Best Video Games of 1986

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.

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.

Sega's colorful side-scrolling space shooter starring Opa-Opa, the sentient spaceship with adorable sneakers. Fantasy Zone's shop system — where players spend coins collected from defeated enemies on speed upgrades, bombs, and weapon enhancements — was a novel mechanic that set it apart from every other shooter of the era.

Sega's original console mascot before Sonic arrived. Alex Kidd in Miracle World was built into the Sega Master System's ROM and became millions of players' first SMS experience — its janken boss battles, wide-ranging level designs, and power-up motorcycle made it the flagship showcase for Sega's 8-bit hardware.

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.