PC Emulator: How to install, PCSX2, ROMs, Gran Turismo 4, NFSU, & more!

We're huge fans of all things PlayStation 2 here in the virtual office. From Gran Turismo to Need for Speed, we love them all.

Whilst PS2's can be somewhat few and far between nowadays, there are other ways to enjoy the titles we all used to play.

So, let's take a look now at PCSX2, how you can install it, and how to get playing those games we've all come to miss!

PCSX2

This is one of the best emulators currently available on PC, especially for those looking to play some old-school PS2 games.

The emulator is easily downloaded by following the link here. One of the most important things to point out is that you download the version that suits your OS. Most people are on Windows, but check before committing to that!

You'll also need to get your hands on a PS2 bios, which is what the emulator uses to run the games. You can get your hands on one here.

ROMs

Now, these may have a rather scary-looking name, but it's effectively the discs of the games you want to play. They are easily found online by typing in "*insert game name* ROM".

As such, you need to find the ROMs of the various titles you'll want to play. These often need to be extracted, and many are held in zipped folders.

We use 7 Zip to extract these, and this is easily found on Google. Once you've got 7 Zip, and you've downloaded a ROM of choice, simply extract it into a folder that you can find easily.

Playing the game

Now, the final, and of course the most fun step of all of this, is playing the game. You'll be using PCSX2 to play the ROM of your choice.

First of all, we recommend getting your controller good to go. Head to Config -> Controllers, and plug in your controller. Click each input and press it on your controller to assign the control.

For the game, head to CDVD -> ISO Selector -> Browse, and simply find the game you wish to play and click open. Finally, click System -> Boot ISO (full), and the game should launch! Happy playing!

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