For a game to be considered for this discussion, it must have only been available digitally in North America. Games that eventually got a physical release after being digital-only for years will not be included; two prime examples are Journey and Tokyo Jungle. A game that had a physical copy outside of North America, though, is not disqualified from this list.

10 Castlevania: Harmony Of Despair

This game brought the Castlevania series back to its 2D roots and was clearly made to try and recapture the success of Symphony of the Night for the PSX. In terms of recreating the fun factor, Harmony of Despair was a huge success, even though the game had its share of criticism.

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Some felt that the pursuit of loot was too much of a factor, and made the game depart too much from traditional Castlevania titles. That said, what even the critics can’t deny is that playing this game cooperatively with friends is a fun experience. Only the PS3 version had local co-op. Over time, Harmony of Despair received a generous amount of additional DLC content as well.

9 Spelunky

This entry has no doubt triggered nostalgia in many readers; fueled by those moments they were able to get the shopkeeper’s shotgun. Spelunky is an extremely fun, addictive, 2D roguelike platformer. The premise is simple – explore randomly generated caves for treasure while trying to avoid danger. It sounds simple, but this game can be maddeningly hard.

Spelunky’s difficulty was blunted thanks to the hilarious ways a player could die, or more precisely, kill themselves. Many players likely remember accidentally throwing a bomb, getting caught in the blast, and then bouncing off several walls before landing in a spike pit.

8 Dungeons And Dragons: Chronicles Of Mystara

Gamers that were around in the 1990s, during the days when arcade machines were everywhere, will probably remember playing the Dungeons and Dragons arcade games from Capcom. These are arguably the best beat-’em-ups ever made. The player had a choice of several classes (characters), characters gained levels and new abilities/spells, there were branching paths for replayability, and the games allowed up to four players.

Dungeons And Dragons: Chronicles Of Mystara is a compilation of Tower of Doom and Shadow Over Mystara. This was given a physical release, but only in Japan. In North America, PS3 owners could only get this via download.

7 Strider

The original Strider was a fun arcade game. It is a 2D platformer with large and colorful sprites, excellent control, and a great ambient soundtrack. It was also incredibly fun, and at times challenging. Later, it was a game that sold many, many Sega Genesis consoles.

Strider, also called Strider Hiryu, continued the franchise on the PS3. The updated graphics, leveling system, and Metroidvania-style layout were exactly what the series needed. This game was released on disc only in Japan, despite the physical version having the English language included. So, North American gamers that missed their chance to download this fantastic game on their PS3 can still play an imported copy.

6 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was an entertaining comic book, which was adapted into an entertaining movie. It makes sense that the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World game would also be entertaining. Unfortunately, by the time most gamers learned about this title, it was no longer available on the PSN.

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This game’s graphics and visuals look like they were ripped out of the comic. The gameplay is in the beat-’em-up style and feels similar to genre classics like Konami’s The Simpsons game. For a long time, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was not available on any platform; however, it eventually got released for the PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch, and Stadia.

5 Darkstalkers Resurrection

Darkstalkers is a franchise of fighting games from the master of the genre, Capcom. When the topic of the best Capcom fighting games is discussed, it usually isn’t long before Darkstalkers is mentioned.

Darkstalkers Resurrection is a compilation of two games in the series: Night Warriors: Darkstalker’s Revenge and Darkstalkers 3. These retro arcade games were given an HD upgrade in the graphics department, but the core gameplay that made these fighters so popular was left unchanged. Gamers wanting to add this to their PS3 collection can get a Japanese import (physical) copy if they didn’t get the digital version.

4 Battle Princess Of Arcadias

This is an obscure title. How obscure? Well, it doesn’t have a Wikipedia page, which is pretty uncommon for modern games. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth playing through. Battle Princess Arcadias is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash game that uses the rock-paper-scissors game mechanic found in games like Pokemon.

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The game’s visuals are similar to Dragon’s Crown and Odin Sphere on PS3, or Muramasa: The Demon Blade for the Wii. The gameplay is similar to those games as well. Battle Princess Arcadias differentiates itself from those games by adding the element of commanding soldiers in battle, in real-time, as well as the rock-paper-scissors strategic element. The Japanese physical copy of this game contains the English language version.

3 BlazeRush

BlazeRush is an RC-style racing game with a combat aspect. Think Twisted Metal, but the camera gives a top-down isometric view to the players. The only real complaint players might have about this game is the camera. The angle will pan out if the 1st place car gets too far ahead; at a certain point, the car in 1st place will be forced offscreen. This isn’t very fun for the player leading the pack.

Apart from the camera problem, this is an excellent racing game that gives classics like Mario Kart a run for their money. The game’s physics feel right, while the weapons are varied and more realistic than red turtle shells. This is currently available as a digital download for the PS5.

2 Mega Man 10

Every gamer worth their high score knows about the Mega Man games. This series began on the NES, although it wasn’t until Mega Man 2 that the series really took off. PS3 owners were given the privilege of being able to download the tenth game in the series. Mega Man 10 was part of the Capcom Essentials compilation for the PS3. This was a physical release, but Mega Man 10 was the only game in the compilation that was digital-only.

Mega Man 10looks and plays like the classic NES titles, rather than the Mega ManX games for the SNES. The player has a choice of playing the game with Mega Man or Proto Man; each has a different set of abilities but plays basically the same. PS5 owners can get this title as part of the Mega Man Legacy Collection 2.

1 Batman: The Telltale Series

Many readers might see this entry and think, “I remember seeing that game on store shelves” – and indeed it was. However, only the first chapter was on the disc. Players wanting the full game needed to use the included codes to download the remaining chapters. So, people should only buy a sealed copy of this game. A pre-owned copy’s download codes have almost certainly been used.

Like all Telltale games, Batman: The Telltale Series is an interactive graphic novel with superb voice acting and the occasional action sequence. This game isn’t about precise controller inputs like the Batman: Arkham series, but it tells an engaging story that the player steers to its conclusion.

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