18 Beloved Retro Games You Absolutely Need to Play

Retro games provide nostalgia, letting us sink back into our childhoods to revisit our favorite heroes. 

But they aren’t just for older games. Many older games withstand the test of time, offering hours of entertainment for the old and young alike. 

Some are so iconic they’ve become household names, rightly taking their place as pop culture icons easily recognizable to gamers and non-gamers alike. They were groundbreaking in their time and still offer a fun challenge to new players today. 

Other retro games may not be as popular or iconic, but they developed a cult-like following and are favorites among gamers. 

Here, we explore the most popular retro games and ask avid gamers to share their favorite older games.

Discover the wide variety of classic video games you should play!

What Are Retro Games?

We’re defining retro games as console games from the 1980s and 1990s. Classic arcade games that came before might receive an honorable mention. 

The Best Retro Games Ever

We can’t talk about retro video games without talking about the most iconic video games of the period. While these games might have poor graphics, they stand the test of time. 

Although you’ve probably heard of these and more than likely at least played a later version, the originals still hold up and are worth a playthrough if you are interested in retro gaming.

These four video game series have made gaming what it is today.

Super Mario Brothers

The most iconic video game character of all time is, of course, Mario. The Super Mario Brothers franchise made gaming a household activity and thrust gaming into the 21st century.

Although the original game was a simple platformer where you just run and jump, it spawned a massive gaming empire.

Super Mario Brothers 3 opened the door to flying and storing objects, Super Mario World introduced Yoshi and secret endings, and Super Mario 64 was one of the first 3D games ever created. The franchise expanded into racing games, sports games, party games, and more.

If you want to try retro gaming, you need to start with Mario. But skip Mario 2 – it’s a weird game that doesn’t fit with the rest of the series. It’s not horrible, but you won’t enjoy it if you aren’t a serious gamer.

The Legend of Zelda Series

The Legend of Zelda franchise also spawned an empire. Though not as well known among non-gamers as Mario, nearly everyone recognizes the two main characters, Princess Zelda, the title character, and Link, the playable hero (Though non-gamers often think Link is Zelda). 

The original game, The Legend of Zelda, was a top-down open-world exploration game far ahead of its time. Nintendo did its best to create an open-world game on a 16-bit system, and an icon was born. 

The Ocarina of Time, the first release for the Nintendo 64 system, was a masterpiece. As one of the earliest 3D open-world games, it ushered in a new era of gaming. Although it wasn’t genuinely open-world as we know it today (you had to complete quests in a specific order to unlock new areas), it was a crucial forerunner to modern open-world games.  

The Ocarina of Time is one of my all-time favorite video games and still holds up today. 

The Donkey Kong Series

Although Donkey Kong isn’t celebrated as much as the other two classic Nintendo games, it deserves a mention. Mario was first featured in the original Donkey Kong before getting his own game series, but the gorilla and his clan are icons in their own right. 

Donkey Kong has his own gaming franchise, but he’s always included in Nintendo classics like Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers. He was the original Mario villain, and although they parted ways early in their gaming history, he will always have a special place in our hearts.

The original Donkey Kong arcade classic spawned a series that includes the Super Nintendo hit Donkey Kong Country. The franchise released new games with each subsequent console. 

The Sonic the Hedgehog Series

Sonic the Hedgehog is the most iconic retro game franchise that didn’t appear on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The first game in the series was released by Sega for the Sega Genesis Console in 1991 as the company’s response to the popular Mario games.

As Sega’s answer to Mario, the franchise spawned competitors in many niches, from Sonic Racing to Sonic Sports and Sonic fighting games. It was Sega’s most popular franchise throughout its console run, but now that Sega has given up making consoles, the newest games are available for every system.  

7 Must-Play Retro Games

Although the top four retro game series became pop culture phenomena, many more older games deserve a mention (and playthrough!). 

These seven games led to industry changes, pop culture movements, and movies. They inspired generations of gamers and developers, helping to change the gaming industry and the face of pop culture. 

If the top four only made you want more, give these a try. 

Castlevania

Castlevania is a side-scrolling platformer initially released in 1986 on NES. As the series progressed and technology advanced, the developers added new gameplay techniques, including RPG elements and the ability to explore the world more openly.

Although not a household name, this game was well-received and spawned a massive franchise. It also led to an animation series that lasted four seasons.

Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider is more iconic now because of the movies it spawned, but it debuted as a video game. In the game, archaeologist Laura Croft (known mainly for her horrible, outrageously sized chest, unfortunately) goes on an adventure to find sacred artifacts, fight enemies, and solve puzzles to advance.

The game was first released on the Sega Saturn in 1996 and has spawned numerous sequels, movies, and imaginative artworks.

Mortal Kombat

Street Fighter will always be my favorite fighting game, so with a heavy heart, I acknowledge that Mortal Kombat is the more iconic series. 

Although both games are on Wikipedia’s list of best-selling video games, the Mortal Kombat franchise outsold the Street Fighter franchise by nearly 10 million. 

The retro fighting game was one of the first to implement a “finishing move” – the final blow at the end of the match, bringing your enemy down in a blaze of glory. 

FIFA

The FIFA series is the precursor of the beloved E-Sports industry. The original game was released in 1993, and there have been many upgrades throughout the last thirty years. It’s one of the top-selling E-Sports franchises in history, with over 300 million copies sold.

Although the game has some glitches, it still holds up and is one of the best games ever released for the Sega system. Current iterations of the game are available on every console.

Tony Hawk, Pro Skater

Tony Hawk Pro Skater catapulted skateboarding and ska music into popularity. Released in 1999, the game featured fantastic skateboarding tricks and an iconic soundtrack, bringing ska bands like Goldfinger into the spotlight. 

The game contributed to the rise of skater culture, popular in the early 2000s. 

Final Fantasy

The original Final Fantasy debuted in 1987 on the NES as one of the first role-playing games (RPG) ever made. The original game was a huge hit and inspired a franchise that is still going strong today.

It also was instrumental in the advancement of the RPG genre. It was one of the first turn-based battle games where building your character and learning skills in battle was an essential part of gaming, rather than just button mashing to kill enemies.

The series is still going strong – the 16th installment was just released in 2020. It has also spawned a manga series and numerous anime series.

Pac Man

Pac-Man is the original arcade icon. It predates most of the games on this list but was a precursor to all of them.

Pac-Man was released for arcades in 1980, and although not the first video game ever created (the first one was actually made in the 1950s!), it was one of the first popular games (beaten by Pong, which came out in the early 1970s).

It was hard to decide which early arcade classic to put on this list and call the most iconic. Space Invaders came out two years before Pac-Man and might be as commonly known. 

Donkey Kong was originally an arcade classic, but it is more rightfully classified as one of the must-play retro classics. Frogger, Asteroid, and Centipede were all classics of the era, but in my opinion, Pac-Man stands out as the most recognizable in pop culture.

If you enjoy arcade-style gaming, any of these games is worth a playthrough. 

Gamers Share Their Favorite Retro Games

I asked gaming experts to share their favorite retro games to give you a greater perspective of the fantastic games you can try. 

Some of their responses fall under a franchise we mentioned above, illustrating their influence on the industry. Others provided examples of lesser-known games they grew to love. 

Every response bursts with love of the particular game, showcasing gaming’s impact on our identity and personal growth.  

Games we love as children tend to hold special places in our hearts.

Jeff, Set Ready Game – Paper Mario

As I grew up begging my older brothers to let me play our Nintendo 64, my favorite retro game of all time is Paper Mario. Paper Mario was my first introduction to RPGs, and the turn-based battle system was something I’d never experienced before. I remember renting it for 3 weeks straight from my local Blockbuster as I would play it day after day whenever I got home from school.

The art style, the characters, and the goofy writing really just caught me, and the creative blend of 2D and 3D formats was something very new but also was a great callback to older titles like Mario Bros on the SNES. Paper Mario for the N64 remains one of my favorite RPGs of all time over two decades later.

Tetris – Petar, Diamond Lobby

Tetris is a Russian-made tile-matching video game developed by the software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. It was first released on the Electronika 60 computer before becoming widely available on PC and other console platforms such as Nintendo.

The game itself is based on moving differently shaped pieces called tetrominoes, which slowly descend onto the playing field. Your goal is to fit as many of those differently shaped pieces together to form a complete line as a player. Once you do that, the line will disappear and grant you points.

The game itself ends once the playing field is completely filled up. To win, you must delay the inevitable outcome of filling the field. The player with the most points wins.

In multiplayer, to win, players must last longer than their opponents. In some versions of the game, players can inflict penalties on opponents by completing a certain amount of lines.

Since 2011, Tetris has sold 202 million copies, 70 million of which are physical, and 132 mobile downloads, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time.

