The Rarest PS2 Games (& How Much They're Worth), Ranked

Updated on October 12, 2026, by Mark Sammut: As always, I've updated the pricing for all the PS2 games, and I've even added two new titles: Steambot Chronicles and Persona 4 (Trade Demo).

The PlayStation 2's legacy is unshakable, largely thanks to its absurdly massive library. While we can waste hours arguing over the console's greatest masterpieces, the rarest PS2 games make for a more interesting discussion, especially since data exists that provides a general overview of which releases actually qualify. Which PS2 game costs a fortune?

A release can become rare for many reasons, but most involve a limited run that came and went without many people noticing at the time. While this could mean a game flopped in North America, publishers also love to release collector's editions that eventually become nearly impossible to track down. Using PriceCharting, let's count down the most expensive PS2 games, a ranking that changes pretty frequently.

All values for Loose, Complete In Box, and New prices were taken from PriceCharting.com on September 12, 2026. Also, these are the rarest NTSC PS2 games, so we are not including PAL and Japan.

We are also prioritizing single games, though we include two neat compilations.

How To Spot A Fake!

As something rises in value, so does the number of high-quality reproductions that try to pass for it. While not as common as, say, GBA cartridges, PS2 fakes have infiltrated the market, and customers should be careful before dropping significant cash on that copy of Rule of Rose you found in a retro gaming store.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when confirming a PS2 game's authenticity. This checklist isn't 100% foolproof, and the methods for creating a fake are constantly evolving, but these points should help minimize the risk.

• PlayStation Logo on Disc – This is probably the best way to confirm if a disc is authentic. Real PS2 games have a PlayStation logo imprinted on the back of the disc and near the hole (in the small ring around it). There will also be a mastering code that consists of a few letters (for instance, PDSS) followed by a series number. If a PS2 disc doesn't have this information, it is fake.
• Disc Color – PS2 games can have three types of colored discs (on the data side): gold, silver, and blue. If a disc looks purple or maybe even green, it is almost certainly not real. Important: PS2 games do not have a black bottom.
• Quality of Packaging – Because PS2 games are old, the packaging is likely to be in rough shape, and a broken case doesn't affect authenticity. However, if you find a factory-sealed PS2 game, double-check the ESRB logo, as it can be difficult to replicate. Frankly, you should be wary of sealed copies in general.

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30 Rock Band 2 Bundle

Complete In Box Price: $220

I miss many things from the PS2 era, but the one I miss the most might be instrument controller games. Guitar Hero and Rock Band were straight-up inescapable for years, to the point of releasing multiple entries per month. Honestly, that overexposure might be the reason this movement eventually came to a screeching halt; they burned bright and quickly, like The Beatles.

Rock Band 2 was and still is a marvelous rhythm game guaranteed to get people laughing at any meet-up. From Metallica to Linkin Park, Mastodon, Modest Mouse, and Rage Against the Machine, the setlist is phenomenal, with pretty much all the songs being bangers in their own right. This bundle comes with the drum kit.

29 Samurai Western

Complete In Box Price: $220.40

A largely forgotten PS2 gem, Samurai Western is a Way of the Samurai spin-off that puts the focus squarely on hack-and-slash combat rather than incorporating some RPG and adventure elements. Considering Acquire's mainline entries are underrated in their own right, it is really not a surprise that Samurai Western has mostly slipped by the wayside, especially since it got fairly middling reviews.

Clunky as the gameplay is at times, this game can be a lot of fun, and I would definitely recommend it to anybody who loves Way of the Samurai. Honestly, I prefer Samurai Western to the two WOTS games on the PS2, just because the combat is my favorite part of all these titles. There is little reason to revisit the original WOTS due to the existence of the 3rd and 4th entries, but Samurai Western is still worth tracking down.

28 Gitaroo Man

Complete In Box Price: $224.25

After making its PS Plus debut, Gitaroo Man is no longer as obscure as it used to be, but we are still talking about one of the rarer PS2 games. iNiS's rhythm game blends action elements by focusing on battles, with both participants having HP bars that drain whenever they make mistakes.

Although the genre remains popular to some extent, rhythm games were far more plentiful during the 2000s, and not all of them have aged extremely well. Gitaroo Man comes with a higher skill ceiling than most of its peers, but it's exactly this aspect that has allowed it to stand the test of time. The graphics also look pretty darn good for the era.

27 God Hand

Complete In Box Price: $232.91

Coming out in late 2006, just before the release of the PS3, God Hand was always going to face an uphill battle for exposure, and it would take a while for the game to become regarded as an all-time great. Clover Studio's other 2006 release, Okami, is better known for its countless re-releases, but God Hand is arguably just as good and offers better combat than 99% of games.

