Best 21 PlayStation 3 Games: Best-Selling and Best-Rated PS3 Titles of All Time

Nothing is eternal, especially in the tech industry. In 2017, Sony ended shipments of the PlayStation 3, the third generation of their video game console. The PS3 was a long-lasting console, launched in November 2006 and discontinued between 2017 and 2018.

Today, we want to remember the best PS3 games, which led to the birth of legendary PlayStation titles. Although everyone has their own criteria, we’ve compiled a list of the most important titles based on sales data and ratings from Metacritic and users.

We’ve selected the best-selling and best-rated 21 PlayStation 3 games.

1. The Last of Us: Who Doesn’t Love Joel and Ellie

Although not the best-selling game, The Last of Us has sold more than 7 million copies and has received high praise from both users (with an average score of 9.2) and critics on Metacritic (95/100). The game’s captivating elements include a compelling story, great design, and a seamless blend of shooter and stealth gameplay.

2. Grand Theft Auto V: Unlawfullness at Its Peak

Grand Theft Auto V has been highly praised, with a Metacritic user score of 8.5 and a critic score of 97/100. It has also become the best-selling game on PS3 and one of the most expensive games in history. This installment, along with its predecessor Grand Theft Auto IV, holds top positions among PS3 games rated highly by critics.

The game is part of a long-lived saga that began in 1997. It’s set in fictional cities based on real ones, such as San Andreas (San Francisco) or Liberty City (New York). Plus, each installment has its own protagonists and scenarios and revolves around criminal gangs, drugs, corrupt authorities, and revenge.

3. Metal Gear Solid HD Collection: Snake’s Comeback

This compilation, released by Konami, includes Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The Metal Gear series began in 1998 and centers around protagonist Solid Snake, who comes out of retirement to neutralize a nuclear terrorist threat against the U.S. government.

While the compilation itself is not among the best-selling games, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the fourth installment, has sold over 6 million copies. It has received high ratings from Metacritic users (8.9) and critics (89/100).

4. Red Dead Redemption: Westerns Never Go Out of Style

Critics and Metacritic users alike praised the story of ex-outlaw John Marston, who tries to redeem himself by working for the law. The game received scores of 9.5 and 90/100, respectively. Although it’s not in the top 10 best-selling games (it’s close to 30th place), it sold over 1.35 million copies, which is still a great feat.

Players loved that the anti-hero survived in a world of corrupt officials and criminals, the horse-riding mechanics, and the morality system that tracked players’ actions and assigned them a good or evil score.

5. Batman: Arkham City: Skyrocketing Sales

With more than 6 million copies sold, Batman: Arkham City is one of the best-selling games of all time. The sequel, which features more weapons, characters, and action, received a score of 96/100 on Metacritic and 8.7 from its users. This is a significant improvement over its predecessor, Batman: Arkham Asylum, which did not sell as well.

6. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: Naughty Dog’s Treasure

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a highly-rated game that follows the adventures of Nathan Drake as he uncovers the mysteries left behind by legendary sailor Marco Polo. The game received a score of 96/100 from critics and 8.8 from users on Metacritic. While Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception sold slightly more copies at 6.6 million compared to 6.5 million for Uncharted 2, both games are considered iconic sagas that were born with the PS3.

7. Grand Theft Auto IV: Corruption and Revenge Sell Well

Grand Theft Auto IV is yet another GTA game among the top ten in terms of sales and ratings. It sold over 5 million copies, probably thanks to its multi-platform nature, and received a 7.5 rating from users and a 98/100 rating from Metacritic.

8. God of War III: Meeting Users and Creators’ Expectations

God of War III is among the 10 best games of all time, thanks to its success as the best-selling title in the saga, with more than 5 million copies sold. However, it didn’t rank among the top 15 games on Metacritic, with a 92/100 rating and an 8.7 from users.

9. BioShock Infinite: Third Acts Sometimes Are a Good Thing

BioShock’s third installment got an 8.6 rating from users and a 94/100 rating from Metacritic. Irrational Games’ FPS is not among the top 30 best-selling PS3 games, but we did like the story of how Booker DeWitt rescued the mysterious Elisabeth in the aerial city of Columbia.

10. Gran Turismo 5: A Million Rider Race

Gran Turismo 5 is the second best-selling racing game for PS3, with 11.94 million copies sold. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and Gran Turismo 6 are also among the best-selling games of all time, with 5.35 and 5.06 million copies sold respectively.

GT 5 is not badly rated on Metacritic with 7.8 and 84/100. Gran Turismo 5 is the first title of the saga to include Ferrari cars and also features go-karts, NASCAR cars, and a track editor. Developers also included a dynamic weather system and a day/night transition.

11. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Better Battles, Better Sales

The sixth installment of the Infinity Ward game series is one of the best-selling games, with approximately 4.5 million copies sold (3.5 million in the U.S., 1 million in the UK, and 245,000 in Japan). Among the top 30 best-selling games are also Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Call of Duty: World at War. Modern Warfare 2’s plot takes us five years after Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and features Joseph Allen, James Ramirez, and Sergeant Gary Roach.

On Metacritic, there’s a difference of opinions between critics and users, with a score of 94/100 and 7.6, respectively (they seem to agree more with Call of Duty 4, which also gets a 94/100 rating from the critics and 8.4 from users).

12. LittleBigPlanet: Content Creation Meets History

LittleBigPlanet was one of our favorite games in 2008, and although it’s not among the 10 best-selling titles, it has received good ratings. According to Sony at GamesCom 2010, it sold more than 4.5 million copies. And despite users giving it a score of 6.8, Metacritic doesn’t agree and marks it as a 95/100 game.

13. Batman: Arkham Asylum: Batman Gets the Last Laugh

Batman: Arkham City and Arkham Asylum were received differently on Metacritic. Critics give Arkham Asylum with a lower rating than Arkham City, but users score it higher. The game is not among the best sellers for PS3, but Rocksteady Studios achieved good ratings for its narrative. Joker escapes from the asylum with the help of Harley Quinn, while Batman faces a multitude of enemies and even toxins.

14. Portal 2: Second Acts Were a Good Thing, Except for Sales

Although not among the PS3 best sellers, Portal 2 is still well-rated by those who have played it and have shared their own experience on Metacritic. It’s rated quite well (95/100 from critics and 8.5 from users), even above classics such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

15. Heavy Rain: A Movie-Like Bestseller Game

Heavy Rain is positioned among the best-selling titles, with at least 3 million copies sold, according to Guillaume de Fondaumière, co-CEO of Quantic Dream. Despite this, it doesn’t appear among the best-rated games on Metacritic. It might be because its main selling point is that it feels more than a game, with an extensive script, and an ending that compares to the sensations you feel when you watch a Shyamalan movie.

16. Final Fantasy XIII: Fantasy Can’t Go Better Than This

Final Fantasy XIII is the fastest-selling installment, with more than 3 million copies sold, according to Square-Enix. It sold 1 million in the U.S. in the first 5 days after its release (combining figures for Xbox 360 and PS3 versions). However, it doesn’t appear among the top 20 Metacritic scores.

17. Demon’s Souls: Millions of Spirit Hunters

Demon’s Souls is considered the spiritual successor of the King’s Field saga, and it establishes the start of the Dark Souls saga. Critics and Metacritic users agree on this action RPG from From Software, giving it a 92 and 81/100 (almost the same as Dark Souls II). Forbes reports that it sold about 1.7 million copies (with Dark Souls winning at 1.9 million sold).

The story of this game places us in the fictional kingdom of Boletaria, plunged into fog after a dark ritual of its king. The player takes on the role of one of the warriors who kill demons and recover the souls that they would deliver to The Old One, a demon with great power.

18. Resistance: Fall of Man: Virus Takes Over and Becomes a Bestseller

Resistance: Fall of Man is a first-person shooter developed by Insomniac Games exclusively for PlayStation 3. Although it may not be among the highest-rated games on the web or have the reputation of other titles, it has still managed to sell over 4.7 million copies globally.

19. Mass Effect 2: Shepard’s Effect

Despite not featuring on the bestseller lists, Mass Effect 2 received a high rating of 94/100 from Metacritic and an 8.5 score from its users. Although it’s said to have “sold out at many retailers” and fans were “unable to find a copy,” it wasn’t widely considered a bestseller.

20. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction: Who Would’ve Thought a Lynx and a Robot Was All You Needed

This is the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series, developed by Insomniac Games. It received an 8.8 score and an 89/100 rating on Metacritic. The game sold 1.25 million copies and spawned two sequels. The third, Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, also received high praise from Metacritic, with an 8.9 score and an 87/100 rating.

21. Street Fighter IV: Tools of Destruction: Still the Most Legendary Street Fights

Street Fighter IV is a classic fighting game series that started in the arcade era and continued on various generations of game consoles. The PlayStation 3 version of the game broke sales records, at least in the U.K. Although it’s not on the list of all-time bestsellers, critics gave it an A+ rating of 93/100, while users who reviewed it on Metacritic gave it a score of 7.3.

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