The Best Arcade Games of All Time, and Why They Last
Any list like this is an argument. This one uses two tests. First, did the game change what came after it? Second, is it still fun to play today, without nostalgia doing the work? A game had to pass both to make the list. They are in order of release, not ranked against each other.
The list
- Pong (Atari, 1972)
- Allan Alcorn built it as a training exercise, and it became the first big arcade video game. Two paddles and a ball. It still works because the other player is the whole game.
- Space Invaders (Taito, 1978)
- Tomohiro Nishikado's invaders march down faster as you thin them out, so the tension rises on its own. It started the golden age of the arcade.
- Asteroids (Atari, 1979)
- Designed by Lyle Rains and Ed Logg, drawn in sharp vector lines. Your ship drifts, so moving is as hard as shooting.
- Pac-Man (Namco, 1980)
- A maze, dots and four ghosts with different habits. Learning how each ghost hunts you is what keeps it interesting.
- Donkey Kong (Nintendo, 1981)
- Shigeru Miyamoto's game told a small story across several screens and introduced the character who became Mario. Its jumps still feel precise.
- Galaga (Namco, 1981)
- Still one of the most loved space shooters. The capture-and-rescue trick gives every round a decision to make.
- Robotron: 2084 (Williams, 1982)
- Move with one stick, shoot with the other. Chaos on screen, but you are always in control.
- Street Fighter II (Capcom, 1991)
- It brought players back to arcades in the early 1990s. Eight characters, each with a style of their own, and a crowd around every cabinet waiting for the next challenger.
- NBA Jam (Midway, 1993)
- Two-on-two basketball with impossible dunks. It is loud and simple, and anyone can play it.
- Time Crisis (Namco, 1995)
- A light gun game with a pedal: press it to pop out and shoot, release it to take cover. One extra control made the genre feel new.
- Metal Slug (SNK, 1996)
- A run-and-gun shooter famous for its detailed hand-drawn animation and its sense of humour.
- Dance Dance Revolution (Konami, 1998)
- You play with your feet on a dance pad. It turned the arcade into a stage, with people watching as much as playing.
What they have in common
Every game here can be understood by watching someone else play for a few seconds. They use one main idea and push it as far as it goes. And a round is short, so losing never feels like a waste of time. Those three things are why people still play them, and why so many modern games still borrow from them.
Try their ideas in your browser
We make original games, not copies, but we use the same rules of thumb. Wing Duel is a two-player paddle game in the spirit of Pong. Brimstone is a vertical shooter, Soul Chase is a maze chase and Wingweight is a boxing game seen from above. All of them are free and run in your browser.