Best Retro Games of All Time

Widely considered the greatest video game ever made, Ocarina of Time translated the Zelda formula into three dimensions with such perfection that it redefined what action-adventure games could achieve. Its Z-targeting system, time-travel narrative, and extraordinary dungeon design set standards that remain unsurpassed.

Widely considered the greatest action-adventure game ever made. A Link to the Past perfected the top-down Zelda formula with its Light World/Dark World duality, 12 intricate dungeons, and a richly realized Hyrule.

The game that invented 3D platforming as a genre. Super Mario 64 launched alongside the Nintendo 64 and demonstrated, definitively, that video games could work in three dimensions. Its influence on every 3D game that followed is incalculable — this is where the template was written.

Square's magnum opus and the game that defined the JRPG genre for an entire generation. Final Fantasy VII blended cinematic storytelling, a richly imagined dystopian world, and a revolutionary Materia system into an adventure that millions of players still consider their all-time favorite.

The Dream Team's masterpiece. Chrono Trigger's time-traveling epic, multi-ending structure, and groundbreaking Active Time Battle system produced what many call the greatest JRPG ever made.

One of the most perfect games ever made, Symphony of the Night merged action platforming with deep RPG mechanics and a sprawling inverted castle to create the Castlevania series' masterpiece. It gave its name to a subgenre and remains the defining standard of exploration-based action games.

The definitive version of Alexey Pajitnov's legendary puzzle game, bundled with the Game Boy at launch and responsible for selling millions of handheld consoles worldwide. Simple to learn and impossible to master, Tetris remains one of the greatest games ever made.

Super Metroid is widely considered one of the greatest games ever made — a masterpiece of atmospheric exploration, environmental storytelling, and movement-based design that defined the Metroidvania genre.

The SNES launch game that defined the 16-bit era. Super Mario World introduced Yoshi, expanded Mario's move set, and delivered 96 exits across a vast, joyful world that remained the gold standard for platformers for years.

The game that defined the platformer genre and saved the North American video game industry. Super Mario Bros. is the archetypal adventure that introduced Mario to the world.

Hideo Kojima's stealth masterpiece redefined what video games could achieve narratively and mechanically. Metal Gear Solid blended Hollywood-caliber presentation with innovative stealth gameplay and fourth-wall-breaking moments that players still discuss 25 years later.

Opera Omnia. Final Fantasy VI is the crown jewel of 16-bit RPGs — a cast of 14 memorable characters, the most compelling villain in gaming history, and a second half that shattered the conventions of the genre.

Nintendo's most psychologically dark Zelda game dropped Link into the doomed world of Termina, where a moon falls every three days, time loops endlessly, and the inhabitant cast need his help before everything ends. Majora's Mask is a meditation on grief, identity, and impermanence unlike anything else in the franchise.

The game that invented open-world exploration. The Legend of Zelda gave players an enormous world to discover and secrets to uncover without hand-holding, trusting them to figure it out themselves.

Rare's landmark first-person shooter defined console multiplayer gaming and demonstrated that licensed movie games could be exceptional. GoldenEye 007 introduced aiming, stealth mechanics, and objectives-based mission design to console FPS games, and its four-player split-screen became the standard for living room multiplayer.

Rare's stunning follow-up to GoldenEye 007 surpassed its predecessor in nearly every respect, delivering a sci-fi spy thriller with a phenomenal weapon roster, improved AI, and the most feature-rich multiplayer on the Nintendo 64. The technical achievement of Perfect Dark on N64 hardware remains extraordinary.

One of the rarest and most extraordinary RPGs ever made, Panzer Dragoon Saga combined rail-shooter combat with deep RPG mechanics in a richly imagined post-apocalyptic world. Its western release of only 30,000 copies makes original versions highly valuable, but its reputation as a lost masterpiece is entirely deserved.

The definitive PlayStation fighting game and one of the greatest 3D fighters ever made. Tekken 3 refined the series' formula to perfection with a massive roster, deep combat mechanics, side-stepping, and bonus modes that made it essential entertainment far beyond its arcade origins.

The perfect Sonic game. Sonic 2 introduced Tails, the Spin Dash, and the greatest collection of stages in franchise history while refining the speed formula to its absolute peak.

The game that started one of the most successful media franchises in history, Pokémon Red challenges players to catch 151 creatures and become the greatest Pokémon Trainer in the land. Deceptively deep, relentlessly charming, and groundbreaking in its social design.

The pinnacle of the NES Mega Man series. Mega Man 2 perfected the formula of absorbing defeated bosses' weapons and applied it to eight masterfully designed stages with an all-time great soundtrack.

The brilliant reinvention of Mega Man for the 16-bit era. Mega Man X introduced wall-sliding, dashing, upgradeable armor, and a darker story while delivering one of the SNES's finest action-platformer experiences.

The most original RPG ever made. EarthBound's modern American setting, satirical humor, emotionally devastating depth, and complete refusal to follow genre conventions created a cult classic unlike anything before or since.

The greatest beat-em-up ever made. Streets of Rage 2 combined technical brawling combat with a roster of distinct fighters, excellent level design, and Yuzo Koshiro's legendary techno soundtrack to produce a masterwork of the genre.

Rare's charming 3D platformer masterpiece sent a bear and a bird through nine inventive worlds brimming with collectibles, clever puzzles, and an irresistible sense of fun. Banjo-Kazooie refined the collectathon formula with exceptional world design and remains one of the N64's finest games.