Best PS1 & PS2 Games to Play on the Retroid Pocket 5

Reading time: 5 min

Okay, let’s get this straight out of the way.
When I got my Retroid Pocket 5, I didn’t install 2561 games just to show off, then play none of them. I got myself the games that I actually play.
Stuff I grew up with, games that still slap.

I’m the kind of guy who plays the same damn games over and over again. Call it muscle memory. Call it childhood trauma. Call it being broke as hell growing up and not having access to more than 3 games at a time. I play what I love and I play it to death.

This isn’t some clickbait “Top 50 hidden gems you’ll never finish” list. This is My List. Games I’ve actually played on my RP5, and the real hardware before that. No fluff or flexing. Just raw gameplay and good taste.
This right here is my list for my favorite PS1 and PS2 games, that I run on my RP5.

Let’s dive into it.

1. PS1 — Where It All Began

Pandemonium 1

Nobody talks about this game anymore — like it never existed.
But this? This is easily one of the best 2.5D platformers I’ve ever touched, and I still don’t even know what the hell the story is.
It’s chaotic, full of weird levels that look like a fever dream.
It’s like someone handed some LSD to a game dev back in 1996 and said,

“Just make what you see, man.”

And they did. And it’s amazing.

Duke Nukem 3D

“Hail to the king, Baby.”

This is peak ’90s shooter energy — attitude, explosions, blood, and a whole bunch of bad one-liners.
You pump lead into aliens, blow them into chunks with a rocket launcher, then flex about it.
Top-tier entertainment, right at your fingertips. It’s dumb, loud, and somehow…perfect.

Resident Evil 3

The game that taught me to fear doors.
Don’t even get me started with Nemesis, as that thing is the most relentless stalker I’ve ever seen in a game.
The devs clearly never learned the difference between chasing and haunting.

You feel watched 24/7. Even when he’s not on the damn screen.
The puzzles are actually fun and challenging to a degree.
The art direction is tight, still holds up.
Atmosphere? Top-notch.
On the RP5, this game looks and plays beautifully. A must-play if you’re even remotely into horror.

Mortal Kombat 4

Janky polygonal fighters? Count me in. It’s awkward, stiff, and weird. But it’s Mortal Kombat.

This is Mortal Kombat before it got all cinematic with X-rays and rage meters, and ten-minute cutscenes.
No fluff. Just brutal hits, fatalities, and your childhood screaming “Finish Him!” in the background.
I still pull off Scorpion’s spear just to yell “Get over here!” in public. Zero shame.

2. PS2 — The Golden Era Slaps

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Ah…

“The Blacklist.”

No fancy mechanics, no drifting systems with 12 buttons, no cringe stories with family and coronas. Just you, a stolen BMW, and every damn cop in the city trying to kill you.
The blacklist system? Genius.
You climb the ladder by humiliating the guys and girls above you, one humiliation at a time, and it feels therapeutic. Redemptive, even…
The city feels alive, and the NPC drivers? Drive just like my cousins — reckless and breakless.
The music, the soundtracks scream mid-2000s, and the whole game just feels right.
It’s fast, dirty, chaotic.
And it runs like it was made for the RP5.
This is the racing game to play on Retroid. Period.

Twisted Metal: Head On

Pure violence.
This game doesn’t care about story, balance, or sanity.
You get an arsenal of ludocris weapons, and pits you down in an arena with a bunch of like-minded NPC psychotic murderers.

The definition of mindless, loud, and chaotic.
Half the time I don’t even know what I’m fighting — Just driving in circles, launching rockets and napalms, and laughing like a lunatic.
And that’s how it should be.
If you want a game where every damn second is an explosion, this one’s it.

Resident Evil: Code Veronica X

This one’s weird.
Creepy twins. Island prisons. Backtracking like crazy. And somehow… it works. Like, really damn well.
The controls are a bit on the janky side — What did you expect? It’s old-school RE. The voice acting is worse, just hilarious.

The story is 80% nonsense in my opinion. But damn, that atmosphere just really slaps.
The game feels off in a good way. Unsettling, dark, and full of “what the hell is that?” moments.
If you are an RE fan, this one deserves its time.
Right — it runs great on the RP5.

Resident Evil 4

I don’t care how many times they re-released the damn thing, or if it can run on your smart fridge — the OG still hits like a truck.
The pacing is perfect, the combat is snappy and responsive, and the moment you suplex a cultist to the floor, ecstasy.

Leon’s dry sarcasm? Legendary.
The boss fights? Unique and the best in the series.
The merchant? “What’re ya buyin’?” Never gets old.
I didn’t even tweak the settings on the emulator; it ran like a champ on RP5.
This game isn’t just a classic — it’s the classic. And if you’re not playing RE4 on your handheld in 2025, what the hell are you even doing?

Wrapping up

That’s It for the Classics

These PS1 and PS2 games?
They’re not just nostalgia fuel — they’re the kind of games that still hold up. No patching, no updates, no BS.
Just raw gameplay, weird stories, and pure chaos, the way it used to be.
This isn’t a flex post. It’s not a collector shelf. It’s just the stuff I actually play on my RP5 because it still rules.

Happy Gaming!