8 Best PS1 Games to Revisit, by Genre

Published October 25, 2026

The best PS1 game to start with depends on what you want from your next session. Final Fantasy VII is our pick for a story to follow over time, Tekken 3 for individual fights, and Ridge Racer Type 4 for racing. If you would rather explore, consider Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or Spyro 2.

This shortlist covers eight different reasons to return to the original PlayStation. Each entry explains its appeal and a potential drawback, so you can choose a game that suits you instead of simply following a numbered ranking.

Tested in EMUspace: the EMUspace developer has tested all eight PS1 games in this list and confirms that they work well in the app. This selection covers the original PlayStation releases; modern remakes and remasters are separate versions. Your experience can vary with your iPhone, app version and game edition.

How we chose these PS1 games

We selected eight games that offer different reasons to revisit the original PlayStation: story, stealth, fighting, racing, platforming, exploration and survival horror. The EMUspace developer has tested every game in this selection and confirms that they work well in the app.

Our recommendations focus on who each game suits, what makes its gameplay distinctive and what may take some adjustment when returning to it today. The list is organised by genre rather than a numerical score. The first-session goals below are suggestions for getting started, not claims about measured performance or completion times.

Compare the eight PS1 picks

These session goals are suggestions, not measured playtimes or promises that every game can be stopped safely at any moment.

Final Fantasy VII — for a story you can return to

Choose it for: a long-form RPG where building your party is part of the appeal. Cloud's journey gives you a reason to keep returning, while the Materia system lets you change what characters can do by equipping abilities in their weapons and armor.

Magic, summons and commands come from different Materia types. Linked equipment slots let Support Materia modify another ability, so a new weapon is worth examining for its slots as well as its attack value. That makes preparation more interesting than simply buying the strongest item: you can experiment with who heals, who attacks with magic and how the party works together.

First-session goal: follow the opening story and learn where your battle commands come from. Leave perfect builds for later. Pick Final Fantasy VII when you want characters, dialogue and decisions to remember between sessions; choose Tekken 3 instead when you mainly want immediate action.

Want another RPG after Final Fantasy VII? Compare PSP RPGs for story, strategy and action, including the original PSP Crisis Core for Zack's story.

Metal Gear Solid — for stealth and cinematic storytelling

Choose it for: learning to read a guarded space before moving through it. Solid Snake's mission combines infiltration with cinematic scenes and Codec conversations, but its most satisfying moments can be small: noticing a patrol, creating a distraction and slipping past unnoticed.

The guards respond to suspicious sounds. Knocking against a wall can draw one away from a patrol route, while peeking from cover helps you inspect what is ahead. Those tools give you something to try besides rushing into a fight. A room becomes a problem with timing, sightlines and possible routes, rather than just a corridor to clear.

First-session goal: get through an early guarded area by observing and distracting enemies. Give the conversations room to establish the story. This is a good pick if experimentation and suspense appeal to you; its deliberate pace asks for more attention than a quick race or fighting match.

Tekken 3 — for matches and focused practice

Choose it for: short matches with enough depth to make repeated practice rewarding. Tekken 3 brings in fighters including Jin Kazama, Hwoarang, Eddy Gordo and Ling Xiaoyu, giving the roster distinct personalities and fighting styles to explore.

The series maps its four main attack buttons to the fighter's limbs. Tekken 3 also makes sidestepping available across the roster, so positioning includes moving around an opponent as well as approaching or retreating. You can enjoy the spectacle immediately, then gradually learn which attacks reach safely and when to stop attacking and defend.

First-session goal: stay with one character for several matches and learn a few repeatable attacks before chasing long combinations. Try a sidestep deliberately and watch how it changes your position. This makes Tekken 3 an appealing choice when you want one clear skill to practise, with a match providing a natural stopping point.

For a handheld-era alternative to Tekken 3, our best PSP fighting games comparison covers Tekken 6 alongside weapon-based, 2D and action-focused choices.

Ridge Racer Type 4 — for racing with a clear goal

Choose it for: arcade racing where learning the rhythm of a corner is the main attraction. Ridge Racer Type 4 gives each race an immediate objective, making it easy to return after a break without remembering a story or a large inventory.

Cars use Drift or Grip handling types. That distinction gives you a useful starting point: pay attention to the car's type, then learn how it responds through a bend instead of treating every car the same. The reward is recognising a corner, setting up your approach and coming out more cleanly than on the previous lap.

First-session goal: choose one car and focus on a troublesome corner until your approach feels consistent. If you enjoy improving through repetition, this is an easy recommendation. Features advertised for later console reissues, such as rewind, should not be assumed to belong to the original PS1 game.

To explore the series on another system, compare Ridge Racer for PSP with five other PSP racing games by driving style. These are separate releases from Ridge Racer Type 4.

Crash Bandicoot: Warped — for platforming and variety

Choose it for: platforming with frequent changes of scenery and activity. Warped's time-travel theme takes Crash beyond ordinary running and jumping, mixing those stages with activities such as motorcycle racing, underwater movement and flying a plane.

That variety is the reason to choose it over a game built around one movement style. A section may ask you to judge a jump, while the next asks you to learn a vehicle's controls. Getting comfortable with one activity does not remove the challenge of the next, and that changing rhythm is part of the appeal.

First-session goal: finish an early stage, then try a different activity before deciding which you enjoy most. Expect some adjustment when the controls change. This selection refers to the original PlayStation release of Crash Bandicoot: Warped; the N. Sane Trilogy is a separate remake collection.

Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! — for exploration and collecting

Choose it for: wandering through colourful realms and working towards collections of gems, orbs and talismans. Spyro's trip to Avalar gives exploration a purpose beyond simply finding an exit, with Ripto providing the story's central threat.