If you aren't familiar with God Hand, it is essentially a 3D beat 'em up, albeit one that gives you an absurd range of moves that can be customized to create unique combo chains. The campaign is very difficult but rewarding and, at times, unapologetically silly. If you love PlatinumGames' releases like Madworld, definitely track down God Hand. Hopefully, Capcom will remake it one day.

26 Steambot Chronicles

Complete In Box Price: $240

The PS2 was and still is the best-selling console of all time, but that doesn't mean every game was a guaranteed success. By the mid-2000s, Sony's system was starting to fade as the next generation arrived to replace it, and many titles that dropped during its late-lifecycle suffered because of it. Sure, you had exceptions like God of War 2, but most games didn't have Kratos.

Steambot Chronicles not only had a late debut by launching in mid-2006 in North America, but it was also published by Atlus, a small company at the time. During this era, Atlus often opted for low-print runs in NA, and many of its publications are nowadays pretty darn rare. Steambot Chronicles was ambitious for the PS2, providing a degree of player freedom that was fairly unprecedented at the time. While its age shines through, the game is still worth playing nowadays.

25 Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3 [Limited Edition]

Complete In Box Price: $258.69

Starting things off with a really cool limited edition, this version of DBZ Budokai 3 comes in a unique box and features a Broly chibi toy and a Dragon Ball toy. Here is an ongoing listing of the limited edition.

Like most entries on this list, this package's value has very little to do with the actual game, as Budokai 3 is relatively easy and cheap to obtain. It is all about that box and the toys within, and this limited edition tends to show up in listings fairly frequently. You would need to keep an eye out for a CIB listing, as new versions are almost unheard of.

24 The Guy Game

Complete In Box Price: $299.99

Going from a string of PS2 masterpieces to maybe the absolute worst, The Guy Game is, well, barely a game. Its claim to fame is that it is one of the only "adult" games on the console, and that it managed to get an M-17+ ESRB rating instead of an Adults Only one, which was pretty surprising. Technically, for a time, the game could have been purchased from your local GameStop. However, The Guy Game was pulled from distribution once an injunction came in claiming one of the women was underage.

23 Persona 4 (Trade demo)

Complete In Box Price: $276

You don't need to work hard to get your hands on Persona 4, especially nowadays when it's available on so many systems. More importantly, you should play Persona 4 Golden over the original, as it is the far better version. If you want a copy of the PS2 original, you can pick one up for around $50, so really not bad.

This Trade Demo was sent to retailers and contains, naturally, a demo for Persona 4. Obviously, nobody buys this release to play the game, and its value is entirely due to its rarity rather than quality. Only a handful of these discs were ever created, and none of them were meant to be sold. In fact, PriceCharting only has a single listing, which went up at the end of September 26.

22 Robot Alchemic Drive

Complete In Box Price: $279.99

A somewhat forgotten PS2 game and one of Enix's last solo publications before its merger with Square, Robot Alchemic Drive allows players to live their mecha dreams as they become pilots charged with protecting Earth from an alien invasion. While it offers a 2v2 mode, the game also has a lengthy campaign with multiple playable characters and mecha; the twist is that the pilots control their robots from the ground via a remote, a perspective that makes the fights feel larger-than-life.

While it's not game-changing, Robot Alchemic Drive is a great love letter to old-school big-robot anime, manga, and movies. The Japanese version, Gigantic Drive, tends to cost about 1/5th the price of the Western release, which is quite rare nowadays. If you manage to find Robot Alchemic Drive for cheap somewhere, I recommend picking it up, even if you aren't that into giant robots.

21 Star Wars Bounty Hunter [Limited Edition Action Pack]

Complete In Box Price: $299.99

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is not the most expensive in isolation, and you can pick up a complete-in-box copy for roughly $50. However, this limited-edition action pack was not your typical release, as it included a special box, the game, and an action figure of Jango Fett. Here is an eBay listing showing the box and figure (but no game).

Star Wars Battlefront [Action Pack] is a similar package with a complete-in-box price of $277.69

Like so many of these special-edition versions from this era, very few were actually released, most of which have been lost to time or reduced to spare parts. Finding a complete box that is in good shape is extremely difficult, and even just finding a loose one is challenging. Honestly, if you are a collector, your best option is probably to wait for a listing that has the box and figure, and then just buy the game individually to complete the set.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a decent game if you are into the franchise, and it is readily available on modern platforms like the PS5 and PC. If you are just looking to play it, there is no point in dropping the cash on one of the original versions.