter
- Crimson Sea 2
- Critical Velocity
- Death by Degrees
- Densha de Go: Ryojouhen
- Destruction Derby Arenas
- Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
- Dog’s Life
- Downforce
- Downhill Domination
- Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi
- Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World
- Dragon Rage
- Drakan: The Ancients’ Gates
- Dropship: United Peace Force
- Driving Emotion Type-S
- Echo Night: Beyond
- Energy Airforce
- Energy Airforce Aim Strike!
- Enthusia Professional Racing
- Everblue
- Everblue 2
- Evergrace
- EyeToy: Anti-Grav
- Extermination
- Forbidden Siren 2
- Front Mission 4
- Front Mission 5
- Genji: Dawn of the Samurai
- GetBackers Dakkanoku: Dakkandayo! Zenin Shuugou!
- The Getaway
- The Getaway: Black Monday
- Godai Elemental Force
- Ghosthunter
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
- Global Defense Force (aka Earth Defense Force 2, has PSP and Vita remakes)
- Grand Prix Challenge
- Gran Turismo 3
- Gran Turismo 4
- Gran Turismo Concept
- Gregory Horror Show
- G-Saviour
- Guitar Hero
- Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
- Gungrave
- Gungrave: Overdose
- Gungriffon Blaze
- Haven: Call of the King
- Herdy Gerdy
- Hot Shots Golf 3 (aka Everybody’s golf 3 )
- Hot Shots Golf 4 (aka Everybody’s golf 4)
- HSX: Hypersonic Xtreme (aka G-Surfers)
- Iron Aces 2: Birds of Prey
- Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask
- Kessen
- King’s Field IV
- Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil
- Kuon
- Kya: Dark Lineage
- Legaia 2: Duel Saga
- Lethal Skies Elite Pilot: Team SW (aka Sidewinder F)
- Lethal Skies 2 (aka Sidewinder V)
- Lupin the 3rd: Treasure of the Sorcerer King
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Lost War Chronicles
- Mobile Suit Gundam: One Year War
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front (If you want to get really technical, there’s a PS3 gundam game that remake’s Zeonic Front story alongside a bunch of other Gundam games as a TPS. It can’t really be called a remake)
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Never Ending Tomorrow
- Monster Attack (aka Simple 2000 series Vol. 31: The Earth Defense Force)
- Monster Hunter
- Monster Hunter 2 (has a PSP remake)
- Monster Rancher 3
- Monster Rancher 4
- Monster Rancher EVO
- Motor Mayhem: Vehicular Combat League
- The Mark of Kri
- Mr. Mosquito
- Nano Breaker
- Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
- Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2
- Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles
- Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3
- Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 4
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 5
- The Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigi no Dungeon*
- Nightshade
- Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny
- Onimusha Blade Warriors
- Racing Battle C1 GP
- RAD: Robot Alchemic Drive
- RC Revenge Pro (remake of ps1 game with everything + new stuff)
- Resident Evil Dead Aim
- Resident Evil Outbreak
- Resident Evil Outbreak: File 2
- Rogue Galaxy
- Ring of Red
- RTX Red Rock
- R-Type Final
- Rule of Rose
- Rumble Roses
- Sakura Taisen Atsuki Chishio Ni
- Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary
- Seek and Destroy (aka Shin Combat Choro Q)
- Samurai Western
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 1: Phantasy Star Generation: 1
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 2: Monaco GP
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 3: Fantasy Zone
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 4: Space Harrier
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 5: Golden Axe
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 8: Virtua Racing FlatOut
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 11: Hokuto no Ken
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 14: Alien Syndrome
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 17: Phantasy Star Generation: 2
- Sega Rally 2006 (also comes with a port of the OG Sega Rally)
- Sega Superstars (Eyetoy game)
- Shadow Hearts
- Shadow Hearts: Covenant
- Shadow Hearts: From the New World
- Shadow Man: 2econd Coming
- Shadow of Rome
- Shienryu Explosion (released as a double pack with the OG Shienryu, which isn’t exclusive)
- Shifters
- Shining Force Neo
- Shinobido: Way of the Ninja
- Shox: Rally Reinvented
- Silpheed: The Lost Planet
- Sidewinder MAX
- SkyGunner
- Sky Odyssey
- SLAI: Steel Lancer Arena International
- Smuggler’s Run
- SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs
- SOCOM II U.S. Navy SEALs
- SOCOM 3 U.S. Navy SEALs
- SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Combined Assault
- The Sopranos: Road to Respect
- Space War Attack (aka Simple 2000 Vol. 78: The Great Space War)
- Spy Fiction
- SSX
- Steambot Chronicles
- Stretch Panic (aka Freak Out)
- Stuart Little 3: Big Photo Adventure
- Sub-Rebellion
- Suikoden V
- The Sword of Etheria
- Thunder Force VI
- Thunderstrike: Operation Phoenix
- TimeSplitters
- Tokyo Bus Guide 2
- Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero (often mistaken as a port of Dreamcast’s TXR2, but it’s really a separate game)
- Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3
- Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift
- Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift 2
- Tourist Trophy
- Under the Skin
- Unlimited Saga
- Urban Reign
- Wave Rally (AKA: Jet Ski Riders)
- We Love Katamari
- Wild Arms 4
- Wild Wild Racing
- Wipeout Fusion
- World Rally Championship
- WRC II Extreme
- WRC 3
- WRC 4
- WRC: Rally Evolve
- WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain
- WWE Shut Your Mouth!
