How to Play PS2 Games on a PS3

Check if your PS3 is a "fat" model. The original PS3 units are often referred to as "fat" PS3s. Only some of the "fat" models offer backward compatibility. The "slim" and "super slim" PS3 models do not have this feature. If your PS3 has four USB ports on the front, it is likely backward compatible.

• If your PS3 does not support backward compatibility, the only way to play PS2 games without jailbreaking is to purchase and download them from the PlayStation Store.
• Alternatively, you can jailbreak your PS3 to play PS2 games, but this will void your warranty and may lead to a ban from the PlayStation Network.

Check the number of USB ports on your PS3 fat model. All PS3 consoles that are backward compatible are part of the "fat" series, but not all "fat" models support backward compatibility. To check, simply look at the front of your PS3 fat model. If there are 4 USB ports, the console supports backward compatibility; if there are only 2 USB ports, it cannot run PS2 game discs.

Check the serial number. Find the label on the back of your PS3. The last set of digits indicates whether your system has full hardware backward compatibility or limited software emulation:

• CECHAxx (60 GB) and CECHBxx (20 GB) - Full hardware backward compatibility.
• CECHCxx (60 GB) and CECHExx (80 GB) - Limited software emulation. May not run some PS2 discs.
• CECHGxx - No backward compatibility.

Check if your game is compatible. While most PS2 discs work on compatible PS3 systems, some PS2 games may encounter compatibility issues. This is more common with CECHCxx (60 GB) or CECHExx (80 GB) models that use limited software emulation instead of full hardware support. You can check the list of compatible games and models here.

Insert your PS2 disc into the PS3. If the game is compatible with your PS3 model, it should run without issues. You will see the PlayStation 2 logo and the game will start up.

Press the PS button to activate the controller. Once the game starts, you will need to connect your controller. Press the PS button on your PS3 controller and assign it to "Slot 1". This step ensures the game recognizes the DualShock 3 or SixAxis controller.

• You may not be able to play PS2 games if you are using a third-party PS3 controller. If you can't control the game, try using an official controller instead.

Create a Virtual PS2 Memory Card. To save your PS2 game progress, you need to create a virtual memory card, and the game will treat it as a real memory card. This process can be done from the PS3 XMB.

• Press the PS button to open the XMB.
• Navigate to the Game menu and select "Memory Card Utility (PS/PS2)".
• Select "New Internal Memory Card" and then choose "Internal Memory Card (PS2)".
• Assign the memory card to "Slot 1" so the game can access it.

Adjust PS2 Settings. On backward-compatible PS3 systems, there are some PS2-related settings you can tweak to improve the graphics quality of PS2 games.

• Open the Settings menu on the XMB and select "Game Settings".
• Choose the Upscaler option. This setting resizes the image to fit the screen. If set to "Off", the game will display at its original resolution, which may result in black bars. "Normal" will increase the resolution to match your screen size, and "Full" stretches the image to fill the screen. You can choose "Off" if the upscaled image looks worse.
• Choose the Smoothing option. This setting helps smooth out the edges in games, particularly those with 3D graphics. For regular games, this setting may not be necessary and could even degrade the visuals.

Access the PlayStation Store. You can either access it directly from your PS3 or log in via store.playstation.com from your computer or mobile device.

• You can play classic PS2 games from the PlayStation Store on any PS3, even if it doesn’t support backward compatibility.

Navigate to the "Games" section in the store. You’ll find various categories listed there.

Choose the "Classics" (Classics) option. You will need to scroll down to find this section.

• Note: when browsing on the web, the "PS2 Games" category will only display PS2 games that are compatible with PS4.

Select the checkbox for "PS2 Classics" (PS2 Classics). The system will filter the results to show only PS2 Classics games.

• You can play PS1 Classics on your PS3.

Add the game you wish to purchase to your cart. The games available for selection depend on your region. Not every PS2 title qualifies as a PS2 Classic.

Proceed with purchasing the game. After adding the game to your cart, you can review your selection. A valid payment method or sufficient funds in your PSN wallet are required to redeem a gift card.

