Though the PSP has long been discontinued, its creative influence is more alive than ever. A growing number of indie developers cite PSP games situs toto as foundational to their design philosophies. The best games on the platform often took risks and embraced niche audiences—traits that are now hallmarks of the indie scene. In many ways, the PSP walked so that indie games today could run.
Titles like Half-Minute Hero captured this spirit. With its parody of RPG tropes and 30-second gameplay loops, it offered a satirical yet strategic experience that felt tailor-made for short play sessions. The game’s humor and mechanics have since echoed in modern indies like Undertale and Loop Hero. Its bite-sized brilliance proved that less could be more.
LocoRoco and Patapon likewise showcased that visuals didn’t need to be realistic to be compelling. Their stylized art, intuitive controls, and musical engagement helped shift the conversation away from realism and toward expression. That aesthetic sensibility is now seen in games like Celeste, Katana ZERO, and Cuphead, which prioritize artistic direction as much as gameplay.
These PlayStation games demonstrated that the PSP was a hub for experimentation and creativity. Today’s indie developers—many of whom grew up with the PSP—carry that legacy forward. The platform may no longer be active, but the best PSP games continue to shape the boundaries of what games can be.