- WWE Just Bring It!
- Xenosaga Episode I II (I and II have a NDS remake)
- Xenosaga Episode II
- Xenosaga Episode III
- The X-Files: Resist or Serve
- X-Squad
- Yanya Caballista
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monster Coliseum
- Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses
Technically not exclusive, but might as well be
Games that technically aren’t exclusive or even native to the PS2 but are unviable to own on other format for a regular customer because of X, Y, Z.
- Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (AKA: Squadron Leader) (ps4 port only available as a pre-order bonus for ace combat 7)
- Arcana Heart (arcade port)
- CART Fury Championship Racing (arcade port)
- Crisis Zone (arcade port)
- The King of Route 66 (arcade port)
- Initial D Special Stage (arcade port)
- Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: AEUG vs Titans (arcade port)
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny: Alliance vs ZAFT II (arcade port)
- Ninja Assault (arcade port)
- Ridge Racer V (got an arcade port)
- Soulcalibur III (arcade port)
- Super Dragon Ball Z (arcade port)
- Tekken 4 (arcade port)
- Tekken 5 (arcade port)
- Time Crisis 2 (arcade port)
- Time Crisis 3 (arcade port)
- Virtual Fighter 4 (arcade port)
There’s technically a game with the same name, but…
Games that would be off Wikipedia’s “X-system only game” category on the technicality a game with the same name exists on another platform, even though one can tell they’re blatantly different games.
- Army Men: Green Rogue (aka Omega Soldier, different from ps1 version)
- Jonny Moseley Mad Trix (GBA version)
- Midnight Club (GBA version)
- Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit II (substantially different from PC, XBox and GC releases)
- Portal Runner (GBC version)
- Quantum of Solace (different from “next-gen” and handheld versions)
- Sled Storm (different from ps1)
- Stuntman (GBA version)
- Warriors of Might and Magic (GBC version, different from ps1)
- World Destruction League: Thunder Tanks (different from ps1)
- World Destruction League: War Jetz (different from ps1)
"Exclusive" compilations
Compilations and “enhanced ports” of games that might be on other systems, but the specific bundle and any exclusive feature it might have was released only on PS2. Admitelly determining which Sega Ages release is “more” a port and which is “more” of a remake may result in subjective, disagreeable judgement calls
- Gradius III and IV (both the games and that version’s extra content are featured on Gradius Collection)
- Gunbird: Special Edition
- Namcollection (bunch of old arcade games + an unique “remastered” version of Ace Combat 2)
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 6: Ichini no Tant-R to Bonanza Bros.
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 9: Gain Ground
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 10: After Burner II
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 12: Puyo Puyo Tsuu Perfect Set
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 13: OutRun
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 15: Decathlete Collection
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 20: Space Harrier II ~Space Harrier Complete Collection~
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 21: SDI & Quartet: Sega System 16 Collection
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 22: Advanced Daisenryaku: Deutsch Dengeki Sakusen
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 23: Sega Memorial Selection
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 27: Panzer Dragoon
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 28: Tetris Collection
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 29: Monster World Complete Collection
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 30: Galaxy Force II: Special Extended Edition
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 32: Phantasy Star Complete Collection
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 33: Fantasy Zone Complete Collection
- Virtua Cop: Elite Edition (aka Virtua Cop Rebirth)
(I didn’t Sega Ages 2500 VF2 and Fighting Vipers because they seem to be just straightforward ports. also does the x360 version of the original Virtua On includes the features of the Sega Ages release?)
Weird shit
Non-game software, demo discs etc that I can’t really fill as fully-featured games but that were sold as ones.
- The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2
- Gran Turismo 4 Prologue
- ** McDonalds Original Happy Disc** (demos of Ape Escape and PaRappa the Rapper 2 with some clips)
- The “Motion Gravure” series (basically a collection of clips of Japanese models)
** モーショングラビアシリーズ MEGUMI
** モーショングラビアシリーズ 森ひろこ (Mori Hiroko)
** モーショングラビアシリーズ 根本はるみ(Nemoto Harumi)
** モーショングラビアシリーズ 北川友美 (Tomomi Kitagawa)
Emulated rereleases:
Various PS2 games have been emulated as part of the PS2 classics line on PS3 and PS4. Truthfully I would consider any games released on that to not be an exclusive as they’re widely commercially available on another format, but if you have some deep spiritual notion emulated rereleases “don’t count” or that said releases are not desirable due to input lag, etc, you might disregard them. Wikipedia appears to be comprehensive for those so I’ll link to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_PlayStation_2_Classics_for_PlayStation_3 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_PlayStation_2_games_for_PlayStation_4
Obviously this is woefully incomplete (the sheer volume of games alone guarantees that) buuuuut I think it’s a pretty decent start. Contributions and corrections are appreciated.
