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How to Spot a Fake PS2 Game
PlayStation 2: what to check before you buy.
Start with the best method and the universal red flags in the main guide; they apply to every platform. For discs, also read the note on pressed vs. burned discs first. This page covers what is specific to the PlayStation 2.
Pressure: moderate to high
Especially on late-run and low-print titles.
Disc format checks
- Genuine PS2 games ship on either a blue-tinted DVD (earlier and single-layer titles) or a silver dual-layer DVD (later, larger games). Which one is correct depends on the specific title, so verify against a known release listing rather than assuming.
- Genuine discs have stamped matrix and IFPI codes in the inner mirror band.
- Genuine labels are screen-printed with a holographic PlayStation 2 logo on many releases. Check that it's part of the printed label, not a sticker.
- A DVD-R with a printed paper or inkjet-printable label surface is a fake.
Other checks
- Case artwork. PS2 cases use a specific plastic and a full-wrap insert. Reproduction covers are common; check for correct barcode, ESRB placement, and print sharpness.
- Manual. Genuine manuals are printed on specific stock with correct binding. Photocopied or laser-printed manuals are the giveaway on "complete" copies.
- Burned backup discs. Many PS2 owners in the era ran modchips and burned backups; a burned disc in a genuine case is extremely common.
Frequently faked
- Rule of Rose
- Haunting Ground
- Kuon
- Suikoden III / V
- .hack series
- Shadow Hearts series
- Persona 3 FES
- Xenosaga series
- God Hand
- Gitaroo Man
- Ico & Shadow of the Colossus variants
Check the price before you check the screws
A price well under market is the first signal on this whole list. Our price
guides carry loose, CIB and new values for every console we track, updated
daily from PriceCharting market data, so you know what a real copy costs
before you look at one.
View the price guides
Values and counterfeit patterns shift constantly. Cross-reference specific titles against current market data and community authentication threads before any significant purchase.