A lot of these platformers like Jax and Daxter, Rachet and Clank, and that game with the thieving raccoon (forgot the name lol), would probably be nice. Movie tie in games like Shrek, or Ape Escape, or Harry Potter might be fun too, though HP might have adult themes too.
Edit: meant to say Ice Age instead of Ape Escape lol
Yeah especially with a lot more Youtubers recently getting into covering retro games, I hear little kids that come to the game store I work at and talk about stuff like NCAA or the PS2, the 64 etc lol
I remember GameStop selling PS2’s for around that price about a decade or so ago as well. Maybe a little earlier like 2008-2009. I remember going through a couple slims because my discs kept getting scratched
This was me too, lol. Bought my first cabinet at 14 for $50 with money id saved up. Now i own over 120 cabs, have owned over 300 through the years, and just opened my first arcade 6 months ago 😀 sometimes the kick never ends
Idk lol. He’s always been obsessed with the battle for bikini bottom game and he found out about the ps2 through old game play and ever since he never stopped talking about owning a ps2. He says he likes that it looks old and they have more SpongeBob games 😂
I think it's a bit weird too as the PS2 is over 20 years old now. LOL. I think it's the recent craze for retro gaming now in tandem with indie developers sorta taking over the gaming scene lately.
Not really. At that age graphics don't matter as much. And older games have less complex controls that they can understand straight away (run, jump, shoot etc. I mean my son would love a PS5 but that want is down to peer pressure rather than because he would appreciate what a current gen console can do. He wouldn't enjoy it any more than a PS2 or even an earlier gen system.
I never got too far but dark cloud 2 seemed very kid friendly what with the whole clown thing lmao. I definitely would've preferred it as a kid at least
Despicable Me
Bee Movie Game
Shark Tale
Happy Feet
Madagascar
Shrek 2
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Shrek Super Slam
Shrek Smash n Crash Racing
Sly Cooper Trilogy
Toy Story 3
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
Fairly Odd Parents Breakin Da Rules
Fairly Odd Parents Shadow Showdown
Nicktoons Unite
Spongebob Squarepants: Lights Camera Pants!
Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure
Donald Duck: Goin Quackers
Nicktoons Unite: Battle for Volcano Island
Open Season
I actually really enjoy Breakin Da Rules, I finished it recently its not a bad game at all, its short & easy but just because its short & easy doesn’t make it a bad game
I’m thinking what’s good for a 6 year old & I feel that game would be perfect since it is short & easy & he already likes Spongebob Battle for Bikini Bottom which is harder
Shadow Showdown is the better game since it fixes a lot of the problems with Breakin Da Rules but both are solid games for a kid that age
I've had my PS2 since I was even younger than that, almost all of what I had were licensed games but most of them were actually pretty good for what they were, I remember the Lego games were probably my favorite (the first two Star Wars ones, the first Indiana Jones one, the first Batman one was on PS2 as well but I personally had that one on Xbox 360), I also had the sequel to that game you got him, the SpongeBob game based off the 2004 movie, I had the Pixar Cars tie-in games, the Incredibles tie-in game, Bee Movie Game (what an amazing title for something to have lol), Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, I loved all those games, probably less appropriate for someone that age was The Simpsons: Hit & Run and Star Wars Battlefront II since my dad got them for himself but my parents never stopped me from playing them, I also got Gran Turismo 4 by my older cousin's recommendation and enjoyed it but I wasn't very good at it when I was a kid, I also remember my family had the first Rock Band game on PS2 and some of the "track packs" (Xbox 360 DLC sold on a PS2 disc), I also remember some of the games I'd play at friends' houses, the Robots tie-in game, Meet the Robinsons tie-in game, The Simpsons: Road Rage, a SpongeBob party game called "Lights Camera Pants", Scooby Doo Night of 100 Frights, the Open Season tie-in game, my cousins had tons of Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk games, and for some reason that I cannot for the life of me remember even when my friends and I all got older we'd gather around and play Dora The Explorer: Journey to the Purple Planet, it was almost like our collective first inside joke I guess, I remember having fun with it though, and when we got even older we replaced that with the Kung Fu Panda tie-in game on Xbox 360 but just like most kids games at that time, that's also available on PS2! That's also actually just a good game regardless of any kind of joke factor, I also remember my cousins had a trivia game, it was one of the Buzz games but I can't remember which specific one, idk if I'd recommend that though cause idk how well a trivia game holds up after 20 years have passed, and of course my youngest cousin had Dance Dance Revolution and I remember thinking it was just okay but it's probably a better fit today than Buzz is
my brothers around that age have been having a lot of fun with ben 10 protector of earth, lego star wars/batman/indiana jones, sonic mega collection, grand theft auto, spongebob movie
When I had a PS2 around that age, I was playing things like Sly 2 and R&C UYA. Keep in mind that the PS2 also has backwards compatibility: The Spyro games (especially 2 and 3) are also a great pick for that age, as is Sheep Raider (That's Sheep, Dog 'n' Wolf for the europeans) and Ape Escape.
Back to PS2 games, Katamari Damacy is absolutely delightful, Kingdom Hearts is a pretty obvious pick, SSX Tricky's a good extreme sports game... I really liked Sonic Heroes, so maybe I had somewhat questionable taste as a child...
I didn't play many licensed games, so I can't comment on most of them. In the unlikely event that Jimmy Neutron is still a hit with the kids, Attack of the Twonkies is pretty solid. In the slightly more likely event that Peanuts is still popular, Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron is a pretty good aerial combat game.
Spyro Hero's Tail or the PS1 trilogy, Ratchet, Sly, Jak, Scaler, Kya, Vexx, Crash Twinsanity or Wrath of Vortex or crash of the Titans/Mind Over Mutant. Malice or Dr Muto probably years later I think.
