Emulating a number of the PS3’s largest hits simply acquired simpler

In comparison with different sport consoles just like the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Wii, Recreation Boy, and Nintendo Swap, the PlayStation 3 (PS3) has all the time been notoriously tough to emulate. That is largely due to its uniquely complicated Cell processor. Nonetheless, over the previous decade, PS3 emulation has made big strides, and now one of many main open-source PS3 emulators, RPCS3, has hit a serious milestone.

In a recent video from the RPCS3 growth crew highlighting the emulator’s progress in 2025, the crew revealed that 70 p.c of PS3 video games are actually playable, with secure efficiency and no game-breaking glitches. That features main titles like God of Conflict HD, The Sly Assortment, Demon’s Souls, Closing Fantasy XIII, LittleBigPlanet, and lots extra.

Out of the three,562 PS3 video games at present listed on RPCS3’s web site, 2,513 titles (70.94 p.c) are actually thought of playable. One other 26.19 p.c fall into the “in-game” classification, that means they boot and run however nonetheless undergo from points like poor efficiency or game-breaking bugs. An instance of a sport categorised as that is Steel Gear Stable 4: Weapons of the Patriots, which requires a separate sport patch to be downloaded to mod the sport and unlock the body fee and enhance efficiency.

Past that, simply 2.84 p.c of video games are caught within the “intro” state, the place they attain the menu however cannot be performed, whereas an nearly negligible 0.03 p.c are categorised as “loadable,” that means they show a black display and a body fee however do not load any additional. You may view a full list of compatible PS3 games on RPCS3’s web site.

How one can get began with RPCS3 your self

The emulator is obtainable on Home windows and Linux

With the PS3 turning 20 this yr, it makes me actually joyful to see the crew behind RPCS3 make such significant progress towards making the console’s total library playable via emulation. There’s nonetheless numerous work to be executed, however having 70 p.c of PS3 video games playable is a giant deal and a giant win for sport preservation. Plus, with the present state RPCS3 is in, there is a good likelihood that lots of the video games you keep in mind taking part in again within the day already run simply fantastic.

So, in case you’re craving for some PS3 nostalgia, I like to recommend giving RPCS3 a shot. The emulator is free to obtain from RPCS3’s website and is obtainable on Home windows, Linux, and FreeBSD. There’s additionally an experimental macOS model, although, because the title suggests, efficiency will not be on par with the Home windows and Linux builds.

It is vital to understand that RPCS3 is an emulator, so like different emulators, similar to these for the PS2 or Nintendo Switch, you will want to offer your individual legally obtained PS3 system software program and video games earlier than you possibly can play something on it. I will not get into the precise particulars right here on how to try this, however there are many guides on-line that stroll you thru the method of dumping your individual PS3 video games and firmware to your PC so you possibly can play the emulator.

Now, if emulation is not your factor, it’s value noting which you can play PS3 video games on the PS5 and PS4, nevertheless it’s all dealt with via cloud streaming, so the video games do not really run natively on the console and are streamed from the web. On high of that, accessing PS3 titles via Sony’s Classics Catalog requires a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription, which prices $18 monthly or $160 per yr.

With all that in thoughts, in case you have an outdated PS3 mendacity round, with 70 p.c of its library now playable on RPCS3, now could be nearly as good a time as ever to mud it off and provides emulation a strive. And in case you’re additionally seeking to develop your PS3 sport assortment, I not too long ago wrote about my expertise shopping for PS3 video games in 2026, together with the best methods to get began, which you’ll take a look at in my different Pocket-lint story here.