PlayStation 2
- Manufacturer
- Sony
- Production
- 2000–2013
- Generation
- Gen 6
- Type
- Home
- Launch price
- $299
- Media
- Disc
- Units sold
- 155.0M
About PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on March 4, 2000, in North America on October 26, in Europe on November 24, in Australia on November 30, and other regions thereafter. It is the successor to the original PlayStation as well as the second installment in the PlayStation brand of consoles. As a sixth-generation console, it competed with Nintendo's GameCube, Sega's Dreamcast, and Microsoft's Xbox.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Lifetime sales
Official manufacturer-reported figures.
155.0Munits
Last official Sony figure; ~160M cited informally by a Sony exec.
Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment, as of March 31, 2012.
Library & collector facts
4,399licensed games
- North America: 1,900
- Japan: 2,400
- PAL: 2,900
Lineage
Release timeline
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- March 4, 2000
- 🇺🇸 North America
- October 26, 2000
- 🇪🇺 Europe / PAL
- November 24, 2000
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- June 13, 2025
- Lifespan
- 13 years on market
Pricing
Launch price (2000)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $299
- 🇬🇧 GBP
- £299
Controller
DualShock 2 / EyeToy
Launch titles & exclusives
SSX · Tekken Tag Tournament · Madden NFL 2001 · Smuggler's Run · TimeSplitters · Ridge Racer V · Armored Core 2 · Dynasty Warriors 2 · NHL 2001 · Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore · Unreal Tournament · FantaVision
None (no pack-in at launch)
God of War · God of War II · Shadow of the Colossus · Ico · Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3 · Gran Turismo 3 & 4 · Final Fantasy X & XII · Okami · Persona 3 & 4 · Jak and Daxter · Ratchet & Clank · Sly Cooper · Devil May Cry
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (2013) — Sony stopped manufacturing PS2 hardware the same year
Kuon (NA, ~$500–$1000 CIB); Haunting Ground (NA, ~$300–$600 CIB); sealed launch SCPH-30001 units
Variants of PlayStation 2
Hardware specs
- Cpu
- Emotion Engine
- Gpu
- Graphics Synthesizer @ 150 MHz
- Ram
- 32 MB RAM, 4 MB Video RAM
- Sound
- AV Multi: (Stereophonic sound, 2ch), (Quadraphonic sound, 4ch), (5.1ch), RCA connector, Analog stereo, Dolby Pro Logic / Pro Logic II (Analog recording, Analog), Optical audio: (2ch), (4ch), (5.1ch), Dolby Digital (video only), Dolby Pro Logic / Pro Logic II (Digital electronics, Digital), DTS, Inc.…
- Weight
- 2.4 kg
- Dimensions
- 301 × 78 × 182 mm
- Display Output
- 240p, 288p, 480i, 576i, 480p, 1080i
- Storage Internal
- 40 GB hard drive (optional)
Hardware revisions
- Phat SCPH-10000 to SCPH-50000(2000)
original launch hardware
⚠ disc-read errors from worn lasers (Disc Read Error 'DRE') the dominant failure mode
- Slim SCPH-70000 series(2004)
dramatically smaller, built-in Ethernet, more reliable optical drive
- Slim SCPH-90000(2008)
final revision with integrated power supply, lightest and most reliable
Launch colorways & special editions
- Aqua Blue (NA, 2002)
- Pearl White (JP)
- Satin Silver
- Sakura Pink (JP-only)
- Final Fantasy X-2 Crimson Red (JP)
- Resident Evil 4 Limited Edition
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- soft-mod
- Custom firmware
- FreeMcBoot (memory-card exploit); Open PS2 Loader (OPL)
Reception & legacy
Strong demand exceeded supply for months after launch; early library criticized as thin, with DVD playback as the de facto launch app
Iraq-import investigation (US briefly probed whether Cell-class processors could be weaponized); EU launch delayed several months past JP/NA
Best-selling console of all time (~155M units); cemented Sony's dominance through the 2000s and was a Trojan horse that helped DVD win the home-video format war
References
More from Sony
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PlayStation 2 in the news
Recent coverage mentioning the PlayStation 2, gathered from 80+ gaming-news sources.
Most Perfect RPGs On The PS2, Ranked
Perfection is in the eye of the beholder, but it's hard to imagine how any PlayStation 2 RPGs could surpass these games on the all-time greats list.
I got my start writing for a PlayStation 2 magazine: These are my 12 PS2-pilled recommendations from the Steam Autumn Sale
What's great about the PS2 back catalogue is that it's too vast to have an encyclopedic knowledge of everything in there. The defining 20 or so games on the platform—God of War, Gran Turismo 3, Final Fantasy 10 and so forth—are very well known, and maybe Millennial players can recall a weirdo game...
I got my start writing for a PlayStation 2 magazine: These are my 12 PS2-pilled recommendations from the Steam Autumn Sale
Both the classics and the games they inspired.
The Simpsons Game Unofficial PC Port Released
The Simpsons Game is an action-comedy platformer that was never released on PC. Instead, it came out on a lot of consoles in 2007, including the Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable. And now, almost two decades later, we have an unofficial PC version of...
New Open World Steam Game is Basically Classic GTA But Set in the 70s
Steam users wanting a new game similar to the classic PlayStation 2-era Grand Theft Auto games may want to keep ALATURKA on their radar. Steam is one of the biggest gaming platforms in the world, and certainly the biggest on PC, by a significant margin. Despite the massive playerbase enjoyed by...
The PlayStation 2 Can Now Emulate Game Boy Advance Games
🤝 Like our website? Support us as an independent publisher by tipping, joining our paid community or checking out our accessories brand GAMENOOK! Talk about two retro idols colliding! We all know the GameCube had a Game Boy player where you could play Game Boy Advance games on it, but