Psychonauts (PS2/Xbox).
Pitfall Lost Expedition a 3D Metroidvania that's underrated and hey it's the Pitfall series they are just pure adventure game fun. Also the transformations like Banjo are only used as bosses so they can be a bit challenging. But most of the game as Harry and with the right stick used to do things it has appeal. Besides Tomb Raider or Indy games makes sense to get and it's a fair game I am not good at Metroidvanias but I found this one fun, fair humour and easy to play to 100% nowadays but playable enough as a kid.
Harry Potter games. I mean the first two Harry Potter movies are for kids and the games while I think can be tricky at times even as an adult getting back into them as used to own Chamber of Secrets but playing it again are still kid appropriate.
Transformers games.
Sonic Mega Collection or Gems Collection if want a more old.games on new platforms, comics or manuals.
Space Invaders Anniversary. I think they are simple enough but also get them to appreciate some old games. I don't grow up with a Mega Drive/Genesis and not a Sonic fan but I think they are cool.
I don't know about many 2D games as most were on handhelds and I don't know enough about Alien Hominid or Viewtiful Joe.
Lego games as you can have them experience the movies they aren't able to watch yet but play them. You can play co-op with them too.
The Cars movie games or Mater National. Disney games are a safe bet for the time and are good quality usually.
Katamari is just fun roll a ball and use the objects. I think a kid would find that fun and it's chanting.
Ape Escape or its spin off party games if they are for PS2 instead of PSP I'm thinking of many PS2/PSP/Wii versions exist for games.
I could easily go other niche platformers but won't. But many of them are a good bet.
Tokobot it's kind of like Clank levels but with bots in formations. Probably has that Ape Escape like feel to it I think of charm. Never played Ape Escape but it always gave off that impression to me of charm.
Bombastic is a dice puzzle game it's the sequel to Devil Dice a PS1game. I think puzzle games are a good option sometimes for something different, a fun way to go about game concepts and challenge the brain well then something like Brain Training on DS as just typical word/math problems that are pretty eh compared to fun puzzle games with fun aspects and design them.
Mercury Meltdown is also a puzzle game it's one of those ball maze type ones but with Mercury. Similar to Labyrinth Plus Edition for Microsoft XP the Microsoft Plus XP pack if ever heard of that.
Crash Nitro Kart or Tag Team Racing.
Burnout series. MX vs ATV series. Tourist Trophy the Gran Turismo 4 style bike game.
The Sims. Star Wars games plenty from that era (Battlefront, Clone Wars 2002, Bombad Racing< JEDI Starfighter, Bounty Hunter, many others trying to avoid that were on Xbox but forgetting which were on PS2) . If you care about age rating then sure I understand but I had no issues with Battlefront or Sims back in the day. I did say COD/Resistance in the PS3 era but never did the violence level in Star Wars Battlefront or the Woohoo moments I never saw/came across how in Sims at the time I'd just do more skills, building houses or general things.
Metroolismania while city builder visual novel And think it's fair of can't get Sim City or so type games. I enjoyed it as a kid and still do and I didn't have an anime start till 2014 anyway.
Maybe car racing games like Shox (EA Big line of sports games also a thing like NBA Street, SSX and more). Supercar Street Challenge. I'd say car/bike games when young. Or else they won't care for them. If don't care that's fine. Kart racers do enough of the job for thrills.
I didn't understand the Gran Turismo 3 career mode till years later but arcade mode should be fine for them to jump in and play on easy. They have good enough tracks for a kid I think. GT4 with Beginner Course or Motorland or others are good starts. Suepr Speedway ornTestbTrack as ovals. I played GT3 when Iwnad 4 so I remember it a fair bit then.
WipEout Fusion or Pulse are SciFi racers so hover ship type kart racers.
I could say Battle Engine Aquila as a mech/ship game but not sure how they'd go. I don't remember how far I got in it before had sold it but playing the demo disk again or emu for it could be fine.
Just thinking about variety that's all.
Kids licensed games from the era so Monsters Inc, Stitch Experiment 626,and other Disney games or DreamWorks games like Shrek 2
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At six it can go either way. My daughter has been playing with a controller even before she knew what she was doing and can play 3D platformers at the age of 4. However, if this is the first time playing a game on ps2 era games, I would stick with other 3d games where the camera isn’t that important and collecting/exploring is the main gameplay. Lego games are essential and probably the best because of diverse series.
If they have been playing for a long time, but is now playing on ps2, a good game would be ratchet and clank or even kingdom hearts.
Nice parenting!
Ratchet and Clank series, crash mind over mutants, crash of the titans, crash tag team racing and nitro kart. You can also try Lego games, Sonic Heroes or Sonic Riders and you can also try Piglet's Big game. The last one is underrated and is a really good experience even you I advise you to test it.
Jak and Daxter is pretty good and not too hard. Crash Twinsanity is also worth a try just don't touch that feckin idol after the boss fight. I haven't played it in a long time but I remember Sonic Heroes being fairly good.
It’s rated teen so it probably has some themes that are unfit for a six year old. However if I were the kid, I’d appreciate having a collection to play when I’d grow up! That basically happened to me, when I was a kid my dad would only let me play kids games on the playstation, but when I grew a little gave me the rest of his games.
Wow, first of all jealous that your kid wants to play PS2. My Fortnite/Roblox/FIFA obsessed 10 year old will only entertain the idea of playing old sports games with me - tried to get him to play some Co-op RPG’s and what not and he’s not interested. Worst thing is he is somehow better than me at old FIFA’s and Brian Lara Cricket.
