25 Best Arcade Games ever made

Updated:

11 Dec 2023

25 Arcade Games That Were Legendary During Its Time

I love the current state of video games! They continue to rise in global prominence as an art form, with AAA production values rivaling Hollywood blockbusters and the independent sector bringing us numerous creative gems. There was a time though when video games were a true niche market—only a select few in my generation could even understand them. In those days, developers had to rely on the simple and the basic, refining their work to perfection. So in honor of those trailblazing creators, here are 25 of the best arcade games ever made.

25. Ghosts n' Goblins

Ghosts N' Goblins - Angry Video Game Nerd

The knight Arthur's fair maiden has been kidnapped, he must rescue her. Pretty simple. Unfortunately, the game didn't have a save function when it was ported to the NES. You had to beat the entire thing in one go with no continues. For those of you who are “harder than hard” masochists, try this blast from the past.

For each image in this article, download the high res version from google images and upload them during publishing. Do not use the ones in this word doc as they are too small.

If the graveyards don’t give you nightmares, losing over and over will.

24. Contra

Contra gamplay

Contra was among the founder of games called "run n' gun" but could also be seen as the ancestor of the military shooter genre. The heroes are Arnie and Sylvester Stallone knockoffs, two stock military badass personas deployed to a fictional country by the CIA. They blast their way through hordes of bad guys with ridiculously oversized weapons. Test your skills alone or with a friend.

Nothing like a stroll along the seaside…

23. Final Fight

Final Fight: Sweet Punches

Firepower fun is all well and good, but sometimes you long for the visceral, bone crunching thrill of hand to hand combat. Luckily, the run and gun's crazy cousin—the beat 'em up—has you covered. One of the best selections from this knuckle-busting genre is Final Fight. Pick your play-style as one of three protagonists, the skilled ninja Guy, the all around street tough Cody, and the powerhouse wrestler Haggar as they fight to take back Metro City from the Mad Gear gang that has taken over.

Yes, this window has a lovely view.

22. Street Fighter 2 Turbo - Hyper Fighting

Hyper Fight!

Be careful around these games, there are many versions of Street Fighter's sequel with slight variants. Specifically, Hyper Fighting had sped up fighting speeds and new techniques for select characters. Make sure to remember which version you’re playing, or you might end up on the wrong side of a tooth-shattering uppercut! All that said though, Street Fighter 2 is long considered to be among the best fighting games of all time for good reason. It had a global scale, eclectic cast, and fun combo moves that were satisfying to pull off. Many fighting game pros of today got their start here and anyone can join in on the fun.

Elephants never forget, but who can keep track of all these different versions of Street Fighter?

21. Donkey Kong

Just a great game

Even N64 and Gamecube millennials like myself must pay homage to this game. The eponymous gorilla has remained a beloved video game character to this day, while "Jumpman" went on to become a figure so iconic that people outside the sphere of video games know who he is: Super Mario. Despite the impact on pop culture, the game itself is no life changing experience, but it is still a fun challenge with simple mechanics of timed jumping and the occasional power up hammer.

I sincerely hope the architect who built this place never finds work again.

20. Raiden

RAining Lasers

The screen scrolling shoot 'em up that would give birth to the sub-genre known in Japanese as "danmaku" (often translated as: bullet hell shooters). Raiden has you playing as a continuously advancing jet fighter/spacecraft combo taking on an entire alien fleet by yourself. While not capable of the aerial acrobatics of later air combat games, Raiden will test your evasive maneuvering skills as entire walls of enemy fire rain down upon you.

This is the Captain speaking, we may experience some turbulence.

19. Art of Fighting

Art of Fighting (Arcade) Playthrough as Ryo Sakazaki

Similar to both Street Fighter and Final Fight, this is a fighting game with multiple characters with different move sets also set in a crime ridden city. Notably, the game offers context, however flimsy, for the fights to take place. With little chat bubbles, your opponent issues some kind of threat for the beatdown. Play for an odd but fun little side venture.

One of Ryo's most satisfying moves

18. Metal Slug (1996)

Arcade Longplay Metal Slug X

Yet another mercilessly hard run and gun game but the unique appeal of the game is in its presentation. With fluid, hand drawn animation for the characters and an irreverent tone, the game is in some respects the Borderlands to Contra's Call of Duty. The title comes from a one man tank that provides an additional two hits to death and a load of firepower. As an added bonus, it can be set to detonate while ejecting out of it and laying waste to the stragglers a la Titanfall or D.Va in Overwatch.

