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Best PlayStation 2 games of 2001

The 20 best PlayStation 2 games released in 2001, ranked from 9,052 critic and player ratings.

The best PlayStation 2 game of 2001 is Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, with a critic score of 96/100 — 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: 2001.
  • 20 games are listed on this page, carrying 9,052 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 13 November 2026.

Top 20

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

01 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty 2001 · 1,044 ratings Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is the sequel to the espionage action game Metal Gear Solid. Much of the gameplay remains the same, as the game's protagonist has to sneak past guards, outsmart them using various gadgets and defeat the tricky boss enemies. The game expanded its predecessor's cover mechanic, with Solid Snake or Raiden able to take cover behind walls or objects and pop out to shoot at enemies, while the improved enemy AI allowed enemies to also take cover from the player. Metal Gear Solid 2 is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, as well as a leading example of artistic expression in video games. 96 /100
02 Grand Theft Auto III A Grand Theft Auto III 2001 · 1,635 ratings · 2 Tier votes · finished by 27% Featuring a fully 3-D living city, a combination of narrative driven and non-linear gameplay and a completely open environment, Grand Theft Auto III represents a huge leap forward in interactive entertainment. For the first time, players are put at the heart of their very own gangster movie, and let loose in a fully-realised 3 dimensional city, in which anything can happen and probably will. With a cast of hundreds, 50 plus vehicles, ranging from sports cars to ice cream trucks and from boats to buses, 3 hours of music, including opera, reggae, house, drum and bass, pop and disco, a huge array of street ready weapons and some of the seediest characters in video game history, Grand Theft Auto 3 is a sprawling epic which will show you that sometimes, crime can pay and sometimes it can pay you back. Available now for PlayStation2, Xbox, PC and Macintosh. 93 /100
03 Final Fantasy X Final Fantasy X 2001 · 404 ratings 92 /100
04 Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy A Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy 2001 · 333 ratings · 2 Tier votes · finished by 22% Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is a 2001 platform video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the Sony PlayStation 2 on December 4, 2001, as the first game of the Jak and Daxter series. The game follows the protagonist, a young teenager named Jak, as he tries to help his friend Daxter after he is transformed into an "ottsel", a fictional hybrid of an otter and a weasel. The game offers a large range of missions, collectables and objectives, often in the form of minigames, which provide a variety of gameplay experiences, as well as puzzles and platforming stages, which are completed by the player to proceed with the story. 90 /100
05 ICO ICO 2001 · 300 ratings · finished by 26% An action-adventure game in which a boy is abandoned and taken to a massive castle by his people. After exploring it for a while, he meets a girl who speaks a different language than him, then decides to get both of them out of the castle grounds by leading her along, in order to escape the shadow-like creatures that frequently try to kidnap the girl. 90 /100
06 Max Payne S Max Payne 2001 · 1,811 ratings · 2 Tier votes · finished by 43% Max Payne is a man with nothing to lose in the violent, cold urban night. A fugitive undercover cop framed for murder, hunted by cops and the mob, Max is a man with his back against the wall, fighting a battle he cannot hope to win. Max Payne is a relentless story-driven game about a man on the edge, fighting to clear his name while struggling to uncover the truth about his slain family amongst a myriad of plot-twists and twisted thugs in the gritty bowels of New York during the century's worst blizzard. The groundbreaking original cinematic action-shooter, Max Payne introduced the concept of Bullet Time in videogames. Through its stylish slow-motion gunplay combined with a dark and twisted story, Max Payne redefined the action-shooter genre. 89 /100
07 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 2001 · 279 ratings Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is a 2001 skateboarding video game and the third installment in the Tony Hawk's series. Skate as the legendary Tony Hawk or choose from a dream team of 12 top pro skaters, including old favorites like Lasek, Thomas, Muska, and Steamer, as well as new talent like Gilfberg, Caballero, Koston, and Mullen. Travel from L.A. to Tokyo, Suburbia to Skater's Island performing challenges and meeting goals with new moves that include the Revert, which allows you to link vert tricks, and flatland tricks such as Caspers, the Primo, and Handstand Manual. 88 /100
08 Final Fantasy X B Final Fantasy X 2001 · 1,107 ratings · 3 Tier votes Final Fantasy X is the tenth main installment in the FF series and the first title released on sixth-generation consoles. It was also the first game to feature fully three-dimensional areas rather than including pre-rendered backdrops, and the first to include voice acting. Final Fantasy X tells the story of a star blitzball player, Tidus, who journeys with a young and beautiful summoner named Yuna on her quest to save the world of Spira from an endless cycle of destruction wrought by the colossal menace Sin. 95 /100
09 Commandos 2: Men of Courage Commandos 2: Men of Courage 2001 · 182 ratings · finished by 8% From the heart of the Third Reich to the most remote islands in the South Pacific, Sergeant Jack "Butcher" O'Hara and his elite group of gritty soldiers must combine their expertise and venture deep into enemy territory... in an attempt to change the course of the war.From the deepest bunkers and artillery posts of the Third Reich or the dreaded Colditz castle prison to the bulkhead of an aircraft carrier at sea, Commandos 2 features the most realistic and detailed gaming environments ever seen. Once again players take command of the elite platoon, utilising each of their unique abilities to complete missions deep in enemy territory. Commandos 2 is the most immersive and realistic PC strategy gaming experience there is, creating a new benchmark. 87 /100
10 Onimusha: Warlords Onimusha: Warlords 2001 · 102 ratings Onimusha: Warlords is an epic saga of 16th century Japan inspired by the battle scenes of famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. It takes place in a world of darkness and magic when power hungry warlords battle for control of Feudal Japan. One brave Samurai, Samanosuke Akechi, boldly volunteers to rescue the kidnapped princess Yuki, but does not fully realize the desperation of this mission. An entire legion of demon warriors stands between him and his mission to avenge the princess. 86 /100
11 Devil May Cry Devil May Cry 2001 · 382 ratings 85 /100
12 Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec 2001 · 139 ratings 100 /100
13 Red Faction Red Faction 2001 · 153 ratings · finished by 14% 78 /100
14 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 2001 · 107 ratings · finished by 6% 77 /100
15 Oni Oni 2001 · 90 ratings 73 /100
16 Resident Evil - Code: Veronica X Resident Evil - Code: Veronica X 2001 · 149 ratings 72 /100
17 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2001 · 89 ratings 72 /100
18 Return to Castle Wolfenstein Return to Castle Wolfenstein 2001 · 478 ratings · finished by 24% 68 /100
19 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2001 · 80 ratings 68 /100
20 Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex 2001 · 188 ratings 62 /100
Browse all the best PlayStation 2 games

Other years

Best PlayStation 2 games of 2009Best PlayStation 2 games of 2008Best PlayStation 2 games of 2007Best PlayStation 2 games of 2006Best PlayStation 2 games of 2005Best PlayStation 2 games of 2004Best PlayStation 2 games of 2003Best PlayStation 2 games of 2002Best PlayStation 2 games of 2000

Same year, other platforms

Best PC games of 2001Best Mac games of 2001Best Xbox games of 2001Best GameCube games of 2001Best Dreamcast games of 2001Best Game Boy Advance games of 2001

Nearby rankings

Best PlayStation 2 games of 2000Best PlayStation 2 games of 2002

Catalog statistics

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best PlayStation 2 game of 2001?

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty currently tops the ranking with a score of 96/100 across 1,044 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.