12 Best PS Vita Ports

Stardew Valley came out on Windows on February 26, 2016, and the Vita got it on May 22, 2018, after the Switch and every home console version. Eric Barone programmed it and composed the music himself, and he was heavily inspired by the Harvest Moon series. You inherit your grandfather's run-down farm and fix it up by clearing land and growing crops.

It sold 50 million copies by February 2026, and it is credited with causing a resurgence in popularity for the farming sim genre. Players point out that the Vita version stopped getting updates, so later additions never arrived. Who needs patch notes when there are parsnips? Even so, it is the whole farming game on a handheld.

Red Hook Studios released Darkest Dungeon on Windows and OS X in January 2016, after a year in early access, and the PS4 and Vita versions followed on September 27, 2016. It is a turn-based roguelike about the stress of adventuring, and your heroes crack under it. You pick four heroes and send them into a procedurally generated dungeon below a gothic mansion you inherited. If a hero dies down there, that hero is lost for good.

Critics liked it, and it went on to sell over two million copies. Players warn that the text is tiny on the Vita's screen. Squint through that and you get the same punishing dungeon crawler, with a stress system that makes every expedition feel risky.

Ubisoft Montreal released Child of Light on Windows and the home consoles in April 2014, and it came to the Vita in July 2014. You play Aurora, a young princess sent to take back the light the Black Queen stole. It runs on the UbiArt Framework engine, the same one behind Rayman Origins, which turns up at #7, and it kept its watercolor-inspired art.

Battles are turn-based, similar to the Final Fantasy and Grandia series, and you also steer Igniculus, a playable firefly who can open chests Aurora cannot reach and slow enemies down. Critics praised its visuals and its soundtrack, and it was nominated for Handheld Game of the Year. Players single out the art. A painted storybook fits a small bright screen.

Hopoo Games released Risk of Rain on PC in November 2013, and the Vita version came out in April 2016, more than two years later. It is an action platformer with roguelike elements, set on a mysterious planet with randomly spawning enemies and bosses. Death is permanent, so every run starts from nothing. (The planet does not want visitors.)

You can play alone or with 3 friends in online co-op. Players recommend it for quick sessions and for co-op with a friend sitting nearby. A run that lasts a few minutes suits a handheld, and starting over never feels like a punishment.

Ska Studios released Salt and Sanctuary on the PS4 on March 15, 2016, and the Vita version arrived a year later. The studio took heavy inspiration from FromSoftware's Dark Souls series. It combines Metroidvania and Soulslike design with 2D hand drawn visuals. You pick one of three creeds and set out to find a lost princess, gathering salt to gain power along the way. It was announced in August 2014 for the PS4 and Vita.

Players sum it up as 2D Dark Souls. A sequel, Salt and Sacrifice, was released in 2022, but this is where it started for Vita owners. The hard fights and slow exploration of a dark world translate well to a small screen.

Rayman Origins came out on the home consoles on November 15, 2011, and the Vita version followed in February 2012. It was the first main Rayman game since Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc in 2003, and it is a side-scrolling platformer. The Vita version adds some unlockable extras, and the touch screen handles a few actions, such as tapping the Relics hidden in each level.

The Enhanced Edition has an in-game gallery with artwork and collectibles that were exclusive to the Vita version. Critics praised its graphical style and its sense of humor. It sold slowly at first and well in the end. Players keep coming back to how good it looks. Its sequel, Rayman Legends, reached the Vita in 2013 too.

Yacht Club Games released Shovel Knight on Windows and Nintendo's consoles in June 2014, and the Vita version came out in 2015 with the PS3 and PS4 ones. The studio was founded by former members of WayForward and wanted to make a game in the style of the NES classics they grew up on. It is a 2D side-scrolling platformer with an 8-bit look. Its Kickstarter asked for $75,000, and the team raised $328,682 in the end. Each PlayStation version adds a boss fight against Kratos from God of War.

Kratos does not get a shovel.

Critics call it one of the greatest video games ever made. Players say the Vita's d-pad makes it one of the best ways to play it.

Borderlands 2 came out on September 18, 2012, on Windows and the home consoles. It shipped more than 20 million units and became 2K's most successful release, and its loot system generates numerous combinations of weapons and gear. Gearbox partnered with Iron Galaxy Studios for the Vita version, which arrived in May 2014 and supports two players instead of four, and cross-save lets PS3 players carry their progress over.

Critics liked having the entire game and extra content on a handheld, but panned the lag and the inconsistent frame rates. Players love the game and warn that the port struggles to keep up with it. It is the roughest port here, and it still makes the list.

Vanillaware's Muramasa: The Demon Blade came out on the Wii in Japan in April 2009 and in North America that September. The Vita version, called Muramasa Rebirth in the West, followed in 2013 with a redone localization. Director George Kamitani based the story on kabuki theatre, and you explore hand-drawn 2D side-scrolling environments while forging and collecting 108 blades.

Marvelous AQL published it in Japan and Aksys Games in English territories. Downloadable content called Genroku Legends later added four new stories based on Japanese folklore. Critics praised the art design and music, and called the gameplay fun but shallow. Players call it one of the best-looking games on the system.

Cellar Door Games, a Toronto developer of brothers Kenny and Teddy Lee, released Rogue Legacy on Windows on June 27, 2013, and the Vita version came out on July 29, 2014, together with the PS3 and PS4 ones. When your knight dies, you pick an heir to carry on, and the family business is mostly dying. You choose between three randomly generated heirs, and the gold you find in the castle upgrades the family's gear and abilities for every one of them.

It sold more than 100,000 copies in its first week, and it was inspired by Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. Players call it perfect for short bursts. Each death feels like a small step forward rather than a loss.

Dennaton Games released Hotline Miami on Windows on 23 October 2012. Abstraction Games ported it to the PS3 and Vita with cross-buy, so one purchase covered both, and the ports added a bonus mask and leaderboards. They arrived on 25 July 2013 in North America. It is set in Miami in 1989, where a silent protagonist massacres the local Russian mafia, and wearable animal masks give you unique abilities.

The game was made in nine months as the first commercial release of Dennaton Games, and it had sold 1.5 million copies by May 2015. Its soundtrack leans on electronic music and synthwave. Players praise the touch screen, which lets you pick out enemies to target.

Persona 4 came out on the PS2 in Japan in July 2008 and in North America that December. Atlus first planned a PSP version like Persona 3 Portable, which would have meant cutting features, but the Vita had the power to expand the game instead. Golden adds a new character, Marie, and more anime cutscenes. You move to the town of Inaba for a year and split your time between daily life and a TV world full of Shadows.

Critics gave Golden higher praise than the original for its new content and visual upgrades. It later reached Windows in 2020 and Nintendo Switch in 2023, and it has sold around 2.5 million copies with its console ports. Players treat it as the better way to play Persona 4, the same game with new story added.