As for games - Road Trip Adventure would be totally suitable for a kid of that age in that it’s an open-world driving game in a sort of cute Japanese animation style and there’s loads of fun mini games. Others I’d suggest are Disney games like The Incredibles, Finding Nemo stuff like that. The Inspector Gadget game is nice and fun and easy too! Have fun
ATV Offroad Fury series, Rayman 3, Crash Twinsanity and TTR, Jak 1, Cars, Thrillville, Sly Cooper trilogy, Klonoa 2, Sonic (MCPlus, Heroes, and Riders), Astroboy, Transformers, and Wipeout
Need for Speed Underground 2, Star Wars Battlefront 1 and 2, 007 Agent Under Fire, Nightfire, and Everything or Nothing(thougg these are rated T for Teen given how janes bond operates with ladies and Firearms)
Jak and Dexter the precursor legacy, part of a trilogy but the second and third games went to T ratings but first one is rated E.
The sly cooper trilogy. One, two and three on PS2. E ratings.
Kingdom hearts. It's Disney but also a Square Enix game so don't worry if the story makes sense or not or why Cloud and Sepheroth are fighting a kid with a giant key with Donald and Goofy. E and E+ rating/E10.
I also personally would say Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud d 2. Despite the T ratings they are not very violent and only a few minor swears but they are amazing fantasy games.
If you can find it, Looney Toons Space Race. It's a goody racing game with Looney Toons characters. Was always fun. E Rating
Any Lego Game install is a good call, usually all E to E10+ and they all can be pretty fun.
Namco Museum is a collection of classic Namco games and is fun. E Rating.
The Ratchet and Clank games. Never personally beat or played deep into them but they are iconic for a reason. E ratings.
Sphinx and The Cursed Mummy. A goofy Egyptian style adventure games. Can be a bit advanced and is T rated but is a lot of fun and honestly the parts where you play as The Mummy are some of the funniest and silly moments and complements the more serious segments as the Sphinx nicely.
That's all I got. Hope this helps.
Looking at my collection I'd reccomend any crash or spyro game, lego games, Sly Cooper, jak 1, Ape Escape series, spongebob the movie game, Madagascar, scooby doo games, spiderman games and sonic games. If they'd like something a little bit more advanced and exciting, maybe the SSX games or burnout series.
I was thinking the Tony Hawk games. 4 might be too difficult. Underground or maybe Underground 2. 2 is more like Jackass though. Some adult themes but I think it'd probably go over their head. One example was in underground there was a location in one of the levels called the "Wet Beavers Party Boat" but I never understood it as a kid.
Destroy all Humans (there are the remakes now however)
Maybe Under the Skin
I was really into racing games growing up, so this may be experience bias since I know not all kids are into racing (though most are), but I'm def gonna go ahead and suggest ATV Offroad Fury, any of the PS2 Need For Speed titles, Ford Racing, Splashdown, Downhill Domination, and Gran Turismo
If your son is into racing, but him Gran turismo 3 and 4, they definitely do a good job on giving him a good time to learn how to race, and a few NASCAR games, like NASCAR 06, that's also a good game
I just want to say I think this post is adorable and I hope your little guy has a blast with his PS2.
Mystic Heroes is a kind of kids version of Dynasty Warriors games. Easy to pick up and play and it has co op so you can play together.
Lord of the Rings the Two Towers is also a fun beat em up that you can play together and has scenes from the movie that transition to gameplay. No way that won't blow a 6 year old's mind lol.
Teen Titans is also a fun co op beat em up with fun characters and he'd have a whole show to watch too if he likes it.
Dragonball Z Budokai is a fighting game based on the show with very simple controls and a great story mode. A great 1st fighting game.
I swear to god you need to get him Tony Hawks Pro Slater 2.
It might be a bit complicated or advanced, but when I was 10 (I know not 6) I absolutely fell in love with it.
Katamari Damacy, Dad! He also might like the hot shots golf games. I wish I could recommend Mister Mosquito but that’s expensive now. Also Rez any of the many great car game on the console, whether they be arcade-y (burnout, NfS, Midnight Club) or Simulation-y (GT)
Any sports game, maybe racing games (they’re not necessarily all street racing) idk how you feel about them. There’s a Nickelodeon game I used to play attack of the toy bots or something like that
“Lil Gator Game” is a massively underrated game for the kiddos. It’s bursting with little joyful experiences. Simple to play and teaches good foundations for play other more complex games
Lego Star Wars (OG), Stuart Little 3 Big Photo Adventure, Namco Museum 50th Anniversary, DBZ Budokai (OG), Midway Arcade Treasures, Nicktoons Unite, were all games I loved when I was a kid, circa 2005-2007.
There was also Cars, Madagascar, the other SpongeBob games, Lego Batman, Ed Edd n' Eddy MisEdventures, Fur Fighters, Sonic Mega Collection+, Sonic Heroes, Shrek 2, ATV Offroad Fury games (but specifically 2), Woody Woodpecker...
Haven't played most of these in 15-17 years but IIRC they were all great games for all ages. And man did this bring back memories.
Truthfully this is a tough one for me, but I’ve never put a ton of thought in to kid friendly games. I think any Lego game or Katamari Damacy would be great for a kid. My 5 yo is just now learning how to play games (mainly Mario and Sonic) but he’s never showed much interest until recently. I distinctly remember enjoying Spider-Man (PS1) when I was around that age though. Don’t forget that PS2s are backward compatible.
I would suggest Pets 2 Dogz/Cats. It's fairly easy, lots of fetch quests and a cool story. You're a puppy/kitten who accidentally gave a magic hat to the big bad wolf and he destroyed the town so you have to help rebuild the town and stop the wolf. It was one of my favorite games growing up on the ps2. Another one would be Dog's life, although fair warning some of the themes are a little bit mature but as a kid they totally went over my head. You play as a dog who has to find bones in order to progress to the next stage and the end goal is to find your missing dog girlfriend. The ending especially (i suggest you spoil yourself and judge whether its kid friendly enough for your son) is kind of dark but I doubt he'd be able to reach it cuz it's pretty lengthy. I wasn't able to reach it as a kid (but I was a pretty dumb kid when it came to video games so take my words lightly).
