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Best PlayStation 1 games

The 80 best PlayStation 1 games, ranked from 16,460 critic and player ratings.

The best PlayStation 1 game right now is Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, with a critic score of 100/100 — updated November 2026.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
  • 50 games are listed on this page, carrying 16,460 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 13 November 2026.

Top 50

Played them? Give your tier with the + next to each game. No account needed to try — create one to keep your tiers.

01 Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee 1997 · 258 ratings · finished by 4% Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is the first game set in the fictional Oddworld universe. It is a platformer with puzzle-solving elements, focusing on the portrayal of a weak, underpowered character in a grim and hostile world, who has to rely on his cunning to outwit enemies and overcome hazards. The game has pre-rendered background graphics and uses CG movies of similar style to advance the story between the levels. The main character Abe is almost completely helpless: he cannot use weapons and is usually instantly killed by his brutal enemies if he confronts them directly. For this reason, most of the game involves careful exploration, timed movement, sneaking, and outsmarting the foes through various means: throwing stones to confuse them, luring them into traps, etc. Abe can run, jump, climb, tiptoe, crouch, and roll; in most areas these actions are essential to his survival. A few stages involve Abe riding a large animal known as Elum. Abe's only special power is chanting, which he can use to stun certain enemies for a while or possess them. When Abe possess an enemy he gains his abilities: for example, possessing the body or a ferocious Slig allows the player to shoot from his machine gun, communicate with other creatures of his kind, and even commit suicide, clearing the way for Abe. 100 /100
02 Metal Gear Solid A Metal Gear Solid 1998 · 1,729 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 61% Metal Gear Solid is a stealth game created by Hideo Kojima which follows the MSX2 video games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Despite a transition to 3D, Metal Gear Solid's gameplay remains similar to his predecessors. The game utilizes a traditional top-down view and the player must navigate the protagonist Solid Snake through the game's areas without being detected. Detection will set off an alarm which draws armed enemies to his location. Conversations with Snake's allies and cutscenes are used extensively to advance the plot and gain more insight into it. Metal Gear Solid is regarded as one of the greatest and most important video games of all time, and helped popularize the stealth genre and in-engine cinematic cutscenes. 94 /100
03 Diablo Diablo 1996 · 609 ratings Diablo is an isometric strategy RPG and one of the most well-known examples of the action-RPG subgenre. Although some of the game mechanics resemble a typical RPG, all actions are done in real-time just like in an action game. The player have to kill hordes of monsters through randomized dungeon levels in order to gain experience points, gold and a variety of equipment to bolster the hero's monster-killing potency. 94 /100
04 Command & Conquer Command & Conquer 1995 · 342 ratings Experience the game that started it all! Enter a gritty, high-tech world and take advantage of electronic intelligence and covert surveillance to determine who reigns supreme. Join either the forces of the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) or the Brotherhood of Nod as you build bases, muster forces and dominate your enemies. All for the love of power. Play as the Brotherhood and obey the charismatic Kane’s every command or take control of GDI forces as they seek to save the world from Kane’s ambition. Gather Tiberium to produce tanks, infantry and more to decide the fate of the world. 94 /100
05 Sid Meier's Civilization 2 Sid Meier's Civilization 2 1996 · 178 ratings A turn-based strategy video game set around several different historic civilizations. 94 /100
06 Chrono Cross Chrono Cross 1999 · 138 ratings CHRONO CROSS, the sequel to the SNES favorite CHRONO TRIGGER, is one of the most ambitious role-playing games ever made. There are over 40 playable characters, each with their back-story, special moves, abilities, and weapons. The story spans two discs and follows the story of Serge, a young man who is able to cross dimensions. Suddenly he is pulled between worlds, trying to figure out his own past at the same time. The graphics are bright and beautiful, utilizing the PlayStation's capabilities to the fullest. The polygonal character models are huge and detailed, and the pre-rendered backgrounds are immaculately detailed. The music is composed and arranged by Yasunori Mitsuda, and features very realistic-sounding synthesizers. The battle system revolves around Elements, which are used to grant magical powers, as well as to summon huge monsters. For anyone that wanted to see the story of CHRONO TRIGGER continue, this is your chance. 94 /100
07 Gran Turismo 2 B Gran Turismo 2 1999 · 220 ratings · 1 Tier vote Gran Turismo 2 is a racing game for the Sony PlayStation and the sequel to Gran Turismo. The game uses two different modes: Arcade Mode and Gran Turismo Mode. In the arcade mode, the player can freely choose vehicles they wish to use, and can enable damage. However, the Gran Turismo Mode requires the player to earn driver's licenses, pay for vehicles, and earn trophies in order to unlock new courses. Gran Turismo 2 features nearly 650 automobiles and 27 racing tracks, including rally tracks. Compared with Gran Turismo, the gameplay, physics and graphics are very similar. The major changes are the vastly expanded number of cars, tracks and races in simulation mode. Other differences include that the player can race events separately, if they don't want to enter the whole tournament. The player is no longer able to "qualify" for each race entered. 93 /100
