Ranking by year

The best games of 1991.

45 games compete in this selection. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past tops it with 1,837 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 1991 · Action-adventure 1,837
  2. 2 Street Fighter II 1991 · Fighting 1,817
  3. 3 Sonic the Hedgehog 1991 · Platformer 1,777
  4. 4 Final Fantasy IV 1991 · JRPG 1,744
  5. 5 Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge 1991 · Point-and-click 1,734
  6. 6 Super Castlevania IV 1991 · Platformer 1,695
  7. 7 Sid Meier's Civilization 1991 · Strategy 1,630
  8. 8 Battletoads 1991 · Beat 'em up 1,571
  9. 9 Bomberman II 1991 · Puzzle 1,566
  10. 10 Metroid II: Return of Samus 1991 · Metroidvania 1,552
  11. 11 Tiny Toon Adventures 1991 · Platformer 1,549
  12. 12 Final Fantasy Adventure 1991 · Action RPG 1,548
  13. 13 Lemmings 1991 · Puzzle 1,544
  14. 14 Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge 1991 · Platformer 1,526
  15. 15 Mega Man 4 1991 · Platformer 1,518
  16. 16 Super Ghouls'n Ghosts 1991 · Platformer 1,511
  17. 17 Duke Nukem 1991 · Platformer 1,510
  18. 18 Eye of the Beholder 1991 · Action RPG 1,501
  19. 19 Out of This World 1991 · Platformer 1,500
  20. 20 Captain Commando 1991 · Platformer 1,497
  21. 21 Sonic the Hedgehog 1991 · Platformer 1,490
  22. 22 Golden Axe II 1991 · Beat 'em up 1,487
  23. 23 Yoshi 1991 · Puzzle 1,482
  24. 24 Road Rash 1991 · Racing 1,480
  25. 25 SimAnt 1991 · Strategy 1,470
  26. 26 Gobliiins 1991 · Point-and-click 1,460
  27. 27 Disney's The Little Mermaid 1991 · Platformer 1,453
  28. 28 Micro Machines 1991 · Racing 1,450
  29. 29 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project 1991 · Beat 'em up 1,444
  30. 30 ToeJam & Earl 1991 · Roguelite 1,441
  31. 31 The Simpsons Arcade Game 1991 · Beat 'em up 1,437
  32. 32 Fatal Fury 1991 · Fighting 1,434
  33. 33 Streets of Rage 1991 · Beat 'em up 1,424
  34. 34 Sunset Riders 1991 · Arcade 1,424
  35. 35 Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom 1991 · Platformer 1,422
  36. 36 Knights of the Round 1991 · Beat 'em up 1,420
  37. 37 The King of Dragons 1991 · Beat 'em up 1,420
  38. 38 Batman: Return of the Joker 1991 · Platformer 1,417
  39. 39 Captain America and the Avengers 1991 · Beat 'em up 1,392
  40. 40 The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Space Mutants 1991 · Platformer 1,380
  41. 41 QuackShot Starring Donald Duck 1991 · Platformer 1,379
  42. 42 James Pond 2: Codename - RoboCod 1991 · Platformer 1,339
  43. 43 Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones 1991 · Beat 'em up 1,329
  44. 44 Adventure Island II 1991 · Platformer 1,312
  45. 45 Caveman Ninja 1991 · Platformer 1,297

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

Other rankings

Best games of 1990 Ranking of 1992 games The best games of 1993 Ranking of 1994 games Top games of 1995 Greatest games of 1996 The best games of 1997 The best games of 1998 The best games of 1999

In detail

The best games of 1991, what this ranking says

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past leads this selection with 1,837 ELO points, ahead of Street Fighter II and Sonic the Hedgehog. The 45 games competing in it have played 5,901 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 45
Duels played by those games 5,901
Game in the lead The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,837
Point gap between 1st and 10th 285
Best represented genre Platformer
Last reading November 3, 2026

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
Disney's The Little Mermaid +73 1,453
SimAnt +62 1,470
Mega Man 4 +49 1,518

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 1991?

According to community votes, the best game of 1991 is The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, with 1,837 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Street Fighter II and Sonic the Hedgehog, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games of 1991 are ranked?

45 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 5,901 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which game of 1991 is climbing right now?

Disney's The Little Mermaid is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 73 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 44 games in the selection moved.

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