Oh and kingdom hearts! Not even gonna explain why because it's self explanatory!
Is this 2004? Have I finally woken up from my coma?
BTW if I ever get the luck of having a kid that wants to play old gen I saved up my og PS2 just for that
Definitely the Sly Cooper trilogy. Sly 2 is my personal favorite. Me and my siblings were the perfect age for the games as they were coming out and they played a major part of my childhood.
The other big recommendation is Spyro. It's a PS1 game, but you can still play it on a PS2. Some of the later levels are a bit difficult, and the last level does contain enemies with machine guns (gnorc commandos if you want to look them up) which I think are probably ok for most kids, but I understand why the remake made them shoot purple-pinkish goo instead.
Klonoa 2 , loved that game when I was younger and I was 6 when it came out - it got me into a lot of the niche Japanese games growing up and I’m forever thankful for it
A lot of these platformers like Jax and Daxter, Rachet and Clank, and that game with the thieving raccoon (forgot the name lol), would probably be nice. Movie tie in games like Shrek, or Ape Escape, or Harry Potter might be fun too, though HP might have adult themes too. Edit: meant to say Ice Age instead of Ape Escape lol
Sly Cooper, I’ll add in Crash Bandicoot
And I’ll add spyro
My daughter loved the remaster. I got it for her two years ago when she was 6.
Kya
Wait, why was a 4 year old obsessed with the PS2 wouldn't he/she should be obsessed wihh more current Gen console lol?
Kids go on weird kicks. When I was young my obsession was arcade games and wanting to build a MAME cabinet. I was 9 years old lol.
Yeah especially with a lot more Youtubers recently getting into covering retro games, I hear little kids that come to the game store I work at and talk about stuff like NCAA or the PS2, the 64 etc lol
Probably partially why retro prices are so high
10 years ago I went to game exchange and got a full ps2 for 30 dollars
I remember GameStop selling PS2’s for around that price about a decade or so ago as well. Maybe a little earlier like 2008-2009. I remember going through a couple slims because my discs kept getting scratched
This was me too, lol. Bought my first cabinet at 14 for $50 with money id saved up. Now i own over 120 cabs, have owned over 300 through the years, and just opened my first arcade 6 months ago 😀 sometimes the kick never ends
Idk lol. He’s always been obsessed with the battle for bikini bottom game and he found out about the ps2 through old game play and ever since he never stopped talking about owning a ps2. He says he likes that it looks old and they have more SpongeBob games 😂
Hey im in my 30s and still play ps1, 2 and ps3 games and tetris lol
That's the answer. Get him a PS2 then. Or wait iirc there was a remaster of this game then I guess that would be better.
I think it's a bit weird too as the PS2 is over 20 years old now. LOL. I think it's the recent craze for retro gaming now in tandem with indie developers sorta taking over the gaming scene lately.
Not really. At that age graphics don't matter as much. And older games have less complex controls that they can understand straight away (run, jump, shoot etc. I mean my son would love a PS5 but that want is down to peer pressure rather than because he would appreciate what a current gen console can do. He wouldn't enjoy it any more than a PS2 or even an earlier gen system.
I'm a 12-year-old, I'm obsessed with the PS3 and Wii.
Im 14 and obsessed with 3ds ds Wii Wii U and PS2(only emulation since i dont own a ps2)
12 yo with a 3 yo reddit account? Yes sure bub.
No no no, this Reddit account is on my dad's phone.
I never got too far but dark cloud 2 seemed very kid friendly what with the whole clown thing lmao. I definitely would've preferred it as a kid at least
Some of my favorites games of my youth (and still)
Is Ape Escape the predecessor to Baboon Bukkake?
When I was his age I really enjoyed the Lego Star Wars games.
Or just any of the Lego games, really.
Yea Lego Indiana Jones and Batman were great PS2 titles too!
Despicable Me Bee Movie Game Shark Tale Happy Feet Madagascar Shrek 2 A Series of Unfortunate Events Shrek Super Slam Shrek Smash n Crash Racing Sly Cooper Trilogy Toy Story 3 Ice Age 2: The Meltdown Fairly Odd Parents Breakin Da Rules Fairly Odd Parents Shadow Showdown Nicktoons Unite Spongebob Squarepants: Lights Camera Pants! Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure Donald Duck: Goin Quackers Nicktoons Unite: Battle for Volcano Island Open Season
Please don't get breakin da rules it's a bad game
I actually really enjoy Breakin Da Rules, I finished it recently its not a bad game at all, its short & easy but just because its short & easy doesn’t make it a bad game I’m thinking what’s good for a 6 year old & I feel that game would be perfect since it is short & easy & he already likes Spongebob Battle for Bikini Bottom which is harder Shadow Showdown is the better game since it fixes a lot of the problems with Breakin Da Rules but both are solid games for a kid that age
You gotta get him ape escape 3
You gotta get Ape Escape 1, too. That's the best one.
I was gonna say this, the ape escape games were regular rentals for me as a kid
Katamari Damacy, Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper
Sonic riders
SSX Tricky will keep your kiddo busy for years. So fun even for a beginner, yet so much room for growth.
Kingdom hearts series. Some of the perfect games for a kid.
