The Best Retro Video Games of All Time
Who doesn’t love a good video game? Whether a first-person shooter like Call of Duty or a sprawling MMORPG like World of Warcraft, the gaming community has exceptional options for anyone looking at potential games.
As many standout games as there are in the world, though, fans can only describe a select few as “classics” in the industry. Far from losing their replay value in the years since their release, these games remain tried-and-true staples for players across the globe, whether in the form of vintage arcade games or exclusive releases for earlier console models.
From first-person espionage thrillers to the original installments of beloved franchises, check out the greatest retro video games we recommend for anyone interested in retro gaming.
Pac-Man
The grand-daddy of all retro video games, Pac-Man’s appeal lies in its simplicity. Gobbling up tiny white dots and dodging the clutches of rainbow-colored ghosts, this 1980 arcade game remains as replayable now as it did over four decades ago. While industry advancements might have dated earlier games like Pong, Pac-Man continues to delight gamers the world over, with every self-respecting arcade keeping one stocked somewhere on their premises.
Platform: Arcade Game
Donkey Kong
Once upon a time, Mario lacked a name, existing first as an unnamed carpenter before being rechristened as “Jumpman” and, later, Mario. Yet it’s for this reason, among others, that makes 1981’s Donkey Kong such an endearing game. Featuring the first depiction of Mario and Donkey Kong in action, Nintendo laid the groundwork for a run-and-jump arcade game the likes of which gamers had never seen before. The initial entry in the iconic Donkey Kong series, playing it today feels like watching Disney’s Steamboat Willie, knowing how far the company has grown since its formative years in operation.
Platform: Arcade Game
Resident Evil
Next to 1996’s The House of the Dead, Resident Evil helped relaunch the then-stagnant zombie subgenre, culminating in a wave of movies, games, comics, and TV shows featuring the undead flesh-eaters well into the next decade. Utilizing a plot straight out of an ‘80s George Romero film, Resident Evil finds players trying to break out of a zombie-infested mansion, uncovering the truth about the infection’s origins along the way. An approachable horror game for all potential players, it’s the first in a long line of Resident Evil releases, ranking as one of the greatest survival horror games of all time.
Platform: PlayStation
Metal Gear Solid
The magnum opus of Hideo Kojima’s creative output, Metal Gear Solid not only ranks among the finest installments of the Metal Gear series – it’s also one of the most influential. Mashing together numerous genre tropes from ‘80s action movies, Kojima pioneered stealth-based gameplay, as well as demonstrating the potential for in-game cutscenes. A fascinating action game to this day, it rivals Sons of Liberty, Snake Eater, Guns of the Patriots, and Phantom Pain in terms of its gameplay, story, and characterization.
Platform: PlayStation
Galaga
Like Pac-Man, most players can find Galaga in most arcades. Taking inspiration from 1978’s Space Invaders, Galaga thrusts players into a constantly moving starship, gunning down hostile alien creatures hurling projectiles at them. As with Pac-Man, such a simple premise fails to capture the enjoyment of Galaga, leaving players to challenge themselves with new levels, new enemies, and new bonus rounds of increasing difficulty.
Platform: Arcade Game
GoldenEye 007
It’s difficult to say which is better: the original cinematic version of GoldenEye or its 1997 video game adaptation, GoldenEye 007. Perhaps the best video game based on a film, GoldenEye 007 set the standard for all video game adaptations of movies that followed. Expanding the narrative events of the original GoldenEye and adding an abundance of new scenes and characters, it also popularized the concept of console-oriented first-person shooters (a genre that players could only find on arcade platforms up to that point).
Platform: Nintendo 64
Monkey Island 2: Lechuck’s Revenge
Some game historians refer to the Monkey Island series as the crown jewel of LucasArts’s gaming catalog. A standout example of a sequel done right, it retains the same overall gameplay mechanics of its predecessor (The Secret of Monkey Island), harking back to the same overwhelming humor of the original game. A light-hearted point-and-click adventure game, playing it is akin to exploring the world of Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” attraction – a whimsical world of colorful pirates, bad-mannered zombies, and sleazy coffin salesmen.
