What exactly is a threequel? It is a made-up term to denounce what order of a sequel something is. This does not mean there must be a three in the title either. It literally means this is the third game in a given series.
For example, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a threequel. So these ten games then are some of the best threequels ever made on PlayStation consoles.
10 Resident Evil 3
Resident Evil 3 may not automatically come to mind when one thinks of the classic entries in this series. That is to say, it wasn’t as groundbreaking as the first or second games.
It was a lot more action-focused, ditching the puzzles in favor of bullet mayhem. That said, it did bring one thing to the table that is unforgettable: Nemesis. This concept began with Mr. X in Resident Evil 2 but was expanded upon to create something truly terrifying: an undying monster that chased players.
9 Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
Crash Bandicoot 2 really improved what made the first so special and this third game is just more of that. It’s sort of like Resident Evil 3 in that regard. What we did find better was the time-traveling element, which allowed the developer, Naughty Dog, to play around a lot more with level ideas like being chased by dinosaurs, fighting World War II like blimps on a plane, and vanquishing medieval wizards. Time travel may rarely make sense in media, but when it comes to crafting levels, all of that disbelief goes out the window in favor of creating something fun.
8 Uncharted 3
Speaking of Naughty Dog, Uncharted 3 is also a phenomenal piece of work. It is on the other side of the spectrum where story does matter. Having Nathan be confronted with his addiction to hunt for treasure is a question we often contemplate during adventure movies and games like this. Uncharted 3 went for the deep stuff. It wasn’t as good as the second overall like many other entries on here, but it did have us hooked on that story.
7 Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex began as a PC centric series and even though it came to consoles, it was never as big. That is until the reboot began with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. At this point, Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell dominated the stealth genre on consoles. With this entry, it added a lot more than just the standard sneaking mechanics such as branching pathways and narratives that could be achieved through leveling up. Certain gadgets would make the game literally play differently, which made the idea of replaying it multiple times more intriguing.
6 Dragon Age: Inquisition
We almost put Mass Effect 3 in this slot, but then we remembered the ending. Look. It was about the journey and overall that trilogy is pound for pound better. However, what made us put Dragon Age: Inquisition on here instead is that it is a better example of a third game being the best in a series. The first was good, but a bit disastrous and the second, while improved in some ways, backtracked in other areas. This third one then was a beautiful combination of both concepts.
5 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Okay, there is a little disclaimer with this pitch. In terms of releases, Peace Walker is the 12th game released, which does count re-releases or phone stuff. However, it is the threequel in the Big Boss saga, which includes Snake Eater, Portable Ops, this, and The Phantom Pain. Make sense? Here is another thing that might catch one off-guard. This is basically Pokémon meets Monster Hunter meets Metal Gear Solid. That is a wicked combo for one heck of a portable adventure on PSP.
4 Grand Theft Auto III
Just to get the controversy out of the way, there were two mission packs released for the original game that took the game to London. We don’t think expansions should count as sequels though so thankfully we can talk about Grand Theft Auto III without much restraint. It is thanks to this game that the PS2 sold as well as it did initially. One of many reasons, of course, but it was a big one nonetheless. It created the open-world sandbox and from that many clones arose.
3 Saints Row The Third
Speaking of Grand Theft Auto III clones, Saints Row started out as just that, a poor imitation. It finally made a name for itself with this third entry, which brought back the wacky nature of Grand Theft Auto that that series had forgotten and turned it up to eleven.
It was a parody of it and other video games. Accompanied by an excellent soundtrack and a plethora of memorable moments, this might actually be the best “Grand Theft Auto” ever made.
2 Kingdom Hearts II
Despite the number, Kingdom Hearts II is actually the third game in the series thanks to the in-between GBA prequel, Chain of Memories. Think that is confusing? Kingdom Hearts III is the ninth game. Figure that out! Name games aside, Kingdom Hearts II can be remembered for not only improving the gameplay of the original, but for taking a step forward for itself. That is to say, it managed to distance itself from Disney in order to create its own legacy and a confusing yet charming one at that.
1 Red Dead Redemption 2
Technically this also counts as a Grand Theft Auto type of game so perhaps Saints Row The Third isn’t the best. And just to clarify this is indeed the third game as before Rockstar took over, Capcom made Red Dead Revolver. Aside from the Western themes, that and the two Red Dead Redemption games have almost nothing narratively in common. However, they do exist in the same series so with that cheat we can name Red Dead Redemption II the best PlayStation threequel ever made. Need we say more? This is freaking Red Dead Redemption II!