• You can find guides online on how to add a credit card to PlayStation Store.

Download the PS2 game you’ve purchased. After completing the payment, you can download the game to your device. You can start the download either from the payment confirmation page or by going to the Downloads section in the Store.

Play the newly downloaded game. The classic PS2 game will be listed in the Games section of the XMB along with other pre-installed games. Select the game and start playing.

Create a virtual PS2 memory card. To save your classic PS2 game, you need to create a virtual memory card in the XMB menu on your PS3.

• Press the PS button to open XMB.
• Select "Memory Card Utility (PS/PS2)" from the Game menu.
• Choose "New Internal Memory Card" and then "Internal Memory Card (PS2)".
• Assign the memory card to "Slot 1". The classic PS2 game can now access the memory card, and you can save your game to it.

Jailbreak (mod) your PS3. If you've jailbroken your PS3, you can play PS2 games. The process of jailbreaking is complex and will void your warranty, while your console may also risk getting banned from PSN. You can find guides online on how to jailbreak your PlayStation 3 if you're willing to take the risk.

• You will need Multiman, the most popular game management program for jailbroken PS3 consoles. Most custom firmware packages come with this program.

Play PS2 discs on a computer. You can't play the game by just inserting the disc into the PS3. You need to create an image file and emulate the classic PS2 game. Once that's done, you can use this image just like a PS2 game disc. All of this should be done on your computer, and then you can transfer the finished file to your jailbroken PS3.

Create an ISO file from your PS2 disc. You'll need disc image software to do this:

• Windows - Download and install InfraRecorder, a free open-source disc image software. Click the "Read Disc" button and follow the on-screen instructions to create an ISO file from the PS2 disc.
• Mac - Open the Disk Utility in the Utilities folder. Click on the File menu and select "New" → "Disc Image from ". Create the image file on your desktop. After creating the CDR file, open Terminal and type hdiutil convert ~/Desktop/original.cdr -format UDTO -o ~/Desktop/converted.iso to convert the CDR file into an ISO.

Transfer the ISO file to your PS3. You can copy the file via USB or FTP. Use Multiman to move the file to the "dev_hdd0/PS2ISO" directory on your PS3.

Download the necessary custom software tools to run the ISO file. Two different packages need to be installed on your PS3. Search Google for the following files:

• ReactPSN.pkg
• PS2 Classics Placeholder R3

Copy the downloaded files directly to a USB drive. Copy the ReactPSN.pkg file onto the USB. Extract the PS2 Classics Placeholder R3 files and ensure that [PS2U10000]_PS2_Classics_Placeholder_R3.pkg, the exdata (folder), and klicensee (folder) are on the USB. All of these files must be placed directly onto the USB drive (without placing them in any other folders).

Plug the USB into the furthest right port on your PS3. This is the port located next to the Blu-ray drive.

Install ReactPSN from USB. Select the file from the USB and begin the installation process. You will see it appear in the Game section after installation (but not yet launched).

Install PS2 Classics Placeholder R3. Follow the instructions just like setting up the PS2 Classic emulator on a PS3.

Create a new account on the PS3 named "aa". This step is essential to continue with the installation process.

Run ReactPSN in the Game section. Wait for a moment, the PS3 will reboot, and the account "aa" will be renamed to something like “reActPSN v2.0 1rjf 0edatr”.

Log in with your regular account. You do not need to use the newly created account; simply log into your usual account.

Launch Multiman and select the Retro section. This section contains all the old game titles, including PS2 games.

Select the "PS2ISO" folder. This folder will display all the ISO files you just copied from your computer to the PS3.

Choose the game you want to play. Multiman will process the ISO file and convert it into a playable game. This may take some time. Once the conversion is complete, you will see "PS2 Classics" before the game title.

Launch the converted game from the XMB. After selecting the game, you will return to the XMB.

Select "PS2 Classics Placeholder" from the Game menu. This action will load the converted game, and it will start automatically.