Ranking by platform

The best games on ZX Spectrum.

44 games compete in this selection. SimCity tops it with 1,635 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 SimCity 1989 · Sandbox 1,635
  2. 2 Final Fight 1989 · Beat 'em up 1,585
  3. 3 Golden Axe 1989 · Beat 'em up 1,536
  4. 4 Paperboy 1984 · Arcade 1,511
  5. 5 Cabal 1988 · TPS 1,509
  6. 6 1942 1984 · Shoot 'em up 1,508
  7. 7 Karateka 1984 · Fighting 1,507
  8. 8 Lode Runner 1983 · Platformer 1,505
  9. 9 Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 1987 · Platformer 1,503
  10. 10 Ms. Pac-Man 1982 · Arcade 1,499
  11. 11 Ghosts 'n Goblins 1985 · Platformer 1,498
  12. 12 Commando 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,466
  13. 13 Altered Beast 1988 · Beat 'em up 1,455
  14. 14 Alien Storm 1990 · Beat 'em up 1,455
  15. 15 Gun.Smoke 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,455
  16. 16 Pole Position 1982 · Racing 1,452
  17. 17 Spy Hunter 1983 · Racing 1,449
  18. 18 Xevious 1982 · Shoot 'em up 1,449
  19. 19 Archon 1983 · Strategy 1,446
  20. 20 International Karate + 1987 · Fighting 1,445
  21. 21 Gauntlet II 1986 · Beat 'em up 1,445
  22. 22 Ghostbusters 1984 · Arcade 1,439
  23. 23 Yie Ar Kung-Fu 1984 · Fighting 1,438
  24. 24 Elevator Action 1983 · Platformer 1,437
  25. 25 Batman 1989 · Platformer 1,429
  26. 26 Michael Jackson's Moonwalker 1990 · Platformer 1,426
  27. 27 Rygar 1986 · Platformer 1,425
  28. 28 North & South 1989 · Strategy 1,412
  29. 29 Operation Wolf 1987 · Arcade 1,404
  30. 30 River Raid 1982 · Shoot 'em up 1,403
  31. 31 Elite 1984 · Simulation 1,392
  32. 32 Buster Bros. 1989 · Shoot 'em up 1,392
  33. 33 Shinobi 1987 · Beat 'em up 1,389
  34. 34 Strider 1989 · Platformer 1,385
  35. 35 1943: The Battle of Midway 1987 · Shoot 'em up 1,382
  36. 36 The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Space Mutants 1991 · Platformer 1,380
  37. 37 Turrican 1990 · Platformer 1,379
  38. 38 Shadow of the Beast 1989 · Platformer 1,348
  39. 39 Super Hang-On 1987 · Racing 1,346
  40. 40 Gauntlet 1985 · Beat 'em up 1,334
  41. 41 Impossible Mission 1984 · Platformer 1,331
  42. 42 Spy vs Spy 1984 · Strategy 1,326
  43. 43 Defender of the Crown 1986 · Strategy 1,323
  44. 44 H.E.R.O. 1984 · Platformer 1,297

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

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In detail

The best games on ZX Spectrum, what this ranking says

SimCity leads this selection with 1,635 ELO points, ahead of Final Fight and Golden Axe. The 44 games competing in it have played 4,018 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 44
Duels played by those games 4,018
Game in the lead SimCity (1989)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,635
Point gap between 1st and 10th 136
Best represented genre Platformer
Last reading November 3, 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 Final Fight 1,585 115
Shoot 'em up 7 1942 1,508 94
Platformer 13 Lode Runner 1,505 72

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 44 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
Ghosts 'n Goblins +78 1,498
Pole Position +69 1,452
Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 +62 1,503

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 1,635 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Final Fight and Golden Axe, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games on ZX Spectrum are ranked?

44 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 4,018 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?

Ghosts 'n Goblins is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 78 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 44 games in the selection moved.

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