Platform: Windows
Super Mario World
Donkey Kong may have introduced the world to Mario, but Super Mario World established the character as a household name. Taking advantage of the technological innovations associated with the Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo designed a game of unique complexity and persistent originality. Through its vivid visuals, the developers transported players into a magical kingdom bursting with splendid color and fantastical creatures – a game so immersive that it truly felt like gamers stepped into another world when playing.
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System
Space Invaders
The creative precursor to Galaga, Space Invaders became the most successful game of its era, picking up the ball left behind by 1972’s Pong and running with it. The game that helped kickstart the golden age of gaming from the late ‘70s into the mid-'80s, Space Invaders also established the prototypical fixed shooter genre, with players ducking and weaving behind bunkers and gunning down rows of encroaching alien spacecraft. While it might not have aged as well as most other games on this list, its importance in developing the fledgling gaming industry cannot be overstated.
Platform: Arcade Game
Tetris
A relatively simple game in nature, Tetris’s straightforward gameplay style accounts for its continued popularity almost four decades after its 1985 release. A trailblazing puzzle game, Tetris has players trying to arrange a series of descending tiles of various shapes and sizes in the proper order, attempting to fill out every space at the bottom of the screen. As easy as that might sound, the increasing difficulty of the game makes it a challenging game to keep up with from level to level. Given its enduring popularity, calling it one of the greatest retro video games almost feels reductive.
Platform: Arcade Game
Street Fighter II
Decades before Mortal Kombat gained a tight monopoly over the genre, the fighting game proved synonymous with the Street Fighter series. Advancing the basic mechanics of 1987’s Street Fighter and introducing cutting-edge new features (including an expansive roster and an intricate combo system), Street Fighter II left players in awe with its expansive improvements. One of the most influential fighting games of all time, it’s a game that continues to hold up against any one of its stylistic successors, whether in the form of Mortal Kombat 1 or later additions to the Street Fighter series.
Platform: Arcade Game
Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Like Mario or Donkey Kong, almost everyone knows the titular star of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. A spiky-haired blue hedgehog capable of bolting through levels with his signature supersonic speed, Sonic’s inaugural appearance came with 1991’s Sonic the Hedgehog. One year later, Sega released the game’s official sequel, upping the ante set by the previous game in every way imaginable. With faster-paced gameplay, a multiplayer mode, and the debut of Sonic’s loyal sidekick, Tails, it’s among the most well-rounded additions to the Sonic series yet.
Platform: Sega Genesis
Streets of Rage 2
There’s no end to fan-favorite side-scrolling beat-’em-up games, whether in the form of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or X-Men. As respectable as each of those games are, one shouldn’t look past the achievements of Streets of Rage 2, the definitive entry in the beat-’em-up adventure game. Taking liberal inspiration from ‘80s kung fu films, Streets of Rage 2 pits players against a variety of formidable opponents, giving them the chance to prove their worth against the criminal forces of Mr. X. With an atmospheric action score, fluid gameplay, and campy characters, it’s a stellar action game everyone should play at least once.
Platform: Sega Genesis
Frogger
Another tried-and-true arcade classic, Frogger – like Pac-Man, Galaga, and Tetris – thrives on simplicity. Controlling the eponymous amphibian characters, players’ jobs are to ensure the frogs reach their lily-pad homes, crossing through rows of speeding traffic and cascading rivers in order to do so. Hopping between cars and jumping from one log to another, the straightforward nature of Frogger made it a surprisingly addictive game in 1981, winning players over with its challenging levels and satisfying gameplay structure.
Platform: Arcade Game
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
No one can name the single best Zelda game, but gamers can make a compelling argument in favor of Ocarina of Time. The first Zelda game to introduce 3D graphics, it also maintained the sheer originality of its successors, resulting in a game that possessed both profound beauty and sheer creativity. Pushing the boundaries for action-adventure games moving forward, it remains among the highest-rated additions to The Legend of Zelda series, superseded only by its later sequel, Breath of the Wild. It's not just one of the greatest retro video games, it's one of the best games ever.
Platform: Nintendo 64 and GameCube
