Ranking by platform

The best games on NES.

83 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 Kirby's Adventure 1993 · Platformer 1,782
  5. 5 The Legend of Zelda 1986 · Action-adventure 1,756
  6. 6 Mega Man 2 1989 · Platformer 1,691
  7. 7 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 1987 · Metroidvania 1,678
  8. 8 Castlevania 1986 · Platformer 1,665
  9. 9 Mega Man 3 1990 · Platformer 1,657
  10. 10 Metroid 1987 · Metroidvania 1,640
  11. 11 Mega Man 6 1993 · Platformer 1,620
  12. 12 Mega Man 1987 · Platformer 1,611
  13. 13 Disney's DuckTales 1989 · Platformer 1,607
  14. 14 Final Fantasy 1987 · JRPG 1,605
  15. 15 Battletoads / Double Dragon 1993 · Beat 'em up 1,584
  16. 16 Dragon Warrior 1986 · JRPG 1,577
  17. 17 Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels 1986 · Platformer 1,574
  18. 18 Karateka 1984 · Fighting 1,571
  19. 19 Battletoads 1991 · Beat 'em up 1,570
  20. 20 Mega Man 5 1992 · Platformer 1,570
  21. 21 Ice Hockey 1988 · Sports 1,570
  22. 22 Disney's Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2 1993 · Platformer 1,549
  23. 23 Castlevania II: Simon's Quest 1987 · Metroidvania 1,544
  24. 24 Final Fantasy II 1988 · JRPG 1,543
  25. 25 Excitebike 1984 · Racing 1,533
  26. 26 Disney's Darkwing Duck 1992 · Platformer 1,525
  27. 27 Final Fantasy III 1990 · JRPG 1,518
  28. 28 Yie Ar Kung-Fu 1984 · Fighting 1,513
  29. 29 Dr. Mario 1990 · Puzzle 1,511
  30. 30 Wild Gunman 1984 · FPS 1,510
  31. 31 Battle City 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,509
  32. 32 Duck Hunt 1984 · Arcade 1,499
  33. 33 Contra Force 1992 · Shoot 'em up 1,493
  34. 34 Golf 1984 · Sports 1,493
  35. 35 Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! 1987 · Fighting 1,491
  36. 36 Hogan's Alley 1984 · Arcade 1,490
  37. 37 Bomberman II 1991 · Puzzle 1,490
  38. 38 Kid Icarus 1986 · Platformer 1,488
  39. 39 Yoshi's Cookie 1992 · Puzzle 1,488
  40. 40 Antarctic Adventure 1983 · Racing 1,477
  41. 41 Mega Man 4 1991 · Platformer 1,476
  42. 42 Bomberman 1985 · Arcade 1,475
  43. 43 R.C. Pro-Am 1988 · Racing 1,470
  44. 44 Cabal 1988 · TPS 1,465
  45. 45 Circus Charlie 1984 · Platformer 1,457
  46. 46 Tennis 1984 · Sports 1,457
  47. 47 Yoshi 1991 · Puzzle 1,453
  48. 48 Clu Clu Land 1984 · Arcade 1,451
  49. 49 Soccer 1985 · Sports 1,449
  50. 50 Top Gun 1987 · Simulation 1,448
  51. 51 Adventures of Lolo 1989 · Puzzle 1,437
  52. 52 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project 1991 · Beat 'em up 1,434
  53. 53 Road Fighter 1984 · Racing 1,430
  54. 54 Tiny Toon Adventures 1991 · Platformer 1,425
  55. 55 Blaster Master 1988 · Metroidvania 1,422
  56. 56 Micro Machines 1991 · Racing 1,422
  57. 57 Disney's Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 1990 · Platformer 1,420
  58. 58 Disney's DuckTales 2 1993 · Platformer 1,417
  59. 59 Hudson's Adventure Island 1986 · Platformer 1,415
  60. 60 Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones 1991 · Beat 'em up 1,413
  61. 61 Silk Worm 1988 · Shoot 'em up 1,407
  62. 62 Sid Meier's Pirates! 1987 · Action RPG 1,406
  63. 63 Batman: Return of the Joker 1991 · Platformer 1,404
  64. 64 Dig Dug II: Trouble in Paradise 1985 · Strategy 1,398
  65. 65 Shadowgate 1987 · Point-and-click 1,395
  66. 66 Adventure Island 3 1992 · Platformer 1,388
  67. 67 Pinball 1984 · Arcade 1,385
  68. 68 Gauntlet II 1986 · Beat 'em up 1,384
  69. 69 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game 1990 · Platformer 1,377
  70. 70 Adventure Island II 1991 · Platformer 1,374
  71. 71 Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos 1990 · Platformer 1,373
  72. 72 StarTropics 1990 · Action RPG 1,352
  73. 73 Felix the Cat 1992 · Platformer 1,350
  74. 74 Wrecking Crew 1985 · Platformer 1,348
  75. 75 Elite 1984 · Simulation 1,344
  76. 76 Faxanadu 1987 · Metroidvania 1,341
  77. 77 The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Space Mutants 1991 · Platformer 1,341
  78. 78 EarthBound Beginnings 2015 · JRPG 1,334
  79. 79 Journey to Silius 1990 · Platformer 1,323
  80. 80 Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom 1991 · Platformer 1,322
  81. 81 Disney's The Little Mermaid 1991 · Platformer 1,321
  82. 82 North & South 1989 · Strategy 1,321
  83. 83 Batman: The Video Game 1989 · Platformer 1,305

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

Other rankings

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In detail

The best games on NES, what this ranking says

Tetris leads this selection with 1,880 ELO points, ahead of Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3. The 83 games competing in it have played 8,907 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 83
Duels played by those games 8,907
Game in the lead Tetris (1989)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,880
Point gap between 1st and 10th 240
Best represented genre Platformer
Last reading September 18, 2026

The best game of every genre on NES

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

The best game of every genre on NES
Genre Games competing In the lead ELO score Duels played
Puzzle 6 Tetris 1,880 334
Platformer 32 Super Mario Bros. 1,867 583
Metroidvania 5 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 1,678 311
JRPG 5 Final Fantasy 1,605 231
Beat 'em up 5 Battletoads / Double Dragon 1,584 63
Racing 5 Excitebike 1,533 168
Arcade 5 Duck Hunt 1,499 173

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 80 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
Antarctic Adventure +103 1,477
Sid Meier's Pirates! +62 1,406
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest +52 1,544

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%
Super Mario Bros. 3 Disney's Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 3 67%
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 on NES?

According to community votes, the best game on NES 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 on NES are ranked?

83 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 8,907 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which game on NES is climbing right now?

Antarctic Adventure is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 103 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 80 games in the selection moved.

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