Ranking by era

The best games of the 1980s.

155 games compete in this selection. Tetris tops it with 1,880 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 Tetris 1989 · Puzzle 1,880
  2. 2 Super Mario Bros. 1985 · Platformer 1,867
  3. 3 Super Mario Bros. 3 1988 · Platformer 1,803
  4. 4 The Legend of Zelda 1986 · Action-adventure 1,756
  5. 5 Pac-Man 1980 · Arcade 1,704
  6. 6 Contra 1987 · Platformer 1,692
  7. 7 Mega Man 2 1989 · Platformer 1,691
  8. 8 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 1987 · Metroidvania 1,678
  9. 9 Castlevania 1986 · Platformer 1,665
  10. 10 Super Mario Land 1989 · Platformer 1,665
  11. 11 Metroid 1987 · Metroidvania 1,640
  12. 12 Mega Man 1987 · Platformer 1,611
  13. 13 Disney's DuckTales 1989 · Platformer 1,607
  14. 14 SimCity 1989 · Sandbox 1,606
  15. 15 Final Fantasy 1987 · JRPG 1,605
  16. 16 Tetris 1989 · Puzzle 1,593
  17. 17 Donkey Kong 1981 · Platformer 1,579
  18. 18 Dragon Warrior 1986 · JRPG 1,577
  19. 19 Paperboy 1984 · Arcade 1,576
  20. 20 Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels 1986 · Platformer 1,574
  21. 21 Karateka 1984 · Fighting 1,571
  22. 22 Ice Hockey 1988 · Sports 1,570
  23. 23 Prince of Persia 1989 · Platformer 1,563
  24. 24 Double Dragon II: The Revenge 1988 · Beat 'em up 1,563
  25. 25 Rampage 1986 · Beat 'em up 1,556
  26. 26 Golden Axe 1989 · Beat 'em up 1,555
  27. 27 Arkanoid 1986 · Arcade 1,553
  28. 28 Final Fantasy II 1988 · JRPG 1,543
  29. 29 Ninja Gaiden 1988 · Beat 'em up 1,542
  30. 30 King's Quest III: To Heir is Human 1986 · Point-and-click 1,535
  31. 31 Excitebike 1984 · Racing 1,533
  32. 32 Bubble Bobble 1986 · Platformer 1,533
  33. 33 Castlevania II: Simon's Quest 1987 · Metroidvania 1,530
  34. 34 Street Fighter 1987 · Fighting 1,526
  35. 35 OutRun 1986 · Racing 1,516
  36. 36 Marble Madness 1984 · Puzzle 1,516
  37. 37 Commando 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,514
  38. 38 Yie Ar Kung-Fu 1984 · Fighting 1,513
  39. 39 Test Drive 1987 · Racing 1,513
  40. 40 Ghosts 'n Goblins 1985 · Platformer 1,510
  41. 41 Wild Gunman 1984 · FPS 1,510
  42. 42 Double Dragon 1987 · Beat 'em up 1,509
  43. 43 Battle City 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,509
  44. 44 BurgerTime 1982 · Arcade 1,509
  45. 45 Blades of Steel 1987 · Sports 1,501
  46. 46 Duck Hunt 1984 · Arcade 1,499
  47. 47 Metal Gear 1987 · Action-adventure 1,496
  48. 48 Populous 1989 · Strategy 1,496
  49. 49 1942 1984 · Shoot 'em up 1,493
  50. 50 Golf 1984 · Sports 1,493
  51. 51 Winter Games 1985 · Sports 1,493
  52. 52 Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! 1987 · Fighting 1,491
  53. 53 Hogan's Alley 1984 · Arcade 1,490
  54. 54 Kid Icarus 1986 · Platformer 1,488
  55. 55 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure 1989 · Point-and-click 1,488
  56. 56 Maniac Mansion 1987 · Point-and-click 1,487
  57. 57 Phantasy Star 1987 · JRPG 1,487
  58. 58 Gradius 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,485
  59. 59 Ghouls 'n Ghosts 1988 · Platformer 1,479
  60. 60 Ms. Pac-Man 1982 · Arcade 1,479
  61. 61 Bomberman 1985 · Arcade 1,475
  62. 62 Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar 1985 · RPG 1,474
  63. 63 Spy Hunter 1983 · Racing 1,472
  64. 64 Defender 1981 · Shoot 'em up 1,470
  65. 65 R.C. Pro-Am 1988 · Racing 1,470
  66. 66 Q*bert 1982 · Platformer 1,468
  67. 67 Dig Dug 1982 · Arcade 1,468
  68. 68 Donkey Kong Junior 1982 · Platformer 1,466
  69. 69 Popeye 1982 · Platformer 1,466
  70. 70 California Games 1987 · Sports 1,466
  71. 71 1943: The Battle of Midway 1987 · Shoot 'em up 1,466
  72. 72 Cabal 1988 · TPS 1,465
  73. 73 Alex Kidd in Miracle World 1986 · Platformer 1,464
  74. 74 The Revenge of Shinobi 1989 · Platformer 1,464
  75. 75 Antarctic Adventure 1983 · Racing 1,462
  76. 76 Strider 1989 · Platformer 1,461
  77. 77 Circus Charlie 1984 · Platformer 1,457
  78. 78 Tennis 1984 · Sports 1,457
  79. 79 Super Hang-On 1987 · Racing 1,455
  80. 80 Battle Chess 1988 · Card & Board 1,453
  81. 81 Clu Clu Land 1984 · Arcade 1,451
  82. 82 Xevious 1982 · Shoot 'em up 1,451
  83. 83 Space Harrier 1985 · Arcade 1,450
  84. 84 Ultima 1981 · RPG 1,450
  85. 85 Final Fight 1989 · Beat 'em up 1,449
  86. 86 Soccer 1985 · Sports 1,449
  87. 87 Salamander 1986 · Shoot 'em up 1,449
  88. 88 Pole Position 1982 · Racing 1,448
  89. 89 Top Gun 1987 · Simulation 1,448
  90. 90 Pitfall! 1982 · Platformer 1,443
  91. 91 Elevator Action 1983 · Platformer 1,442
  92. 92 Centipede 1981 · Shoot 'em up 1,441
  93. 93 Frogger 1981 · Arcade 1,439
  94. 94 Donkey Kong 3 1983 · Shoot 'em up 1,438
  95. 95 Adventures of Lolo 1989 · Puzzle 1,437
  96. 96 Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 1987 · Platformer 1,433
  97. 97 Super Contra 1988 · Platformer 1,432
  98. 98 Altered Beast 1988 · Beat 'em up 1,431
  99. 99 Road Fighter 1984 · Racing 1,430
  100. 100 Spy vs Spy 1984 · Strategy 1,430

