Can You Play PSP Games Purchased on PSN on a PS3?

No. The PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable are fundamentally different platforms with incompatible architectures. Games bought on the PlayStation Store for PSP are licensed and compiled exclusively for PSP hardware (and later, PlayStation Vita/PlayStation TV via backward compatibility). They will not install or run on a PS3.

This separation exists because:

• CPU Architecture: PSP uses a MIPS-based processor; PS3 uses the Cell Broadband Engine.
• Operating System: Each runs a distinct firmware with different system calls and libraries.
• Licensing: Digital licenses are tied to the target platform at purchase.

If you want to play PSP games on a TV, your official options are:

• PlayStation Vita or PlayStation TV (Vita TV)—both natively run PSP downloads.
• Remote Play from a PSP/Vita to a PS3 (limited titles, requires both devices).

No official emulator or compatibility layer bridges this gap on PS3. Stick to PS3-native titles on your console.