by The PlayStation 3 was first officially announced during E3 2005 and was released in late 2006. It was the first console to use Blu-ray technology as its primary playback medium and the console now also had a built-in hard drive for storage. The PS3 was the first PlayStation to integrate online services from the start, including the PlayStation Network, which could also be controlled from one of the company’s portable consoles (both the PSP and PS Vita), through the remote connection.
The PlayStation 3 (also known as the PS3) is the successor to the hugely successful PlayStation 2 . It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November 17, 2006, in North America, and March 23, 2007, in Europe and Australia. The PlayStation 3 primarily competed with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii, while typically belonging to the seventh generation of home consoles.
The original prototype introduced in May 2005 had two HDMI ports, three Ethernet ports and six USB ports. However, when the system was re-introduced a year later at E3 2006, its features were significantly reduced, to one HDMI port, one Ethernet port and four USB ports, likely to keep costs down.
The final technical specifications of the PlayStation 3 were a processor (CPU) of 3.2 GHz, Cell Broadband Engine and a graphics card (GPU) of 550 MHz from Nvidia. It also had 256MB XDR base memory as well as built-in VRAM: 256MB GDDR3. The basic, more expensive, model had a 2.5” Serial ATA (60 GB HDD) as a storage medium, while there was also a version with a smaller hard disk. A key part of the system was its Blu-ray drive, which could play Blu-ray movies in addition to games. Finally, the PS3, in addition to the Ethernet port, also had WiFi.
Initially the PS3 received mixed reception (to say the least), mainly due to its high starting price ($599 for the 60 gigabyte model, $499 for the 20 GB model), its complex processor architecture – which made the development of titles for the console quite difficult and time-consuming – but also the lack of quality games.
Over time, however, the console was appreciated by the public, and Blu-ray took over from HD-DVD, so the PS3 slowly began to reverse its poor start and increase in sales. The PlayStation 3 had a slow start in the market but managed to recover, especially after the release of the Slim model, eventually reaching sales of 87.4 million units. Sony discontinued it officially in 2017, thus staying on the market for eleven years (from 2006 to 2017).
When it was released, the PS3 was the most powerful video game system ever designed. The heart of the PS3 was the Cell Processor. Cell was essentially seven microprocessors on a chip, so it could perform many functions simultaneously. In order to deliver the sharpest graphics of any system, Sony turned to Nvidia to build its new console’s graphics card. Cell, despite its complexity, had its advantages and disadvantages. It was designed to support complex programming and, at the same time, resist hacking.
Unfortunately, the complexity of the system made it so different from standard CPUs that game developers quickly became frustrated, and eventually found it difficult to create games for the system. This was the reason why several game developers, at the time, announced that they were either canceling some games that were going to be released on Sony’s new console, or were delaying their titles due to the difficulties they were facing with its processor.
Eventually, several titles were released for Sony’s console, bringing their number to around 2,560. Among them were some of the most recognizable PlayStation exclusive titles, either new or sequels to series released on Sony’s previous consoles. Several titles from 3rd party developers also appeared on the PlayStation 3. Among the titles released for PS3 were: Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto V, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Batman: Arkham City, LittleBigPlanet, Red Dead Redemption, The Last of Us, Portal 2, BioShock Infinite, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, BioShock, Mass Effect 2 and 3, Street Fighter IV, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and many more.
Let’s remember the ten best- selling PlayStation 3 titles, as well as a few more that marked the PS3 generation with their sales numbers.
10 – Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
It is the first game in the Uncharted series and was released in November 2007. Uncharted follows Nathan Drake, the (alleged) descendant of the explorer Sir Francis Drake, as he searches for the lost treasure of El Dorado along with the help of journalist Elena Fisher and his mentor, Victor Sullivan;
Development of the title began in 2005, and during its development Naughty Dog changed its approach to storytelling as it tried to create a title with more human characters than its previous games. Uncharted’s narrative was an important part of the game, as the team’s goal was for the story to focus on an action-adventure with plenty of platforming elements and a third-person perspective.
Release Date: November 16, 2007
Development Company: Naughty Dog
Publishing Company: Sony Computer Entertainment
Sales ≈ 4,800,000
Metacritic Score: 88
10 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
It is the sixth title in the Call of Duty FPS series and the direct sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It was released worldwide on November 10, 2009. The story of the game follows Task Force 141, a multinational special forces unit commanded by Captain Soap MacTavish – as they hunt Vladimir Makarov, leader of a Russian ultranationalist party – and the US Army Rangers from 1st Battalion/75th Ranger Regiment, defending Washington from a Russian invasion.
