Despite being neglected horribly by Sony after less than stellar sales in the west and subsequently being labeled as a “legacy” system, the PlayStation Vita has had more than its fair share of great games. But like any other video game system, there are a ton of titles out there, both good and bad. Are you interested in getting your hands on a Vita, but don’t know what games are worth paying attention to? Do you already have one, but are looking for something new to play? Well, this feature will be taking a look at what Sony’s latest handheld has to offer, by compiling a “best of” list, of a sorts. a highlight reel, if you will. Although a simple “top 10” could suffice, I’d like to go a bit more in depth, so that a wider variety of games get their time in the spotlight. While of course not everyone will love all the games listed, due to personal preference, I personally believe that each of these games are at least worth a try, and are the pinnacle of what this specific console has to offer! So let’s get to it!

Note that this isn’t an end-all-be all list! This is just a jumping off point for those to get started with! Also, each game will be kept to one specific list, so certain titles (we're looking at you, Persona 4!) don’t just dominate the entire thing. As a bonus, if there is a GBAtemp review available, I will link to it, so that if you're interested, you can get a bit more information on a specific game.

Best Indie Games

Due to the extra horsepower that the Vita boasts over the 3DS, Sony’s portable has flourished with numerous indie titles, many of which feel perfectly at home on a handheld system.

10. Axiom Verge (GBAtemp Official Review)

9. Salt and Sanctuary (GBAtemp Official Review)

8. Rogue Legacy (GBAtemp Offical Review)

7. Steamworld Dig/Heist

6. Guacamelee!

5. Spelunky

4. Velocity 2X/Ultra (Official GBAtemp Review)

3. Bastion

2. Binding of Issac: Rebirth

1. Shovel Knight

Best First Party Titles

While Sony Interactive Entertainment did not get too involved Vita projects after the initial launch, there still were some solid releases for those first couple of years.

5. Tearaway

4. Wipeout 2048

3. Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Official GBAtemp Review)

2. Killzone: Mercenary (Official GBAtemp Review)

1. Gravity Rush

One of the most unique takes on platforming, SCE Japan's Gravity Rush is a beautiful game, with a lot of style. The game manages to make good use of the Vita's features, while refraining from feeling gimmicky.

Best Visual Novels

Japanese games work absolutely perfectly on the Vita, and thanks to Japan, you’ll not only see a lot of JRPGs, but visual novels as well. Luckily, a number of localization studios have translated these interactive novels for the English-speaking public.

10. Psycho Pass: Mandatory Happiness (Official GBAtemp Review)

9. Amnesia: ~Memories~ (Official GBAtemp Review)

8. Norn9: Var Commons

7. Corpse Party: Blood Drive

6. Xblaze Code: Embryo

5. Root Letter (Official GBAtemp Review)

4. Code Realize: Guardian of Rebirth

3. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (2: Goodbye Despair) (Official GBAtemp Review)

2. The Nonary Games (Zero Time Dilemma) (Official GBAtemp Review)

1. Steins;Gate (Steins;Gate 0) (Official GBAtemp Review)

A top-form visual novel in every way. A compelling narrative, lovable characters, and beautiful art make Steins;Gate one of the best in its genre.

Best Ports

Just like any other handheld, ports of older classics come in droves, and the Vita is no different. It’s a marvel to have the ability to take PS2-era games on-the-go!

10. God of War Collection

9. XCOM: Enemy Unknown Plus

8. Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3

7. Jet Set Radio

6. Ratchet and Clank: HD Collection (Official GBAtemp Review)

5. Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Official GBAtemp Review)

4. Sly Cooper Trilogy

3. Final Fantasy X/X-2

2. Muramasa: Rebirth

1. Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection

Kojima's stealthy action game makes a perfect fit on handheld, with the Vita version boasting solid visuals and performance.

Best Online Play

Sometimes playing singleplayer just isn't enough. When you need a multiplayer fix, you can turn to these games!

5. Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom (Official GBAtemp Review)

4. Hot Shots Golf

3. LittleBigPlanet

2. Minecraft

1. Freedom Wars

Best Salad Mix

This is for the games that don’t really fit into their own category, yet still deserve mention in some form or another.

