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It amassed a large library of games over its lifespan, populated with some of the finest RPGs ever made. While many of the best games have since been ported to other consoles, several RPGs are still stuck on the older piece of hardware, forcing players to buy a PSP or a Vita to play the game via the PlayStation Store.
Updated October 6, 2022, by Jason Wojnar: It’s not easy to get one’s hands on a working PSP these days. It might be even harder to find physical copies of some of the game’s on the best PSP-exclusive RPGs. Fortunately, PS+ recently revamped its structure and is now including PSP games with one of its subscription tiers. It is impossible to tell if all of these games will make it onto the service, but at least there is a chance that these fantastic PSP RPGs will soon be readily available to the masses.
13 Tales Of The World Radiant Mythology
Proving the PSP as the home for JRPG fanatics, Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology is the only game of its series to be released in the west and localized into English. To be more specific, Tales of the World is a spin-off of the Tales franchise which has been around since 1995 and is still going strong to this day.
The game’s Metacritic score sits at a 66, an average rating. However, it earns a place on this list for being the only official release of this series in the west thus far one of the more unique games on the console.
12 Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary Edition
The first two Final Fantasy games are available almost everywhere, including mobile phones. However, the version available on PSP is wholly unique to the system. It includes a distinguished 2D art style with some of the most beautiful sprites of any game. It is not cartoonish like the steam releases from a few years ago and it is not pixelated like the recent remasters. The debut entry is worth playing today and still holds up thanks to its simplicity and charm. The sequel is better reserved for curious fans.
Final Fantasy IV is also available on the handheld device in a similarly unique form. This release also comes paired with the sequel, The After Years. A small episode taking place between the two stories, Interlude, is the new piece of content added to this release and it is still not available anywhere else.
11 Metal Gear AC!D
Metal Gear’s first PSP outing opted to drop the stealth action for which the series is known. Instead, the non-canon spin-off, Metal Gear AC!D, is a card-based strategy game.
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While incongruous with everything fans expect from Metal Gear, the turn-based gameplay works well for the handheld. One sequel was also developed for the PSP, while the next two entries, Portable Ops and Peace Walker, would return to the more traditional gameplay.
10 Monster Hunter Freedom
It might be hard for some people to believe, but Monster Hunter had a long history before Monster Hunter: World. The older games served a more niche market and were not quite as accessible. If anybody missed the boat on the original two Monster Hunter games the first time around, there is always the opportunity to jump into the enhanced remakes released for the PSP.
Monster Hunter Freedom and Monster Hunter Freedom 2 are not just remakes, but also add new features taking advantage of the PSP’s portable features.
9 Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
This prequel to Final Fantasy VII gave fans something they wanted for years, an opportunity to learn more about Zack Fair. The combat varies greatly from the seventh mainline entry, but it was still well-received in its day. Unfortunately, this game was never put on the PlayStation store, making a physical copy the only way to play. Perhaps we’ll receive a proper remake in the future as a part of the Final Fantasy VII series of remakes.
While the original version of this game very well might not make it to other platforms, Square Enix announced a remaster. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is more than just a small HD facelift. Character models are heavily updated, the soundtrack has a new arrangement, and all the dialogue will be voiced mostly by actors from the remake series.
8 Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
This remake of the classic tactical JRPG adds much-needed improvements and conveniences to make Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together a more enjoyable experience. It is a good thing the gameplay is fun because the story sure isn’t. The conflict makes for one of the darker RPGs, removing mysticism and magic in favor of political strife and personal drama. We’d sure love a re-release or full-fledged remake on modern consoles.
After years of fans asking, the game is finally being remastered for modern consoles with Tactics Ogre Reborn. Voice acting will be added to the package as well. This should introduce the game to a whole new legion of fans.
7 Jeanne d’Arc
Some RPGs find inspiration in the strangest places. Jeanne d’Arc is a fictional retelling of the Joan of Arc’s story. With demons populating the battlefield, it is clear this game does not take place in the real world’s historical Europe.
The gameplay will be familiar to anybody who played RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics, but it is notably less challenging. Still, the unique aesthetic helps it stand out.
6 The 3rd Birthday
Perhaps the weakest of the many great PSP-exclusive RPGs, The 3rd Birthday is the third game in the cult-classic Parasite Eve franchise. The gameplay should be somewhat familiar to fans of the older games, and the story even features characters from the prior titles.
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While it was nice to see the franchise return after so long, it was not exactly what fans were hoping for. Maybe a proper console continuation will come out in the future.
5 Phantasy Star Portable
After Phantasy Star IV, the numbering convention of the JRPG series went out the window. The franchise found itself on numerous consoles, including the PSP. Phantasy Star Portable is a sequel to Phantasy Star Universe on the PS2. The PSP game was popular enough to warrant a sequel, though neither game has ever been ported to other systems. The sequel even features a multiplayer mode. The PSP was one of the first consoles with in-depth online functionality, so it was great to see games take advantage of it.
For anyone yearning for the older style of Phantasy Star, the second, third, and fourth entries are available on the PSP as a part of the Sega Genesis Collection. The first entry came out on the Sega Master System but is available on the PS3 in Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection. For a more modern online experience, play Phantasy Star Online 2, which has been out in Japan for years but only made it to the west in 2020
4 Wild Arms XF
The Wild Arms series had its best time on the original PlayStation, but it still lived on past Sony’s first console. Where the series mainly dabbled in turn-based RPGs, Wild Arms XF is a tactical RPG. The genre made a nice home for itself on the console.
This was the last game released in the Wild Arms franchise, though developer Media Vision is still going strong, making renowned JRPGs like Valkyria Chronicles. In addition to this PSP exclusive game, players can also play the original on the PSP as a PS1 classic.
3 Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3 Portable is indeed a port of a PlayStation 2 game. However, there is enough new content and changes to warrant playing through the game again. Players can now play as a female character, control their allies in combat, and even run into new characters from Persona 4 and even Catherine.
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Unfortunately, none of these new features were ever brought to other platforms in a port, so be prepared to whip out the PSP for this version of the game.
2 Brave Story: New Traveler
It is pretty rare to see an RPG based on a novel series, but this is exactly what Brave Story: New Traveler is. The game is a loose interpretation of the Brave Story series, featuring some of the same characters but telling a new story.
A young boy is taken to a distant land to complete a mission and save his sick friend in the real world. While the game was received positively, it never received a port to other consoles.
1 Valkyria Chronicles 2
The first Valkyria Chronicles is a cult classic relatively easy to play today thanks to the PS4 re-release. For those unfamiliar with its unique style, it is a tactical turn-based strategy game with more real-time elements. Every unit gets its turn but foes will automatically attack characters if they run into their line of sight.
The sequel was only released on the PSP and has yet to receive a port of any kind. Even more unfortunate, the third game never even saw release in the west. Don’t let the portable format make discourage you; the game was still warmly received and a worthy successor. The most recent release, Valkyria Chronicles 4, came out on the PS4.
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