Ranking by year

The best games of 1998.

76 games compete in this selection. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time tops it with 1,923 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1998 · Action-adventure 1,923
  2. 2 Metal Gear Solid 1998 · Action-adventure 1,922
  3. 3 Fallout 2 1998 · RPG 1,901
  4. 4 Half-Life 1998 · FPS 1,859
  5. 5 StarCraft 1998 · Strategy 1,823
  6. 6 Banjo-Kazooie 1998 · Platformer 1,818
  7. 7 Street Fighter Alpha 3 1998 · Fighting 1,801
  8. 8 SoulCalibur 1998 · Fighting 1,799
  9. 9 F-Zero X 1998 · Racing 1,798
  10. 10 Resident Evil 2 1998 · Horror 1,794
  11. 11 Baldur's Gate 1998 · RPG 1,793
  12. 12 Suikoden II 1998 · RPG 1,789
  13. 13 Thief: The Dark Project 1998 · Action-adventure 1,782
  14. 14 Xenogears 1998 · JRPG 1,774
  15. 15 Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition 1998 · JRPG 1,759
  16. 16 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX 1998 · Action-adventure 1,749
  17. 17 Grim Fandango 1998 · Point-and-click 1,719
  18. 18 Crash Bandicoot: Warped 1998 · Platformer 1,708
  19. 19 Spyro the Dragon 1998 · Platformer 1,691
  20. 20 1080° Snowboarding 1998 · Sports 1,648
  21. 21 Anno 1602: Creation of a New World 1998 · Strategy 1,594
  22. 22 Mario Party 1998 · Card & Board 1,578
  23. 23 Pokémon Trading Card Game 1998 · Card & Board 1,577
  24. 24 Sonic Adventure 1998 · Platformer 1,564
  25. 25 Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines 1998 · Strategy 1,563
  26. 26 Colin McRae Rally 1998 · Racing 1,553
  27. 27 Metal Slug 2 1998 · Platformer 1,548
  28. 28 Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit 1998 · Racing 1,548
  29. 29 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 1998 · TPS 1,542
  30. 30 Tekken 3 1998 · Fighting 1,542
  31. 31 Caesar III 1998 · Strategy 1,532
  32. 32 Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus 1998 · Platformer 1,519
  33. 33 Tenchu: Stealth Assassins 1998 · Action-adventure 1,518
  34. 34 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 1998 · FPS 1,515
  35. 35 Wario Land II 1998 · Platformer 1,510
  36. 36 Sanitarium 1998 · Point-and-click 1,502
  37. 37 Delta Force 1998 · FPS 1,493
  38. 38 Populous: The Beginning 1998 · Strategy 1,489
  39. 39 The House of the Dead 2 1998 · FPS 1,488
  40. 40 Sonic R 1998 · Racing 1,485
  41. 41 MediEvil 1998 · Action-adventure 1,483
  42. 42 R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 1998 · Racing 1,473
  43. 43 Mission: Impossible 1998 · TPS 1,471
  44. 44 Guilty Gear 1998 · Fighting 1,470
  45. 45 Unreal 1998 · FPS 1,468
  46. 46 Legend of Legaia 1998 · JRPG 1,466
  47. 47 Vigilante 8 1998 · Racing 1,464
  48. 48 Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes 1998 · Fighting 1,462
  49. 49 Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft 1998 · TPS 1,458
  50. 50 Blood II: The Chosen 1998 · FPS 1,452
  51. 51 Jazz Jackrabbit 2 1998 · Platformer 1,449
  52. 52 Mega Man & Bass 1998 · Platformer 1,448
  53. 53 Heart of Darkness 1998 · Platformer 1,444
  54. 54 Star Ocean: The Second Story 1998 · JRPG 1,435
  55. 55 World Cup 98 1998 · Sports 1,430
  56. 56 The King of Fighters '98 1998 · Fighting 1,429
  57. 57 Dune 2000 1998 · Strategy 1,429
  58. 58 Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom 1998 · Strategy 1,429
  59. 59 Darkstalkers 3 1998 · Fighting 1,428
  60. 60 Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now 1998 · Racing 1,425
  61. 61 Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Mysteries of the Sith 1998 · FPS 1,422
  62. 62 Glover 1998 · Platformer 1,422
  63. 63 A Bug's Life 1998 · Platformer 1,421
  64. 64 Gex: Enter the Gecko 1998 · Platformer 1,419
  65. 65 Parasite Eve 1998 · JRPG 1,414
  66. 66 Turok 2: Seeds of Evil 1998 · FPS 1,410
  67. 67 Snake 1998 · Arcade 1,407
  68. 68 Microsoft Spider Solitaire 1998 · Card & Board 1,405
  69. 69 Twisted Metal III 1998 · Racing 1,390
  70. 70 The Settlers III 1998 · Strategy 1,386
  71. 71 LSD: Dream Emulator 1998 · Horror 1,376
  72. 72 SiN 1998 · FPS 1,365
  73. 73 Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven 1998 · Action RPG 1,362
  74. 74 South Park 1998 · FPS 1,359
  75. 75 Duke Nukem: Time to Kill 1998 · TPS 1,345
  76. 76 FIFA 99 1998 · Sports 1,340

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In detail

The best games of 1998, what this ranking says

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time leads this selection with 1,923 ELO points, ahead of Metal Gear Solid and Fallout 2. The 76 games competing in it have played 17,365 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 76
Duels played by those games 17,365
Game in the lead The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,923
Point gap between 1st and 10th 129
Best represented genre Platformer
Last reading November 3, 2026

The best game of every genre in 1998

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

The best game of every genre in 1998
Genre Games competing In the lead ELO score Duels played
Action-adventure 6 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1,923 2,715
FPS 10 Half-Life 1,859 3,436
Strategy 8 StarCraft 1,823 453
Platformer 13 Banjo-Kazooie 1,818 296
Fighting 7 Street Fighter Alpha 3 1,801 111
Racing 8 F-Zero X 1,798 140
JRPG 5 Xenogears 1,774 154

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 73 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
Colin McRae Rally +98 1,553
R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 +76 1,473
Blood II: The Chosen +64 1,452

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
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Half-Life 46 61%
Metal Gear Solid Resident Evil 2 5 80%
Pokémon Trading Card Game Microsoft Spider Solitaire 4 50%
StarCraft Metal Gear Solid 4 50%
Metal Gear Solid Fallout 2 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 1998?

According to community votes, the best game of 1998 is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, with 1,923 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Metal Gear Solid and Fallout 2, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games of 1998 are ranked?

76 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 17,365 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which game of 1998 is climbing right now?

Colin McRae Rally is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 98 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 73 games in the selection moved.

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