PlayStation 2
The best-selling console of all time.
Overview
The PlayStation 2 (2000) sold over 155 million units with an enormous library spanning every genre. Kingdom Hearts, God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, GTA, and thousands more. PCSX2 has become excellent on Steam Deck.
| Year | 2000 |
| Media | DVD / CD |
| Steam Deck | Good to Excellent |
| BIOS Required | Yes |
Emulator
PCSX2 is the PS2 emulator. Available standalone or as a RetroArch core. The standalone Qt version is recommended for Steam Deck.
Setup
ROM Folder
roms/ps2/
File Formats
.iso- Standard disc image.chd- Compressed (recommended).bin/.cue- CD games.gz- Compressed ISO
BIOS
Required
PS2 emulation requires BIOS files dumped from a real console:
SCPH-70012.bin- Slim NTSC-U (common choice)SCPH-77001.bin- Slim NTSC-USCPH-70004.bin- Slim PALSCPH-90001.bin- Latest slim
Any PS2 BIOS works. Place in the emulator's bios folder.
Performance
Most games run well on Steam Deck. Tips for demanding titles:
- Resolution: Native or 2x for best performance
- Vulkan: Usually faster than OpenGL
- MTVU: Enable for multi-threaded VU1
- EE Cycle Rate: Underclock if struggling
Enhancements
PCSX2 offers significant improvements:
- Resolution up to 4K
- Widescreen patches for 16:9
- Texture filtering and anti-aliasing
- Per-game settings profiles
Where to Find Games
Redump PS2 sets on Myrient or Internet Archive. See the Download Guide.