Ranking by year
The best games of 1988.
16 games compete in this selection. Super Mario Bros. 3 tops it with 1,803 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.
- 1 Super Mario Bros. 3 1988 · Platformer 1,803 +19
- 2 Ice Hockey 1988 · Sports 1,570 +8
- 3 Double Dragon II: The Revenge 1988 · Beat 'em up 1,563 +250
- 4 Final Fantasy II 1988 · JRPG 1,543 −200
- 5 Ninja Gaiden 1988 · Beat 'em up 1,542 −18
- 6 Ghouls 'n Ghosts 1988 · Platformer 1,479 +545
- 7 R.C. Pro-Am 1988 · Racing 1,470 +405
- 8 Cabal 1988 · TPS 1,465 −688
- 9 Battle Chess 1988 · Card & Board 1,453 −876
- 10 Super Contra 1988 · Platformer 1,432 +369
- 11 Altered Beast 1988 · Beat 'em up 1,431 −366
- 12 Blaster Master 1988 · Metroidvania 1,422 +711
- 13 Leisure Suit Larry 2: Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places) 1988 · Point-and-click 1,413 −142
- 14 Silk Worm 1988 · Shoot 'em up 1,407 +95
- 15 RoboCop 1988 · Platformer 1,391 −60
- 16 Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders 1988 · Point-and-click 1,374 +156
Other rankings
In detail
The best games of 1988, what this ranking says
Super Mario Bros. 3 leads this selection with 1,803 ELO points, ahead of Ice Hockey and Double Dragon II: The Revenge. The 16 games competing in it have played 1,708 duels.
| Games competing in this selection | 16 |
|---|---|
| Duels played by those games | 1,708 |
| Game in the lead | Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) |
| Score of the leading game, in ELO points | 1,803 |
| Point gap between 1st and 10th | 371 |
| Last reading | September 18, 2026 |
What moved this week
The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 14 games in this selection moved.
| Game | Points gained in 7 days | ELO score |
|---|---|---|
| Blaster Master | +39 | 1,422 |
| Ghouls 'n Ghosts | +25 | 1,479 |
| Double Dragon II: The Revenge | +22 | 1,563 |
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.
FAQ
What players ask
What is the best game of 1988?
According to community votes, the best game of 1988 is Super Mario Bros. 3, with 1,803 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Ice Hockey and Double Dragon II: The Revenge, and its place is replayed with every duel.
How many games of 1988 are ranked?
16 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 1,708 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.
Which game of 1988 is climbing right now?
Blaster Master is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 39 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 14 games in the selection moved.