PlayStation games

PlayStation: history and collecting

Released in Japan in late 1994 and in Europe in September 1995, the PlayStation was born from a failed CD-drive partnership between Sony and Nintendo. Sony chose to go it alone and reshaped the industry. With CD-ROM storage, then-spectacular 3D and marketing aimed at a more mature audience, the first PlayStation made the optical disc the new standard and became the first console to pass 100 million units sold.

Its library defined an entire generation: Final Fantasy VII brought Japanese RPGs to the mainstream, Metal Gear Solid reinvented stealth, Resident Evil launched survival horror and Gran Turismo set the bar for racing simulations. Alongside them, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Tekken, Tomb Raider, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Silent Hill rank among the platform's most iconic titles. Produced until 2006, the console carried gaming through the whole shift from 2D to 3D.

Today the PlayStation is one of the most collected retro consoles. Early "black label" pressings, US long boxes, PAL exclusives and Japanese runs all drive values up, while rarities such as Suikoden II or Valkyrie Profile fetch high prices when complete. The fragility of jewel cases makes complete, well-kept copies especially sought after. On RomWize, every PlayStation game is retested and re-rated for 2026, with its rarity index and collector value (loose, complete and new) by region, to tell the must-plays from the mere curiosities.