Top Best Coolest Videogames Year by Year
by axapvov | created - 08 Feb 2023 | updated - 13 Feb 2023 | Public- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Computer Space (1971 Video Game)
E10+ | Action, Sci-Fi
Take control of a rocket ship as it travels across reaches of outer space. The mission assigned to the rocket is to shoot a pair of flying saucers while avoiding their line of fire. along ... See full summary »
Votes: 46
2. Galaxy Game (1971 Video Game)
Action, Sci-Fi
Galaxy Game is a space combat arcade game developed in 1971 during the early era of video games. Created by Bill Pitts and Hugh Tuck, it was one of the first coin-operated video games; its ... See full summary »
Votes: 25
3. Pong (1972 Video Game)
E | Family, Sport
Two players play a video version of table tennis. The first to score 11 points wins.
Votes: 996
5. Maze War (1974 Video Game)
Action
Players wander around a maze shooting at other players or computer-controlled robots. Players score points for kills. If they are shot, they are deducted points and transported to a random location in the maze.
Votes: 21
6. Shark Jaws (1975 Video Game)
Action, Thriller
Player controls a deep-sea diver trying to catch small fish while avoiding a great white shark that is trying to eat him.
Votes: 28
7. Gun Fight (1975 Video Game)
Action, Western
A multi-directional shooter arcade game in which two players take the role of two cowboys engaged in a gun duel. Both cowboys carry no more than six bullets during each round of the duel, a... See full summary »
Votes: 30
9. Breakout (1976 Video Game)
Action, Family
You must use a horizontally-sliding paddle to bounce a ball against colorful bars at the top of the screen. Each segment of the bars touched by the ball disappears. The object is to keep ... See full summary »
Votes: 144
10. Death Race (1976 Video Game)
M | Action, Sci-Fi
The first controversial video game to feature the race car driver running over pedestrians to their grave to score points.
Votes: 60
11. Combat (1977 Video Game)
Unrated | Action, Adventure
Combat features 27 games in one, each are all variations on the tank, biplane, and jet gameplay.
Votes: 71
12. Air-Sea Battle (1977 Video Game)
Unrated | Action
Be an artillery commander, submarine captain, or aircraft bombardier, firing at enemy ships and planes. Or, relax with some R&R at a shooting gallery - picking off animated ducks, rabbits ... See full summary »
Votes: 31
13. Space Invaders (1978 Video Game)
K-A | Action, Sci-Fi
Commonly considered as one of the most influential video games of all time, the goal is to defeat wave after wave of descending aliens with a horizontally moving laser cannon to earn as many points as possible.
Votes: 931
14. Maze Craze (1978 Video Game)
Unrated | Action, Adventure
Maze Craze is an two player racing/puzzle game. One player controls a Cop, and the other controls a criminal, the aim is to reach the exit of the maze before the other player. Each maze is randomly generated.
Votes: 29
16. Galaxian (1979 Video Game)
Unrated | Action, Sci-Fi
Face waves of aliens descending on your spaceship and clear the screen to achieve victory.
Votes: 265
17. Star Raiders (1979 Video Game)
Sci-Fi
3-D space video game for the Atari 800 computer system.
Director: Doug Neubauer
Votes: 44
18. Pac-Man (1980 Video Game)
E | Family, Fantasy
Navigate Pac-Man through a maze escaping ghosts and eating Pac-Dots.
Votes: 2,410
19. Ultima (1980 Video Game)
Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Your job is to complete several quests and gather special stones to defeat the evil wizard, Mondain.
Votes: 79
21. Missile Command (1980 Video Game)
Unrated | Action, Fantasy
Missiles from the sky are attacking the cities, you, as the player, must defend the 6 cities as long as you can.
Votes: 181
22. Rogue (1980 Video Game)
Adventure, Fantasy
Embark on a quest for the amulet of Yendor in the Dungeons of Doom! Magical items help you, the hero, to overcome the increasingly powerful monsters. Find the amulet to break the spell to enable an ascend to freedom.
Votes: 30
24. Stargate (1981 Video Game)
Unrated | Action, Sci-Fi
The player's ship flies over a horizontally scrolling planet surface, protecting friendly humanoids from alien abduction. Destroying all enemies advances you to the next wave. Loss of all ... See full summary »
Votes: 108
25. Donkey Kong (1981 Video Game)
E | Action
Arcade video game and the first in the "Donkey Kong" series in which Jumpman (later retconned to be Mario) runs and jumps on platforms and climbs ladders to ascend a construction site and rescue Pauline from a giant gorilla, Donkey Kong.
Director: Shigeru Miyamoto
Votes: 2,161
26. Bosconian (1981 Video Game)
Action, Sci-Fi
A cosmonaut takes down the surrounding alien infrastructure.
Votes: 38
27. Frogger (1981 Video Game)
Unrated | Action, Adventure, Family
In this arcade game, you must help a frog cross a highway and a river while avoiding obstacles so he can get to his home safely.