10. Dariusburst Chronicles

9. OlliOlli (2)

8. Warriors Orochi 3: Ultimate

7. Resogun

6. Sonic All Stars Racing: Transformed

5. Pixeljunk Shooter

4. Yomawari Night Alone (Official GBAtemp Review)

3. Severed (Official GBAtemp Review)

2. Rayman Legends

1. Dragon Quest Builders

Best Rhythm Games

And of course, we cannot forget the fantastic rhythm games available to play. Here are the best of the best:

5. Persona 4: Dancing All Night

4. Taiko no Tatsujin V (GBAtemp Fan Translation Project)

3. Superbeat XONiC (Official GBAtemp Review)

2. IA/VT Colorful (GBAtemp Fan Translation Project)

1. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F2nd (The Diva series in general)

Best JRPGs

The bread-and-butter of this system. While AAA western development was lacking, that didn’t stop Japanese game studios. This is definitely the strongest part of the Vita’s library.


15. World of Final Fantasy (Official GBAtemp Review)

14. Trillion (Official GBAtemp Review)

13. Grand Kingdom

12. Ar NoSurge

11. Dungeon Travelers 2 (Official GBAtemp Review)

10. Stranger of Sword City (Official GBAtemp Review)

9. Lost Dimension (Official GBAtemp Review)

8. Demon Gaze

7. Shiren the Wanderer

6. Digimon: Cyber Sleuth

5. Hyperdimension Neptunia (series) (Official GBAtemp Review)

4. Atelier Totori (Atelier series in general)

3. Trails of Cold Steel (II) (Official GBAtemp Review)

2. Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited (Official GBAtemp Review)

1. Persona 4: Golden

Quite possibly one of the greatest JRPGs that you can experience. The Vita port of Persona 4 not only adds balancing in terms of gameplay, but adds new scenarios and characters, making Golden the absolute definitive version of the game.

Best Action-RPGs

Do you prefer other styles of games that aren’t turned-based or as text-heavy? These games set themselves apart from the JRPGs by having more action-based combat and gameplay, instead of the calmer turned-based typical JRPG style.

10. Akiba’s Trip (Official GBAtemp Review)

9. Adventures of Mana

8. Toukiden Kiwami (Official GBAtemp Review)

7. God Eater 2: Rage Burst

6. Freedom Wars (Official GBAtemp Review)

5. Soul Sacrifice: Delta

4. Dragon’s Crown

3. Tales of Hearts: R (Official GBAtemp Review)

2. Ys: Memories of Celceta

1. Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir (GBAtemp Official Review)

Leifthrasir is an improvement of the original Odin Sphere in every way imaginable. If you were a fan of the original game, love beat-em-ups, or just want a game with solid combat, Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is a must-play.

​

Best Exclusives

Many Vita games have made their way to other systems, be it PC or PS4. And while that’s fine, some people are interested in pure exclusives. What from the above is an experience you can only get on a PlayStation Vita? The answer is in the following:

​

5. Freedom Wars

4. IA/VT Colorful

3. Tales of Hearts R

2. Ys: Memories of Celceta

1. Persona 4: Golden

​

With a strong existing library, and even more huge titles on the way in 2017, the PlayStation Vita has more than proved that it's thriving, and still has a long life ahead of it!

So, what do you think? Did I miss any titles that you think deserve to be on here? What did you think of this article? Is there a specific system you'd like to see featured next? Let me know!

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

BT VITER NU GORMZSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Issac]

So sad I never got myself a Vita :'(

 

[Chary]

So sad I never got myself a Vita :'(

There's no better time than the present, though! PSTVs have USB support and are cheap, while used Vitas are plentiful.

 

[Issac]

There's no better time than the present, though! PSTVs have USB support and are cheap, while used Vitas are plentiful.

I guess I'll have to check it out, I'm way out of the loop on the vita scene

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

If you have any questions Issac, I know pretty much all an end user needs to know about Vita hacking

 

[SonicCloud]

ngl i would buy a vita because of the Taiko No Tatsujin and Project Diva games. But also i would buy it for the the Persona games , i have never played that saga and it seems interesenting ;o;

 

[Hells Malice]

I still love my vita.
Soul Sacrifice is such a great game.
It still blew my mind when I looked at the DLC and it all just slapped me in the face at once with their little "free" sign.
What the fuck? Why aren't you extorting my money for more content you bastards?!
I never did try Delta...I should.