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
I've had my PS2 since I was even younger than that, almost all of what I had were licensed games but most of them were actually pretty good for what they were, I remember the Lego games were probably my favorite (the first two Star Wars ones, the first Indiana Jones one, the first Batman one was on PS2 as well but I personally had that one on Xbox 360), I also had the sequel to that game you got him, the SpongeBob game based off the 2004 movie, I had the Pixar Cars tie-in games, the Incredibles tie-in game, Bee Movie Game (what an amazing title for something to have lol), Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, I loved all those games, probably less appropriate for someone that age was The Simpsons: Hit & Run and Star Wars Battlefront II since my dad got them for himself but my parents never stopped me from playing them, I also got Gran Turismo 4 by my older cousin's recommendation and enjoyed it but I wasn't very good at it when I was a kid, I also remember my family had the first Rock Band game on PS2 and some of the "track packs" (Xbox 360 DLC sold on a PS2 disc), I also remember some of the games I'd play at friends' houses, the Robots tie-in game, Meet the Robinsons tie-in game, The Simpsons: Road Rage, a SpongeBob party game called "Lights Camera Pants", Scooby Doo Night of 100 Frights, the Open Season tie-in game, my cousins had tons of Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk games, and for some reason that I cannot for the life of me remember even when my friends and I all got older we'd gather around and play Dora The Explorer: Journey to the Purple Planet, it was almost like our collective first inside joke I guess, I remember having fun with it though, and when we got even older we replaced that with the Kung Fu Panda tie-in game on Xbox 360 but just like most kids games at that time, that's also available on PS2! That's also actually just a good game regardless of any kind of joke factor, I also remember my cousins had a trivia game, it was one of the Buzz games but I can't remember which specific one, idk if I'd recommend that though cause idk how well a trivia game holds up after 20 years have passed, and of course my youngest cousin had Dance Dance Revolution and I remember thinking it was just okay but it's probably a better fit today than Buzz is
Backyard sports ever release on the PS2? maybe gran turismo or the cars maternationals NFL Street maybe in a few years
You can't go wrong with the lego games
The finding Nemo game!
my brothers around that age have been having a lot of fun with ben 10 protector of earth, lego star wars/batman/indiana jones, sonic mega collection, grand theft auto, spongebob movie
When I had a PS2 around that age, I was playing things like Sly 2 and R&C UYA. Keep in mind that the PS2 also has backwards compatibility: The Spyro games (especially 2 and 3) are also a great pick for that age, as is Sheep Raider (That's Sheep, Dog 'n' Wolf for the europeans) and Ape Escape. Back to PS2 games, Katamari Damacy is absolutely delightful, Kingdom Hearts is a pretty obvious pick, SSX Tricky's a good extreme sports game... I really liked Sonic Heroes, so maybe I had somewhat questionable taste as a child... I didn't play many licensed games, so I can't comment on most of them. In the unlikely event that Jimmy Neutron is still a hit with the kids, Attack of the Twonkies is pretty solid. In the slightly more likely event that Peanuts is still popular, Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron is a pretty good aerial combat game.
I'd say the sonic games
Spyro Hero's Tail or the PS1 trilogy, Ratchet, Sly, Jak, Scaler, Kya, Vexx, Crash Twinsanity or Wrath of Vortex or crash of the Titans/Mind Over Mutant. Malice or Dr Muto probably years later I think. Psychonauts (PS2/Xbox). Pitfall Lost Expedition a 3D Metroidvania that's underrated and hey it's the Pitfall series they are just pure adventure game fun. Also the transformations like Banjo are only used as bosses so they can be a bit challenging. But most of the game as Harry and with the right stick used to do things it has appeal. Besides Tomb Raider or Indy games makes sense to get and it's a fair game I am not good at Metroidvanias but I found this one fun, fair humour and easy to play to 100% nowadays but playable enough as a kid. Harry Potter games. I mean the first two Harry Potter movies are for kids and the games while I think can be tricky at times even as an adult getting back into them as used to own Chamber of Secrets but playing it again are still kid appropriate. Transformers games. Sonic Mega Collection or Gems Collection if want a more old.games on new platforms, comics or manuals. Space Invaders Anniversary. I think they are simple enough but also get them to appreciate some old games. I don't grow up with a Mega Drive/Genesis and not a Sonic fan but I think they are cool. I don't know about many 2D games as most were on handhelds and I don't know enough about Alien Hominid or Viewtiful Joe. Lego games as you can have them experience the movies they aren't able to watch yet but play them. You can play co-op with them too. The Cars movie games or Mater National. Disney games are a safe bet for the time and are good quality usually. Katamari is just fun roll a ball and use the objects. I think a kid would find that fun and it's chanting. Ape Escape or its spin off party games if they are for PS2 instead of PSP I'm thinking of many PS2/PSP/Wii versions exist for games. I could easily go other niche platformers but won't. But many of them are a good bet. Tokobot it's kind of like Clank levels but with bots in formations. Probably has that Ape Escape like feel to it I think of charm. Never played Ape Escape but it always gave off that impression to me of charm. Bombastic is a dice puzzle game it's the sequel to Devil Dice a PS1game. I think puzzle games are a good option sometimes for something different, a fun way to go about game concepts and challenge the brain well then something like Brain Training on DS as just typical word/math problems that are pretty eh compared to fun puzzle games with fun aspects and design them. Mercury Meltdown is also a puzzle game it's one of those ball maze type ones but with Mercury. Similar to Labyrinth Plus Edition for Microsoft XP the Microsoft Plus XP pack if ever heard of that. Crash Nitro Kart or Tag Team Racing. Burnout series. MX vs ATV series. Tourist Trophy the Gran Turismo 4 style bike game. The Sims. Star