# PlayStation 2 online functionality

The PlayStation 2 home video game console has had the ability for online gaming and other Internet capabilities. Games that were online-compatible could make use of the feature using a network adapter that plugged into the system's Expansion Bay (the adapter is integrated into the hardware on later "slimline" models) and an Internet connection, which connected to one of Sony Computer Entertainment's or a third-party's network, depending on region. The last official online game server was shut down in 2016 by Square Enix; some games continue to have online functionality via unofficial fan-made servers.

## Overview

Instead of having a unified online service such as Xbox Live, online multiplayer on the PS2 was the responsibility of the game publisher and was run on third-party servers. However, later PS2 online games required the console to be authorized through Sony's Dynamic Network Authentication System (DNAS) before connecting to the server. Unofficial servers also exist which could be connected by setting up the DNS settings to connect to an unofficial DNS server.
Some games also allowed online gameplay using a dial-up connection (not available on all models), or LAN play by connecting two network adapters/slimline consoles together directly with an Ethernet cable or through the same router network. Most games, especially later ones, require the use of a broadband internet connection. The company also attempted in Japan to market the console as a set-top box for other forms of entertainment using the PlayStation BB service.

## Services and lifetime

In Japan, online functionalities were already rolled out in its first year in the form of third-party 56k modems. Sun Corporation for example released the OnlineStation, a USB external modem with its EnjoyMagic software providing web and email to customers. EGBrowser was another third-party web browser for the PlayStation 2 released in 2001 for use with any compatible modem. SquareSoft also released a modem called PS2GATE around September 2001, to connect to its PlayOnline service. Aiwa also released a modem preloaded with software called NetFront. Some games such as Age of Empires II (originally a PC game) could be played online using a USB modem, and this title specifically could also make use of USB keyboard and mice on a PlayStation 2. The official network adapter featuring both broadband Ethernet and a 56k modem was released in Japan on July 19, 2001 alongside Final Fantasy X.
Sony Computer Entertainment itself launched the PlayStation BB service in Japan in April 2002 using a broadband internet connection. It also included a software service called Broadband Navigator which users to download PlayStation 2 software titles, download media and play music and video using RealPlayer software, and instant messaging. The broadband adapter was initially rented and included a hard disk, but it was later available to buy in retail stores.
In North America, the online services launched on August 27, 2002. The initial online games at launch were SCE's SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs, Twisted Metal: Black Online, NFL GameDay 2003 and FreQuency Online, Sega's NFL 2K3, EA Sports's Madden NFL 2003, and Activision's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. The adapter costed initially US$40 and included a start-up disc and a demo disc with two playable games, Madden NFL 2003, and FreQuency Online. It launched ahead of competitor Xbox Live, which wouldn't launch until November 15 that year. SCEA had also partnered with AOL (to include Netscape web, AIM chat, email and other Internet services), RealNetworks, Macromedia (to include Flash) and Cisco. Despite the advanced take-up of broadband in the United States compared to Japan, Sony decided to still include a 56k modem for narrowband dial-up customers.
Testing for online services in Europe rolled out in the spring of 2003. SCEE provided a service named Central Station with the setup discs that contained regular news of online services and provided a single sign-in username. Testing in Germany began on April 24; the test package included a network adapter, a hard disk drive, the Network Access Disc, a copy of SOCOM: US Navy SEALs and a USB headset. Central Station or "Network Gaming" launched on June 11 in Britain, July 2 in France, August 13 in Sweden, September in the Netherlands. In Europe, online services on the PlayStation 2 required DSL broadband internet like Xbox Live required. Hardware: Online Arena was developed and released as an exclusive online-only game in Europe in 2003.

### Discontinuation

Over time, most game servers have been shut down. On August 31, 2012, SCEA shut down the servers for the SOCOM games after ten years. The last official online server, which was for Final Fantasy XI, was ultimately shut down on March 31, 2016, with the DNAS following it a couple of days later on April 4, indirectly shutting down several remaining unofficial servers, with the exception of ones that support non-DNAS PS2 titles such as Tribes: Aerial Assault and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.
Despite the DNAS shutdown, several fan-created servers still exist; most require a DNAS workaround to connect, with some exceptions such as Call of Duty 3 and Need For Speed: Underground.

## Adapter

For the original models (non-"Slimline") of the PlayStation 2 console, a network adapter was needed to play online and use a hard drive. The initial versions released only in Japan were designed for the launch model PlayStation 2 systems released for that region (the SCPH-10000 to SCPH-18000 series), as they utilized the PCMCIA slot on said consoles. Later versions of the network adapter such as those released in North America and Europe are built differently from the initial Japan-only versions, using a different form factor and was designed for the PlayStation 2's Expansion Bay that appeared on later revisions of the original PlayStation 2 models (the SCPH-3000x to SCPH-500xx series).
All versions of the Network Adaptor provide an Ethernet port, while some versions (especially North American ones) also featured a phone-line port for dial-up connection. The newer slimline versions, however, have an Ethernet port (and in some early North American models, a phone-line port) built into them, making the Network Adaptor unnecessary and hard drive use nearly impossible, as well as ruling out any need to keep the network adapter in production.
Playing online games requires that users set up the system's network connection configuration, which is saved to a memory card. This can be done with the Network Startup Disc that came with the network adapter or using one of the many games that had the utility built into them, such as Resident Evil Outbreak, to set up the network settings. The new slimline PlayStation 2 came with a disc in the box by default. The last version of the disc was Network Startup Disc 5.0, which was included with the newer SCPH-90004 model released in 2009.

## Compatible games

Capcom vs. SNK 2 was the first ever video game to offer cross-platform play between two competing video game consoles, followed in 2002 by Final Fantasy XI which allowed connections between the PlayStation 2 and personal computers. SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs, released in August of the same year, was one of the first video games that allowed voice chat on a console.
PAL games that supported online gaming display a banner on the cover near the top stating (in English-language releases): WITH NETWORK PLAY (later WITH NET PLAY). North American games feature an "Online" icon in the lower right corner of the cover; on games that do not support dial-up connectivity, "broadband only" is also found on the logo.

### LAN tunneling

Computer programs such as XBSlink, SVDL and XLink Kai also allowed users to achieve online play for some PS2 games by using a network configuration that simulates a worldwide LAN.