The PS Vita is perhaps the most underrated handheld console of all time. Its expensive price point, paired with the impossible task of competing against the overwhelmingly popular Nintendo 3DS, meant that the console failed financially and was discontinued fairly quickly.
That failure is really a shame, because it was a powerful handheld with no shortage of great exclusive titles. Many of those titles didn’t get the success they deserve, having been released on a console with such a small player base. Let’s take a look at some of the Vita games that absolutely deserve either a port or a remake on the PS5.
8 Persona 4
With the wild success of Persona 5 and the game becoming undoubtedly the most successful in the series thus far, it’s a wonder why Atlus hasn’t capitalized on the hype to make more of the Persona catalog available for newer fans. The Vita version of Persona 4 is the best way to experience Persona 5’s predecessor at the moment.
It hits a lot of the same beats you know and love from Persona 5, with its own twist on certain mechanics, its own art style, its own cast of interesting characters, and an extremely long story. Really, we need all the Persona games on PS5, not just P4.
7 Jak & Daxter Collection
Now that Crash Bandicoot has made a mighty return via former Skylanders developers Toys For Bob, the only other forgotten Naughty Dog franchise that demands a comeback is Jak & Daxter.
Will there ever be a new game in the franchise? That’s uncertain. But what is for sure is that the Jak & Daxter collection for the PS Vita is the best way to experience this masterful platforming trilogy, for any curious players who haven’t yet done so. Getting these games ported to PS5 is essential.
6 Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Uncharted golden abyss
As of right now, Uncharted: Golden Abyss is the only game in the adventurous Naughty Dog third-person shooter series that you cannot play on PS4 or PS5. They ultimately made the decision to leave the game out of the Nathan Drake Collection, as its narrative isn’t essential to understanding the series’ plot as a whole.
Golden Abyss is a prequel that gives players a Nathan Drake tale from before Drake’s Fortune. Whlie this is the one Uncharted game not developed by Naughty Dog, Golden Abyss perfectly captures the essence of Uncharted, condensing it into a thrilling handheld experience.
5 Unit 13
Unit 13 vita exclusive
The Vita’s dual sticks and high graphical capability made it wonderfully adept for shooters. Even with the New Nintendo 3DS’ added c-stick, the shooting in games such as Resident Evil Revelations could still feel a bit clumsy.
Not so with third-person shooter Unit 13. This game is great for any gamers who like to sneak around and dispatch their enemies with equal parts strategy, stealth, and the occasional all-out firefight. The online co-op mode could definitely find far more success on a more popular system like the PS5.
4 Soul Sacrifice
Soul Sacrifice is something of a Soulslike action-RPG with an aesthetic emphasis on fairytales. You’ll fight your way through many bosses of varying folklores in this game, from the wolf of Red Riding Hood, to the Hydra, and even an Irish leprechaun.
Is it as difficult as a Soulsborne title? No, and it’s not exactly trying to be one of those games. The atmosphere winds up feeling similar, though, and it undoubtedly has its punishing moments. Seeing ports of all of the Soul Sacrifice games on PS5 would be wonderful for fans of the series.
3 Freedom Wars
One of the areas where the Vita trumps the 3DS is certainly in its variety of quality JRPGs. There are so many, that to list all of the ones that should end up with PS5 ports could almost be its own separate article.
However, if only a couple can be picked, then Freedom Wars should certainly be one of them. It’s a game for anyone who’s a fan of the Monster Hunter or God Eater franchises. It’s not a clone, though — Freedom Wars has its own identity, with fast-paced gameplay and a unique storyline and enemies to fight that are unlike any of its ilk.
2 Tales Of Hearts R
Tales Of Hearts R is another fantastic JRPG for the PlayStation Vita. This one is more of a traditional JRPG, in terms of its story and random encounters.
Although it’s not a turn-based game, the random battles involve live-action arena-style fights that make the encounters feel like a lot less of a trudge than some turn-based games can feel. It has a colorful cast of characters, and a great feel to it that would more than likely translate incredibly well to a PS5 port or remake.
1 Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time
Sly Cooper is one of those gaming franchises that has been tragically left out in the cold for the last two generations of consoles. There was a point in time when developers thought that platformers were out of vogue and wouldn’t sell anymore, but that was before Super Mario Odyssey and Crash 4 proved that is just not the case.
So where’s Sly? It would be great to see a ported collection of all of Sly’s older games, a la the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro collections that have come out in recent years. And, give us a new sneaky Sly Cooper experience while you’re at it.
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