The best game from every year The PSOne Was Alive

The PlayStation 5 is killing it in terms of sales, reportedly triple the sales of the Xbox Series X|S, but what many people don't remember is that Sony found itself in the same situation with the PS1. The PS1 dominated the N64, selling 102.5 million units compared to the N64's 32.9 million.

If you look at the game library, you will understand why. RPGs were in their golden era here, with plenty of classics and plenty of game-changing titles released. Some genres like survival horror, metroidvania and stealth got their first big break in the industry on the PS1.

6 1995: Jumping Flash

The game that defines PlayStation

The year the PS1 launched, there weren't many cutting-edge games released. You had the first Twisted Metal, which is pretty good, but bare by today's standards. Jumping Flash shines the most, especially on what used to be the PlayStation. A first-person 3D platformer, it still feels unique today because of how early a 3D platformer it was.

Keep in mind this was 1995, before Super Mario 64, and you were still playing this game with the OG PlayStation controller with no analog sticks. Sure, some people might find it dated today, but like the old tank survival sculpt, the game is built around the driving style, so it works really well. Luckily, you can play Jumping Flash on modern PlayStation systems, so you can check out this forgotten gem.

5 1996: Resident Evil

Surefire PlayStation Game of the Year

1996 was a great year for everyone, whether you played on PC, Nintendo or PlayStation. Each platform had era-defining titles like Quake and Super Mario 64, but the PlayStation had Resident Evil. This game alone essentially spawned the survival horror template that is used to this day.

Item and resource management, limited supplies, and returning to previous areas to unlock new rooms are still present in modern games like Alan Wake 2. The original RE holds up better than you'd think, though it depends on which version is played. The best version is a DS port called Deadly Silence, which adds many quality of life improvements. However, this port is quite expensive, so available on PS Plus or GOG is a great alternative.

4 1997: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

The true birth of Metroidvania

There will be great debate over whether Final Fantasy 7 or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was the PlayStation Game of the Year. FF7 remains a favorite of many people, but in terms of which game had the most impact on the industry and whose influence can still be seen today, that honor goes to Symphony. Obviously, Metroid came before that, but like Resident Evil, many of the core genre elements that are still found in today's metroidvanias started with that game.

Metroid always felt more like an adventure game with its Zelda-style item progression, but Symphony brought RPG mechanics with a leveling system and lots of gear to collect. Although Symphony has been surpassed by many metroidvanias in recent years, it is still a certified classic and one of the most important console games.

Another certified classic

The original Metal Gear Solid is as influential a game as Symphony of the Night. To be clear, MGS1 wasn't the first game to include massive amounts of cinematics. Plenty of early PC titles did just that, but then again, nothing felt this big before.

Some of the iconic cutscenes in this game with voice acting and incredible music have given you a great cinematic emotional experience that you have never experienced before. You may have seen it before, but never experienced it. It made Metal Gear Solid special, and the story and presentation still impressed. Of all the classic PS1 games, MGS1 might be the oldest game of them all.

2 1999: Silent Hill

Lightning in a bottle

1999 wasn't exactly a stellar year for both Nintendo and PlayStation. There were a lot of great games, but not on the level of MGS1, Symphony or FF7. The first Soul Reaver is pretty good, but not too dated, so the PS1 game of the year went to Silent Hill 1. It might sound hypocritical, since SH1 also had some dated elements, but the game is still scary to this day, which is the most important part .

The sound design, atmosphere and scares never get old, even if the graphics do. The brilliant horror title with influences from Resident Evil, David Lynch, Stephen King and more offers a brilliant story and a world where reality becomes a nightmare. So many people start the franchise with Silent Hill 2, but the right choice is to start with Silent Hill 1.

1 2000: Pro Skater 2 by Tony Hawk

One of the funnest games of all time

2000 was the swan song year for the PS1 until the PS2 arrived in October. Vagrant Story is very close to winning game of the year, but Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 only gets a slight edge. Pro Skater 2 was one of those sequels like Super Smash Bros. Melee or Jak 2 which completely developed the series.

Going back to Pro Skater 1 after that game's release seemed like a difficult task because Pro Skater 2 improved the gameplay so much. The franchise's depth of gameplay really began with the introduction of walkthroughs that combine combos. While not the best Tony Hawk game, it is the most massive evolution and maybe that's why it's the highest rated game in the series.