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SONY PLAYSTATION 2

How to run Sony Playstation 2 games on your computer - In 5 Easy Steps

     The best-selling home video game console of all time, the Sony Playstation 2 was competing with the Microsoft XBOX and the Nintendo Gamecube and Sega Dreamcast in the 6th home console generation (aka: 128-bit era). Sony made 3rd party development easy & the game library grew to a whopping 3,870, 3 times the combined total from the competition. It's amazing that such a console can now be emulated on PC, assuming your PC can handle it. This tutorial will show you how to run PS2 games on your PC using PCSX2, a dedicated PS2 emulator that can run real PS2 disks (from your CD/DVD-ROM) or copied disk images (ISOs). It's not as simple as other consoles, but it's worth the effort.

Sony Playstation 2 (PS2)

(Would you rather play other games in your browser with no downloads? Click here.)

STEP #1: Download the emulator & make 2 folders:

 

  • Go to the Windows download page at: PCSX2.net and get the latest Windows "Standalone Installer".

  • When the download is complete, run the EXE file to install PCSX2.

  • Assuming you go with the default options, PCSX2 (ver 1.2.1) will install to: "C:\Program Files (x86)\PCSX2 1.2.1\".

  • Go to your new PCSX2 folder and:

    • Right-click the background and select: "New>Folder" & name the folder "bios" (for your BIOS files).

    • Right-click the background and select: "New>Folder" & name the folder "isos" (for your game ISOs).

STEP #2: Download your PS2 BIOS files:

     It is not legal to download, store or distribute a PS2 BIOS, but you can copy your own. To obtain a PS2 BIOS, which is required to run this emulator, one can be "dumped" from your own PS2 (tutorial video) or the common and technically illegal way would be to use a search engine and download the file from an online resource. You are on your own for this step, other than the name of the 3 files you need:

scph10000.bin

scph10000.mec

scph10000.nvm

 

  • They are probably zipped up in a file somewhere with a name like "PS2 Bios.zip" or something similar. (Can't open: .rar, .zip, .7z, .tar, or other archive files? Get 7-zip. It opens everything. It's free.)

  • Put your copy of the files in the "bios" folder in your PCSX2 folder.

 

 

STEP #3: Download the 4gb patch:

     This will allow PCSX2 to use 4GB of RAM during operation instead of the default 2GB alloted to programs in 64-bit Windows. (Not sure whether you have 32-bit or 64-bit? Click Windows "START" button, right-click "My Computer" (aka: "Computer") and select: "Properties". It's listed there. This list will aslo display how much RAM you have available.)

  • Go to this website and download the 4 gb patch program. Save it anywhere.

  • Open the downloaded file: "4gb_patch.zip" and extract "4gb_patch.exe" to your PCSX2 folder.

  • Run "4gb_patch.exe" and the current folder is shown to open a file. Choose your PCSX2 executable ("pcsx2-r5875.exe").

  • Click "Open" and your "pcsx2-r5875.exe" file should successfully have patched. Click "OK"!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STEP #4: Set your PS2 controls:

  • Click "Config>Controllers (PAD)>Plugin Settings..." to see the control settings dialog.

  • There are some basic settings under the "General" tab.

  • Click the "Pad 1" tab to adjust the controls for Player 1.

STEP #5: Download & play your game ISO:

     PCSX2 will run actual PS2 disks from a CD/DVD-ROM drive or it can run PS2 disk copies or ISOs. Any game pirate could use a search engine to find the "PS2 ISO" of a particular game. Check the MORE GAMES list below to see games lists (Sorry, I can't link to ROMs or ISOs. For that you are on your own, but check the info resources below, particularly the official PCSX2 game compatibility list.)

DISCLAIMER: It is generally not legal to have copies of copyright-protected software like video games and in some countries even if you own a retail copy. Check your local laws to be sure of the legislation covering backup copies of software like video games. If you don't have a PS2 disk or a copy yourself, you'll be faced with downloading an illegal one. Do so at your own risk, or use homebrew and abandonware, which are legal to distribute, store and download.

 

Use your own PS2 game disk or PS2 ISO...

  • For PS2 Game Disks (this only needs to be done one time):

    • Click "Config>Plugin/BIOS Selector". This will display the Components Selector window.

    • Click "Plugins" at the top to be sure you're on the Plugins tab.

    • On the line that says "CDVD", click the "Configure..." button, then select a "Source drive" to use on your computer.

    • Put your PS2 game disk in your CD-ROM/CD-DVD drive.

    • Click "CDVD>Plugin".

    • Click "System>CDVD (full)".

  • For PS2 ISOs:

    • Click "CDVD>Iso Selector>Browse..." and find your game ISO.

    • Click "System>Boot CDVD (full)".

MORE GAMES:

Top 100 PS2 Games at IGN.com

Top 100 PS2 Games at Dorkly.com

Top 50 PS2 Games at GamesRadar.com

Top 50 Underappreciated PS2 Games

PS2 Games from A-Z at MetaCritic.com

List of Best-Selling PS2 Games at Wikipedia.org

Full List of PS2 Games at Wikipedia.org

Official Games Compatibility List for PCSX2 emulator

 

Startpage.com - the world's most private search engine

MORE HINTS:

 

  • PCSX2 will only run PS2 games, it is NOT backward compatible with PS1 (PSX) games the way a real PS2 console is. If you want to emulate PS1/PSX games on your computer see my PSX tutorial here.

 

 

 

CONTROLLERS:

USB adapter for XBOX, PS2 or Gamecube controller

Setup an XBOX 360 controller for PC gaming

Setup a PS3 controller for PC gaming

Super-affordable USB adapter for PS1/PS2 controllers

USB game controllers can be found at retailers: Wal-Mart, Target, Radio Shack, GameStop, Staples, Best Buy & many others.

 

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