Filter, combine and travel back in time in the full ranking

Other rankings

Ranking of 1984 games Top games of 1985 Ranking of 1986 games Top games of 1987 The best games of 1988 Best games of 1989 Top games of the 2020s Top games of the 2010s Greatest games of the 2000s The best 1990s games

In detail

The best games of the 1980s, what this ranking says

Tetris leads this selection with 1,880 ELO points, ahead of Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3. The 155 games competing in it have played 14,092 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 155
Duels played by those games 14,092
Game in the lead Tetris (1989)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,880
Point gap between 1st and 10th 215
Best represented genre Platformer
Last reading September 18, 2026

The best game of every genre in the 1980s

A selection is not read in one block: here is what leads each of its brackets.

The best game of every genre in the 1980s
Genre Games competing In the lead ELO score Duels played
Puzzle 6 Tetris 1,880 334
Platformer 42 Super Mario Bros. 1,867 583
Arcade 17 Pac-Man 1,704 149
Metroidvania 5 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 1,678 311
Fighting 5 Karateka 1,571 53
Sports 7 Ice Hockey 1,570 52
Beat 'em up 12 Double Dragon II: The Revenge 1,563 99
Point-and-click 7 King's Quest III: To Heir is Human 1,535 52
Racing 9 Excitebike 1,533 168
Shoot 'em up 21 Commando 1,514 49
Strategy 6 Populous 1,496 62

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 98 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
Antarctic Adventure +73 1,462
Frogger +70 1,439
1942 +60 1,493

The most contested match-ups

These pairs of games have faced each other more than any others in this selection.

The most contested match-ups
Wins Against Duels played Win rate
Super Mario Bros. 3 Mega Man 4 100%
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest Prince of Persia 3 100%
Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros. 3 3 100%
Super Mario Bros. 3 Disney's DuckTales 3 67%

How this ranking is established

No jury, no press score, no sales figures: two games face off, players vote, and every vote updates an ELO score. This page is a view of the world ranking, never a standing kept apart.

Understand the method in detail →

FAQ

What players ask

What is the best game of the 1980s?

According to community votes, the best game of the 1980s is Tetris, with 1,880 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games of the 1980s are ranked?

155 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 14,092 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which game of the 1980s is climbing right now?

Antarctic Adventure is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 73 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 98 games in the selection moved.

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