Live ranking

The full ranking.

The best games of all time, ranked by community votes. Filter by genre, decade, platform or period.

152 games Reset

  1. 1 Super Mario Bros. 3 1988 · Platformer 1,872
  2. 2 Tetris 1989 · Puzzle 1,858
  3. 3 Mega Man 2 1989 · Platformer 1,793
  4. 4 Super Mario Land 1989 · Platformer 1,751
  5. 5 Super Mario Bros. 1985 · Platformer 1,740
  6. 6 The Legend of Zelda 1986 · Action-adventure 1,732
  7. 7 Pac-Man 1980 · Arcade 1,722
  8. 8 Castlevania 1986 · Platformer 1,704
  9. 9 Mega Man 1987 · Platformer 1,680
  10. 10 Contra 1987 · Platformer 1,676
  11. 11 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 1987 · Metroidvania 1,675
  12. 12 Metroid 1987 · Metroidvania 1,638
  13. 13 Prince of Persia 1989 · Platformer 1,623
  14. 14 Ghouls 'n Ghosts 1988 · Platformer 1,614
  15. 15 Spy Hunter 1983 · Racing 1,604
  16. 16 Final Fantasy 1987 · JRPG 1,599
  17. 17 Golden Axe 1989 · Beat 'em up 1,584
  18. 18 Ice Hockey 1988 · Sports 1,584
  19. 19 Battle City 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,581
  20. 20 Street Fighter 1987 · Fighting 1,576
  21. 21 Phantasy Star 1987 · JRPG 1,566
  22. 22 Marble Madness 1984 · Puzzle 1,563
  23. 23 Paperboy 1984 · Arcade 1,560
  24. 24 Donkey Kong 1981 · Platformer 1,553
  25. 25 Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels 1986 · Platformer 1,553

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FAQ

Questions about the ranking

How is this ranking established?

The ranking comes solely from player votes, in duels between two games. Each vote updates an ELO score, the rating system used in chess: every game starts at 1,500 points and its score moves duel after duel.

How often is the ranking updated?

Continuously: every duel voted immediately adjusts the score of the two games involved. The badge on the right shows how each game's rank moved over the past seven days.

How many games take part in the ranking?

5,000 games, selected for their fame, face off in duels. The full GameForever catalogue covers tens of thousands of titles, across every era and platform.

How can I see the best games by genre, decade or platform?

Use the filters at the top of the page: genre (RPG, FPS, platformer, strategy...), decade and platform (PC, PlayStation, Nintendo, Xbox, SEGA). Filters combine, and the selection is numbered from 1, from the highest ranked down; each game's world rank stays shown on its own entry. The period filter instead ranks on the points gained recently, from 7 days to 12 months (all time by default).

Why can an indie game finish ahead of a blockbuster?

The ELO score measures neither sales nor budget, but the preferences expressed in duels. An indie game that regularly wins its match-ups against higher-ranked titles climbs mechanically, owing nothing to its production budget.