The game’s main characters are Sergeant Gary “Roach” Sanderson, of Task Force 141, and Private James Ramirez, of the Army Rangers, with Captain MacTavish also making an appearance during the title’s single player track . Modern Warfare 2, apart from a very good single player story, also had a very well executed multiplayer part, which helped it a lot in its sales.
Release Date: November 10, 2009
Developer: Infinity Ward
Publisher: Activision
Sales ≈ 4,800,000
Metacritic Score: 94
9 – Grand Touring 6
The sixth numbered title in the popular Gran Turismo racing series. New features included the addition of more cars and race tracks, improvements to car customization options, and partnerships with the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Ayrton Senna Institute, the FIA, and NASCAR. Gran Turismo 6 is the first game in the history of the series to have officially certified content by the FIA.
Release Date: December 6, 2013
Development Company: Polyphony Digital
Publishing Company: Sony Computer Entertainment
Sales ≈ 5,060,000
Metacritic Score: 81
8 – God of War III
It is the fifth title in the God of War series and seventh chronologically in Kratos’ history, and is the direct sequel to 2007’s God of War II. Rekindling the Great War, Kratos begins his quest to ascend Olympus. Guided by the spirit of Athena, Kratos battles monsters, gods and Titans in a quest for Pandora, without which he cannot open the famous Pandora’s Box, defeat Zeus and end the reign of the Olympian gods to take his revenge.
The gameplay of God of War III is similar to that of the previous games in the series, focusing on combat based on combinations of hits with the player’s main weapon – the Blades of Exile – and secondary weapons that the protagonist will find during game. The well-known QTEs (Quick Time Events) also make their appearance.
Release Date: March 16, 2010
Development Company: Santa Monica Studio
Publishing Company: Sony Computer Entertainment
Sales ≈ 5,200,000
Metacritic Score: 92
7 – Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is essentially the precursor to Gran Turismo 5, released in celebration of the series’ 10th anniversary. The title introduced to the Gran Turismo series the ability to race with up to 16 cars simultaneously. According to the title’s developer, Polyphony Digital, the NPC AI was also improved from previous Gran Turismo games, while the title’s online elements also saw a significant improvement for the era.
Release Date: December 13, 2007
Development Company: Polyphony Digital
Publishing Company: Sony Computer Entertainment
Sales ≈ 5,350,000
Metacritic Score: 80
6 – Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
The title takes place five years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The story centers around a prematurely aged Solid Snake, now known as Old Snake, as he goes on one last mission to assassinate Liquid Snake, who now inhabits the body of his former friend, Revolver.
MGS4 continues in the style of the series, with many stealth pieces, while Hideo Kojima was once again at the helm, having responsibility for the script, direction and production of the game.
Release Date: June 12, 2008
Development Company: Kojima Productions
Publishing Company: Konami
Sales ≈ 6,000,000
Metacritic Score: 94
5 – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
It is the second game in the Uncharted series and was released in October 2009 for the PlayStation 3, set two years after the events of Drake’s Fortune). The central story follows Nathan Drake, Chloe Frazer and Elena Fisher as they search for the Cintamani Stone and the kingdom of Shambhala, and fight a militia led by war criminal Zoran Lazarević.
The development of the title began immediately after the release and great success of the first Uncharted. The development team drew inspiration from the explorer Marco Polo and his expeditions to East Asia.
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Development Company: Naughty Dog
Publishing Company: Sony Computer Entertainment
Sales ≈ 6,500,000
Metacritic Score: 96
4 – Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
It is the third main title in the Uncharted series and was released in November 2011 for the PlayStation 3. Chronologically, the story of the game is set two years after Among Thieves. The title story follows Nathan Drake and his mentor, Victor Sullivan, as they search for the legendary lost city of Iram of the Pillars while simultaneously facing off against a group of mercenaries, led by Sullivan’s former employer, Katherine Marlowe.
Development of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception began in 2010, and for the first time in the company’s history, Naughty Dog was split into two teams. While one team developed Uncharted 3, the other team had begun development on the company’s next title, The Last of Us.
The development of Uncharted 3 was approached by incorporating quite different locations from previous titles in the series, with the team deciding that the title’s main setting would be urban areas but also large, vast deserts, drawing inspiration for the title’s plot from life of the noted archaeologist and diplomat TE Lawrence. The Naughty Dog team tried to upgrade the realism of the game, increasing both the quality and budget in motion capture, as well as the quality in voice acting.
