How to buy PlayStation Classic’s games separately

The PlayStation Classic is, by most accounts, a bust. But perhaps its 20-game lineup sparked something within you: the drive of a collector, someone who now needs to own each of the included games. It’s possible to grab all of them with varying amounts of legwork, if you’re so inclined. If the PlayStation Classic’s disappointing emulation and uninspired package isn’t doing it for you, then this is the best way to grab what’s in its library without picking up the system itself.

The easy grabs

Konami Computer Entertainment Japan/Konami

The PlayStation Store has several of these PS1 games available to purchase under its, uh, PSone Classic brand. These games are available on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, neither of which are the most convenient platforms to play on these days. But true collectors can find the games below with ease; it’s especially nice for people looking to sample these games a la carte.

Most of these games cost $5.99, with a select few — Final Fantasy 7, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil Director’s Cut — available for $9.99.

• Cool Boarders 2
• Destruction Derby
• Final Fantasy 7
• Jumping Flash!
• Metal Gear Solid
• Mr. Driller
• Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
• Rayman
• Resident Evil Director’s Cut
• R4: Ridge Racer Type 4
• Syphon Filter
• Twisted Metal
• Wild Arms

The crapshoots

G-Artists/Sony Computer Entertainment

The remaining seven games on the PlayStation Classic are harder to come by. These are the truly rare games, or at least the ones that Sony hasn’t given us an easier way to play in the decades since they first launched. We’ve grabbed recent, average-priced eBay listings of the complete, original, black-label editions of these games as examples here, because that’s likely the best place to hunt these games down: eBay. Which means that there’s no real guarantee that you’ll be able to find or snag a copy of Intelligent Qube or the original Persona whenever you want it.

• Battle Arena Toshinden, ~$12
• Grand Theft Auto, ~$15
• Intelligent Qube, ~$70
• Revelations: Persona, ~$50
• Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo, ~$25
• Tekken 3, ~$10
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, ~$6

So is the PlayStation Classic a good value?

Yes, but only if you desperately want all 20 of these games. That’s very unlikely, according to our review. And even the games you might want to play are probably not in their best playable state, thanks to some poor emulation choices with the PlayStation Classic hardware. If you’re a collector, you wouldn’t want the PlayStation Classic anyway; it’s not close to an authentic experience. And if you’re a casual PlayStation fan, you’re better off just picking and choosing the games you’d like to try out.