17 Best PlayStation 2 Open World Games

Despite the PS2’s technical limitations at the time, the console managed to deliver memorable open-world game experiences still discussed to this day. Without going further into details, let’s take a nostalgic trip where we talk about the best open-world games on the PS2. The list will feature popular and unpopular titles that you may not have heard of. Hopefully, you find something new here today.

Scarface: The World Is Yours 2006

About
	Release Date October 10, 2006
	Developer Radical Entertainment
	Publisher Vivendi Games
	Genre Open World
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Canada

PS2 Releases
2006-10-10
2006-10-13

Scarface is one of those movie-based games that may or may not please everyone. Sometimes, it is difficult to find an interesting tie-in movie game, let alone a good one.  The gameplay is noticeably reminiscent of Grand Theft Autos, but at times, it manages to escape being labelled as nothing but a clone.

In Scarface, you take the role of Tony Montana in his attempts to reclaim control of Miami’s drug trade. To do so, he has to obliterate rival gangs and regain his own reputation in the criminal underworld.

The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction 2005

About
	Release Date August 23, 2005
	Developer Radical Entertainment
	Publisher Vivendi Games
	Genre Beat 'Em Up
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2005-08-23
2005-09-09

The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, Despite all the years that have passed,  remains the best Hulk game simply for the fact that it is a love letter to every fan. Radical Entertainment has done a great job at delivering a game where you could truly feel like the green guy. Smashing and causing havoc around the city is loads of fun. Players could use the environment to their advantage as Hulk could grab hold of anything that may prove useful to him, including innocent civilians too.

At times, the game gets challenging with the army and every force teaming up to take down Hulk. Luckily, as you progress you get to learn new abilities that will help you thwart any danger that threatens the green guy.

Bully 2006

About
	Release Date October 17, 2006
	Developer Rockstar Vancouver
	Publisher Rockstar Games
	Genre Action Adventure
	Perspective Third-Person
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2006-10-17
2006-10-25
2008-07-24

Bully is a completely unique title and one that you won’t find something similar to. We can only hope that a sequel could become a possibility in the foreseeable future. Rockstar Games had made a diverse line of video games back in the PS2. Instead of only focusing on Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto V, the company made titles such as Bully, The Warriors, and the Midnight Club franchise. All of which can be considered fun to play open-world titles.

Bully puts you in the shoes of Jimmy Hopkins who’s been sent to Bullworth School only to find it infested with bullies and corrupt students. To survive, he has to fight his way through and reign above everyone else. The only downside when playing Bully is that you won’t find something like it.

Grand Theft Auto III / Vice City / San Andreas 2001 / 2002 / 2004

About
	Full Name Grand Theft Auto III
	Release Date September 25, 2001
	Developer Rockstar North
	Publisher Rockstar Games
	Franchise Grand Theft Auto
	Genre Open World
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2001-09-25
2001-10-23
2001-10-26

About
	Full Name Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
	Release Date October 29, 2002
	Developer Rockstar North
	Publisher Rockstar Games
	Franchise Grand Theft Auto
	Genre Open World
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2002-10-29
2002-11-08
2002-11-21
2004-05-20

About
	Full Name Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
	Release Date October 24, 2004
	Developer Rockstar North
	Publisher Rockstar Games
	Franchise Grand Theft Auto
	Genre Open World
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2004-10-24
2004-10-26
2004-10-29
2005-01-25

The Grand Theft Auto Trilogy on the PS2 was and still remains one of the best games to ever set foot on the platform. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was a huge deal since it featured a black character as the main protagonist, and the fact that it made the series far more popular than Rockstar Games could have ever imagined.

Similar to previous GTAs, you roam the city of  Los Santos listening to great soundtracks, completing missions and earning money. Unlike GTA 3, the driving mechanics have been drastically improved as well as the third person shooting experience.

On the other hand, there is also GTA 3 and Vice City. The third instalment in the franchise was a big deal as it revolutionized the open-world genre, pushed developers to follow re-think their decision and revamped the way people would look at action games in the future.

