The PSP may no longer be the flagship device of Sony’s gaming empire, but its influence is still palpable. When it launched, 138 the PlayStation Portable was a marvel, not just because of its hardware, but because of the ambition behind its game library. The best PSP games didn’t just serve as handheld companions to PlayStation’s biggest franchises—they expanded them. In doing so, they helped define what portable gaming could be for an entire generation.
Games like Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII demonstrated that portable entries could hold equal, if not greater, narrative and mechanical depth than their console predecessors. These weren’t side stories or filler—they were foundational to their franchises’ lore. That’s why even years later, fans still clamor for remakes or remasters of these titles. They weren’t just great PSP games; they were some of the best PlayStation games ever made.
In today’s gaming world, where players expect seamless transitions between console, PC, and portable play, the ideas pioneered by the PSP seem prophetic. Hybrid devices like the Steam Deck or PlayStation’s Remote Play options build directly on the expectation that top-tier games should follow the player, not the other way around. And many of these expectations trace back to the innovations made during the PSP’s heyday.
The legacy of the PSP is not just in the device itself, but in the experiences it offered. It was proof that quality didn’t need to be tethered to a TV or a couch. The best PSP games dared to treat handheld gaming with the same seriousness and ambition as any console release—and in doing so, they changed the rules of what handhelds could achieve forever.