The Console That Refused to Die
In March 2000, Sony launched the PlayStation 2 in Japan. By the end of 2000, it had sold 2.4 million units. By 2004, it had moved over 50 million. By the time production finally ended in 2013, that number had climbed to 155 million — making the PS2 the best-selling video game console of all time. No PlayStation has beaten it. No Nintendo has beaten it. No Xbox has come close.
The PS2 wasn't just successful. It was culturally dominant in a way nothing before or since has managed. It showed up in dorm rooms, living rooms, and bedrooms across every continent. Its library had something for everyone — from the hardcore RPG enthusiast grinding through 80-hour epics to the casual gamer just trying to beat their cousin at Tony Hawk.
The Numbers That Still Haven't Been Matched
Let's talk about what 155 million units actually means. The PS2 outsold its nearest competitor — the Nintendo GameCube — by more than 7x. It beat the original Xbox by over 6x. It captured over 70% of the global market share during the sixth console generation. And the software tells an even more remarkable story: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas alone sold 20.8 million copies on PS2. That's more than most games sell across their entire multi-platform lifespan today.
The best-selling PS2 games paint a picture of a generation obsessed with open worlds, racing simulators, and epic JRPGs. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas moved 20.8 million copies. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec hit 14 million. Both Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto III cleared 13 million. Gran Turismo 4 reached 11 million. Final Fantasy X sold 8.5 million. Metal Gear Solid 2 moved 7 million copies. God of War, in its debut on the PS2, hit 5 million.
When three Grand Theft Auto games crack the top four spots, you're looking at a console that defined what open-world gaming could be.
Backwards Compatibility: The Gift That Kept on Giving
Sony made a decision that seems obvious in retrospect but was radical at the time: the PS2 could play every PlayStation 1 game. That meant every PS1 owner had a library of 1,000+ titles waiting for them on day one. It meant parents could dust off their old copies of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. It meant the PS2 launched with more playable content than any console in history.
This backwards compatibility wasn't just a feature — it was a statement. Sony was saying: we respect what came before, and we want to reward the people who were with us from the start. It built enormous goodwill and gave the PS2 an instant library advantage that its competitors simply couldn't match.
The Cultural Moment
2000 to 2005 wasn't just a period of good games. It was a cultural moment. The internet was becoming mainstream. Online gaming was in its infancy but growing fast. The PS2 was the bridge between the couch-based gaming of the 90s and the connected experiences that would define the next decade.
The PS2 era gave us the open-world revolution with GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas showing us what games could be when you weren't on rails. It gave us the JRPG golden age with Final Fantasy X, X-2, and Kingdom Hearts defining a generation of RPG fans. It established the racing simulator standard with Gran Turismo 3 and 4 that other racing games still aim for. And it created the stealth action genre with Metal Gear Solid 2, which showed that games could tell genuinely challenging, thought-provoking stories.
The Controller That Defined a Generation
The DualShock 2 wasn't just an evolution of the original — it was a refinement of a near-perfect design. Analog sticks in the now-standard left-thumb/right-thumb configuration. Vibration feedback that actually added to the experience rather than being a gimmick. Shoulder buttons that felt natural and responsive. The DualShock 2 was the controller that other controllers are still measured against.
The DVD Player Effect
Here's something that doesn't get enough credit: the PS2 was one of the cheapest DVD players you could buy in 2000. At $299, it competed with dedicated DVD players that cost $500 or more. This meant that non-gamers bought PS2s just to watch movies. And then those non-gamers bought games. And then their kids played those games. And then everyone in the household was a PlayStation household.
The DVD functionality was a Trojan horse for gaming culture. Sony didn't just sell a console — they sold a household entertainment center.
The Games That Made Us
Final Fantasy X asked us to say goodbye to Tidus and hello to Yuna's journey through Spira. God of War showed us what a revenge story could look like when told through the lens of Greek mythology. Kingdom Hearts asked the question: what if Final Fantasy and Disney made a game together? The answer was something weird and wonderful that sold 7 million copies.
Gran Turismo 3 made us believe we could be racing drivers. Metal Gear Solid 2 made us question authority, media, and our own perceptions of reality. We spent hundreds of hours in these worlds, and they left marks on us that still haven't faded.
The Legacy
The PS2's legacy isn't just in the numbers. It's in the memories. It's in the copy of Madden you wore out because you played it every weekend with your friends. It's in the JRPG that taught you to think strategically about team composition. It's in the racing game that made you feel what 200mph actually meant.
155 million people have a PS2 story. That's the real measure of this machine.
If you're looking to recapture that feeling, a properly restored PS2 is the starting point. At SavePoint, every PS2 is cleaned, tested, and restored to the way you remember it — not refurbished to be generic, but brought back to feel exactly like the one you had. Whether you're after a bare console or a complete bundle with controllers and games from the era, the PS2 still has something to offer.