Best NES Games of All Time

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.

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.

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 original, definitive version of Punch-Out!! featuring the real Mike Tyson as the unbeatable final opponent. The most famous licensed sports game on NES and one of the greatest boxing games ever made.

The greatest co-op run-and-gun ever made. Contra put two commandos against an alien invasion and challenged them to survive on one hit — unless you knew the Konami Code.

Simon Belmont's legendary first mission to slay Dracula. Castlevania is a masterpiece of Gothic horror atmosphere and methodical action-platformer design that defined the genre.

The game that defined atmospheric exploration in video games. Metroid dropped players on a hostile alien planet with no map and no instructions, demanding they discover their own path through environmental storytelling.

Kirby's NES masterpiece introduced the Copy Ability system and delivered the most technically stunning game on the hardware. Released in 1993 as the NES was being retired, it was a spectacular farewell to the platform.

Ryu Hayabusa's first mission introduced cinematic storytelling to the NES with anime-style cutscenes, while delivering punishingly precise action-platformer gameplay that tested every ninja's patience.

Mega Man 3 introduced Rush the Robot Dog and the Slide move while delivering a massive adventure with 24 stages. A strong entry that many fans consider the series' most ambitious NES installment.

The game that saved Square and launched one of gaming's greatest franchises. Final Fantasy's rich class system, strategic turn-based combat, and ambitious world won over an entire generation of RPG players.

The greatest football game of the 8-bit era and arguably the greatest sports game on NES. Tecmo Super Bowl's real NFL teams, players, and play-calling depth set a standard that dominated for years.

The NES game that dared to remove the jump button. Bionic Commando replaced conventional platforming with a grappling hook mechanic that created one of the most unique action experiences of the era.

Scrooge McDuck bounces his cane across five exotic stages in one of the finest licensed games ever made. DuckTales proves that licensed titles can be genuine classics.

The beat-em-up that started it all. Double Dragon's blend of martial arts combat, weapon pickups, and mission-based brawling defined the belt-scrolling genre for years to come.

Little Mac's journey through the World Video Boxing Association is one of the greatest sports games ever made — a pattern-recognition puzzle game dressed in boxing clothing.

Nintendo's motocross racer was a launch title that showcased the NES's capabilities with smooth scrolling, physics-based racing, and a revolutionary track design mode.

Rare's beat-em-up masterpiece is one of the most technically impressive NES games ever made — and one of the most brutally difficult. The Turbo Tunnel alone has broken thousands of controllers.

Ryu Hayabusa's first mission introduced cinematic storytelling to the NES with anime-style cutscenes, while delivering punishingly precise action-platformer gameplay that tested every ninja's patience.

The NES platformer that rewrote the rulebook — eight massive worlds, 90+ levels, new power-ups, and a scope that made every previous platformer feel small.

The controversial sequel that introduced Toad, Princess Peach, Wario's nemesis Wart, and the character-selection mechanic — a beloved oddity in the Mario series.

The controversial Castlevania sequel that introduced open-world exploration, day/night cycles, and RPG mechanics — a divisive game that proved ahead of its time.

The definitive NES Castlevania — Dracula's Curse returns to linear stage action and adds branching paths and three playable partners, making it the most feature-complete classic Castlevania.

Mega Man 4 introduced the Mega Buster charge shot that became the series standard — alongside eight new Robot Masters, the villainous Dr. Cossack, and one of the NES's most polished action-platformer entries.

Capcom's excellent NES platformer based on the Disney animated series — featuring excellent two-player co-op where players can pick up and throw crates, enemies, and even each other.

The beat-em-up RPG hybrid that was ahead of its time — Alex and Ryan beat up gangs across River City, spending money on food that permanently upgrades stats in one of the NES's most innovative game designs.

Capcom's underrated Disney NES platformer — Darkwing Duck uses his gas gun with multiple ammunition types, swings on his cape, and battles five of the series' iconic villains across stages based on the cartoon.

The NES light gun classic bundled with the Zapper — shoot ducks as they fly across the screen before they escape, while a laughing dog judges your every miss in one of the most iconic pack-in games in console history.

Nintendo's Joust-inspired NES arcade game — flap balloons to fly, pop enemies' balloons before they pop yours, and avoid the thundercloud in one of the NES's earliest two-player simultaneous games.

Nintendo's vertical platformer starring Popo and Nana — climb icy mountain peaks by hammering through floors, avoiding condors and abominable snowmen, in one of the NES's earliest two-player simultaneous games.

One of the hardest NES games ever made — Arthur must rescue Princess Guinevere through six brutally difficult levels, and then do it all again on a second, harder loop to reach the true ending.

Pit's mythological adventure on the NES — a vertical scroller turned side-scroller with RPG progression mechanics, fierce difficulty, and a devoted cult following.