Star Fox – Douglas, Favor for Gamer (Youtuber)

My favorite retro game is Star Fox 64. It is a rail shooter where you play as Star Fox with other animal-humanized companions like Falco the bird, Slippy the Toad, and Peppy Hare. You must fly your spaceship with your squadron, fighting enemies of the evil warlord Andross.

 The game was ahead of its time, with actual in-voice dialogue and choices that affected the game’s outcome. It also used the rumble pack, which brought vibration to controllers. For the first time, while playing a game in your home, you could *feel* the explosions in the palm of your hand. It was truly an experience that made owning a Nintendo 64 a no-brainer.

Donkey Kong Country Series – TwoTall4UFool

If you want to get into some retro games you have never played, you should try the entire Donkey Kong Country trilogy.

The first Donkey Kong Country game came out in 1994 on the SNES. It was something new that had never been done before during that time. With its awesome graphics and excellent platformer play, it really pushed the power of the Super Nintendo. 

Every level gives a unique challenge, from rope swinging to mine cart racing, barrel jumping to avoiding giant rats in wheels. These challenges and the little secrets you can find along the way keep the series fresh to this day. As Donkey Kong, and with his little buddy Diddy Kong, you go through six worlds, ultimately leading up to the game’s main antagonist, King K. Rool. It’s a game you’ll have fun playing by yourself or with a friend. 

Later Donkey Kong Games

If you run to the end of the line in that game, defeating Rool and thirsting for more, you’re in luck. You can play two more – Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Country 3. 

Donkey Kong Country 2, in my opinion, is the best game of the original three. It brings you even more unique challenges, bonuses, and secret worlds to discover. Donkey Kong Country 3 offered more, but not nearly on the same level as the second game. 

But overall, you won’t be disappointed if you play all three games consecutively.

Crash Bandicoot, Hrvoje from Fiction Horizon

In 1996, PlayStation owners got the chance to play Crash Bandicoot. Naughty Dog developed this platform video game, and although the studio certainly had high hopes for it, we are not confident that they knew that the titular protagonist would become such an essential piece of video game history. Sony even had doubts about the game initially but agreed to publish it after a demonstration by Naughty Dog.

What Made Crash Bandicoot Successful

The game’s protagonist, Crash Bandicoot, whose goofy character was so likable that practically no one could resist him. Younger and older players alike, everyone loved Crash, who became a very atypical hero of a video game. He was an animal, he was absolutely whacky, couldn’t speak, and had no common heroic traits. 

The other thing that made this game so great is the gameplay itself. Crash Bandicoot had a simple mechanism – you control Crash, going through different levels to obtain rewards and ultimately face several bosses. 

The levels were colorful, and each level’s difficulty varied, giving the players a brilliant gaming experience in which they could test their skills, enjoy their successes, and lose their minds.

Ultimately, Crash Bandicoot offered a lot of different aspects to the players. It was a great game back then that helped cement the console’s popularity and evolved into one of the most beloved and best video gaming franchises ever.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Genesis) – Games With Coffee

November 21, 1992, was a day that would live in infamy. That was the day when the sequel to the critically acclaimed Sonic the Hedgehog, which graced the screens back on June 23, 1991, was released. Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s launch would be known as Sonic 2sday and was the catalyst that allowed the hedgehog to truly overcome his rival Mario and spark the Console Wars. 

But what about Sonic the Hedgehog 2 makes it one of the best retro video games of all time?

Many factors facilitated the creation of this game, and its development was nothing short of extraordinary. 

Development started in November of 1991, with the dream team of Yuji Naka, Hirokazu Yasuhara, and Masato Nakamura working at the newly formed SEGA Technical Institute at the behest of Mark Cerny, the now-legendary video game designer. With SEGA of Japan’s hands-off of its development, Sonic 2 had the opportunity to cut loose with the juice.

Better Gameplay

Naka-san and Yasuhara-san took what they learned from Sonic the Hedgehog and expanded upon it with the STI team by bringing more gameplay elements to the fore. They added more levels, which were bigger than the ones in the first game. They squeezed every bit of power from the Genesis to increase Sonic’s speed, making him blaze through these new environments, which were vibrant, beautiful, varied, and awe-inspiring.

In Nakamura-san’s case, the freedom of working with the SEGA Technical Institute allowed him and his band, “Dreams Come True,” to put together a soundtrack that was not only vastly different and experimental than the first game’s but would also define the series in its entirety.

