If you are looking for the best PS2 emulator for Android then check out this post and learn the 9 best PS2 emulators for Android that you would love to try on your smartphone.
PS2 (PlayStation 2) is one of the most successful gaming consoles of all time. It holds the Guinness World Records for the bestselling gaming console with over 160 million units sold till it is being discontinued.
But there are people who still love PS2 and its games and want to relive their good old days. So for those, now you can enjoy PS2 games on Android smartphones with PS2 Emulator for Android.
What is PS2 Emulator Android?
PS2 Emulator for Android facilitates you with the system or you can say a platform using which you can run or emulate PS2 games on your Android smartphones or tablets. It gives you the portability to play your favorite stuff anywhere you want.
But you also need to remember that PS2 emulators can be unstable at times and can hamper your gaming experience with errors and bugs that it throws. So, don’t be too hard on it.
Things to Look for in a Good PS2 Emulator for Android
Before choosing PS2 Emulator for Android it is very important to set criteria following which you can pick the best one. So, here I have mentioned a few points that you should keep in mind before picking your emulator.
- It should work with low system requirements.
- It should be able to recognize and load the ISO file of the PS2 game easily.
- Emulators should have positive feedback from existing users.
- Should rectify glitches or bugs with regular updates.
- It should not require the BIOS file to function.
Now let’s find out what are the best PS2 emulators for Android that you can use to level up your gaming.
9 Best PS2 Emulators for Android
I have listed below 9 PS2 emulators that I like and enjoy playing my favorite games on it. Some sites may list more than the 5 best Android PS2 emulators but trust me most of them are useless and do not work properly.
Image | Product | Features | Price |
---|---|---|---|
Play! |
|
Download | |
DamonPS2 Pro |
|
Download | |
Pro PPSS2 (Gold PS2 Emulator) |
|
Download | |
PRO PlayStation |
|
Download | |
PPSSTWO – PS2 Emulator |
|
Download | |
GOLDEN PS2 |
|
Download | |
FPse Emulator |
|
Download | |
PTWOE Emulator |
|
Download | |
PPSSPP Gold |
|
Download |
Very few are market leaders and you should stick to them because this field is still under development best emulator for Android is yet to come.
Note – The order of the emulators is my personal preference based on their performance. You can choose any of them as per your requirements.
1: Play!
Play! is one of the fastest and best free PS2 emulators for Android that I like and will recommend. It is available in Google Play Store and is also under the development phase. It’s free to use and it works pretty well with 128-bit games.
It is very easy to install & configure and doesn’t requires any BIOS file to load games. Play! also supports platforms such as Windows, Mac OS X, iOS apart from Android.
But it struggles to emulate high-resolution games such as Mortal Combat, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, God of War, Final Fantasy X, Shadow of the Colossus, etc. on low or mid-end devices because of frame rate difficulties. In high-end phones, it works pretty well with no minor glitches.
Pros
- It is absolutely FREE to use.
- It’s quite easy to configure & install.
- No BIOS is required to load games.
- It supports multiple platforms.
Cons
- Poor gaming experience in high-resolution games.
You can download Play! from Google Play Store and also from purei.org.
2: DamonPS2 Pro
DamonPS2 Pro is another PS2 emulator for Android that runs almost 90% of PS2 games. To get a good gaming experience you need smartphones with Snapdragon 835/845 to play PS2 games smoothly.
It also consumes less power compared to other emulators when you play games at a high frame rate. It also offers features like memory card support, widescreen gameplay, Neo acceleration, and many more.
Its free version also gives a similar gaming experience and performance but the only issue with the free version is it displays lots of ads, has limited graphics options and you won’t be able to save or load the game from the memory.
Pros
- Best performance than others.
- It supports 2x, 5x PS2 resolution.
- It supports a gamepad made for Android.
- Resume and play functionality.
Cons
- Doesn’t support Xbox or PlayStation controller.
- Requires internet connection to function.
- Glitches in high-resolution games.
You can download DamonPS2 Pro from the Google Play store at around $10 and also from third-party websites such as oceanofapk.com & apk4all.com.
3: Pro PPSS2 (Gold PS2 Emulator)
Pro PPSS2 is a very neat and clean emulator and does what it says. It supports almost 90% of PS2 games and provides good graphics, step-by-step guidelines to configure it, and also provides a list of PS2 games that it supports. It also doesn’t require BIOS files to function.