Just Cause 2006

About
	Release Date September 22, 2006
	Developer Avalanche Studios
	Publisher Square Enix Europe
	Franchise Just Cause
	Genre Open World
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Sweden

PS2 Releases
2006-09-22
2006-09-27
2006-09-28

Just Cause 2 was a massive hit when it first launched, but I feel that people forget the origins of the series, Just Cause. The latter is an open-world game originally developed by Avalanche Studios and published by Eidos Interactive before they were acquired by Square Enix. For fans of destruction and chaos, the original Just Cause is something they should try out.

Sure, in the beginning, it’s pretty slow as you have nothing but two pistols and a bomb. However, as you progress, you unlock new destructive arsenals, vehicles, and items. Similar to Red Faction: Guerilla, you participate in missions where you have to free people from tyrannical forces and reclaim their territory. While the graphics may be rough around the edges, the action makes up for that.

True Crime™ Streets of LA™ / True Crime™ New York City 2003 / 2005

About
	Release Date May 28, 2003
	Developer Luxoflux
	Publisher Activision
	Genre Open World
	Concept Modern
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2003-11-04
2003-11-07
2004-10-28

About
	Release Date November 16, 2005
	Developer Luxoflux
	Publisher Activision
	Genre Open World
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2005-11-16
2005-11-25
2006-07-27

True Crime: Streets of LA and New York City are two interesting open-world games on the PS2 that are sadly forgotten these days. And in case you didn’t know there was supposed to be a third entry to the franchise until it was cancelled to become what’s known as Sleeping Dogs.

Surprisingly, while some compared these two games to Grand Theft Auto, I found them to be completely different. The two True Crime games put heavy emphasis on melee combat and action-packed shooting that features bullet-time sequences similar to that of Max Payne. The driving in True Crime: Streets of LA can be horrible at times, but with little practice, you’ll get used to it. Hurry up and grab this game before it goes rare and expensive one day, but if you’re an emulator guy, the game works on PCSX2 and Dolphin.

Destroy All Humans! / Destroy All Humans! 2 2005 / 2006

About
	Release Date June 21, 2005
	Developer Pandemic Studios
	Publisher THQ
	Franchise Destroy All Humans!
	Genre Open World
	Graphics 3D
	Perspective Third-Person
	Interaction Real-Time
	Concept Sci-Fi
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2005-06-21
2005-06-24
2007-02-22

About
	Release Date October 17, 2006
	Developer Pandemic Studios
	Publisher THQ
	Franchise Destroy All Humans!
	Genre Open World
	Graphics 3D
	Perspective Third-Person
	Interaction Real-Time
	Concept Sci-Fi
	Players Single Player, Split-Screen Co-Op
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2006-10-17
2006-10-20
2006-10-26

Destroy All Humans takes you deep into the mind of an alien who’s descended to earth with the goal of causing havoc and terror. Most of the game sees you using other-worldly weapons and tools which give you the power to kill humans and even steal and control their bodies. The environments of the game are wide-open so you can move freely all around. Destroy All Humans, while remembered for its intense action, features hilarious cutscenes that will last with you forever.

If you’ve ever held a grudge against the human race and wanted to take your revenge, Destroy All Humans will fill that need. Looking back, Pandemic Studios was ahead of its time with the heavy emphasis on destruction, havoc and a cool idea of controlling an evil alien who just wants to destroy all humans.

The Simpsons: Hit & Run 2003

About
	Release Date September 16, 2003
	Developer Radical Entertainment
	Publisher Vivendi Games
	Genre Adventure
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Canada

PS2 Releases
2003-09-16
2003-10-31
2003-11-13

The Simpsons Hit & Run remains one of the best games based on the critically acclaimed Cartoon series, The Simpsons. You would think that with how gaming has evolved, you’d see a new Simpsons game, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Currently, no one knows who exactly owns the rights to this. Fingers are pointing to EA which has published a number of Simpsons games recently, but those remain mere rumours and nothing else. We can only hope that a remaster or, why not, a remake becomes a possibility in the foreseeable future.

Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction 2005 マーセナリーズ (Māsenarīzu)

About
	Release Date January 11, 2005
	Developer Pandemic Studios
	Publisher Lucasfilm Games
	Genre Adventure
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2005-01-11
2005-02-18
2005-04-28

Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction was developed at a time when every publisher wanted to compete with Rockstar’s juggernaut Grand Theft Auto. However, Mercenaries isn’t a clone in any way. In fact, while it borrows some of the influence from the former, it manages to carve an identity for itself. If you can’t have enough of games where you’re the embodiment of destruction, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction has got your back.

For fans of chaos and putting everything on fire, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, as well as its sequel, World in Flames is a title you shouldn’t miss.

Mafia 2002

About
	Release Date August 28, 2002
	Developer 2K Czech
	Publisher Gathering of Developers
	Franchise Mafia
	Genre Open World
	Concept Crime
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Czech Republic

PS2 Releases
2004-02-04
2004-02-13

The original Mafia is one that those seeking iconic games will always want to go back to. Call it a fever or an infectious disease, but it seems that GTA 3 has infected everyone with its success to the point where every game out there had to be an open world. Surprisingly, Mafia, while being an open-world game, doesn’t feel like a complete GTA clone. Of course, the open-world gameplay and the gun shooting may be similar to that of Grand Theft Auto, however, the graphics, voice-acting, and sound are superior to the latter.

The first Mafia went on to sell very well, which guaranteed the release of one of the best selling open-world games to date, Mafia 2.

Jak II 2003

About
	Release Date October 14, 2003
	Developer Naughty Dog
	Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment
	Franchise Jak and Daxter
	Genre 3D Platformer
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2003-10-14
2003-10-15
2003-10-17
2003-12-01
2004-03-11

Jak II was two steps ahead of the original Jak and Daxter when it launched. Having a dark futuristic open world imbued with a gloomy atmosphere, Jak II was the best thing to happen to the franchise. And while this entry is notoriously known for its severe difficulty, the game featured an over-the-top action platforming packed with blazing guns and incredible graphics for the time.

Amazingly, the game has aged like fine wine, and can still be fun even after all these years. It just goes on to show that the developers have spent a great deal of time with the entire franchise, and it shows.

Ultimate Spider-Man 2005

About
	Release Date September 22, 2005
	Developer Treyarch
	Publisher Activision
	Franchise Spider-Man
	Genre Action Adventure
	Concept Superhero
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2005-09-22
2005-10-14
2006-08-24

Ultimate: Spider-Man is a game that time can’t seem to forget despite being decades old. Looking at the success of Marvel’s Spider-Man on the PS4, and the Batman Arkham series, makes one think; Why aren’t they making more cel-shaded superhero games based on the exact comic? Could it be because these games don’t sell? or is the general gamer base only interested in high-stunning graphics?

The PS2 had two of the best superhero games, Ultimate Spider-Man and Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu. Two of which features cel-shaded art style similar to their comics counterpart. And that’s one of the reasons that makes Ultimate Spider-Man recommended on this list. Not only that but the inclusion of many characters from the Marvel universe is worthy of praise. You can swing around the city freely as the spider-man, or venom, battle foes and complete various missions as well as encounter popular villains like Carnage, Electro, Beetle and more. While the open-world here may not be on the same scale as Spider-Man 2, it remains one fun to play open-world Spider-Man game.

The Getaway 2002 ゲッタウエイ (Gettauei)

About
	Release Date December 11, 2002
	Developer Team Soho
	Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment
	Genre Open World
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United Kingdom

PS2 Releases
2002-12-11
2003-01-19
2003-11-20

The Gateway was Team Soho’s last breath before the company closed for good. For a 2002 title, The Gateway was impressive in every way possible. The movement flexibility was surprisingly engaging, gun-play felt straight out of the Payback movie, and driving through the city of London felt realistic at the time.