The different collectibles give you several ways to make progress. You might spend a session searching a realm for overlooked gems, then return to pursue an orb challenge or another objective. That makes the game a useful alternative to Crash's more directed stages: the pleasure is often in deciding what to investigate next and noticing a route you passed earlier.

First-session goal: explore one realm carefully and learn to distinguish its objectives before trying to complete everything. Choose Spyro 2 if collecting and revisiting places sound more appealing than practising the same jump. This is the original PS1 game, also released as Gateway to Glimmer in Europe, rather than its Reignited Trilogy remake.

Resident Evil 2 — for survival horror

Choose it for: an unsettling journey through Raccoon City with Leon or Claire. The original Resident Evil 2 uses fixed camera views, making your view of a room part of the tension. Moving into a new angle can feel very different from steering through a modern over-the-shoulder action game.

Saving is also part of the original game's resource management. Its typewriters require ink ribbons, and each save uses one. That creates a decision about when to record your progress instead of treating every doorway as an automatic checkpoint. EMUspace's save states are a separate app feature; they do not change how the game's own typewriter system is designed.

First-session goal: become comfortable moving through a few rooms and learn the in-game saving routine. Choose this when you want atmosphere and deliberate exploration. The recommendation covers the 1998 original, not the later Resident Evil 2 remake with its different camera and controls.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night — for action and discovery

Choose it for: exploring a castle whose secrets matter as much as its enemies. You play as Alucard, and the appeal comes from combining action with the curiosity to investigate another passage, find a hidden weapon or reconsider a route you could not use earlier.

Alucard can gain transformations into a bat, a wolf and mist. These abilities help make exploration feel like more than moving through a sequence of separate stages: a new capability gives you a reason to look at familiar spaces again. Hidden equipment and discoveries provide another incentive to venture beyond the most obvious path.

First-session goal: explore the opening areas and remember a place you want to revisit. Pick this over Spyro 2 if you prefer a darker setting and combat alongside discovery. Konami also sells a separate native mobile edition; this list concerns the original PlayStation release played in EMUspace.

Which PS1 games still hold up for a new player?

Start with the kind of activity you already enjoy. For a familiar objective, consider Tekken 3 or Ridge Racer Type 4. For an adventure you can explore, consider Spyro 2 or Symphony of the Night. Choose Final Fantasy VII or Metal Gear Solid when following the story is a major reason to play.

“Still holds up” is a judgment about what you value, not a technical rating. Older camera systems, interfaces and control conventions can take practice. A modern remake may offer a different experience, but it will not necessarily reproduce the version you remember.

Getting started with PS1 games on iPhone

For EMUspace setup, follow our PS1 emulator for iPhone guide. Keep the complete original game-file set and use the import guide to prepare your first game. If your backup contains a CUE file and associated track files, keep them together; do not discard small files simply because they contain little data.

Start with one game and try actual gameplay, sound and the controls you need. For editions supplied on multiple discs, consult the app's guidance or support about the workflow before committing to a long playthrough.

EMUspace provides Save/Load State in the game card and pause menu, plus optional Autosave on Exit. These features and compatible external controller support require Pro. Our save-state and controller guide explains how to check your saving and resume workflow. A forced app closure should not be relied on to trigger autosave.

If the game does not start, use the games-not-loading checklist. For another system to explore, see our eight PSP game recommendations.

View EMUspace on the App Store

Games are not included. Use compatible files you are authorized to use, and check the App Store listing for current requirements and Pro options.

Common questions

What are the best PS1 games of all time?

There is no single order that suits everyone. This selection covers story, stealth, fighting, racing, platforming, exploration and horror. Use the comparison table to choose an activity you enjoy; it is a shortlist by genre, not a claim that one game is objectively better than the others.

Which PS1 games are suitable for shorter sessions?

A Tekken 3 match, a Ridge Racer Type 4 race or a Crash: Warped level gives you a clear goal. Difficulty and retries still affect how long it takes. Check your save method rather than assuming that any particular game can be interrupted without losing progress.

Are these the best PS1 games to emulate on iPhone?

All eight games in this list have been tested by the EMUspace developer, who confirms that they work well in EMUspace. Choose by genre and the kind of session you enjoy, then check your preferred controls and saving workflow on your own iPhone. This is a curated shortlist, not a measured performance ranking.

Does EMUspace include these games?

No. EMUspace is an emulator. You provide compatible game files you are authorized to use; this article does not supply game downloads.

Sources and edition notes

The references below support the game descriptions. The selection, session goals and recommendations are editorial judgments. Pages about reissues or remakes are used only for the original game's background or to explain a version difference; their added features are not attributed to the PS1 edition.

• Final Fantasy VII original PC manual, preserved copy — shared Materia mechanics.
• Konami Metal Gear Solid manual — peeking and sound distractions.
• Original Ridge Racer Type 4 manual, preserved scan — Drift and Grip handling.
• Original Resident Evil 2 manual, preserved scan — typewriters and ink ribbons.
• PlayStation history — Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid.
• Tekken: A PlayStation history — Tekken 3's cast and sidestepping.
• Bandai Namco's Ridge Racer Type 4 listing — original game and reissue features.
• Activision — Crash trilogy and Warped's activities.
• Official Spyro site — Ripto's Rage story.
• Original Spyro 2 instruction manual, preserved third-party scan — realm objectives.
• Capcom on PlayStation Blog — Resident Evil 2's original release and remake.
• PlayStation Blog — Resident Evil 2 camera differences.
• Konami — Symphony of the Night's original game.
• Konami — the separate Symphony of the Night mobile release.