Ranking by year

The best games of 1996.

56 games compete in this selection. Pokémon Blue Version tops it with 1,935 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 Pokémon Blue Version 1996 · JRPG 1,935
  2. 2 Mario Kart 64 1996 · Racing 1,895
  3. 3 Pokémon Red Version 1996 · JRPG 1,868
  4. 4 Diablo 1996 · Action RPG 1,844
  5. 5 Super Mario 64 1996 · Action-adventure 1,811
  6. 6 Tomb Raider 1996 · Platformer 1,804
  7. 7 Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars 1996 · JRPG 1,735
  8. 8 Quake 1996 · FPS 1,708
  9. 9 Resident Evil 1996 · Horror 1,707
  10. 10 Crash Bandicoot 1996 · Platformer 1,703
  11. 11 Duke Nukem 3D 1996 · FPS 1,687
  12. 12 Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! 1996 · Platformer 1,686
  13. 13 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 1996 · Strategy 1,682
  14. 14 Sid Meier's Civilization II 1996 · Strategy 1,588
  15. 15 Mega Man 8 1996 · Platformer 1,568
  16. 16 Circle of Blood 1996 · Point-and-click 1,565
  17. 17 Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars 1996 · Strategy 1,563
  18. 18 Death Rally 1996 · Racing 1,525
  19. 19 PaRappa the Rapper 1996 · Rhythm 1,520
  20. 20 Metal Slug 1996 · Platformer 1,518
  21. 21 Twisted Metal 2 1996 · Racing 1,508
  22. 22 Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu 1996 · JRPG 1,508
  23. 23 Street Fighter Alpha 2 1996 · Fighting 1,499
  24. 24 X-Men vs. Street Fighter 1996 · Fighting 1,497
  25. 25 Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire 1996 · TPS 1,497
  26. 26 The Neverhood 1996 · Point-and-click 1,490
  27. 27 Mortal Kombat Trilogy 1996 · Fighting 1,485
  28. 28 Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain 1996 · Action-adventure 1,482
  29. 29 The King of Fighters '96 1996 · Fighting 1,480
  30. 30 The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall 1996 · Action RPG 1,479
  31. 31 Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares 1996 · Strategy 1,475
  32. 32 Wild Arms 1996 · JRPG 1,468
  33. 33 Killer Instinct Gold 1996 · Fighting 1,460
  34. 34 Pandemonium! 1996 · Platformer 1,459
  35. 35 The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici 1996 · Strategy 1,451
  36. 36 Sonic 3D Blast 1996 · Platformer 1,446
  37. 37 Dead or Alive 1996 · Fighting 1,437
  38. 38 Discworld II: Mortality Bytes! 1996 · Point-and-click 1,437
  39. 39 Soul Edge 1996 · Fighting 1,433
  40. 40 Toonstruck 1996 · Point-and-click 1,425
  41. 41 Z 1996 · Strategy 1,425
  42. 42 The House of the Dead 1996 · FPS 1,417
  43. 43 Harvester 1996 · Point-and-click 1,416
  44. 44 Tekken 2 1996 · Fighting 1,411
  45. 45 Wipeout XL 1996 · Racing 1,410
  46. 46 Wave Race 64 1996 · Racing 1,406
  47. 47 Harvest Moon 1996 · Simulation 1,399
  48. 48 Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara 1996 · Beat 'em up 1,399
  49. 49 Destruction Derby 2 1996 · Racing 1,398
  50. 50 Pilotwings 64 1996 · Racing 1,393
  51. 51 Alien Trilogy 1996 · FPS 1,389
  52. 52 Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo 1996 · Puzzle 1,388
  53. 53 Pajama Sam In: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside 1996 · Point-and-click 1,378
  54. 54 Nights Into Dreams... 1996 · Platformer 1,342
  55. 55 Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh 1996 · Point-and-click 1,328
  56. 56 Dragon Ball Z: The Legend 1996 · Fighting 1,285

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

Other rankings

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In detail

The best games of 1996, what this ranking says

Pokémon Blue Version leads this selection with 1,935 ELO points, ahead of Mario Kart 64 and Pokémon Red Version. The 56 games competing in it have played 11,035 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 56
Duels played by those games 11,035
Game in the lead Pokémon Blue Version (1996)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,935
Point gap between 1st and 10th 232
Best represented genre Fighting
Last reading November 3, 2026

The best game of every genre in 1996

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

The best game of every genre in 1996
Genre Games competing In the lead ELO score Duels played
JRPG 5 Pokémon Blue Version 1,935 362
Racing 7 Mario Kart 64 1,895 391
Platformer 8 Tomb Raider 1,804 378
Strategy 6 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 1,682 200
Point-and-click 7 Circle of Blood 1,565 178
Fighting 9 Street Fighter Alpha 2 1,499 126

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 56 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
Death Rally +67 1,525
Toonstruck +67 1,425
Sonic 3D Blast +56 1,446

The most contested match-ups

These pairs of games have faced each other more than any others in this selection.

The most contested match-ups
Wins Against Duels played Win rate
Tomb Raider Super Mario 64 3 67%

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 1996?

According to community votes, the best game of 1996 is Pokémon Blue Version, with 1,935 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Mario Kart 64 and Pokémon Red Version, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games of 1996 are ranked?

56 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 11,035 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which game of 1996 is climbing right now?

Death Rally is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 67 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 56 games in the selection moved.

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