3 ways to download free PSP games

Sony's PSP system, although it has recently been replaced by the new PS Vita, is still a popular handheld game console with a wide collection of games. Follow the steps below to learn how to play games on your PSP for free.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Getting Memory for Additional Games

Step 1. Buy a memory card that is compatible with your PSP system

To download games for the PSP you must get a memory card with the largest possible capacity that you can afford to pay so that you can save more games.

Step 2. Format your PSP memory card using the following steps:

Insert the memory card into your PlayStation Portable console.
Hit the small "Start" button at the bottom left of your PSP device.
Use the buttons to go to the "Settings" and then to the "System Settings" menu.
Select the "Format memory card" option.
Confirm the action by choosing "Yes" in the menu that appears. Then your PSP device will format the memory card (it will only take a few seconds).

Step 3. Find out what firmware you have installed

Firmware is the operating system that your PSP uses to store files and perform functions. The type of games you can play will depend on the firmware you have. Follow the steps below to find out what your firmware version is.

Click on "Start."
Navigate to "Settings" and select them.
Open the "System Settings" menu.
Select the "System Information" option. The firmware version will be displayed on your screen.

Method 2 of 3: Playing Unofficial Games

Step 1. Learn about the unofficial

Unofficial applications are programs (such as games and emulators for older systems) that have been developed by individual programmers and are often distributed free of charge to anyone who wants them. The downside to running unofficial games on your PSP is that you have to hack your PSP's firmware to allow unlicensed programs.

Step 2. Be clear about where you are

Hacking your PSP firmware is not a big legal problem for anyone, but custom firmware can occasionally prevent you from running some commercial games. Although the unofficial gaming community are always improving reliability and compatibility, the problem still exists. Make a backup and other electronically stored data to a secondary memory card before proceeding, just in case.

Step 3. Purchase custom firmware

To get started, find out the model number of your PSP. It's inside the battery, so open it. Look for the characters "PSP-XXXX", the XXXX is your model number. Note if it is series 1000, 2000, 3000 or GO model.

Step 4. Download the custom files to your computer

They are not difficult to find online. As of May 2013, the most current and used unofficial files were the PSP CFW 6.60 Pro-C2 and Pro-C1, which can be downloaded here and here, respectively.

The C2 is more sophisticated than the C1, but the C1 is sometimes more reliable. Try the C2 firmware first, and switch to C1 if it gives your PSP problems

Enter USB mode. Navigate to the "Settings" menu on your PSP and select "USB Mode." Connect your PSP to your computer with a USB cable and open it on your desktop. Make sure your empty memory card is in your PSP. Go to the root file of your memory card.
Copy the firmware. Open the file you downloaded and look inside for a folder called "PSP". Drag the folder to the root file of your memory card and release it. If a pop-up window opens, click "Yes" to continue.
Exit USB mode. Disconnect your PSP from the computer and exit USB mode by selecting the appropriate option. Now if you want, you can delete the files on your computer.

Step 5. Install the custom firmware

Go to the menu screen of your PSP and select the option "Game / Memory card". There, select "Upgrade to PRO". Press the X button to start the firmware.

Burn the firmware. Once you have installed the unofficial firmware, you will need to permanently record it or know how to restore it in order to play unofficial games. The method you use will depend on the model number of your PSP.
- For 1000 and 2000 series, navigate to the "Game / Memory Card" menu and select the "CIPL Flasher" icon. Press the X button once it starts to make the firmware update permanent.
- For the 3000 and GO series, security measures prevent you from permanently saving the firmware. In any case, you can start the "PSP Quick Recovery" utility every time you turn on your PSP to restore the custom firmware for that section.

Step 6. Get unofficial games

Now that you have everything done and working perfectly, an Internet search for "unofficial games for PSP" will give you a multitude of results. Many of these games are emulated versions of older games from other systems, but custom games are also available.

Method 3 of 3: Hacking Official Games

Step 1. Be clear about where you are

Pirating games is not as persecuted as pirating music or movies, but there is no guarantee that you will not get in trouble. The risk is very low, but the only sure way to avoid legal trouble is to buy the original PSP games. When you hack them instead, you take a risk.

In the case of lesser known releases, you are probably also hurting the bottom line of the developer and / or publisher. Think twice before hacking weird or original games if you want the developers to create more

Step 2. Download the games for PSP

There are two ways to find PSP games and download them to your computer.

Game torrent files. You can learn how to torrent over the Internet, but keeping it short, you will need a program to run the torrents, a torrent file of the game you want, and some time for the program to obtain a copy of the game from other users. You don't have to pay for the torrent or the program.

Use torrenting programs like Torrentz.eu to search multiple torrent libraries at once. Select the files with the highest positive ratings to really make sure you're not downloading something you don't want
Download the games directly. There are many dubious websites on the Internet that offer free PSP game downloads. Some of these, like PSPMania, are basically scams; others like http://www.pspshare.org/, are valid. Keep looking through the list until you find a download link (usually from external file hosting sites like uploaded.net or mega.co.nz), and click to launch it.

Generally, the correct extension for PSP game files is.iso. Make sure that the file you download is an ISO file or that it contains at least one (in case it is a ZIP or RAR file). Never run or download files that have an EXE extension

Step 3. Copy the games from your computer to your PSP

Enter USB mode (as described above) and connect the PSP to your computer. Copy the game files from your computer to the PSP folder on your memory card to load them into the system.