Best PS2 Multiplayer Games For More Than Two Players
Key Takeaways
The PlayStation 2 had many impressive multiplayer games that allowed for up to four players, such as Shrek 2 and Crash Nitro Kart.
Some multiplayer games on the PS2 went under the radar, like WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain and Rayman Arena, but they still offer great multiplayer experiences.
TimeSplitters 2 stands out as a wild and humorous multiplayer shooter on the PS2, allowing for up to 16 players with the system link accessory.
Many video game consoles have made an undeniable mark on the industry, but the leap forward that came with the PlayStation 2 is unbelievable. The Sony console brought with it many impressive features and what’s largely considered to be one of the best libraries of games for any console.
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The PlayStation 2 found tremendous success with most of its ideas, but it also pushed forward certain innovations that flew under the radar. The PS2 is largely a two-player console, but the advent of Sony’s multitap allowed more people to jump in on the multiplayer action. However, most people might not have used this feature all that much.
Updated on August 15, 2024, by Michael Llewellyn: The PlayStation 2 is one of the best-selling gaming consoles of all time. It offered fans of single and multiplayer games a great variety. The console has two ports and is usually suitable for two-player games, but thanks to the multitap peripheral, even more players can play in local co-op mode. Two more multiplayer games that can be played with more than two people have been added.
22 Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Four Player Co-Op Action RPG
Released October 24, 2006
Franchise Marvel
Marvel Ultimate Alliance is a dungeon-crawler-style action role-playing game, similar to the Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance series and the X-Men Legends games before it. It’s a good single-player game where players can switch characters on the fly, but it’s even better with friends in local co-op mode. Marvel Ultimate Alliance supports up to four players at once.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance offers a diverse roster of characters to choose from, including Spider-Man, Captain America, Hulk, The Fantastic Four, Blade, and Daredevil, among others. It remains one of the best superhero games ever made and features a decent story with one of Marvel’s greatest villains, Dr. Doom. Doom has put together a faction called « The Masters of Evil » that includes a good rogues gallery of minor and major supervillains as minibosses and main bosses.
21 Champions Of Norrath
Up To Four Player Local Co-Op
Champions of Norrath
Released February 10, 2004
Champions of Norrath was one of the PlayStation 2’s best and most polished action RPGs. It’s also an excellent multiplayer game that supports up to four players in local co-op. It is set in the same universe as the long-running EverQuest MMORPG series. Champions run on the same engine as Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance but feature more in-depth character customization, smoother gameplay, and tons of randomized loot to find by fighting through its varied 50 missions and levels.
Some of the more challenging enemies in Champions of Norrath require strategic approaches rather than hacking and slashing through hordes of mindless goblins, and players have the option of choosing from five different classes. Playable characters include the Barbarian Warrior, a strong Conan-like warrior who is a master of melee weapons; the Wood Elf Ranger, a skilled archer; the Erudite Wizard, a formidable magic user; the High Elf Cleric, a healer; and the Dark Elf Shadow Knight, who combines weapons and sorcery.
20 X-Men Legends
Four Player Co-Op Action RPG
X-Men Legends
Released September 21, 2004
Those who want to live out the fantasy of being one of the X-Men mutants will have a blast with X-Men Legends. This PS2 release dropped in 2004 and gave players the chance to jump into a top-down beat-em-up featuring some of the best characters from the X-Men franchise. There are 15 different characters to choose from, each with their own unique abilities and powers, with popular names like Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Rogue, and Storm making the roster alongside others.
A couch-cooperative affair, up to four players can hop into this adventure and fight alongside one another as they fight foes and iconic X-Men bosses and enemies. It’s one of the better cooperative experiences out there and a great choice for those who like beat-em-up style releases.
19 Tales Of The Abyss
Four Player Co-Op In Battles
Tales of the Abyss
Franchise Tales
Released October 10, 2006
Developer(s) Namco Tales Studio
There were a lot of great RPGs present on the PS2 but many of them are single-player adventures. Thankfully, there are a handful of RPG releases that allow for multiple players and a few that open themselves up to more than two players at a time. Tales of the Abyss is perhaps one of the best examples of this, giving players the opportunity to enjoy a couch-cooperative RPG experience with a robust story and classic RPG elements. All of the overworld and exploration elements are controlled by one player, but things open up to upwards of four people at one time during combat. It’s a great title with fun and engaging content that will keep players engaged for hours, even when they’re not controlling the action.
