Ranking by era

The best games of the 1990s.

655 games compete in this selection. Pokémon Blue Version tops it with 1,935 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 Pokémon Blue Version 1996 · JRPG 1,935
  2. 2 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1998 · Action-adventure 1,923
  3. 3 Metal Gear Solid 1998 · Action-adventure 1,922
  4. 4 Final Fantasy VII 1997 · JRPG 1,921
  5. 5 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island 1995 · Platformer 1,915
  6. 6 Pokémon Silver Version 1999 · JRPG 1,905
  7. 7 Fallout 2 1998 · RPG 1,901
  8. 8 Doom 1993 · FPS 1,899
  9. 9 Mario Kart 64 1996 · Racing 1,895
  10. 10 Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings 1999 · Strategy 1,890
  11. 11 Chrono Trigger 1995 · JRPG 1,880
  12. 12 Chrono Cross 1999 · JRPG 1,873
  13. 13 Streets of Rage 2 1992 · Beat 'em up 1,870
  14. 14 Pokémon Red Version 1996 · JRPG 1,868
  15. 15 Final Fantasy Tactics 1997 · JRPG 1,867
  16. 16 Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game 1997 · RPG 1,866
  17. 17 Half-Life 1998 · FPS 1,859
  18. 18 Super Mario World 1990 · Platformer 1,848
  19. 19 Diablo 1996 · Action RPG 1,844
  20. 20 The Secret of Monkey Island 1990 · Point-and-click 1,844
  21. 21 Kirby's Adventure 1993 · Platformer 1,842
  22. 22 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 1991 · Action-adventure 1,837
  23. 23 Super Metroid 1994 · Metroidvania 1,835
  24. 24 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 1997 · Metroidvania 1,829
  25. 25 Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike 1999 · Fighting 1,828
  26. 26 StarCraft 1998 · Strategy 1,823
  27. 27 Banjo-Kazooie 1998 · Platformer 1,818
  28. 28 GoldenEye 007 1997 · FPS 1,818
  29. 29 Street Fighter II 1991 · Fighting 1,817
  30. 30 Silent Hill 1999 · Horror 1,812
  31. 31 Age of Empires 1997 · Strategy 1,812
  32. 32 Super Mario 64 1996 · Action-adventure 1,811
  33. 33 Tomb Raider 1996 · Platformer 1,804
  34. 34 Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back 1997 · Platformer 1,802
  35. 35 Unreal Tournament 1999 · FPS 1,801
  36. 36 Street Fighter Alpha 3 1998 · Fighting 1,801
  37. 37 SoulCalibur 1998 · Fighting 1,799
  38. 38 F-Zero X 1998 · Racing 1,798
  39. 39 Quake II 1997 · FPS 1,797
  40. 40 Rayman 2: The Great Escape 1999 · Platformer 1,796
  41. 41 Command & Conquer 1995 · Strategy 1,796
  42. 42 Final Fantasy III 1994 · JRPG 1,795
  43. 43 Pokémon Gold Version 1999 · JRPG 1,794
  44. 44 Resident Evil 2 1998 · Horror 1,794
  45. 45 Baldur's Gate 1998 · RPG 1,793
  46. 46 Super Mario Kart 1992 · Racing 1,791
  47. 47 Suikoden II 1998 · RPG 1,789
  48. 48 Gunstar Heroes 1993 · Platformer 1,788
  49. 49 Donkey Kong Country 1994 · Platformer 1,786
  50. 50 Mega Man X 1993 · Platformer 1,785
  51. 51 Thief: The Dark Project 1998 · Action-adventure 1,782
  52. 52 Quake III Arena 1999 · FPS 1,781
  53. 53 Sonic the Hedgehog 1991 · Platformer 1,777
  54. 54 Super Smash Bros. 1999 · Fighting 1,776
  55. 55 F-Zero 1990 · Racing 1,775
  56. 56 Xenogears 1998 · JRPG 1,774
  57. 57 Final Fantasy VIII 1999 · JRPG 1,772
  58. 58 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest 1995 · Platformer 1,772
  59. 59 Sonic CD 1993 · Platformer 1,772
  60. 60 Worms Armageddon 1999 · Strategy 1,771
  61. 61 Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia 1999 · Strategy 1,769
  62. 62 Dungeon Keeper 1997 · Strategy 1,764
  63. 63 Crazy Taxi 1999 · Racing 1,762
  64. 64 Shenmue 1999 · Adventure 1,762
  65. 65 Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition 1998 · JRPG 1,759
  66. 66 Mortal Kombat II 1994 · Fighting 1,755
  67. 67 Half-Life: Opposing Force 1999 · FPS 1,753
  68. 68 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 1992 · Platformer 1,752
  69. 69 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX 1998 · Action-adventure 1,749
  70. 70 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 1994 · Platformer 1,748
  71. 71 Tekken 3 1997 · Fighting 1,746
  72. 72 Mega Man 3 1990 · Platformer 1,745
  73. 73 Mortal Kombat 1992 · Fighting 1,744
  74. 74 Final Fantasy IV 1991 · JRPG 1,744
  75. 75 Suikoden 1995 · RPG 1,744
  76. 76 Gran Turismo 1997 · Racing 1,742
  77. 77 Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars 1996 · JRPG 1,735
  78. 78 Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium 1993 · JRPG 1,735
  79. 79 Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge 1991 · Point-and-click 1,734
  80. 80 Myst 1993 · Point-and-click 1,728
  81. 81 The Longest Journey 1999 · Point-and-click 1,727
  82. 82 The Curse of Monkey Island 1997 · Point-and-click 1,724
  83. 83 System Shock 2 1999 · Action RPG 1,723
  84. 84 Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins 1992 · Platformer 1,723
  85. 85 SimCity 2000 1993 · Simulation 1,721
  86. 86 Tomb Raider II 1997 · Platformer 1,719
  87. 87 Grim Fandango 1998 · Point-and-click 1,719
  88. 88 Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! 1999 · Platformer 1,717
  89. 89 Homeworld 1999 · Strategy 1,717
  90. 90 Crash Bandicoot: Warped 1998 · Platformer 1,708
  91. 91 Quake 1996 · FPS 1,708
  92. 92 Resident Evil 1996 · Horror 1,707
  93. 93 Crash Bandicoot 1996 · Platformer 1,703
  94. 94 Doom II: Hell on Earth 1994 · FPS 1,703
  95. 95 Star Fox 64 1997 · TPS 1,703
  96. 96 Super Castlevania IV 1991 · Platformer 1,695
  97. 97 Theme Hospital 1997 · Strategy 1,693
  98. 98 Contra III: The Alien Wars 1992 · Platformer 1,692
  99. 99 Spyro the Dragon 1998 · Platformer 1,691
  100. 100 Crash Team Racing 1999 · Racing 1,689

