If you are looking to utilize your collection of PS2 games by playing them on your PC, you have come to the right guide. This guide will look into emulation and explain how to install PCSX2 and the PCSX2 BIOS. So without further ado, let’s get into it!
A legal piece of advice: using emulators is permitted in all parts of the world. As long as you are using a game that you own the rights to, that can be a game you developed or bought a copy of. Having a pirated copy of a game or copying files from someone on the internet is labeled as piracy and is illegal. And will get you into trouble.
If your emulator requires a BIOS file, you must also own the rights to a BIOS. You can get a hold of a BIOS file by ripping one from a console that you actually owned.
What is PCSX2?
PCSX2 is the emulator we will be using to emulate PS2 behavior. It is currently the best PS2 emulator available.
It supports many plugins, such as remapping controls, better sound, improved resolution, etc. All of this helps improve your gaming experience and immersion.
How to Download PCSX2?
Downloading PCSX2 is straightforward. All you have to do is head to PCSX2’s website and press on the download tab above. This will open the download page. Here, you can see multiple versions available.
Download the latest version available. Currently, it is version 1.6 for Windows and version 1.2.1 for Linux devices. Download the executable based on the OS you are using. After downloading the executable, open it up so the installation process can begin.
How To Install PCSX2
Installing the PCSX2 is not much of a hassle. All you have to do is open the executable, and the installer will guide you through the process. It is up to you whether you want to install it permanently in a location or in a portable version. In this guide, we will be looking at the permanent installation.
It will ask if you want to change some of the default plugins during the installation process. It is best advised that you only change something if you know what you are doing. You could break the emulator and cause game-breaking issues.
Installing PS2 Bios
After legally duping your BIOS from a PS2 you own, you need to copy the BIOS files to the PCSX2 BIOS folder in My Documents. After pasting the BIOS files, you can select your region in PCSX2. Choosing a different region might change your language and could break your save games, so be sure to select the region you had on your PS2.
Now you can load your favorite games and start playing immediately, but keep reading if you want to learn how to improve your gaming experience.
Setup the PCSX2
Configuring the PCSX2 is easy, and you can drastically improve your game’s appearance and performance.
Resolution
We will first of all increase the output resolution of games. To do that, you must open PCSX2 and press on the config tab, and select Video > Plugin Settings.
This will open the GSdx settings page. Here, you can change many display aspects of this emulator, but we will only be changing the resolution and anisotropic filtering so that our textures become less jagged. Set the resolution to whatever you want.
We suggest 1080p, as it is not that demanding and can make the game pop compared to running the game in 480p.
Aspect Ratio
To change your aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9, which is widescreen. You must open the config tab, select Emulation settings > GS window and change the aspect ratio tab. by default. It will be at 4:3. Changing the setting to 16:9 so that the games you pay will be displayed in widescreen settings.
Controls
Changing and remapping your controls is simple. All you have to do is open the config tab and select Controllers > Plugin settings. Here you can check which devices are plugged in and configure them.
You can even remap controls for a specific controller or a keyboard if you want. Or you could remap the controls for every input device.
Conclusion
Congratulations! Now you have a working PS2 emulator on your PC, and you can play your whole library of PS2 games by using PCSX2. We hope this guide helped set up your PCSX2 Bios and optimize its settings. If this guide did help you, please share it with your friends.
Please let us know in the comments below if you would like to share any tips and tricks with us. We would love to hear your feedback! Make sure to check out our take on the best PS1 Emulators as well.
