Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Sony apparently tested dozens of other games for the PlayStation Classic

By

Les Shu/Digital Trends

Data miners who dived into the PlayStation Classic found references to dozens of other games in its code, reigniting criticism against Sony’s choice of titles for the retro console.

Recommended Videos

The announcement of the PlayStation Classic generated a lot of hype among gamers. Following the success of Nintendo’s NES Classic and SNES Classic, a plug-and-play console featuring the best games of the original PlayStation seemed to be a surefire hit.

Related: 
Best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max (HBO), and more

However, PlayStation fans have been disappointed. In our PlayStation Classic review, the $100 retro console failed to meet expectations, partly due to its mediocre library of 20 games. While there are a few gems in the lineup, such as Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, and Jumping Flash, gamers were hoping for more from the original PlayStation’s long list of hits.

Following the idea of what could have been for the PlayStation Classic, a code dump on GitHub revealed that Sony apparently tested dozens of other, more popular games for the retro console. The games mentioned in the “title.h” file that are not playable on the PlayStation Classic are:

  • Armored Core: Master of Arena
  • Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon
  • Colin McRae Rally
  • Crash Bandicoot
  • Crash Bandicoot 2
  • Devil Dice
  • Driver
  • Ehrgeiz
  • Fighting Force
  • Gran Turismo
  • Grand Theft Auto 2
  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
  • Kagero
  • Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
  • Kula World
  • Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
  • Medal of Honor
  • MediEvil
  • Mega Man Legends
  • Mr. Driller G
  • Paca Paca Passion
  • Parappa the Rapper
  • Parasite Eve
  • RayStorm
  • Ridge Racer
  • Silent Hill
  • Spec Ops: Stealth Patrol
  • Street Fighter Alpha 3
  • Street Fighter Ex Plus Alpha
  • Suikoden
  • Tomb Raider
  • Tomb Raider 2
  • Tomba
  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
  • Toy Story 2
  • Vagrant Story
  • Wild Arms 2
  • Xevious 3D/G+

The appearance of these titles in the PlayStation Classic source code suggests that Sony tested the games on the retro console at some point during its development, perhaps to check the quality of the open-source emulator that was chosen to power the device. Devil Dice and Parasite Eve, however, are included in the Japanese version of the PlayStation Classic.

The absence of these games on the PlayStation Classic remains unexplained, though one likely reason would be licensing issues such as for Harry Potter and Tony Hawk. It is also unclear if the games remain embedded in the retro console’s system and are just waiting to be unlocked, which is something that hackers are likely already trying to find out.

The PlayStation Classic would have been a much more interesting device with an expanded library of games that includes Armored Core, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Mega Man Legends, Parappa the Rapper, and Silent Hill. However, as it stands, the retro console pales in comparison to other similar devices.

Aaron Mamiit
Aaron Mamiit
Contributor
Aaron received an NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was four years old, and he has been fascinated…
Topics

Editors’ Recommendations

The Witcher 4 runs at 60 FPS and has ray-tracing even on the base PlayStation 5
Ciri wielding a burning chain in The Witcher 4.

At the State of Unreal 2025 event, CDProjekt Red revealed the first real look at The Witcher 4 gameplay. While it was a limited demo primarily focused on the improvements to Unreal Engine 5, we did get a solid look at how the game runs, even on a base PlayStation 5, and all the small ways tweaks and optimizations have been applied to make the game look as good as it does.

And that's the biggest takeaway from the demo: it looks really good. The presentation opened with a new trailer for the game, showing a rather grumpy merchant in a wagon traveling down a bumpy road, only to have his journey cut short by the appearance of a Manticore. Ciri later finds the remnants of the attack, and then we see a smooth transition from cutscene to gameplay.

Read more
PlayStation State of Play June 2025: How to watch and what to expect
Two samura face off in

E3 may be long dead and buried, but its spirit still lives on every June. This week is a loaded one for video game showcases, as we'll get Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Games Showcase, and more streaming over the next few days. Now you can add one more must-watch showcase to your radar: PlayStation's State of Play.

Tomorrow, June 4, Sony will give fans a major update on what's coming to PS5 with a sizable stream. That's great news, because the back half of Sony's year is a bit of a mystery right now beyond two or three major games. What else in store for PS5 owners this year? Here's all the information you need so you can catch the show. And if you can't watch it live, stay tuned to Digital Trends, as we'll keep you updated on all the big news.

Read more
3 new PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (May 30-June 1)
Key art for Destiny 2: The Final Shape. It shows three characters standing in front of an orange sky.

Under normal circumstances, we would have to wait until next week to get our drop of new PlayStation Plus games, but this is a special occasion. We're currently right at the start of the Days of Play event where Sony celebrates with tons of community events and huge discounts on PS5 games and accessories. The icing on the cake is that we're not only getting four new games for Essential members, but an additional four for Extra and two more for Premium, with several already available. That's a lot to keep up with if you weren't prepared for it, which is where I come in. We will have to wait for most of the games until Tuesday, but here are a few new games you can start playing over this weekend to start the celebrations early.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape

Read more