Pro PPSS2 has very low system requirements and has a very user-friendly interface. It supports memory cards to save & load games, cheats codes, and can run games in ZIP, RAR, and other similar formats.
Pros
- Provides good graphics.
- Supports 90% of PS2 games.
- No BIOS is required to load games.
- Easy to regulate and configure.
- Run games from
Cons
- Bugs, errors, and glitches are certain while playing high-res games
- Not available in Google Play Store.
- The poor gaming experience on low specs.
You can download the Pro PPSS2 emulator from apkpure.com.
4: PRO PlayStation
PRO PlayStation is a very basic PS2 emulator for Android that lets you play games with decent graphics and nice gameplay. It offers all essential features that an emulator should offer such as GPU rendering, on-screen controllers, compatibility with a different range of RAMs, fast-forwarding, ease of use, and so on.
Pro PlayStation supports different hardware controllers, network playing, and saves the battery of the device as well. This black PS2 emulator apk performs 100% speed emulation in some older devices. It doesn’t come with any in-built games but you can use an SD card or phone storage to play PS2 games stored in them.
Pros
- It is easy to use and has features to fast-forward the game.
- Gives good emulation speeds to low-end devices.
- Smooth GPU rendering.
- On-screen controller and mapping.
Cons
- No games are included in the package.
- Glitches are common in high-end games.
- Doesn’t support Xbox or PlayStation controller.
You can download PRO PlayStation from apkpure.com.
5: PPSSTWO – PS2 Emulator
PPSSTWO is the last PS2 emulator for Android on my list. It emulates most of the PS2 games at a stable frame rate on modern Android specs. It does not work well if you are running an older Android. PPSSTWO requires a BIOS file to play PS2 games and redirect you to different sites to download the BIOS file where it floods you with ads.
PPSSTWO BIOS Location
As the PPSSTWO emulator requires a BIOS file to run games, it is important for you to locate it. After doing a bit of R&D I have figured out where the BIOS folder resides.
But for that, you need a file explorer like Root Explorer. Now go to the root directory and enter this into the search bar – com.Select33.PPSSTWO. Now tap on the !%#@$ folder, the BIOS folder should pop up.
Pros
- Plays most PS2 games at a stable frame rate.
- Available on Google Play Store
Cons
- Hard to locate BIOS file
- Often redirects to sites filled with ads
- You can’t play games on your low-end smartphones.
- Limited functionality, no ease of use.
You can download PPSSTWO from Google Play Store.
Also Read: 51 Best Offline Games For Android To Play Without Internet
6: GOLDEN PS2
GOLDEN PS2 emulator is developed by Fas Emulators which includes several features that are required to play and enjoy PS2 games. The best thing about this emulator is that it doesn’t require a BIOS file to function.
This black PS2 emulator apk can also function on older versions of Android as it supports the low system requirements. It mainly runs ISO files but also supports formats like .zip, .rar. GOLDEN PS2 emulator has high-quality performance and allows saving the game progress at any time or you can say it is the best PS2 emulator for Android offline.
Pros
- GOLDEN PS2 emulator supports plenty of PS2 games.
- It is easy to install and configure on Android.
- This emulator includes high resolution and graphics.
- It supports multi-threading and NEON acceleration.
- Multiple ROMs are supported in GOLDEN PS2 emulator
Cons
- Sometimes bugs and glitches drops while playing.
You can download the GOLDEN PS2 emulator from apkpure.com.
7: FPse Emulator
FPse is known as the ultimate PS2 emulator for Android. It offers high-quality graphics and sound effects and has high accuracy and speed.
It is the paid version emulator which is compatible with both PSX and PS1 games. This emulator has excellent sound quality and playability, so you can run games smoothly.
It support different disk image file format such as .nrg, .mdf, .cue, .pbp, .img, .Z, .iso, .bin extension and run on Android 2.3 to Android 8 version.
The FPse emulator includes up to 10 gamepads which are downloadable directly from FPse and is compatible with G-sensor, the touchscreen device button.
Pros
- Display 3D games on wide screen.
- Provides cheat code function.
- FPse emulator supports Multiplayer mode.
Cons
- 2D games get a bit odd in terms of space and size on Android devices.
- This emulator is not free to use.
You can download the FPse emulator from Google Play Store.
8: PTWOE Emulator
PTWOE is another best PS2 emulator for Android developed by TeamEMU. It has two different versions of the PTWOE emulator which differentiate based on bugs, stability, and speed. You must test both the versions of this emulator and use the one which results to be more stable.
