With more than 155 million units sold, the PlayStation 2 is the most popular console of all time. Its catalogue is legendary: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, God of War, Final Fantasy X, Metal Gear Solid 2… For a long time, emulating this machine demanded a competition-grade PC. But in 2026, the situation has changed: you can now slip the entire PS2 library into your pocket.
That said, 128-bit emulation is unforgiving. You need power under the hood and finely tuned software optimisation. Here is our guide to the best PS2 emulators and to the handheld consoles that rise to this technological challenge with flying colours.
The emulators described here read disc images that you make from your own games: if you have kept your PS2 discs, this personal backup is done with a PC DVD drive, as detailed in our article on how to back up your PlayStation 1 and 2 games with a DVD drive.
🕹️ The hardware: which console can run the PS2?
Do not expect to run Shadow of the Colossus on a €50 entry-level console. For the PS2 you need very powerful chips and accurate analogue joysticks. Here is the essential top trio at Fun Esports:
- The absolute power monster: the Retroid Pocket 5. This is the market's new queen. With its overpowered processor, it devours the PS2 catalogue in HD resolution (2x or 3x upscaling) with insolent smoothness at 60 frames per second. A genuine war machine.
- The premium visual experience: the Anbernic RG557. If you are after ultimate visual comfort, its large screen does the era's graphics justice. Its built-in ergonomic grips are perfect for stringing together hours of play on long RPGs.
- Compact form factor & metal finish: the Anbernic RG-477M. With its gorgeous metal shell (the "M" in the range) and its ultra-bright screen, it offers an exceptional compromise between portability, PS2 power and the feeling of holding a luxury object.
🔥 1. NetherSX2: the undisputed king on Android
Since your consoles (Retroid 5, RG557, RG-477M) all run Android, NetherSX2 is the emulator you absolutely need. It is the definitive benchmark today.
- The backstory: it is a community-modified and improved version of the famous (but abandoned) AetherSX2.
- Performance: it removes the ads, optimises the code for recent processors and lets you use "RetroAchievements" on your PS2 games. This is the cleanest, smoothest experience available on portable hardware.
Most PS2 titles need individual tuning, starting with the internal resolution, which directly determines smoothness: we go through these trade-offs in our article on per-game settings, overclocking, internal resolution and save states.
🏛️ 2. AetherSX2: the timeless classic
Although its original developer threw in the towel, the older builds of AetherSX2 (without the ads added at the end) still run beautifully.
- Upside: if you would rather not bother patching or manually installing NetherSX2, an old stable build of AetherSX2 will run 95% of the catalogue without a hitch on a Retroid Pocket 5.
▶️ 3. Play!: simplicity above all
The Play! emulator takes a very different philosophy from its rivals. Where NetherSX2 sometimes asks you to tweak graphics settings, Play! aims for "plug & play".
- Who is it for? It requires no complex BIOS setup. You launch the app, pick your game, and off it goes. Be warned though, its compatibility is far lower. It is an excellent backup option if one specific game gives you trouble.
✅ Conclusion: the 6th generation in your pocket
For years, emulating the Emotion Engine (the PS2's temperamental processor) was close to a miracle. Today, with the raw power of a Retroid Pocket 5 or the comfort of an RG557 paired with the NetherSX2 emulator, it is a perfectly mastered reality. The comfort of playing your childhood games from the sofa is priceless.
The Fun Esports tip: PS2 games (ISO or CHD files) are huge. A title like Gran Turismo 4 or God of War can weigh in at over 4 GB! Do not make the mistake of filling up the internal memory of your beautiful new console. Plan straight away for a high-capacity MicroSD card (256 GB or 512 GB) with high-speed certification (A2/U3) to avoid any slowdown during loading.
The CHD format is decisive here: it losslessly compresses bulky PS2 images and often saves several gigabytes per game. The full procedure is in our guide to converting games to CHD with chdman.
🚀 CHOOSE YOUR PS2-READY CONSOLE
Also worth reading: the other systems
The PS2 is only part of what a modern handheld console can do. Our guides dedicated to the other systems:
- The best PSP emulators on handheld consoles — PPSSPP, upscaling levels and the 16:9 screen format trap.
- The best Nintendo 64 emulators on handheld consoles — why the N64 is harder to emulate than the PS2, and how to set it up.
- The best Game Boy Advance emulators on handheld consoles — mGBA, colour correction and choosing the right format.
- The best PS1 emulators on handheld consoles
See compatible consoles
Browse our full selection of handheld consoles that emulate the PlayStation 2: 12 models compared on screen size and format, operating system and achievable emulation level (native resolution or 2x/3x upscaling).
Kept the original console? Compatible parts and accessories: PS2 · all consoles.