18 Shrek 2
Four Player Co-Op
Shrek 2
Released June 18, 2004
Developer Luxoflux
Franchise Shrek
Movie tie-in games are rarely seen today, but back in the early 2000s, almost every major film release with action sequences had a video game adaptation. Many of these games struggled to impress fans and critics, likely due to them having to stick to tight release schedules that coincided with the film’s release.
Although Shrek 2 is far from a masterpiece, the 4-player PS2 game does offer some great action-packed fun and is still worth a play today for any group looking for some simplistic entertainment.
17 WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain
6 Players
WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain
Released October 27, 2003
Franchise WWE
WWE video games were once considered to be among the most enjoyable multiplayer sporting releases, with Royal Rumble matches, in particular, bringing hours of joy. Unfortunately, WWE’s gaming franchise has since taken a nosedive, with WWE 2K20’s disastrous launch being the last straw for many fans.
Thankfully, the classic pro-wrestling games still exist, and WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain remains an absolute blast to play. Up to six people can join the action and have a wealth of iconic WWE stars to choose from.
16 Crash Nitro Kart
4 Players
Crash Nitro Kart
Released November 11, 2003
Publisher Universal Interactive Studios
Vicarious Visions’ Crash Nitro Kart may not have lived up to the high standards that Naughty Dog set with Crash Team Racing in 1999, but it’s still a fantastic kart racer in its own right and great fun to play with friends.
Racing isn’t the only multiplayer mode that Crash Nitro Kart offers, as the game also brings back the Battle Mode from the PlayStation 1 classic.
15 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003
4 Players
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003
Released October 29, 2002
Released in October 2002, EA’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 is the highest-rated golf gaming of all time on Metacritic, with a PC Metascore of 92. The game is also excellent on PS2 and allows up to four players to compete across multiple game modes.
Most of the multiplayer modes can be played by alternating with just one controller. Speed golf, however, must be played simultaneously as it requires players to chase after their ball once they’ve hit it, leading to some great golfing races.
14 Buzz!: The Mega Quiz
8 Players
Buzz!: The Mega Quiz
Released October 30, 2007
Developer Relentless Software
Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment
Although most of the PlayStation 2’s attempts at creating innovative equipment like the EyeToy fell flat, there were a few that performed well; one of which is the Buzz! Buzzer.
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Buzz! The BIG Quiz was the second entry into the Buzz! franchise, and is one of a whopping 13 games from the franchise that appeared on the PlayStation 2. Buzz! The BIG Quiz was a huge hit with causal gamers, earning it the 2006 BAFTA for best Casual and Social game.
13 Rock Band 2
Four Player Co-Op Mode
Rock Band 2
Released December 18, 2008
Developer Harmonix Music Systems
Publisher MTV Games
The Rock Band series finally gave people the chance to get a band together with friends while giving them the safety of a virtual crowd to ensure that no fruit would be thrown at the struggling vocalist.
Rock Band differentiated itself from its Guitar Hero competitor by allowing four people to play simultaneously with microphone, drum, lead guitar, and bass guitar controllers.
12 FIFA 2003
Up To Eight Players Local Versus
FIFA Soccer 2003
Released November 14, 2002
Developer(s) EA Canada , Exient Entertainment
One of the strongest entries in the FIFA series during its PlayStation 2 era, FIFA 2003 scored favorably with critics. As the third FIFA game to be released on the console, it was clear that EA had found its feet on the system, offering its most realistic soccer sim yet.
FIFA 2003 lets up to 8 players compete simultaneously on the PS2, via the console’s multi-tap. Otherwise, it is a 2-player game. While the title is a bit dated nowadays, the core gameplay is still a lot of fun.
11 Mystic Heroes
Four Player Co-Op
Mystic Heroes
Released November 24, 2002
Developer Koei
Publisher Koei
Koei’s explosive Dynasty Warriors series has helped redefine the action genre with its musou games that specialize in seemingly endless hordes of enemies that need to be taken down. The Dynasty Warriors series has spun off in many unique directions, but Mystic Heroes marks one of the first deviations from the norm as it embraces magic and sorcery over melee weapons and pure combat.
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Mystic Heroes never lets up and it’s a title that not only allows for four-person multiplayer but there’s also a co-op mode present that allows for even more of a group experience.
10 Micro Machines V4
Four Player Split Screen
Micro Machines V4
Released June 27, 2006
Developer Supersonic Software
Micro Machines V4 is an inventive take on the racing genre and while it’s far from a perfect game, it does enough things differently that it deserves its due. The main novelty of Micro Machines is the creative tracks that emphasize the small nature of the vehicles. Players not only race, but they can assault one another with power-ups to gain the advantage.