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

Other rankings

Best games of 1990 Top games of 1991 Ranking of 1992 games The best games of 1993 Ranking of 1994 games Top games of 1995 Greatest games of 1996 The best games of 1997 The best games of 1998 The best games of 1999 Top games of the 2020s Top games of the 2010s Greatest games of the 2000s Best games of the 1980s

In detail

The best games of the 1990s, what this ranking says

Pokémon Blue Version leads this selection with 1,935 ELO points, ahead of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Metal Gear Solid. The 655 games competing in it have played 98,472 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 655
Duels played by those games 98,472
Game in the lead Pokémon Blue Version (1996)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,935
Point gap between 1st and 10th 45
Best represented genre Platformer
Last reading November 3, 2026

The best game of every genre in the 1990s

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

The best game of every genre in the 1990s
Genre Games competing In the lead ELO score Duels played
JRPG 38 Pokémon Blue Version 1,935 362
Action-adventure 22 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1,923 2,715
Platformer 160 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island 1,915 362
RPG 9 Fallout 2 1,901 346
FPS 49 Doom 1,899 475
Racing 50 Mario Kart 64 1,895 391
Strategy 52 Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings 1,890 397
Beat 'em up 27 Streets of Rage 2 1,870 164
Action RPG 28 Diablo 1,844 509
Point-and-click 41 The Secret of Monkey Island 1,844 319
Fighting 70 Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike 1,828 134
Horror 12 Silent Hill 1,812 302
Simulation 15 SimCity 2000 1,721 185
TPS 16 Star Fox 64 1,703 204
Sports 18 1080° Snowboarding 1,648 134
Card & Board 6 Mario Party 2 1,636 143
Puzzle 13 Mario's Super Picross 1,586 63
Shoot 'em up 10 Zombies Ate My Neighbors 1,540 102
Arcade 9 Pokémon Pinball 1,516 78

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 99 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back +62 1,802
Tekken 3 +51 1,746
Chrono Cross +40 1,873

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 World Super Mario 64 73 51%
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Half-Life 46 61%
Super Mario World Half-Life 43 56%
Half-Life Super Mario 64 35 54%
Chrono Trigger Final Fantasy VII 33 52%

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 1990s?

According to community votes, the best game of the 1990s is Pokémon Blue Version, with 1,935 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Metal Gear Solid, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games of the 1990s are ranked?

655 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 98,472 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which game of the 1990s is climbing right now?

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 62 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 99 games in the selection moved.

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