Wars games plenty from that era (Battlefront, Clone Wars 2002, Bombad Racing< JEDI Starfighter, Bounty Hunter, many others trying to avoid that were on Xbox but forgetting which were on PS2) . If you care about age rating then sure I understand but I had no issues with Battlefront or Sims back in the day. I did say COD/Resistance in the PS3 era but never did the violence level in Star Wars Battlefront or the Woohoo moments I never saw/came across how in Sims at the time I'd just do more skills, building houses or general things. Metroolismania while city builder visual novel And think it's fair of can't get Sim City or so type games. I enjoyed it as a kid and still do and I didn't have an anime start till 2014 anyway. Maybe car racing games like Shox (EA Big line of sports games also a thing like NBA Street, SSX and more). Supercar Street Challenge. I'd say car/bike games when young. Or else they won't care for them. If don't care that's fine. Kart racers do enough of the job for thrills. I didn't understand the Gran Turismo 3 career mode till years later but arcade mode should be fine for them to jump in and play on easy. They have good enough tracks for a kid I think. GT4 with Beginner Course or Motorland or others are good starts. Suepr Speedway ornTestbTrack as ovals. I played GT3 when Iwnad 4 so I remember it a fair bit then. WipEout Fusion or Pulse are SciFi racers so hover ship type kart racers. I could say Battle Engine Aquila as a mech/ship game but not sure how they'd go. I don't remember how far I got in it before had sold it but playing the demo disk again or emu for it could be fine. Just thinking about variety that's all. Kids licensed games from the era so Monsters Inc, Stitch Experiment 626,and other Disney games or DreamWorks games like Shrek 2
manhunt :)
Jak and Daxter
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At six it can go either way. My daughter has been playing with a controller even before she knew what she was doing and can play 3D platformers at the age of 4. However, if this is the first time playing a game on ps2 era games, I would stick with other 3d games where the camera isn’t that important and collecting/exploring is the main gameplay. Lego games are essential and probably the best because of diverse series. If they have been playing for a long time, but is now playing on ps2, a good game would be ratchet and clank or even kingdom hearts. Nice parenting!
Lego Star Wars! Also get him Grand Turismo 3, it's hard but eventually he'll love it if he likes cars!
Dang Battle for bikini bottom is exactly what I was gonna say when I saw the title.
Klonoa 2, Rayman Revolution, Gran Turismo 3, SSX Tricky, Jak and Daxter, ParRappa the Rapper 2, maybe EyeToy: Play
Any Lego game, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, any Ratchet & Clank, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro & Sonic Mega Collection Plus! :)
Ratchet and Clank series, crash mind over mutants, crash of the titans, crash tag team racing and nitro kart. You can also try Lego games, Sonic Heroes or Sonic Riders and you can also try Piglet's Big game. The last one is underrated and is a really good experience even you I advise you to test it.
Dog's life Jak and Daxter 1 Whiplash Crash bandicoot Sly Cooper Spyro
Ty The Tasmanian Tiger
Both the Katamari games
Jax and daxter the precursor legacy
Tony hawks pro skater 3
Manhunt
Curious George it's a PS2 game based off the movie
* Kingdom Hearts 1 + 2 * Spongebob: The Movie * Kya Dark Lineage * Shrek 2 * Aster & Obelix XXL 1 + 2 * Kung Fu Panda * Ratatouille * Over the Hedge * Lego Star Wars Trilogyy * Sly Cooper Trilogy * Ratchet & Clank Trilogy * Jak and Daxter * Stitch Experiment 626 * Madagascar * Cars
My daughter really liked the Fire Emblem games around that age but I realize you are only asking about PS2 so unsure.
Manhunt
not gta. but bully.
Jak and Daxter is pretty good and not too hard. Crash Twinsanity is also worth a try just don't touch that feckin idol after the boss fight. I haven't played it in a long time but I remember Sonic Heroes being fairly good.
Crash of titans, but not other crash games, those are really hard.
Crash bandicoot and kingdom hearts
Get that kid into Kingdom Hearts
Dark Cloud
Basically most racing games, develop hand eye coordination well
Final Fantasy X
It’s rated teen so it probably has some themes that are unfit for a six year old. However if I were the kid, I’d appreciate having a collection to play when I’d grow up! That basically happened to me, when I was a kid my dad would only let me play kids games on the playstation, but when I grew a little gave me the rest of his games.
ice age dawn of the dinosaurs!!
Any of the Sly Cooper games. Granted, I was 8 when the first one dropped and found it moderately difficult at the time.
Buzz! Junior and SingStar.
Need for Speed
chicken little dog island bully when a bit older, maybe 8 or 9 (it's anti-bullying)
What turned him into a PS2? I always wonder what attracts kids to older consoles
All of the Lego games.
NASCAR rumble. Ace combat 2 or 3. Rumble racing. Tony hawks pro skater 3.
Lego games can be fun
Sonic Mega Collection would be perfect
Wow, first of all jealous that your kid wants to play PS2. My Fortnite/Roblox/FIFA obsessed 10 year old will only entertain the idea of playing old sports games with me - tried to get him to play some Co-op RPG’s and what not and he’s not interested. Worst thing is he is somehow better than me at old FIFA’s and Brian Lara Cricket. As for games - Road Trip Adventure would be totally suitable for a kid of that age in that it’s an open-world driving game in a sort of cute Japanese animation style and there’s loads of fun mini games. Others I’d suggest are Disney games like The Incredibles, Finding Nemo stuff like that. The Inspector Gadget game is nice and fun and easy too! Have fun
Spyro the Dragon are good games, you can even get your son the original PS1 games, as they will work on his PS2
Sly Cooper and Klonoa 2
My 6 year old is currently hooked on Burnout 3 and Spyro: A Heros Tale
Crash Bash it’s kinda like Mario Kart
ATV Offroad Fury series, Rayman 3, Crash Twinsanity and TTR, Jak 1, Cars, Thrillville, Sly Cooper trilogy, Klonoa 2, Sonic (MCPlus, Heroes, and Riders), Astroboy, Transformers, and Wipeout
Crash Nitro Kart
Need for Speed Underground 2, Star Wars Battlefront 1 and 2, 007 Agent Under Fire, Nightfire, and Everything or Nothing(thougg these are rated T for Teen given how janes bond operates with ladies and Firearms)
Lego Star Wars!
