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- Image of Demon's Souls, courtesy of FromSoftware.

PS3: Top 10 Hidden Gems for the Console

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming
By Matthew Lewallen | Last updated May 31, 2025 10:44 PM ET

Once again venturing into “hidden gems” for older video game consoles, I now want to take a look at lesser-known titles for the PlayStation 3 (PS3): released for the Japanese and North American markets in 2006 (and reaching Europe in 2007), the PS3 was Sony’s very first high-definition (HD) console. In addition to debuting the first iteration of the PlayStation Network (PSN), the console had a sizable game collection that (sadly) included many that don’t get enough recognition.

10. Puppeteer (2013)

As I briefly alluded to in a previous article (along with the next entry), 2013’s Puppeteer is a nice little PS3 gem that borrows heavy aesthetical and gameplay elements from such equally quirky action-platformers as Dynamite Headdy and the Clockwork Knight duology, with the former’s “head-swapping” mechanic being more or less identically replicated. Likewise, Puppeteer repurposes Headdy‘s framework in that the characters are just (literal) puppets being used to put on a show for an unseen audience, but the former includes a much more involved and detailed “story” than the latter.

9. 3D Dot Game Heroes (2010)

Bringing up that second PS3 title I discussed in the aforementioned previous article (as well as another piece), 2010’s 3D Dot Game Heroes is an immensely fun and wonderfully self-aware little title featuring an entire in-game world constructed out of three-dimensional “pixels” (again, known by the more technical name “voxels”). Heroes is a bizarrely beautiful-looking game that evokes a joyful feeling of open exploration and adventure while also cleverly incorporating familiar elements from the original Legend of Zelda and Hydlide (all presented satirically and with tongue-in-cheek).

8. Eternal Sonata (2008)

Image of Eternal Sonata, courtesy of Bandai Namco.

Developed as an “expanded” edition of an RPG previously released for the Xbox 360 in 2007, the PS3 version of Eternal Sonata offered additional content, including – but not limited to – an entirely new dungeon placed in the main story campaign. The game, which centers around the strangely fantasy world-based dying “dreams” of pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin, utilizes a unique battle system focusing on musical elements, special character attacks, and field effects based on light and darkness.

7. Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut (2013)

In a similar vein to the last entry, an “expanded” edition of the open world survival horror game Deadly Premonition was developed and released for the PS3 as the so-called “director’s cut” of the original version (debuting on Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2010 – the latter only in Japan). The expanded PS3 version of this very bizarre game not only included enhanced controls, upgraded visuals, and bonus content but also featured additional story segments (such as a brand-new framing narrative).

6. Demon’s Souls (2009)

While it’s arguably as engaging as any other action-focused RPG developed by FromSoftware, and even after getting a current-gen remake for the PS5 in 2020, the original PS3 version of Demon’s Souls is still largely overlooked in favor of the more popular Dark Souls trilogy. And despite the PS5 remake providing very needed quality-of-life gameplay fixes, some feel that the original game had a much darker and more haunting atmosphere that was diluted in the conversion to higher graphics.

5. Anarchy Reigns (2013)

Image of Anarchy Reigns, courtesy of Sega.

Originally released on the PS3 (and Xbox 360) for the Japanese market in 2012, and debuting in Western markets a year later, Anarchy Reigns is a delightfully boisterous and wonderfully insane conceptual follow-up to 2009’s MadWorld for the Nintendo Wii. Removing MadWorld‘s stylish black-and-white visual presentation, but keeping its exceedingly over-the-top and cartoonishly violent aesthetic, this beat-’em-up lets players select multiple characters with unique move-sets (not to mention having two overlapping story campaigns and an online mode for multiplayer skirmishes).

4. Majin & the Forsaken Kingdom (2010)

Developed and released in 2010 for the PS3 (and Xbox 360), Majin & the Forsaken Kingdom is an action-adventure title putting players in the role of Tepeu (a young thief) who gives commands to Teotl (a gigantic, completely AI-controlled creature called a “Majin”) to solve environmental puzzles and engage in combat. Of particular note is the game’s similarity to Team Ico’s then-still unreleased The Last Guardian (namely, the concept of a smaller player-controlled character having to interact with a larger AI-controlled character, though Majin‘s developers claim this was just a coincidence).

3. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (2013)

Created as an “enhanced” version of a 2010 DS game never released outside of Japan, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a very delightful RPG with the ever-gorgeous art style and aesthetics of Studio Ghibli‘s animated movies (as supplemented by an equally magnificent score co-composed by frequent studio collaborator Joe Hisaishi). In addition to obvious visual and aural upgrades from the original DS version, the PS3 edition (which has since been remastered for multiple other game consoles) also includes a brand-new scenario featuring the titular “White Witch” as the main villain.

2. Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (2011)

Ending this list with two unique older game collections that were released for the PS3, I’d like to first showcase the often-overlooked HD compilation, The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection: featuring painstakingly optimized and upscaled versions of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, respectively debuting on the PS2 in 2001 and 2005. Particularly important is the collection’s choice to focus on remastering the European version of Ico, which contained various extra features that weren’t available in the North American release (including post-game translations for Yorda).

1. Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection (2013)

Image of Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection, courtesy of Konami

This exclusive collection for the PS3 packages together the preexisting Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (featuring optimized upscales of MGS2, MGS3, and MGS: Peace Walker), an updated copy of Metal Gear Solid 4, and a voucher to download the original PS1 version of Metal Gear Solid from the PlayStation Store service. Particularly important is this release’s inclusion of MGS4 along with the HD Collection: while the latter had Xbox 360 and PS Vita ports, and MGS1-3 are included on the first volume of the Master Collection, the former title is still only available to play on the PS3.