Ranking by year

The best games of 1997.

78 games compete in this selection. Final Fantasy VII tops it with 1,921 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 Final Fantasy VII 1997 · JRPG 1,921
  2. 2 Final Fantasy Tactics 1997 · JRPG 1,867
  3. 3 Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game 1997 · RPG 1,866
  4. 4 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 1997 · Metroidvania 1,829
  5. 5 GoldenEye 007 1997 · FPS 1,818
  6. 6 Age of Empires 1997 · Strategy 1,812
  7. 7 Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back 1997 · Platformer 1,802
  8. 8 Quake II 1997 · FPS 1,797
  9. 9 Dungeon Keeper 1997 · Strategy 1,764
  10. 10 Tekken 3 1997 · Fighting 1,746
  11. 11 Gran Turismo 1997 · Racing 1,742
  12. 12 The Curse of Monkey Island 1997 · Point-and-click 1,724
  13. 13 Tomb Raider II 1997 · Platformer 1,719
  14. 14 Star Fox 64 1997 · TPS 1,703
  15. 15 Theme Hospital 1997 · Strategy 1,693
  16. 16 Total Annihilation 1997 · Strategy 1,652
  17. 17 Riven: The Sequel to Myst 1997 · Point-and-click 1,635
  18. 18 Yoshi's Story 1997 · Platformer 1,605
  19. 19 Shadow Warrior 1997 · FPS 1,602
  20. 20 Grand Theft Auto 1997 · Action-adventure 1,597
  21. 21 Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee 1997 · Platformer 1,588
  22. 22 Mega Man X4 1997 · Platformer 1,588
  23. 23 Diddy Kong Racing 1997 · Racing 1,569
  24. 24 Carmageddon 1997 · Racing 1,568
  25. 25 Disney's Hercules Action Game 1997 · Platformer 1,567
  26. 26 Bomberman 64 1997 · Platformer 1,559
  27. 27 Tibia 1997 · Action RPG 1,529
  28. 28 Blade Runner 1997 · Point-and-click 1,520
  29. 29 Postal 1997 · Shoot 'em up 1,520
  30. 30 Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Dark Forces II 1997 · FPS 1,515
  31. 31 Klonoa: Door to Phantomile 1997 · Platformer 1,515
  32. 32 Outlaws 1997 · FPS 1,509
  33. 33 Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout 1997 · Fighting 1,506
  34. 34 Doom 64 1997 · FPS 1,503
  35. 35 Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero 1997 · Platformer 1,503
  36. 36 Worms 2 1997 · Strategy 1,501
  37. 37 Kirby's Dream Land 3 1997 · Platformer 1,498
  38. 38 Bushido Blade 1997 · Fighting 1,491
  39. 39 Mortal Kombat 4 1997 · Fighting 1,487
  40. 40 Street Fighter III: New Generation 1997 · Fighting 1,480
  41. 41 MDK 1997 · TPS 1,479
  42. 42 Game Dev Story 1997 · Simulation 1,479
  43. 43 Mega Man Legends 1997 · TPS 1,479
  44. 44 Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter 1997 · Fighting 1,476
  45. 45 Rampage World Tour 1997 · Platformer 1,474
  46. 46 Hexen II 1997 · FPS 1,468
  47. 47 Fighting Force 1997 · Beat 'em up 1,465
  48. 48 Moto Racer 1997 · Racing 1,460
  49. 49 Rival Schools: United by Fate 1997 · Fighting 1,459
  50. 50 Turok: Dinosaur Hunter 1997 · FPS 1,458
  51. 51 Resident Evil: Director's Cut 1997 · Horror 1,450
  52. 52 Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror 1997 · Point-and-click 1,443
  53. 53 Castlevania Legends 1997 · Platformer 1,441
  54. 54 The King of Fighters '97 1997 · Fighting 1,437
  55. 55 Claw 1997 · Platformer 1,437
  56. 56 Armored Core 1997 · TPS 1,433
  57. 57 Ignition 1997 · Racing 1,428
  58. 58 Blood 1997 · FPS 1,427
  59. 59 Snowboard Kids 1997 · Sports 1,426
  60. 60 Mischief Makers 1997 · Platformer 1,420
  61. 61 Time Crisis II 1997 · FPS 1,419
  62. 62 Blast Corps 1997 · Puzzle 1,412
  63. 63 Need for Speed II 1997 · Racing 1,406
  64. 64 Frogger 1997 · Arcade 1,386
  65. 65 Bloody Roar 1997 · Fighting 1,381
  66. 66 Alundra 1997 · Action RPG 1,379
  67. 67 Breath of Fire III 1997 · JRPG 1,377
  68. 68 Nightmare Creatures 1997 · Horror 1,374
  69. 69 Grandia 1997 · JRPG 1,367
  70. 70 Ultima Online 1997 · Action RPG 1,358
  71. 71 FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 1997 · Sports 1,344
  72. 72 Ace Combat 2 1997 · Simulation 1,344
  73. 73 Croc: Legend of the Gobbos 1997 · Platformer 1,340
  74. 74 International Superstar Soccer 64 1997 · Sports 1,325
  75. 75 LEGO Island 1997 · Action-adventure 1,317
  76. 76 Redneck Rampage 1997 · Action RPG 1,305
  77. 77 Tomba! 1997 · Metroidvania 1,298
  78. 78 The Lost Vikings 2 1997 · Platformer 1,286

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Other rankings

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In detail

The best games of 1997, what this ranking says

Final Fantasy VII leads this selection with 1,921 ELO points, ahead of Final Fantasy Tactics and Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game. The 78 games competing in it have played 11,627 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 78
Duels played by those games 11,627
Game in the lead Final Fantasy VII (1997)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,921
Point gap between 1st and 10th 175
Best represented genre Platformer
Last reading November 3, 2026

The best game of every genre in 1997

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

The best game of every genre in 1997
Genre Games competing In the lead ELO score Duels played
FPS 10 GoldenEye 007 1,818 263
Strategy 5 Age of Empires 1,812 282
Platformer 16 Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back 1,802 344
Fighting 9 Tekken 3 1,746 333
Racing 6 Gran Turismo 1,742 215

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 77 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
Bomberman 64 +75 1,559
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back +62 1,802
Riven: The Sequel to Myst +62 1,635

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
Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy Tactics 4 75%
The Curse of Monkey Island Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror 3 100%

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 1997?

According to community votes, the best game of 1997 is Final Fantasy VII, with 1,921 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Final Fantasy Tactics and Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games of 1997 are ranked?

78 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 11,627 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which game of 1997 is climbing right now?

Bomberman 64 is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 75 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 77 games in the selection moved.

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