Lists

25 games

The 25 best NES games

The cartridges that still play as well as they did in 1990. Start at the top and work down.

  1. Super Mario Bros. 3

    1988 · NES · Famicom

    Eight worlds, a map screen, suits that change how you move, and not a wasted level. The high point of 8-bit platforming.

  2. The Legend of Zelda

    1986 · NES · Famicom · Famicom Disk System

    Dropped in a field with no directions and an old man handing you a sword. Most of what open worlds do started here.

  3. Mega Man 2

    1988 · NES · Famicom

    Eight robot masters in any order, a password system, and the best soundtrack on the console.

  4. Metroid

    1986 · NES · Famicom Disk System

    A planet that folds back on itself, upgrades that open old doors, and an ending that changed who players thought the hero was.

  5. Castlevania

    1986 · NES · Famicom · Famicom Disk System

    Heavy jumps, a whip with reach and weight, and six stages that teach you to play them exactly right.

  6. Contra

    1988 · NES · Famicom

    Two players, one hit each, and the Konami code for thirty lives. Loud, fast and fair.

  7. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!

    1987 · NES · Famicom

    Every opponent is a puzzle with a tell. Learn the tells and Little Mac beats men three times his size.

  8. Kirby's Adventure

    1993 · NES · Famicom

    Copy abilities arrive, and the NES shows off colour and animation it seemed too old to manage in 1993.

  9. DuckTales

    1989 · NES · Famicom

    Scrooge's pogo cane, five open levels, and the Moon theme. The best licensed game of the era.

  10. Ninja Gaiden

    1988 · NES · Famicom

    Wall-jumping, cutscenes between acts, and a difficulty that people still talk about.

  11. Dragon Warrior

    1986 · NES · Famicom

    The game that taught North America what a Japanese RPG was: towns, levels, and a slime at the start of it all.

  12. Final Fantasy

    1987 · NES · Famicom

    Pick four heroes from six classes and walk into an adventure that became a series of sixteen and counting.

  13. River City Ransom

    1989 · NES · Famicom

    A brawler with shops, stats and a whole town to fight across. Barf.

  14. Tecmo Bowl

    1989 · NES · Famicom

    Four plays, one Bo Jackson, and the couch games that ended friendships.

  15. Super Mario Bros.

    1986 · Famicom Disk System

    World 1-1 teaches everything without a word of text. Still the place to start.

  16. Tetris

    1989 · NES

    Nintendo's own version, with the B-type mode and the music people hum without knowing where it's from.

  17. Blaster Master

    1988 · NES · Famicom

    A tank for the big map, and on foot for the tight top-down dungeons. Two games that fit together.

  18. Batman: The Video Game

    1989 · NES · Famicom

    Sunsoft's take: wall-jumps, a purple Gotham, and a soundtrack that punches above the hardware.

  19. Crystalis

    1990 · NES · Famicom

    An action RPG from SNK set after a nuclear war, with a charge-sword system years ahead of its time.

  20. StarTropics

    1990 · NES

    Mike Jones, a yo-yo, and a puzzle that needs the real letter packed in the box.

  21. Excitebike

    1984 · NES · Famicom

    Build a track, then race it. The track editor made kids into designers.

  22. Mega Man 3

    1990 · NES · Famicom

    The slide, Rush, and Proto Man. More of everything that made the second one great.

  23. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

    1987 · NES · Famicom Disk System

    Side-scrolling swordplay and towns full of people. The odd one out, and better than its reputation.

  24. Bionic Commando

    1988 · NES · Famicom

    No jump button. The grappling arm is the whole game, and it feels wonderful.

  25. Balloon Fight

    1985 · NES · Famicom

    Pop the other balloons, keep yours. Two players and a fish waiting below.