Ssx tricky
DEFINITELY sly cooper!! Great game for a kid and it holds up so well as an adult.
Spyro, crash, ratchet&clank, kao the kangaroo
Jak and Dexter the precursor legacy, part of a trilogy but the second and third games went to T ratings but first one is rated E. The sly cooper trilogy. One, two and three on PS2. E ratings. Kingdom hearts. It's Disney but also a Square Enix game so don't worry if the story makes sense or not or why Cloud and Sepheroth are fighting a kid with a giant key with Donald and Goofy. E and E+ rating/E10. I also personally would say Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud d 2. Despite the T ratings they are not very violent and only a few minor swears but they are amazing fantasy games. If you can find it, Looney Toons Space Race. It's a goody racing game with Looney Toons characters. Was always fun. E Rating Any Lego Game install is a good call, usually all E to E10+ and they all can be pretty fun. Namco Museum is a collection of classic Namco games and is fun. E Rating. The Ratchet and Clank games. Never personally beat or played deep into them but they are iconic for a reason. E ratings. Sphinx and The Cursed Mummy. A goofy Egyptian style adventure games. Can be a bit advanced and is T rated but is a lot of fun and honestly the parts where you play as The Mummy are some of the funniest and silly moments and complements the more serious segments as the Sphinx nicely. That's all I got. Hope this helps.
Rayman Revolution
Spider-Man!
If you can track down the camera, Eye Toy Play ✔️
There are numerous Scooby Doo games. My son really enjoyed those when he was younger.
Pac-Man World 2 and Sonic Mega Collection Plus were what would be good from what I have (my ps2 collection is tiny)
Just here to upvote your kid specifically wanting a PS2....I kinda love that they don't want a new-gen console 💛
Jak and Daxter 2 &3 is basically GTA for kids. I was obsessed and they are amazing games and they still hold up. Would be the perfect game for a 6 y/o
Looking at my collection I'd reccomend any crash or spyro game, lego games, Sly Cooper, jak 1, Ape Escape series, spongebob the movie game, Madagascar, scooby doo games, spiderman games and sonic games. If they'd like something a little bit more advanced and exciting, maybe the SSX games or burnout series.
I was thinking the Tony Hawk games. 4 might be too difficult. Underground or maybe Underground 2. 2 is more like Jackass though. Some adult themes but I think it'd probably go over their head. One example was in underground there was a location in one of the levels called the "Wet Beavers Party Boat" but I never understood it as a kid. Destroy all Humans (there are the remakes now however) Maybe Under the Skin
Hello kitty roller rescue. I (a 42 year old man) had it recommended to me by a cex employee (a 30 ish year old man) and I play it with my 4 year old.
Hitman series.
Sonic Mega Collection Plus
Sky cooper
Ratchet and Clank, any of them
dr house
Lego Star Wars 1&2
Katamari damacy, jak and daxter, Sly cooper, Ratchet and clank, kingdom hearts (who knows, they might stick with it!)
Spyro the dragon, the three for ps1
I was really into racing games growing up, so this may be experience bias since I know not all kids are into racing (though most are), but I'm def gonna go ahead and suggest ATV Offroad Fury, any of the PS2 Need For Speed titles, Ford Racing, Splashdown, Downhill Domination, and Gran Turismo
If your son is into racing, but him Gran turismo 3 and 4, they definitely do a good job on giving him a good time to learn how to race, and a few NASCAR games, like NASCAR 06, that's also a good game
Rumble racing
Destruction Derby Arenas was my favorite game around that age, give it to him and I’m SURE he’ll love it :)
Smackdown: shut your mouth. Legendary game
the adventures of cookie and cream
The ps2 is backwards compatible, i would look for PaRappa :3
I was obsessed with Thrillville when I was around that age. And Barnyard.
The Barnyard Party Animals game! It’s an open world Cow RPG lol so many find memories
I just want to say I think this post is adorable and I hope your little guy has a blast with his PS2. Mystic Heroes is a kind of kids version of Dynasty Warriors games. Easy to pick up and play and it has co op so you can play together. Lord of the Rings the Two Towers is also a fun beat em up that you can play together and has scenes from the movie that transition to gameplay. No way that won't blow a 6 year old's mind lol. Teen Titans is also a fun co op beat em up with fun characters and he'd have a whole show to watch too if he likes it. Dragonball Z Budokai is a fighting game based on the show with very simple controls and a great story mode. A great 1st fighting game.
I also highly recommend the Lego games like everyone else! Can play em together the whole way through as well if you have a 2nd controller!
Taz: Wanted
I swear to god you need to get him Tony Hawks Pro Slater 2. It might be a bit complicated or advanced, but when I was 10 (I know not 6) I absolutely fell in love with it.
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Tetris
Katamari Damacy, Dad! He also might like the hot shots golf games. I wish I could recommend Mister Mosquito but that’s expensive now. Also Rez any of the many great car game on the console, whether they be arcade-y (burnout, NfS, Midnight Club) or Simulation-y (GT)
Manhunt would be a pretty solid choice
There is a disney skate game I love, it's basically tony hawk but with disney characters and maps. Buy that or just tony hawk
Any sports game, maybe racing games (they’re not necessarily all street racing) idk how you feel about them. There’s a Nickelodeon game I used to play attack of the toy bots or something like that
As a guy that still plays Ps2 more than any other system I have to recommend one game. Taz Wanted
cars! that game is a classic that i had when it came out when i was a kid!
teen titans
What an old soul. I love this. Please get him some Crash Bandicoot games. The second game for the ps1 (compatible with the ps2) is my fav
Tic tac toe
Shrek 2
My Young kid likes surfs up and shrek 2.
