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. 1 Super Mario Bros. 3 1988 · Platformer 1,803
  2. 2 Ice Hockey 1988 · Sports 1,570
  3. 3 Double Dragon II: The Revenge 1988 · Beat 'em up 1,563
  4. 4 Final Fantasy II 1988 · JRPG 1,543
  5. 5 Ninja Gaiden 1988 · Beat 'em up 1,542
  6. 6 Ghouls 'n Ghosts 1988 · Platformer 1,479
  7. 7 R.C. Pro-Am 1988 · Racing 1,470
  8. 8 Cabal 1988 · TPS 1,465
  9. 9 Battle Chess 1988 · Card & Board 1,453
  10. 10 Super Contra 1988 · Platformer 1,432
  11. 11 Altered Beast 1988 · Beat 'em up 1,431
  12. 12 Blaster Master 1988 · Metroidvania 1,422
  13. 13 Leisure Suit Larry 2: Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places) 1988 · Point-and-click 1,413
  14. 14 Silk Worm 1988 · Shoot 'em up 1,407
  15. 15 RoboCop 1988 · Platformer 1,391
  16. 16 Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders 1988 · Point-and-click 1,374

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

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.

This selection in figures
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.

What moved this week
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.

Understand the method in detail →

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.

Vote on a duel