08 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night S Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 1997 · 852 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 33% Having been awoken from his eternal slumber by the reappearance of Castlevania, Alucard must once again face the evil minions of darkness. Use your vampiric powers, along with weapons, potions, and other magical relics to change the tide of battle. A mixture of platform and role-playing action with many hidden areas and secrets. Can you discover them all? 92 /100
09 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1999 · 248 ratings Take control of real skaters and perform strings of crazy tricks in the first entry of the long-running Tony Hawk skateboarding series. 92 /100
10 Medal of Honor (1999) A Medal of Honor (1999) 1999 · 171 ratings · 1 Tier vote Medal of Honor is the first title in the Medal of Honor series. The game was inspired by DreamWorks Interactive co-founder Steven Spielberg. The game follows Jimmy Patterson, a 24-year-old OSS operative as he infiltrates and sabotages the Nazi War Machine during the final days of World War II. 92 /100
11 Vagrant Story (2000) Vagrant Story (2000) 2000 · 92 ratings 92 /100
12 Crash Bandicoot: Warped S Crash Bandicoot: Warped 1998 · 576 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 24% 91 /100
13 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 2000 · 422 ratings 91 /100
14 Spyro: Year of the Dragon Spyro: Year of the Dragon 2000 · 219 ratings 91 /100
15 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1999 · 182 ratings · finished by 9% 91 /100
16 Resident Evil 2 (1998) S Resident Evil 2 (1998) 1998 · 610 ratings · 2 Tier votes · finished by 11% 90 /100
17 Final Fantasy VIII Final Fantasy VIII 1999 · 528 ratings · finished by 25% 90 /100
18 Syphon Filter Syphon Filter 1999 · 118 ratings 90 /100
19 Ape Escape Ape Escape 1999 · 106 ratings 90 /100
20 Tomb Raider (1996) Tomb Raider (1996) 1996 · 486 ratings 88 /100
21 Crash Team Racing Crash Team Racing 1999 · 312 ratings 88 /100
22 Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit 1998 · 282 ratings 88 /100
23 Spider-Man (2000) C Spider-Man (2000) 2000 · 401 ratings · 1 Tier vote 87 /100
24 Silent Hill Silent Hill 1999 · 594 ratings 86 /100
25 Dino Crisis 2 Dino Crisis 2 2000 · 167 ratings 86 /100
26 Broken Sword 1 - The Shadow of the Templars Broken Sword 1 - The Shadow of the Templars 1996 · 114 ratings 86 /100
27 Need for Speed: High Stakes Need for Speed: High Stakes 1999 · 96 ratings 86 /100
28 Medal of Honor: Underground Medal of Honor: Underground 2000 · 86 ratings 86 /100
29 Suikoden Suikoden 1995 · 86 ratings 92 /100
30 Final Fantasy VII S Final Fantasy VII 1997 · 1,638 ratings · 2 Tier votes · finished by 23% 85 /100
31 Driver (1999) Driver (1999) 1999 · 233 ratings 85 /100
32 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 1998 · 80 ratings 85 /100
33 Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy IX 2000 · 973 ratings · finished by 28% 84 /100
34 Rayman Rayman 1995 · 223 ratings 84 /100
35 Xenogears (1998) Xenogears (1998) 1998 · 126 ratings 84 /100
36 Final Fantasy Tactics Final Fantasy Tactics 1997 · 196 ratings 83 /100
37 Suikoden II Suikoden II 1998 · 115 ratings 82 /100
38 X-COM: UFO Defense X-COM: UFO Defense 1994 · 135 ratings · finished by 3% 85 /100
39 Command & Conquer: Red Alert Command & Conquer: Red Alert 1996 · 377 ratings 81 /100
40 Parasite Eve Parasite Eve 1998 · 124 ratings 81 /100
41 Resident Evil S Resident Evil 1996 · 453 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 12% 79 /100
42 Parasite Eve II Parasite Eve II 1999 · 85 ratings 79 /100
43 Worms Worms 1995 · 212 ratings · finished by 8% 80 /100
44 Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed 2000 · 242 ratings 78 /100
45 Theme Park Theme Park 1994 · 107 ratings 79 /100
46 Grand Theft Auto Grand Theft Auto 1997 · 510 ratings · finished by 16% 80 /100
47 Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus 1998 · 129 ratings · finished by 8% 80 /100
48 Klonoa: Door to Phantomile Klonoa: Door to Phantomile 1997 · 95 ratings 80 /100
49 Breath of Fire IV Breath of Fire IV 2000 · 81 ratings 80 /100
50 The Need for Speed The Need for Speed 1994 · 104 ratings 76 /100

By genre

Best Action games on PlayStation 1Best Adventure games on PlayStation 1Best Arcade games on PlayStation 1Best Fighting games on PlayStation 1Best Platformer games on PlayStation 1Best Racing games on PlayStation 1Best RPG games on PlayStation 1Best Shooter games on PlayStation 1Best Strategy games on PlayStation 1

By year

Best PlayStation 1 games of 2000Best PlayStation 1 games of 1999Best PlayStation 1 games of 1998Best PlayStation 1 games of 1997Best PlayStation 1 games of 1996Best PlayStation 1 games of 1995

Other platforms

Best PC gamesBest PlayStation 4 gamesBest Xbox One gamesBest Mac gamesBest PlayStation 3 gamesBest Xbox 360 gamesBest Nintendo Switch gamesBest Linux gamesBest PlayStation 5 gamesBest Xbox Series X|S gamesBest iOS gamesBest Android games

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best PlayStation 1 game?

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee currently tops the ranking with a score of 100/100 across 258 ratings. Ranking updated November 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.