Micro Machines V4 allows for four players to race at once, but it doesn’t use a split-screen option. If a player is far behind then they’re left off-screen, making it much harder to win.
9 Rayman Arena
Four Player Versus
Rayman Arena
Released September 24, 2002
The Rayman franchise is one of the quirkier platformer franchises out there and it’s become a dark horse for Ubisoft over the years. Despite how the Rayman games have done some inventive things for platformers, Rayman Arena (known as Rayman M in Europe) instead focuses on multiplayer gameplay and allows four people to jump in on the action.
Impressively, Rayman Arena offers both battle-type multiplayer as well as foot races, which add a surprising amount of versatility to the spin-off title. While not as acclaimed as the core series, Rayman Arena is much better than it deserves to be.
8 Project Eden
Four Player Co-Op Split Screen
Project Eden
Released October 22, 2001
Developer(s) Core Design
Publisher(s) Eidos Interactive
Project Eden is a title that got greatly overlooked during the PS2 era, but it’s the kind of game that would deeply benefit from a modern remake.
The game is set in a futuristic society where players control a powerful group of law enforcement officers who are hunting for some missing people. There are four members on the team, all of whom have different skills that cater to the game’s puzzles. Project Eden can be played alone where the gamer hops between characters, but the game truly comes alive when four people are playing together and working as a team.
7 Quake 3: Revolution
Four Player Split Screen
Quake 3: Revolution
Released March 26, 2001
Developer Bullfrog Productions
The Quake series is one of the formative shooter franchises for the PC that helped move the genre forward in tremendous ways. The PC was the best place to play Quake during the early 2000s, but the PlayStation 2 offered a satisfying alternative in the form of Quake 3: Revolution.
The port combines Quake 3 Arena and Team Arena, and it’s one of the first games that showed what the PS2 could accomplish with multiplayer that extends beyond simply two players. Quake 3: Revolution allows for four-player frag matches with the game handling the frenetic chaos without compromise.
Four Player Split Screen
Twisted Metal: Black
Released June 18, 2001
Developer Incognito Inc.
Publisher SCEA
The video game genre of demolition-based racers has dwindled in more recent years in favor of more traditional titles, but Twisted Metal was one of the original PlayStation’s flagship titles and the series’ big debut on the PlayStation 2 does not disappoint.
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Twisted Metal: Black helps push the destructive title into the next generation of gaming and one of the biggest advents is that this messy chaos supports four players. An online updated version of the game makes the multiplayer experience even more of a priority.
5 007: Nightfire
Four Player Split Screen
007: Nightfire
Released November 18, 2002
The Nintendo 64’s GoldenEye 007 is still looked at as one of the best multiplayer games of all time and The PS2’s 007: Nightfire is the console’s attempt to cash in on the previous title’s success. Nightfall crafts an original story and the multiplayer features many love letters to classic James Bond films.
The multiplayer here may not be as addictive as Goldeneye’s, but it’s still an extremely satisfying substitute. The PlayStation 2 allows for up to four players to join in on the spy action, with the addition of AI bots adding even more to the experience.
4 Tekken Tag Tournament
Four Player Two Versus Two Play Modes
Tekken Tag Tournament
Released 1999-00-00
Developer(s) Namco
Publisher(s) Namco
The Tekken series has been a mainstay of the fighting genre for decades and it’s been exciting to watch the arcade fighter progressively shift over to the home console market. Each of the early games in the series refines the formula a little more, but Tekken Tag Tournament is a juggernaut of a title that packs a lot into one game.
Tekken Tag Tournament still only allows for two fighters in a match at once, but the “tag” aspect of the game allows for four players to duke it out, two-on-two, and leads to some interesting gameplay strategies.
3 Gauntlet Dark Legacy
Four Player Local Co-Op
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy
Released May 1, 2001
Developer(s) Midway Games
Publisher(s) Midway Games
The Gauntlet Legends series has fallen out of favor in recent years, but the games had a solid run of being some of the best four-player fantasy action games on the market.
There’s a very familiar structure to the Gauntlet Legends series as players choose from diverse classes of fighter-like wizards or warriors as they prepare for an onslaught of enemies. Dark Legacy is the entry of the series on PlayStation 2 and the luxury of hacking and slashing through monsters and enemies with four players is such an enjoyable experience.