One man against ten thousand

17. Cadillacs and Dinosaurs

Cadillacs & dinosaurs 3 players coop

First of all, that title alone should bring a tear to the eye of many Americans—the combination of ferocious prehistoric beasts and classic cars is a beautiful mashup the likes of which could only be made in America. Second of all, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is a criminally underappreciated franchise that was ahead of its time in terms of themes of animal rights and moral ambiguity. Even the video game tie-in, which had every excuse to be a dino shooting spree, decided to go for a beat 'em up with a story that painted the post-apocalyptic dinosaurs as the victims of human interference while still delivering on a mixed brawler with four possible characters, each with different moves and plenty of weapons to use.

It’s sort of like Jurassic Park, without the annoying kids.

16. The Simpsons Arcade Game

Bart is ruling,as always.

Yes, Simpsons did it. Video games based on existing properties tend to be very hit or miss, and—if we're being honest—miss more often. Yet the Simpsons actually has more hits than misses when it comes to game adaptations, and the top one in that category is the Simpsons arcade game. Play as any one of the Simpsons—alone or with up to three other friends—as the family tries to save Maggy from being kidnapped by Smithers. Fight your way through a version of Springfield that is even wackier than the TV show while pulling off hilarious combo special attacks with two members of the family at once—it never gets old.

D’oh!

15. Double Dragon

As if one dragon wasn't enough...

As much fun as it is iconic, the brawler built for two has an interesting little twist that might not be apparent until you are quite a ways into the game. Even though it starts with a cliched girlfriend kidnapping/damsel in distress plot (like many others) with the game beginning in a typical urban setting, the concrete and forests eventually give way to a temple fortress of sorts. Aside from the stakes that can be inferred though, the game is also one of the better remembered arcade brawlers for a reason: playing as a matched pair of fighters and battling your way through hoards of gang members is a riot.

Another punch buggy? This time I’ll kick instead.

14. Galaga

Approved by Tony Stark

"That man" in Avengers was playing Galaga for a reason. It's fun. It's also very refined, with tight controls and rules that one can figure out and master over a period of playthroughs. It also boasted an interesting mechanic where your ship could be captured in a tractor beam, costing you a life. At the same time though, you could get that ship back by freeing it from the enemy and then have two ships and thus doubling your firepower.

I love the smell of tractor beams in the morning!

13. Time Crisis 2

I'm more of a life crisis person to be honest.

Going to get personal here. This game isn't among my favorites but it does hold a special place in my heart. It was the first truly cooperative video game that my brother and I played together. We never got very far, but working together like two commando secret agents with peripherals that had actual recoil with a pedal for ducking into cover was a bonding experience for us. You ever watch a sound and fury action movie that mostly consists of stunts, chases, and gunfights? Time Crisis 2 is a playable version of one of those; with precise targeting, different weapon types, and lots of explosions. Play with a light gun if you can to really get the full experience.

Be sure to follow standard safety procedures when working in a warehouse. Also, try not to get shot.

12. King of Fighters '96

Round One!

One of the undisputed kings of the fighting game genre, no pun intended, King of Fighters '96 is a great entry in the franchise. While other games can boast distinct characters with unique move sets, what sets this game apart is its style. The character animations before and after a fight convey loads of personality and the fight animations are almost anime levels of fluid power. The stages range from dojos to urban war zones. It’s a fighting game that really feels brutal and hard hitting.

Perhaps a more apt title would be King (or Queen) of Fighters

11. Golden Axe

Golden axe gameplay

Need to get your Conan the Barbarian on? Don't go to Skyrim, go to the land of Yuria. In addition to the novelty of fighting monsters and armored warriors instead of the usual thugs, the game offers other unique features such as mounting a bizarre war beast. Golden Axe features three playable characters—while all of them fight primarily with a single weapon, they can also pull off devastating magical attacks to clear the screen of enemies.

Looks like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are all grown up.

10. Captain Commando

Rick?

An obscure little title, Captain Commando is another multi-character beat 'em up that leans a little more to the silly end, even by the standards of the genre. Playing as a crack team consisting of the eponymous military commander, the ninja Sho, Jennety the alien mummy, and Hoover the baby in a mech. Yeah, this is a weird one, but that doesn't make it any less challenging, especially as the screen swarms with mobs of enemies. Luckily, there are power ups scattered throughout the stages in the form of mechs that you can pilot.