PTWOE requires a BIOS file for its proper functioning. This emulator runs the PS2 games faster on Android devices. So, just download black PS2 emulator for Android.
Pros
- PTWOE emulator supports plenty of PS2 games.
- It adds playback PS2 games.
Cons
- PTWOE emulator is not as stable.
You can download the PTWOE Emulator from apkpure.com.
9: PPSSPP Gold
PPSSPP Gold emulator is the Pro version of the PPSSPP emulator. It supports both PSP and PS2 games on Android. You have to use your own PS2 or PSP games and convert it to .cso or .iso file formats.
It allows for running plenty of PS2 games and also offers high-definition graphics. This black PS2 emulator apk mediafıre supports fast emulation, saves games as it is in the state, provides advanced customization and filtering.
Pros
- PPSSPP Gold emulator is easy to install and configure.
- It supports cheat codes.
Cons
- No pre-installed games are included in this emulator.
You can download PPSSPP Gold from Google Play Store.
Also Read: How To Hack Any Android Games In 2022
How to Install PS2 Emulator on Android?
Here are the simple steps to set up a PS2 emulator on Android:
STEP 1# First download PS2 emulator from Google Play Store. In case if you want to download these emulators from official sites. Then you have to allow the Unknown Sources option which you will find on this path: Settings<security<Unknown sources
STEP 2# After that, download the ZArchiver application from Google Play Store. You have to use this app to extract ROMs files and BIOS files on Android.
STEP 3# Then you download the BIOS file for the PS2 emulator to function properly. You can get BIOS files in most of the ROM websites, just download them. Then move these downloaded BIOS files to the Data folder of your installed PS2 emulator.
For example, If you have installed the PTWOE PS2 emulator on your Android device. Then move the BIOS files in the directory: Android>data>com.ptwoe>data>BIOS.
The above-given directory may not be the same but the thing is that you have to find the installed PS2 emulator folder and create a new folder named BIOS. Then save those downloaded BIOS files to this folder.
How to Play PS2 Games with PS2 Emulator for Android?
Most of the PS2 emulators for Android work in the same fashion. Once the emulator is installed on your device, you need two files to play PS2 games on Android, i.e.
- ISO file of the specific PS2 game which needs to be copied in the emulator’s folder.
- And BIOS file of PS2 (some emulators don’t require this file to function) which need to be copied in the application’s folder.
ISO file of the PS2 game is mandatory while some emulators may or may not require the BIOS file of PS2 to play PS2 games on Android. You can easily obtain these files by searching on Google.
Just make sure to Turn On the “Unknown sources” settings on your smartphone (Settings > Security). Once everything is in place, you need to navigate inside the app and click the game you want to play.
If the emulator asks for the BIOS file just select it and tap the game again. Now let the game load for a while and you are all set to do the tango.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is the normal frame rate for PS2 games?
The normal frame rate for PS2 games is around 30 which means the game is smoothly playable. On Android, 0-20 frame rate means hardly playable game and 21-29 frame rate means bearable playable game.
2. Can I play PS2 games on PS1?
No, you cannot play PS2 games on PS1 due to their different designed operating system. You have to use a PS2 emulator to play PS2 games on Android.
3. What games can PPSSPP run?
There are lots of games that you can run on Android such as God of War, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, Prince of Persia Rival Sword, Crash of the Titans, and many more. These games were previously available only on Sony PSP which has been now discontinued. Now you can play these games on your Android smartphone using the PPSSPP emulator.
Conclusion
So, now you have the complete list of the best PS2 emulator for Android to choose from. My personal favorite is the DaemonPS2 Pro that runs 90% of PS2 games with very less or no issues at all. Also, it is the only and fully functional PS2 emulator available in the market.
Most of the PS2 emulators are still under the development process. It will take a while till you get more options of PS2 emulators for Android that not only plays your favorite PS2 games but also with fewer glitches and give you a better gaming experience.
James Leak is a technology expert and lives in New York. Previously, he was working on Symbian OS and was trying to solve many issues related to it. From childhood, he was very much interested in technology field and loves to write blogs related to Android and other OS. So he maintained that and currently, James is working for androiddata-recovery.com where he contribute several articles about errors/issues or data loss situation related to Android. He keeps daily updates on news or rumors or what is happening in this new technology world. Apart from blogging, he loves to travel, play games and reading books.