Ranking by platform

The best games on ZX Spectrum.

46 games compete in this selection. SimCity tops it with 1,606 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 SimCity 1989 · Sandbox 1,606
  2. 2 Paperboy 1984 · Arcade 1,576
  3. 3 Karateka 1984 · Fighting 1,571
  4. 4 Golden Axe 1989 · Beat 'em up 1,555
  5. 5 Commando 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,514
  6. 6 Yie Ar Kung-Fu 1984 · Fighting 1,513
  7. 7 Ghosts 'n Goblins 1985 · Platformer 1,510
  8. 8 1942 1984 · Shoot 'em up 1,493
  9. 9 Ms. Pac-Man 1982 · Arcade 1,479
  10. 10 Alien Storm 1990 · Beat 'em up 1,478
  11. 11 Spy Hunter 1983 · Racing 1,472
  12. 12 1943: The Battle of Midway 1987 · Shoot 'em up 1,466
  13. 13 Cabal 1988 · TPS 1,465
  14. 14 Strider 1989 · Platformer 1,461
  15. 15 Super Hang-On 1987 · Racing 1,455
  16. 16 Xevious 1982 · Shoot 'em up 1,451
  17. 17 Final Fight 1989 · Beat 'em up 1,449
  18. 18 Pole Position 1982 · Racing 1,448
  19. 19 Elevator Action 1983 · Platformer 1,442
  20. 20 Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 1987 · Platformer 1,433
  21. 21 Altered Beast 1988 · Beat 'em up 1,431
  22. 22 Spy vs Spy 1984 · Strategy 1,430
  23. 23 Gun.Smoke 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,429
  24. 24 Defender of the Crown 1986 · Strategy 1,428
  25. 25 Ghostbusters 1984 · Arcade 1,426
  26. 26 Michael Jackson's Moonwalker 1990 · Platformer 1,425
  27. 27 Rygar 1986 · Platformer 1,417
  28. 28 Shinobi 1987 · Beat 'em up 1,411
  29. 29 River Raid 1982 · Shoot 'em up 1,411
  30. 30 Lode Runner 1983 · Platformer 1,411
  31. 31 Silk Worm 1988 · Shoot 'em up 1,407
  32. 32 H.E.R.O. 1984 · Platformer 1,406
  33. 33 Batman 1989 · Platformer 1,405
  34. 34 Gauntlet 1985 · Beat 'em up 1,401
  35. 35 Turrican 1990 · Platformer 1,397
  36. 36 International Karate + 1987 · Fighting 1,393
  37. 37 Gauntlet II 1986 · Beat 'em up 1,384
  38. 38 Archon 1983 · Strategy 1,371
  39. 39 Impossible Mission 1984 · Platformer 1,367
  40. 40 Shadow of the Beast 1989 · Platformer 1,365
  41. 41 Operation Wolf 1987 · Arcade 1,355
  42. 42 Buster Bros. 1989 · Shoot 'em up 1,348
  43. 43 Elite 1984 · Simulation 1,344
  44. 44 The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Space Mutants 1991 · Platformer 1,341
  45. 45 North & South 1989 · Strategy 1,321
  46. 46 Top Gunner 1986 · Shoot 'em up 1,251

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

Other rankings

Best games on Apple II Greatest MSX games Greatest 3DO games All-time best Amstrad CPC games Top games on Sharp X68000 Ranking of FM Towns games Greatest Ouya games All-time best Google Stadia games All-time best Legacy Mobile Device games Top games on Sharp X1 Ranking of Web browser games All-time best Oculus Quest games Top games on Meta Quest 2

In detail

The best games on ZX Spectrum, what this ranking says

SimCity leads this selection with 1,606 ELO points, ahead of Paperboy and Karateka. The 46 games competing in it have played 3,035 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 46
Duels played by those games 3,035
Game in the lead SimCity (1989)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,606
Point gap between 1st and 10th 128
Best represented genre Platformer
Last reading September 18, 2026

The best game of every genre on ZX Spectrum

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

The best game of every genre on ZX Spectrum
Genre Games competing In the lead ELO score Duels played
Beat 'em up 7 Golden Axe 1,555 125
Shoot 'em up 9 Commando 1,514 49
Platformer 13 Ghosts 'n Goblins 1,510 101

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 46 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
1942 +60 1,493
Defender of the Crown +59 1,428
River Raid +50 1,411

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 ZX Spectrum?

According to community votes, the best game on ZX Spectrum is SimCity, with 1,606 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Paperboy and Karateka, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games on ZX Spectrum are ranked?

46 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 3,035 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which game on ZX Spectrum is climbing right now?

1942 is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 60 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 46 games in the selection moved.

Vote on a duel