However, all of that pales in comparison to the most significant contribution to the game, the series, and the industry as a whole: the creation and inclusion of Miles “Tails” Prower by one Yasushi Yamaguchi. Tails was instrumental both from a character and gameplay standpoint. Character-wise, the two-tailed fox wasn’t a second banana, like Luigi was; his genius rivals that of Dr. Robotnik’s, and he looked up to and admired Sonic for his heroism, bravery, and sense of justice.

In terms of gameplay, the Sonic team did something almost unheard of at the time – they introduced a 1.5-player mode. Thanks to some clever programming, Tails would always follow about a half-second behind Sonic during single-player mode. However, a second person could drop in and immediately take control of the nigh-invincible Tails and become an active participant in the war against Robotnik. 

The change provided a level of cooperation between players that had previously existed only in arcade beat-em-up games. 

Why This Game Holds Up

The slick presentation of the game allows anyone of any age to pick up, play, and get into the adventure. The challenge of collecting all the Chaos Emeralds, followed by the joy of turning into Super Sonic, fueled players’ imaginations. The simple story of a dynamic duo taking on an evil despot and thwarting his bid for complete world domination is classic and familiar. Yet, it still manages to be fresh and exciting. Above all, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 invokes both a feeling of freedom and a sense of teamwork, which is why people keep coming back over and over again. 

While Sonic the Hedgehog introduced the character to the world, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 cemented his place as an icon amongst titans like Mario and Mickey Mouse and introduced players to one of the most celebrated dynamic duos ever created. 

With everything I mentioned above, it’s no wonder why Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is considered one of the best retro games ever.

Zoid’s Legacy – Akura Blaze (Streamer)

Zoid’s Legacy is an old television series turned video game. It was only released to Western audiences on the Gameboy Advance system (GBA), but serious gamers could get a special adapter to play their Gameboys on the Nintendo GameCube system.

In this game, players get to customize animal-shaped robots (or Zoids) with weapons and use lore from various characters to build their perfect Zoid. There are over 100 Zoids available for customization, and 30 pilots are used to battle them.

The turn-based battle system allows you to make choices in battle and forces players to consider strategy. Every choice, from what weapon you equip to who you choose to be in your party, has important implications for the battle’s outcome.

Zoid’s Legacy is a nostalgic trip down memory lane for those who watched it on TV. This gives people a chance to relive that experience in turn-based combat with a compelling new story. The game brings characters from past iterations and the television show together in a captivating new adventure.

Where Can I Play Retro Video Games?

Want to try playing these classic games?

Here’s where to find them:

Hey folks! Transparency Disclosure- Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. That means I’ll receive a small commission if you decide to click on it and buy something. Don’t worry, it doesn’t cost you anything extra!

Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Company makes playing the best retro games easy. Many of your favorite Nintendo and Super Nintendo classics are available for free on the Nintendo Switch console if you pay the $20 annual fee for Switch Online. 

With the basic plan, you can play all the original Super Mario Brothers, Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, and many other retro games you’ve never heard of. 

If you wish to play retro Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games, you must upgrade to the Switch Online +, which only costs $50 per year. 

The New “Classic Consoles”

If you don’t have a Switch or can’t play online, you can purchase a Nintendo Classic or a Super Nintendo Classic console. These mini consoles hook up to your television like the old ones.  

However, they don’t use cartridges; they come pre-loaded with 30 of the most iconic games for each system.

There’s also a mini console available for Sega Genesis games, allowing you to play the original Sonic games in addition to 40 other retro classics from Sega, including Mega Man and Castlevania titles.

Original Consoles

If you want to be a traditionalist, you can always find an old console and games for sale on eBay or at used gaming stores. 

Older consoles and cartridges don’t always work. Usually, you can fix a cartridge by blowing in it. If that fails, you can clean it off with a Q-tip, but sometimes they are beyond repair. 

Unfortunately, as they age, it will get harder and harder to find systems and games in working condition.

Emulator

If all else fails, you can find an emulator for most of your favorite games online. An emulator is a downloadable package that allows you to play the games on your computer.

Although you can find them for free online, be wary of downloading things from sites you don’t know and trust. Ensure that the download is legal and virus-free before proceeding.

What is Your Favorite Retro Video Game?

There are thousands of retro classics, some that I’ve probably never even heard of! Did your favorite make the list? Which ones should we have included?

I want to hear from you!