I love what you’ve done with your hair.

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

*Plays intro song in head*

Based on a long running franchise beloved by many, this game is also in the leagues of the best adapted video games of all time. Play as each of the Turtles as you travel from the sewers, to the rooftops, and beyond using sick moves and each of their signature weapons to battle the foot clan. It's about as close to playing an episode of the old eighties cartoon as one can get without April getting kidnap- oh wait, no that happens to.

A good game for pyromaniacs, apparently everything is on fire.

8. Rampage

Destruction!

The Prototypes, Grand Theft Autos, and Kane and Lynchs of the video game world show that sometimes, players want to play the bad guy. Particularly, players want to play unstoppable engines of destruction that lay waste to entire cities. Among the first games to cater to that fantasy was Rampage. Play as the monstrously mutated humans turned into a giant lizard, ape, and wolf and wreak havoc as you destroy an Illinois city before the time runs out.

How is this going to affect the real estate market?

7. House of the Dead

I want to be a part of it.

The first ever video game to give me nightmares. Good times. House of the Dead is a rare example of a rail shooter with a deep story. Not Bioshock good but certainly on par with the Resident Evil series mix of horror and intrigue. You shoot your way through the hordes of the risen dead as they shamble toward you before getting blindsided by one of their quicker variants. As you delve deeper into the labyrinthine manor, the macabre creatures only get more disturbing and more difficult to defeat.

Not exactly the type of “naughty nurse” I was looking for...

6. Virtua Cop 2

Save the day!

Continuing the light gun craze, Virtua Cop 2 is a little like Time Crisis except the focus is on cops and robbers. In the spirit of that, you get bonus points if you are accurate enough to disarm enemies by shooting their weapons and you must also avoid shooting civilians caught in the crossfire.

At least it’s not another punch buggy. I’m getting tired of those.

5. Daytona USA

Before McQueen was a thing.

Everyone likes a good racing game. Daytona puts you in the seat of a race car as you tackle courses and maneuver around other drivers to compete for first place. The sound effects are a little dated but the constant hum of the engine only adds to the complete experience. Again, I would recommend playing this game at a booth because like many simulation games, it's the most fun when it is closest to what it is simulating.

Why do we love naming cars after insects?

4. Super Street Fighter II Turbo

Wait, I saw this before...

I’ve chose yet another Street Fighter 2 variant because this game really is that legendary and influential. The additions added to this version include super combos and air combos but both of them are virtually irrelevant to the biggest new feature and that is none other than Akuma. One of the lore's biggest antagonists started as a bonus boss in this game. To experience the terrifying surprise of an entire generation, play this game.

Definitely more people should put words on their pants.

3. X-Men vs. Street Fighter

The best of both worlds.

The X-Men aren't everyone's cup of tea—even among Marvel fans—and Street Fighter has a fairly niche appeal. Luckily, now everyone can get the chance to beat up the side they don't like in this game. The predecessor to the mega successful, Marvel vs. Capcom, play as your favorite mutants and martial artists in this arcade fighter.

I’m willing to bet Gambit is the best (pun intended).

2. Space Invaders

You shall not pass!

Simple graphics but loads of fun. Shooting down enemies in this game is sort of like knowing how to play tic-tac-toe—once you know the basics you never lose. But it is still an indelible part of gaming history. The game is so iconic that even those who have never played it recognize it instantly when it is parodied.

E.T. go home!

1. Pac-Man

Wakawakawakawaka.

What can be said about Pac-Man? He’s a gaming icon to this day alongside Mario. But one thing that Pac-Man has over all other classic arcade games is that it is still endlessly playable. With a simple setup of avoiding ghosts but having a power up to fight back against them while trying to eat all of the pellets on the screen, the game retains an ease of access and an addictive quality the likes of which Angry Birds would echo many years later.

Cherries, pellets, and blue ghost are part of a balanced diet.

Even if I recommend these games to own on one's own personal machine, some of them really have to be played with their full cabinet to get the experience. My advice? See if you can't hunt down any arcades still standing. The games they offer may be pretty basic, but playing them is similar to riding a roller coaster or Ferris Wheel. Not only is it a return to a simpler time but you really can't get an experience like this anywhere else.