PlayStation 3

The PlayStation 3 was Sony’s third home console and its most ambitious. It introduced Blu-ray discs to millions of homes, launched free online play through the PlayStation Network, and ran on the powerful but famously complex Cell processor. It had a rough start because of its $599 price, but it finished its life with around 87 million units sold and a library that includes The Last of Us, Uncharted 2, Demon’s Souls, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Journey.

PlayStation 3 release date

Region	Release date	Launch price
Japan	November 11, 2006	49,980 yen (20GB)
North America	November 17, 2006	$499 (20GB) / $599 (60GB)
Europe and Australia	March 23, 2007	599 euros (60GB)

The $599 price was announced at E3 2006 and became one of the most quoted moments in gaming history. The console was expensive mainly because of the Blu-ray drive and the Cell chip. Sony ended PS3 production in Japan in May 2017, and the PlayStation Store on PS3 is still open for purchases in 2026 after Sony reversed a planned 2021 closure.

PlayStation 3 models

Model	Year	Key details
Original “fat” (20GB, 60GB)	2006	Launch models with full PS2 hardware inside, so they play PS2 discs
80GB and 40GB fat	2007-2008	PS2 compatibility removed or limited to software emulation
PlayStation 3 Slim	September 2009	$299, 33% smaller, quieter, cooler, no PS2 support
PS3 Super Slim	September 2012	Top-loading sliding disc cover, lightest model

The PlayStation 3 Slim is the most common model and the best choice for most buyers: it is quieter and more reliable than the fat versions, and it supports every PS3 game. Collectors who want PS2 compatibility look for the original 20GB or 60GB launch models (model numbers CECHA and CECHB in North America), which cost more today.

Best PlayStation 3 games

1. The Last of Us (2013): Naughty Dog’s masterpiece and the start of a TV and game franchise.
2. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009): blockbuster action at its best.
3. Red Dead Redemption (2010): Rockstar’s western.
4. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008): a PS3 exclusive for 18 years, now coming to modern consoles in Master Collection Vol. 2.
5. Demon’s Souls (2009): the game that started the Soulslike genre.
6. God of War III (2010).
7. Journey (2012): a short, beautiful online adventure.
8. LittleBigPlanet (2008) and LittleBigPlanet 2.
9. Grand Theft Auto V (2013): first released on PS3 and Xbox 360; see our GTA V hub.
10. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011).

Other PlayStation 3 games worth playing include Batman: Arkham City, Portal 2, Resistance: Fall of Man, Killzone 2, inFamous, Valkyria Chronicles, Persona 5 (which also came to PS3), Dark Souls and Bioshock. Many have been remastered for PS4 and PS5, which is usually the easier way to play them.

How to play PS3 games today

• PlayStation Plus Premium: a large selection of PS3 games can be streamed to PS5 and PS4. They are cloud-only because the PS5 cannot run PS3 code natively. See PlayStation Plus.
• Original hardware: a used PS3 Slim costs about $70-$140 in 2026, a Super Slim $80-$150, and launch fat models with PS2 support $120-$250.
• Remasters: The Last of Us Part I, the Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection, the Demon’s Souls remake, God of War III Remastered and many others.
• The PS3 store: you can still buy and download digital PS3 games on the console itself, though paying requires adding funds through a code or the PlayStation website in some regions.

PlayStation 3 specs

Part	PlayStation 3
CPU	Cell Broadband Engine, 3.2 GHz (1 PPE + 7 SPEs available)
GPU	Nvidia RSX “Reality Synthesizer”, 550 MHz
Memory	256MB XDR main + 256MB GDDR3 video
Media	Blu-ray, DVD, CD
Storage	20GB to 500GB hard drive, user-replaceable
Units sold	About 87.4 million

The Cell processor and why PS3 games are hard to emulate

The Cell chip, built by Sony, Toshiba and IBM, had one general-purpose core and several specialized units called SPEs. Developers who mastered it, such as Naughty Dog, produced graphics far beyond what was expected, but many multi-platform games looked worse on PS3 than on Xbox 360 early in the generation. That unusual design is also why the PS4 and PS5 cannot run PS3 discs, and why emulators such as RPCS3 need a powerful PC.

PS3 controllers

The PS3 launched with the Sixaxis, a wireless controller with motion sensing but no rumble, because of a patent dispute. The DualShock 3 brought rumble back in 2008. PS3 controllers connect over Bluetooth after an initial USB pairing, and they also work on PCs with community drivers. They do not work on PS5. See the PlayStation controller guide for all of Sony’s pads.

The PS3’s comeback story

The PS3 had one of the worst starts of any PlayStation. It arrived a year after the Xbox 360, cost $100 to $200 more, had few must-play games at launch, and developers struggled with its hardware. For its first two years it trailed the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii by a wide margin. Sony turned things around step by step: price cuts, the cheaper and quieter Slim in 2009, the free PlayStation Network, Blu-ray winning the format war against HD DVD in 2008, and a run of first-party hits from Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Insomniac, Guerrilla and Media Molecule. By the end of the generation the PS3 had caught up with the Xbox 360 in worldwide sales.

The PS3 era also brought the 2011 PlayStation Network outage, when a security breach took PSN offline for about 23 days and exposed account data for around 77 million users. Sony apologized with a “Welcome Back” package of free games, and the incident led to much stronger account security across the industry.

Buying a used PS3 in 2026: checklist

• Ask for the model number (CECH-xxxx). CECH-2000 and later are Slims, CECH-4000 and later are Super Slims.
• Listen to the fan: a loud fat PS3 usually needs cleaning and new thermal paste. The “yellow light of death” on fat models is a hardware failure similar to the Xbox 360 red ring.
• Test a Blu-ray movie as well as a game; the Blu-ray laser is the most expensive part to replace.
• Check the controller: genuine DualShock 3 controllers are heavier than fakes and have a “SONY” label inside the battery area.
• Factory reset: make sure the seller has deactivated their PSN account from the console so you can sign in with yours.

PS3 vs Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 had the head start, easier development, the better online service and the cheaper price. The PS3 had Blu-ray, free online play, a built-in hard drive on every model, Wi-Fi on most models and a stronger set of exclusive games in the second half of the generation. Both are excellent retro consoles today. Compare with the Xbox 360 hub, or move forward to the PlayStation 4.

Is a PS3 still worth it?

Yes, if you want to play exclusives that were never remastered, such as Resistance 2 and 3, Motorstorm, Heavenly Sword, Warhawk’s offline modes or many Japanese games that only appeared on PS3. It is also a good Blu-ray player for older TVs. If you only want the big hits, the PS4 and PS5 remasters look and run better, and PS Plus Premium streams many others.

PS3 storage upgrades

Every PS3 has a user-replaceable 2.5-inch hard drive, and the console accepts any standard SATA laptop drive or SSD up to 1TB without trouble. Back up your saves to a USB stick first, swap the drive, then reinstall the system software from a USB stick with the latest PS3UPDAT.PUP file from the official PlayStation website. An SSD makes menus faster but games benefit less, because the SATA connection in the PS3 is slow.

From the $599 launch to one of the most loved libraries in PlayStation history, the PS3 is worth knowing about whether you collect it or simply replay its classics on newer hardware.

See also: our guide to PlayStation Plus Premium classics.