By Jason Venter Published Jul 9, 2026, 6:01 PM EDT What to Play Because saving money on classic games should never go out of style
An original PlayStation is pictured at a display of various memorabilia in the lobby of the Sony headquarters building in central Tokyo on November 27, 2024. December 3, 2024 will mark the 30th anniversary of the first release of Japan's Sony PlayStation, transforming the world of video games. (Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP) (Photo by RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images Sign in to your Polygon.com account On July 7, Sony announced it will shut down the PlayStation Store on PS3 and Vita . The closure begins in August in some regions, and concludes worldwide in July 2027. For many of us, that leaves time to snag digital editions of some excellent PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 games before they are no longer offered, and to save significantly compared to buying physical editions of those same titles.
The PlayStation Store still features a broad variety of classic games for the two systems, including a number of costly JRPG classics. Additionally, save files mimic the original memory cards, allowing players to have experiences comparable to the ones they might enjoy when playing on the original hardware. With that in mind, here are a few valuable PS1 and PS2 games you might wish to add to your library at $6 to $10 apiece before that option goes away for good.
PlayStation brings bad news for digital stores and physical games today
This list prioritizes games that will cost you a lot of money if you acquire them physically, with prices ranging from $50 to $700 for complete copies at places like eBay, Amazon, and used game stores. There are dozens of other excellent titles from a variety of fan-favorite and niche franchises that didn’t make the list, but which you’ll definitely want to grab before the store goes away.
The Vic Viper launches missiles at an enemy vessel Treasure built some of the industry’s greatest shooters before stepping away from the limelight more than a decade ago, even partnering with some major publishers along the way. One such partnership yielded the excellent Gradius 5 , a beautiful shooter that was one of the most enjoyable entries in the series. We haven’t seen the game since, even in the Gradius Origins compilation, leaving the PlayStation 2 as the best place to experience the last great shooter in a series that has been around more than 40 years.
A sample of the North American cover art for Growlanser: Heritage of War, featuring the game's lead characters. Image: Atlus The Growlanser series debuted on PlayStation and remained dominant in Japan through the end of the PS2 generation. It fell off after that, once Atlus essentially absorbed the development team. But there were some great games along the way, including Growlanser: Heritage of War , the first in the series to head west with Atlus as its publisher. It didn’t have an enormous print run, and remains highly sought after in the physical market.
Despite their impact on survival horror, the first three Fatal Frame games are difficult to find these days. Only one of them, Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly , is available in remade form. Team Ninja did the honors, releasing Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake earlier this year. The game was pretty, but our reviewer felt that attempts to modernize the classic experience drained some of its soul . Perhaps that miscalculation explains why some fans…