The Vita is still my favorite handheld. The 3DS has a lot of "good" games, but the vita has a decent amount of great games. It's sad it didn't get the attention it deserved, but the attention it did get still made/makes it a worthwhile purchase. No regrets.

 

[kiryu1]

great review, do the Wii U next..

 

[Flame]

the difference with Nintendo handheld and Sony is Pokemon... if nintendo didn't have pokemon i would see no difference in the handled scene.

great review, do the Wii U next..

But Vita has Games.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

great review, do the Wii U next..

Well the Wii U has to actually have some games, first. The Vita has a couple thousand games that simply weren't advertised (which is, mainly, why it failed), the Wii U has like 20 everyone knows about and that's basically it.


EDIT: Fucking Flame

 

[DinohScene]

I know the basics of Vita hacking, followed it from the announcement of HENkaku.

Also, no LBP :c?

 

[Chary]

I know the basics of Vita hacking, followed it from the announcement of HENkaku.

Also, no LBP :c?

I fit LittleBigPlanet in at #3 for online games.

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

@Chary What? O_O
Of course, chary had to put odin's sphere in front of ys, Not only did you do it once but twice also with Persona 4 Golden did ys was second place. RIGGED, HAX. Time to riot! Where is my pickfork and torch.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

the difference with Nintendo handheld and Sony is Pokemon... if nintendo didn't have pokemon i would see no difference in the handled scene.




But Vita has Games.

IF sony DID have phantasy star online 2 like it was planned for vita, that just might have stand a chance against pokemon, but it did not.

 

[pedro702]

i want to buy a vita just to play ps4 games off the tv lol, tbh i looked at all this games here and they are either on other platforms already or i dont care about them at all, the only game i might have wanted was resistance for the vita

 

[Flame]

IF sony DID have phantasy star online 2 like it was planned for vita, that just might have stand a chance against pokemon, but it did not.

chance against Pokemon with niche game which dozen people like...

yeah no.

 

[cvskid]

i want to buy a vita just to play ps4 games off the tv lol, tbh i looked at all this games here and they are either on other platforms already or i dont care about them at all, the only game i might have wanted was resistance for the vita

They may be on other platforms but look at it this way, it's a handheld ps3 in a sense. You don't think it's cool to have console quality games in you're pocket?

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

chance against Pokemon with niche game which dozen people like...

yeah no.

I had no idea how much bender supported pokemon, but then again is bender, of course he would want a little slave animal to shove into balls and do battle with for amusement.

There just as much to offer with phantasy star online games that it could be just as satisfying. If you are sure that is not true, then the question would be Is there any game that rival pokemon at all? I just can't see how pokemon is just so popular of a rpg game.

 

[cvskid]

@Chary What? O_O
Of course, chary had to put odin's sphere in front of ys, Not only did you do it once but twice also with Persona 4 Golden did ys was second place. RIGGED, HAX. Time to riot! Where is my pickfork and torch.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


IF sony DID have phantasy star online 2 like it was planned for vita, that just might have stand a chance against pokemon, but it did not.

Looks like this is what you are talking about, import only though.

https://www.amazon.com/Playstation-Vita-Phantasy-Special-Package-PS/dp/B00ABA7OK8

 

[pedro702]

They may be on other platforms but look at it this way, it's a handheld ps3 in a sense. You don't think it's cool to have console quality games in you're pocket?

very few actual ps3 games are on the vita and the rest of the library are abscure jap mostly that i dont play at all.

And i already have preety much all games that were ported to the vita and i would never buy the same game again just to have it portable tbh specialy with vita memory card prices being almost as high as the games.

if i buy a vita will be to use for my ps4 off tv gameplay and thats it, heck sony even ported some vita gems like gravity rush and tearaway making the vita even less required, im still hoping someday vita resistance and uncharted get an remastered port on ps4.