The best retro handheld for PS2

Which handhelds have a PS2 rating

This grid shows only handhelds rated playable or better for PS2, next to GameCube, Switch and PSP:

greatgoodplayableno- great, good, playable, does not run, no rating yet (unknown, not a "no")

The ratings are provisional. Where a source gave scores, the collector mapped 80 or more to great and 50 to 79 to good; where a source gave text, the rating follows the text. Per the data:

• Anbernic RG557: PS2 great. Held Games describes PS2 at 1.5x to 2x resolution and Switch as viable for many games.
• Anbernic RG477M: PS2 great. Retro Catalog scores PS2 at 90 and Switch at 56, and Held Games reports PS2 at 2.5x.
• Retroid Pocket 6: PS2 good. The only source is one line on Held Games saying it handles PS2 and GameCube well.
• Anbernic RG406H and RG406V: PS2 good (Retro Catalog PS2 score 76). The scores on that page were not labeled, so the mapping to systems was matched by order.
• AYANEO Pocket Micro 2: PS2 good (Retro Handhelds review), and the highest price here.

Prices for the PS2-rated handhelds

The RG406V is $160.27 (Anbernic official store, Nov 5, 2026) (China warehouse version); the RG406H is no longer listed on the Anbernic store and has no price in our data. Anbernic suspended shipments to the US in 2025 because of tariffs (Gizmodo), so US stock of those models may come only from resellers.

Unrated Android handhelds that may also run PS2

Our data has a long list of Android handhelds with no emulation rating at all: the Retroid Pocket 5, Pocket G2, Mini V2 and Classic, the AYN Odin 2 Mini, Odin 2 Portal, Odin 3, Odin 3 Portal and Thor, and several more. They are not rated "no". They are rated nothing. The only context we can give is the chip tier from the chip guide, which is an editorial hint and not a measured result:

What the sources say about the chips: Batocera says the Snapdragon 865 can emulate up to 6th-generation consoles, which includes the PS2, and that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 also handles some lower-end 7th-generation systems. Retro Game Corps says the Unisoc T820 manages most GameCube and PS2 games at upscaled resolutions. These statements are about the chips, not about a given handheld or a given game.

Chip tiers in plain terms

• Allwinner H700 (entry): rated no for PS2. See the beginner list and under $100 for what these handhelds do well.
• Unisoc T820 (mid): the RG406H and V are rated good for PS2. The RG Slide is left unrated for it because sources conflict.
• Snapdragon 865 (mid): the chip behind the Retroid Pocket 5 and Mini V2.
• Dimensity 8300 (high): the RG557 and RG477M. Notebookcheck reports about 76 percent faster CPU-heavy performance than the T820. Time Extension titled its RG557 review "one too many issues", and our chip data notes early driver compatibility on the RG557 (Mali drivers less optimised than Adreno).
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (high): the Retroid Pocket 6 and the AYN Thor and Odin 2.

What you need besides the handheld

PS2 games run through emulators, and the emulator needs a BIOS file from a PS2 you own. We do not link to any site that hosts BIOS files or game images; dump your own discs and console. The rules and per-emulator needs are in BIOS and legal ROMs. Plan storage for PS2 images, which are large: see the SD card guide.

Tariffs and where to buy

US buyers should price in import costs. Duty-free treatment of small parcels ended in 2025, a CBP interim rule from 2026-06-24 suspended the exemption for non-postal shipments, and a Section 301 tariff reported at about 12.5 percent for China replaced the Section 122 tariff on 2026-07-24 (a trade-compliance blog, under litigation). Check each seller's delivered price and read the AliExpress and tariffs guide.