Sony's PlayStation 2 is one of the most acclaimed and best-selling video game consoles in the industry, building up an impressive library of games in its extensive lifespan. And of all the major genres of games ingrained in the mainstream, RPGs proved to be some of the PS2's most prominent titles.

The voting community at Ranker put together a list of their favorites on the console. Unsurprisingly, JRPGs reign supreme on this list, including high-profile franchises like Final FantasyDragon QuestShin Megami Tensei, its spin-off series Persona, and more.

Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time

The childhood friends and main characters of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time.

The Star Ocean series has certainly seen better days, as the future of the franchise is still in limbo. However, the PS2's Star Ocean: Till the End of Time garnered a solid critical reception. It was the third main entry in the series, with the action-RPG set on an underdeveloped sci-fi planet 400 years after the events of the second game, Star Ocean: The Second Story.

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JRPGs leaning into real-time action combat was ambitious in the 2000s, as turn-based was still firmly the convention for this subgenre. Combat was started by engaging with enemies on an overworld map with gameplay also retaining the series' Item Creation mechanic.

Kingdom Hearts II

Sora with the rest of Kingdom Hearts II's main cast in cover art.

For its time, Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts franchise was a game-changer. The game was praised for blending the JRPG style of Final Fantasy with popular Disney properties and shifting to an action-RPG combat system.

It was surprising to see just how well those two worlds meshed together to create a new one, with Kingdom Hearts II receiving even stronger praise than its predecessor. Story and lore can get complicated to a fault, but it was overall well-received for building upon the first's narrative foundations in addition to more refined visuals and gameplay.

Final Fantasy XII

Hand-drawn styled cover art of the main cast of Final Fantasy XII.

Asking the fan base which Final Fantasy game is the best will incite an array of different responses. While somewhat overlooked in the grand scheme of this sprawling franchise, Final Fantasy XII was acclaimed for being a creative twist on the series' conventional JRPG formula at the time.

The world of Ivalice in FFXII combines high fantasy with steampunk elements while making its gameplay a clever single-player reimagination of MMORPG queue-based combat. That aforementioned setting also created a colorful and politically rich backdrop for what was essentially Final Fantasy's loving homage to Star Wars -- specifically A New Hope.

Radiata Stories

The main cast of Radiata Stories surrounded by the citizens of Radiata City.

Another more overlooked game, Radiata Stories was an action RPG that took place in a fantasy setting centering around humans and fairies coexisting. The game put great emphasis on NPCs and how they lived their lives around the player character, as well as making over 100 of them recruitable.

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Radiata Stories also featured a branching narrative progression, where choosing the "Human" path or the "Non-human" patch dictated where the story would take the player. It received a moderately positive reception, namely for the simple combat system being especially beginner-friendly.

Persona 3

Some of the main characters, including the protagonist, of Persona 3 in a blue-lit classroom.

Persona 5's respective critical acclaim certainly exploded the subseries' popularity on a global scale, but it's had plenty of well-received prior entries. Persona 3 on the PS2 was a milestone for the series, as it popularized the social life-sim elements that would become staples in subsequent releases.

The game was praised for its vintage brand of supernatural style and story, as well as streamlining its combat system to be more dynamic than previous games. Persona 3: FES was received even better, as this expanded version provided better closure for the main story.

Rogue Galaxy

The main characters of Rogue Galaxy, with Jaster holding his sword over his shoulders.

The Sony-published Rogue Galaxy was an action RPG that attempted to challenge other JRPG franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon QuestRogue Galaxy certainly didn't manage to hold its own in that hefty weight class and couldn't manage to expand into a full-blown series either, but it still earned a positive reception on its own terms.

The game also uses a sci-fi setting, with it earning praise for the world's scope and wealth of side quest content. Rogue Galaxy's graphics and art style were also well-received, though, its story and characters were criticized for being underdeveloped.

Final Fantasy X

Promo art of Tidus and Yuna in ocean water for Final Fantasy X and X-2

Often regarded as one of the best games in the franchise, is also one of the best mainline Final Fantasy games for beginners. And while Tidus as a protagonist was looked at as annoying, the cast overall was filled with compelling character arcs and an emotional story worth getting invested in.

Its setting was also an inventive blend of high fantasy and a tropical setting, ensuring that the game's locales were a vibrant joy to traverse. The other part of X's acclaim came from its expert balance of accessible combat and progression mechanics that could be as deep as players wanted to make it, as well as being tastefully linear without sacrificing exploration.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne

The protagonist surrounded by other demons in gold-themed key art for Shin Megami Tensei III.

Shin Megami Tensei is the parent series to Persona, with the former known for tackling grander scale philosophical themes. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne follows a high-school student who's transformed into a demonic entity after a cult ushers in an apocalyptic event to attempt to rebirth it in their ideal image.

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The game was infamous among longtime fans for being difficult, but critical reception was favorable to this mainline entry nonetheless. Particular high marks were given for how Nocturne allowed players to explore branching paths to unique gameplay challenges that could influence the story. Nocturne has since received a remaster for PS4, Switch, and PC.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey Of The Cursed King

Dragon Quest VIII artwork

In a similar case to the Persona series, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age gave the legacy franchise a bigger spotlight -- as well as one of the best RPGs to play on Nintendo Switch. However, the success of the mainline series' latest entry owes a lot to what Dragon Age VIII: Journey of the Cursed King accomplished.

It was the first mainline game to take full advantage of 3D visuals, earning praise for its cel-shaded art style and expansive world. The story earned high marks for tastefully poking fun at fantasy tropes, as well as having an effectively simple turn-based combat system.

Persona 4

Persona 4 Golden PC Cover

With all that the aforementioned Persona 5 (and Persona 5 Royal by extension) achieved, Persona 4 is still an admirably acclaimed entry in the series standing next to it. The game still retains a classic charm complemented by its stylish art and score. Even the small, quaint rural Japanese town of Inaba still stands as a refreshing change of pace going back from 5's bustling Tokyo.

Persona 4 was lauded as one of the greatest JRPGs of all time thanks to its slickly-paced combat, social sim elements, and equal parts riveting and emotionally investing murder-mystery story. The enhanced version, Persona 4 Golden, got an emphatic second lease on life thanks to 2020's PC port.

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