Release Date: November 1, 2011
Development Company: Naughty Dog
Publishing Company: Sony Computer Entertainment
Sales ≈ 6,600,000
Metacritic Score: 92
3 – The Last of Us
The Last of Us is an action-adventure title, developed by Naughty Dog on behalf of Sony. In the central story of the title, players control Joel, who is tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, to a post-apocalyptic version of the United States. Players use guns as well as various improvised weapons, and can use stealth to defend themselves from hostile humans and mutated zombie-like creatures infected by the mutant Cordyceps fungus.
The relationship between Joel and Ellie became the focus of the title’s story for Naughty Dog, with all other elements developing around it. Actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson portrayed Joel and Ellie respectively – through voice acting and motion capture – and assisted creative director Neil Druckmann in character and story development. The original score was composed and performed by Gustavo Santaolalla. The title also had an interesting online part, for up to eight players. The Multiplayer part of the game was both cooperative and competitive.
Release Date: June 14, 2013
Development Company: Naughty Dog
Publishing Company: Sony Computer Entertainment
Sales ≈ 7,000,000
Metacritic Score: 95
2 – Grand Touring 5
It was released for the PlayStation 3 on November 24, 2010 in Europe and North America, and on November 25, 2010 in Japan and Australia. It is the fifth main title in the series and the tenth overall in the Gran Turismo series.
GT5 marks the first appearance of online racing for up to 16 players in the series as well as the addition of a wreckage model with damage variations depending on the car. The title had over 1,000 cars, 29 different locations, 77 different race tracks and a loyalist generator. Dynamic time and weather effects make their series debut. Finally for the first time in the Gran Turismo series, there are official World Rally Championship, NASCAR and Super GT licenses.
Release Date: November 24, 2010
Development Company: Polyphony Digital
Publishing Company: Sony Computer Entertainment
Sales ≈ 11,950,000
Metacritic Score: 84
1 – Grand Theft Auto V
It is the seventh title in the Grand Theft Auto series and followed 2008’s Grand Theft Auto IV. It takes place in the fictional state of San Andreas, which is based on Southern California. The central story of the title follows, for the first time in the series, more than one protagonist. Thus, three protagonists make their appearance in the game: veteran bank robber Michael De Santa, gangster Franklin Clinton and drug dealer Trevor Phillips.
The title follows their attempts to commit heists under pressure from a corrupt government agency and powerful criminals. GTAV’s open-world architecture allows players to freely roam the open countryside of San Andreas and the fictional city of Los Santos, which draws its design inspiration from Los Angeles.
In GTAV there is the ability to switch between third or first perspective, while the player has the ability to move through the open world either on foot or in various types of vehicles. Players control the three main protagonists throughout the single-player portion of the title, with the protagonists alternating between them.
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Development Company: Rockstar North
Publisher Company: Rockstar Games
Sales ≈ 29,520,000
Metacritic Score: 97
Bonus Games
1 – Heavy Rain
Heavy Rain is a 2010 interactive action-adventure drama developed by Quantic Dream and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It features four protagonists involved in the mystery of the Origami Killer, a serial killer who uses extended periods of rainfall to suffocate his victims. The player interacts with the game by performing on-screen actions related to controller movements and, in some cases, performing a series of QTEs. The player’s decisions and actions affect the narrative of the story.
The title’s writer-director David Cage penned the 2,000-page script, and before its development he traveled to Philadelphia to research the game’s basic story setting, as he intended to improve upon the flaws of his previous title, Fahrenheit . Composer Normand Corbeil wrote the score, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios.
Release Date: February 23, 2010
Development Company: Quantic Dream
Publishing Company: Sony Computer Entertainment
Sales ≈ 3,030,000
Metacritic Score: 87
2 – Resistance: Fall of Man
Resistance: Fall of Man is the first main title in the Resistance sci-fi FPS series, created by Insomniac Games for Sony.
The game takes place in an alternate version of 1951 and follows Sergeant Nathan Hale as he and the Resistance forces try to deal with a mysterious invasion of the United Kingdom. The story of the series continued in Resistance 2 and concluded with Resistance 3. The title was originally developed under the code name I-8, as it was the eighth consecutive title developed by Insomniac Games.