This and Mafia are games you shouldn’t sleep on, even if they’re old, they’re worth every second of your life. It also goes without saying that the Gateway did indeed receive a sequel titled The Getaway: Black Monday which was released exclusively on the PS2.

The Godfather™ The Game 2006

About
	Release Date March 21, 2006
	Developer Visceral Games
	Publisher Electronic Arts
	Genre Open World
	Perspective Third-Person
	Concept Crime
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2006-03-21
2006-03-24
2007-03-22

The Godfather: The Game is an open-world action-adventure game following a non-canon character, Aldo Trapani who is recruited into the Corleone family and has to work his way up to its ranks while not forgetting the promise he held for so long; taking revenge against those who murdered his father.

Before heavily focusing on Battlefield, Sims and the Star Wars Battlefront saga, EA used to actually make great tie-in movie games. Titles such as James Bond 007: From Russia with Love and The Godfather are remembered for their careful approach to emulating these movies into games. Instead of completely mimicking the movie piece by piece, these games manage to please fans of the source material and also newcomers.

Beyond Good & Evil™ 2003

About
	Release Date November 11, 2003
	Developer Ubisoft Montpellier
	Publisher Ubisoft
	Genre Adventure
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin France

PS2 Releases
2003-11-11
2003-11-14

Beyond Good & Evil is a cult hit that casts you in the role of Jade as she uncovers the mystery behind the Doomz and the Alpha Section. This brave journalist is well-equipped with a powerful stick, her camera, and companions to back her up. The best thing about the game is taking pictures. Of course, taking pictures doesn’t come without any reward, the game rewards you for your efforts by granting blue orbs which you can use to purchase items.

Developed by Michel Ancel who’s notably known for other works such as Rayman, and Peter Jackson’s King Kong video game, Beyond Good and Evil is a game like no other. It just goes on to show that the Ubisoft of 20 years ago, isn’t the Ubisoft nowadays. And while this game may not be considered an open-world game, in essence, it features open areas that you can explore with your small ship.

GUN™ 2005

About
	Release Date November 08, 2005
	Developer Neversoft
	Publisher Activision
	Genre Third-Person Shooter
	Graphics 3D
	Perspectives First-Person, Third-Person
	Interaction Real-Time
	Concept Cowboy
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2005-11-08
2005-11-11

GUN is an open-world third-person shooter where you play as a skilled gunslinger named Colton White who seeks revenge on Thomas Magruder. The tyrant who killed Colton’s father, Ned White. The best thing about GUN is the engaging gunplay. The developers had made sure players could get to experience the deadly nature that is the brutal west.

While the PS2 didn’t enjoy a wide range of western-themed games during its reign, there were some pretty great titles on the system. Darkwatch, Red Dead Revolver, and GUN remain some of the best western-themed games to ever land on the system.

RoadKill™ 2003

About
	Release Date October 13, 2003
	Developer Terminal Reality
	Publisher Midway Games
	Genre Vehicular Combat
	Graphics 3D
	Perspective Third-Person
	Interaction Real-Time
	Players Single Player, Split-Screen Co-Op
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

PS2 Releases
2003-10-13
2003-11-21

Roadkill is best described as; GTA met Twisted Metal. They fell in love, had sex and Roadkill was born. Roadkill is an open-world vehicular combat title that is severely neglected these days. It has you roaming the streets of Hell County using your car equipped with guns and explosives. The country features several missions to accomplish and is divided into three cities, including Paradise City. Lava Falls, and Blister Canyon. The game is all about causing havoc and destroying other rival gangs to increase your criminal ranks.

At first, you start only with one car, but as you progress further into the game you get to unlock new deadlier cars and enhance each part of the car you obtain. Fans of Twisted Metal will definitely fall in love with one, and it’s pretty obscure today.

That’s it for the list. Thank you for reading.