When rumors were flying around the release of the PS5, one of the most interesting ones was that it would be able to play all PlayStation console games. This included the PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4. This left out the PSP and PS Vita, which would have been understandable given their format.
Unfortunately, the only emulation the system is capable of is with the PS4, which is great, but not as great as the dreams fans had hoped for. That is to say that there are a lot of great games trapped on those systems, with the PS3 having some of the most infamous. Hopefully, these games can make it into the PS5 via straight ports or remasters because right now they have only been released on PS3 exclusively.
10 3D Dot Game Heroes
There have been many games that have borrowed from The Legend of Zelda, but there was none so blatant as this game. Thankfully, 3D Dot Heroes proved itself to be worthy rather than a quick cash grab on a classic. From the top town perspective to the dungeons to the overall gameplay, this is the NES original. The most original thing about it was the ability to customize avatars via a block building creator.
9 Drakengard 3
For those unaware, Drakengard is actually the main series next to Nier. NieR: Automata was the first big universal hit in the series, finally garnering it the attention it deserved.
This game and the rest of the Drakengard main series have not been as widely regarded, and for good reason. The gameplay and graphics did not agree with most critics and fans on top of there being bugs. Still, there is something noteworthy to the over the top story and it's distressing to see it trapped on PS3.
8 Bleach: Soul Resurreccion
Most anime games, or licensed content in general, run the spectrum from passably okay to bad. Bleach: Soul Resurreccion is slightly above the average, but still noteworthy as one of the better video games this anime and manga classic has received. It is essentially Dynasty Warriors but without the official treatment from Omega Force and or Koei Tecmo. It’s repetitive, but still another hidden PS3 gem worth remembering.
7 Haze
There have been many attempts by Sony to take down Microsoft with “Halo Killers,” but Haze is a fairly noteworthy entry among these attempts. Published by Ubisoft and made by Free Radical (aka the TimeSplitters folks), it was a first-person shooter that revolved around the usage of a special in-game stimulant to enhance gameplay. Unfortunately, this gimmick didn’t amp up the gameplay enough to help it stand out as an exceptional shooter, nor did the one-note story.
6 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle
The best anime games are usually fighters, so it should come as no surprise to hear that this JoJo fighting game was well received. This was a collaboration between Bandai Namco and CyberConnect 2, who made a big name for themselves in the fighting game community via the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm games. While not as bombastic as those, this still captures the feel and look of the series. It’s not the best fighting adaptation of the series, the PS1 game by Capcom is up there, but it is good.
5 LittleBigPlanet
The only LittleBigPlanet game available to play on the PS5 is the third game, which is streaming on PS Now. Even though this is a first-party franchise, the first two games and the Mario Kart-like spinoff are not on the service. This seems like a big missed opportunity, but it is sort of understandable. The big emphasis of these games is level creation, which might be tricky to physically port over to the PS5. Even streaming it would be problematic. They’re gone for now, but they’ll return one day most assuredly.
4 Resistance: Fall Of Man
This other first-party franchise also has the third game available to stream on PS Now. Unfortunately, the first two games are not on the service nor have they ever left the PS3. It’s another one of those curious cases as one would think they would have all gotten remasters on PS4. Maybe Sony has just waiting for a bigger anniversary to then re-release them on PS5 instead.
3 White Knight Chronicles 2
White Knight Chronicles is the forgotten Level-5 RPG. They are well-regarded developers in the genre, but for some reason the first and second games did not hit well with gamers. The first game can stream on PS5 via PS Now, but the second is stuck on PS3. This is strange considering the second game came with the original, so why not release that on the streaming platform instead?
2 Yakuza Dead Souls
Most Yakuza games can be played on a variety of systems and services now past their original platforms. There are two exceptions. One, there are two samurai spinoffs that never came to the West. Two, Yakuza Dead Souls, which did release here, is still PS3 only.
As the name might suggest, this is a zombie spinoff wherein Kazuma Kiryu and other mainstay characters are forced to fight through the streets as zombies infest the town. It has more of a shooter emphasis but there are still plenty of melee weapons for some good old brawler action.
1 One Piece: Pirate Warriors
This is the first Dynasty Warriors spinoff about the highly popular One Piece anime and Manga. It’s in the same formula as the main series, which is to say players can select a vast array of characters to then use to pummel thousands of enemies into the ground. It starts from the beginning of the One Piece series and stays fairly faithful to the story, although truncated to make room for more action. It’s not the best anime tie-in Omega Force and Koei Tecmo did, but it is decent.