Release Date: November 14, 2006
Development Company: Insomniac Games
Publishing Company: Sony Computer Entertainment
Sales ≈ 2,500,000
Metacritic Score: 86
3 – Killzone 2
Killzone 2 is a first person shooter released in 2009. It was developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the second main and numbered title in the Killzone series, a direct sequel to Killzone from 2004.
Like the first Killzone, as well as the 2006 PSP release Killzone: Liberation, Killzone 2 is set in the 24th century and chronicles the war between two warring human factions, the Vektans and the Helghast. Killzone 2 takes place two years after the events of Killzone and follows protagonist Tomas “Sev” Sevchenko as he and his unit fight the Helghast as the Vektans invade Helghan. The protagonist of Killzone and Killzone: Liberation, Cpt./Col. Jan Templar returns in a supporting role, along with Rico Velasquez.
Release Date: February 26, 2009
Development Company: Guerrilla Games
Publishing Company: Sony Computer Entertainment
Sales ≈ 2,000,000
Metacritic Score: 91
4 – inFAMOUS
In Infamous, an action-adventure title developed by Sucker Punch, the player controls the protagonist Cole MacGrath, a bike messenger who had the misfortune of being at the center of an explosion that destroys several blocks of Empire City. The explosion throws the city into chaos, while Cole suddenly finds himself with electricity-based superpowers.
Although the main story of the game follows Cole as he uses his new abilities to restore order and peace to Empire City, the player is given plenty of opportunities to use these powers for good or evil, depending on what they want to achieve. he does, while his actions are evaluated by the Karma system of the title. These choices ultimately affect character development, the townspeople’s reaction to Cole, and various gameplay and story elements.
The desolate urban atmosphere present in the title is inspired by comics like DMZ and Batman: No Man’s Land. Amon Tobin was among the artists who helped create the game’s soundtrack.
Release Date: May 26, 2009
Development Company: Sucker Punch Productions
Publishing Company: Sony Computer Entertainment
Sales ≈ 2,000,000
Metacritic Score: 85
5 – Demon’s Souls
Demon’s Souls is the most popular action RPG, which is the precursor to the Darks Souls series. It was developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 3 under the supervision of Japan Studio. It was published in Japan by Sony Computer Entertainment in February 2009, in North America by Atlus USA in October 2009, and in territories that had the PAL version of the title by Namco Bandai Partners in June 2010. The game is considered the spiritual successor of FromSoftware’s King’s Field series. The title’s director and creator is the legendary Hidetaka Miyazaki.
Demon’s Souls is set in Boleteria, a realm that was “decayed” by a dark being called the Old One after being freed through the use of forbidden Soul Arts. Players take on the role of a hero who comes to Boleteria to kill the king of Allant and appease the Old One. As the story progresses, players will visit five different worlds through a key hub called the Nexus.
Demon’s Souls puts a lot of emphasis on the difficulty and challenge of combat, while for the development and improvement of the character available to the player, a basic mechanism involving death and rebirth is used. These basic elements became the trademark of both FromSoftware itself and its later titles.
Release Date: February 5, 2009
Developer Company: FromSoftware
Publisher Company: Sony Computer Entertainment / Atlus USA / Namco Bandai Games
Sales ≈ 1,700,000
Metacritic Score: 89
6 – Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption was developed by Rockstar and released in 2010. It is an open world action-adventure game set in the Wild West. It is a spiritual successor to Red Dead Revolver, while in 2018 Red Dead Redemption 2 was released, which is a prequel to the story of the first Red Dead Redemption.
The Red Dead Redemption series has been widely acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, and is not without reason regarded as one of the most well-written and scripted title stories in the gaming industry. The implementation of the open world and the player’s interaction with it is exemplary.
Set during the decline of the American frontier in the year 1911, Red Dead Redemption follows John Marston, an ex-outlaw, whose wife and son are held hostage by the government as a ransom for him to cooperate with her. Left with no other choice, Marston sets out to bring three members of his former gang to justice.
The player can freely roam the interactive open world of the title, a fictionalized version of the Western United States and Northern Mexico, mostly on horseback but also on foot. Combat features a mechanic called “Dead Eye” that allows players to target multiple targets in slow motion. It also uses a morality system, whereby the player’s actions affect their character’s honor and reputation levels and how other characters respond to them.
Release Date: May 18, 2010
Development Company: Rockstar San Diego
Publishing Company: Rockstar Games
Sales ≈ 1,350,000
Metacritic Score: 95