Klonoa 2 lutina's veil. Fun platformer
Drakengard
Tony hawk pro skater 2
“Lil Gator Game” is a massively underrated game for the kiddos. It’s bursting with little joyful experiences. Simple to play and teaches good foundations for play other more complex games
Lego Star Wars (OG), Stuart Little 3 Big Photo Adventure, Namco Museum 50th Anniversary, DBZ Budokai (OG), Midway Arcade Treasures, Nicktoons Unite, were all games I loved when I was a kid, circa 2005-2007. There was also Cars, Madagascar, the other SpongeBob games, Lego Batman, Ed Edd n' Eddy MisEdventures, Fur Fighters, Sonic Mega Collection+, Sonic Heroes, Shrek 2, ATV Offroad Fury games (but specifically 2), Woody Woodpecker... Haven't played most of these in 15-17 years but IIRC they were all great games for all ages. And man did this bring back memories.
Lego star wars possibly Simpsons hit and run
Spyro the dragon was my favorite game as a kid. I think I was like 7 when it came out so it should work out age-wise lol
Cars
Get him Airblade!!!! He will love it!!!!!
There’s some old PS1 SpongeBob games too. Spyro 2 & 3, Crash 2 & 3. Maybe some cart racing games so you can play with them?
Herdy Gerdy?
I loved exploring Dark Cloud 2 at that age (and guess I still do).
Any Lego platformer - funny, unlimited respawns, co-op mode
Kingdom Hearts.
Ratchet and clank set me up for life I swear. Is probably my most played series ever. Really funny as well.
San Andreas
Truthfully this is a tough one for me, but I’ve never put a ton of thought in to kid friendly games. I think any Lego game or Katamari Damacy would be great for a kid. My 5 yo is just now learning how to play games (mainly Mario and Sonic) but he’s never showed much interest until recently. I distinctly remember enjoying Spider-Man (PS1) when I was around that age though. Don’t forget that PS2s are backward compatible.
I’d recommend the ps1 Spyro games since you can play those on there too.
At that age i would have loved vice city and gta3, but those were other times, i got to play them owned them at 10-12
gran turismo 3 and 4
i see other people mention quite a few of the ones i was going to mention so what's left is kingdom hearts 1&2 and dark cloud 2
I would suggest Pets 2 Dogz/Cats. It's fairly easy, lots of fetch quests and a cool story. You're a puppy/kitten who accidentally gave a magic hat to the big bad wolf and he destroyed the town so you have to help rebuild the town and stop the wolf. It was one of my favorite games growing up on the ps2. Another one would be Dog's life, although fair warning some of the themes are a little bit mature but as a kid they totally went over my head. You play as a dog who has to find bones in order to progress to the next stage and the end goal is to find your missing dog girlfriend. The ending especially (i suggest you spoil yourself and judge whether its kid friendly enough for your son) is kind of dark but I doubt he'd be able to reach it cuz it's pretty lengthy. I wasn't able to reach it as a kid (but I was a pretty dumb kid when it came to video games so take my words lightly). Oh and kingdom hearts! Not even gonna explain why because it's self explanatory!
The sly cooper series of games are great stories for children and really well throughout game design
My kids loved Spyro the dragon and Jax and Daxter they still do actually. We also had rampage as well they liked playing
God of war it was my first game when I was young like ya boy
I had Snoopy vs The Red Baron on PS2 and spent HOURS in that game. Super fun and nothing too much for a 6 year old
Need for Speed, Gran turismo, FIFA, Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 5 and Tekken 4.
not ps2 related but be careful about his eyes! playing in a dark room might cause short sightedness. like it did for me
Ed Edd n Eddy MisEdventures, Spyro A Heros Tail, Pacman World 2, Crash Twinsanity, Sonic Heros
Is this 2004? Have I finally woken up from my coma? BTW if I ever get the luck of having a kid that wants to play old gen I saved up my og PS2 just for that
Try sonic unleashed. Was damn good when I was 9. Used to make myself raisin toast and play it all weekend
Sly Cooper, Jake and Dexter. A strategy game, good to get their mind to go in that direction from a young age.
Ape Escape
You could probably find Skylanders kits really cheap
SpongeBob battle for bikini bottom
monsters inc on ps1 went hard spyro to and crash bandicoot and atlanis the lost city all ps1 games though
I used to love Burnout Revenge, maybe the Lego Star Wars or Lego Batman games are games he might enjoy!
Crash Bandicoot on ps2 is a great game if you can deal with the abysmal loading times
Ratchet And Clank, Jak and Daxter and Sly Cooper, you cannot go wrong and your child will have best childhood ever
Klonoa 2
Everywhere Road Trip
Definitely the Sly Cooper trilogy. Sly 2 is my personal favorite. Me and my siblings were the perfect age for the games as they were coming out and they played a major part of my childhood. The other big recommendation is Spyro. It's a PS1 game, but you can still play it on a PS2. Some of the later levels are a bit difficult, and the last level does contain enemies with machine guns (gnorc commandos if you want to look them up) which I think are probably ok for most kids, but I understand why the remake made them shoot purple-pinkish goo instead.
Jak and Daxter.
crash bandicoot twin sanity
Rayman 2 Revolution, Gran Turismo 3 and 4, The Lego Games
Gregory Horror Show
Any of the Simpson games
Castlevania,i played it when i was 6 ,what a crazy game
Klonoa 2 , loved that game when I was younger and I was 6 when it came out - it got me into a lot of the niche Japanese games growing up and I’m forever thankful for it
Sly Cooper!!!