Votes: 940
28. Robotron: 2084 (1982 Video Game)
E | Action, Sci-Fi
It is the year 2084, the world we all once knew is now overrun by robots. The majority of mankind was eliminated by the robots during a cybernetic revolt. As the player, you must rescue the... See full summary »
Votes: 105
29. Ms. Pac-Man (1982 Video Game)
Action, Family, Fantasy
This update to Pac-Man (1980) changed the character to a lady, added moving fruit, smarter monsters, cut scenes and more mazes.
Votes: 648
30. Dig Dug (1982 Video Game)
E | Action, Family
In the video game DigDug you are the character Doug who has been sent to clear this underground area of all the enemies.
Director: Masahisa Ikegami
Votes: 447
31. Pitfall! (1982 Video Game)
E | Adventure
Pitfall Harry must collect treasures while dodging obstacles in a South American jungle.
Votes: 336
32. River Raid (1982 Video Game)
War
Pilot your jet destroying the enemy and looking for fuel reserves in the Atari 2600 game.
Votes: 65
33. Moon Patrol (1982 Video Game)
Unrated | Action, Sci-Fi
Player drives a moon buggy jumping over craters, rocks and land mines, shooting simultaneously at rocks in front and aliens above while dodging their missiles.
Votes: 78
34. Zaxxon (1982 Video Game)
Action, Sci-Fi
You pilot an attack shuttle whose mission is to strafe the enemy's "Asteroid City". Destroy fuel tanks, gun implacements, missiles, fighters and a large enemy robot.
Votes: 76
35. Q*bert (1982 Video Game)
Unrated | Family
Q*bert must to make the top of the blocks the color shown and avoid enemies.
Votes: 205
36. Punch-Out!! (1983 Video Game)
E10+ | Sport
Bronx kid Little Mac is trained by ex-boxer "Doc" Louis so he may gain a name for himself in the World Video Boxing Association, in hopes he can fight the legendary Mr. Dream.
Director: Genyo Takeda
Votes: 557
37. Dragon's Lair (1983 Video Game)
E | Adventure, Fantasy
A valiant knight, Dirk the Daring is on a quest to rescue the fair princess from the clutches of an evil dragon.
Directors: Don Bluth, Tony Bozek | Stars: Dan Molina, Vera Pacheco, Michael Rye, Dave Spafford
Votes: 739
38. Space Ace (1983 Video Game)
E10+ | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The heroic Ace has been transformed into an adolescent named Dexter. You guide Ace through various dangers as you fight to save his girlfriend Kimberly from the villainous Borf.
Directors: Don Bluth, Tony Bozek | Stars: Jeff Etter, Will Finn, Lorna Cook, Don Bluth
Votes: 364
39. Mappy (1983 Video Game)
Action, Family
Mappy is a side-scrolling platform game that features Mappy, a police mouse that must retrieve stolen goods that are stored in a Mansion that belong to a cat gang (called Meowkies in the game) that Mappy must avoid.
Votes: 87
40. Exodus: Ultima III (1983 Video Game)
Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
20 years after the defeat of Minax, a volcanic isle has appeared in the southern seas. Evil seems to iminate from this place. You and 3 others have been called forth to go answer the mystery and riddle of the isle, Exodus.
Votes: 64
42. Lode Runner (1983 Video Game)
Action, Sci-Fi
A character named Lode Runner must traverse and dig through fanciful designs of architecture to collect tons of gold, while utilizing physics and avoiding man-crushing, though foolish, guards.
Votes: 166
43. Jumpman (1983 Video Game)
Action
Alienators have penetrated Jupiter headquarters' defenses and are threatening to destroy it by planting bombs. Only one man can jump his way through to defuse all of them.
Votes: 25
44. Tetris (1984 Video Game)
E
Differently shaped blocks descend into a 2D container. The blocks can be moved and rotated, and must be sorted into the rest of the blocks on the fly.
Director: Alexey Pazhitnov
Votes: 3,512
45. Karateka (1984 Video Game)
Action, Adventure
The evil samurai lord Akuma has taken the princess Mariko captive. You must defeat Akuma's minions to gain entrance into his castle. Once in, doors behind you slam shut and lock, so there's... See full synopsis »
Director: Jordan Mechner
Votes: 87
46. Duck Hunt (1984 Video Game)
E | Action, Sport
Light gun shooter video game in which the player must hit a minimum number of targets (either ducks or clay pigeons) to advance to the next round or else get a game over. If the player loses, a dog appears to mock the player.
Votes: 1,856
47. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1984 Video Game)
Comedy, Sci-Fi
You are Arthur Dent, and you must survive the worst day of your life. For one thing, your house is being demolished. For another thing, so is the planet. Having found out your friend is an ... See full summary »
Votes: 92
48. King's Quest: Quest for the Crown (1984 Video Game)
Adventure, Fantasy
The king of Daventry, King Edward, is dying. He sends his best knight Sir Graham to find 3 treasures to prove himself worthy of the throne
Director: Roberta Williams
Votes: 151
49. Elite (1984 Video Game)
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The classic space trading game. You and your Cobra Mk III battle wagon have to become 'Elite.' but this is only achieved if you do very suicidal things You start the game with the rating '... See full summary »
Votes: 108
50. Deus ex Machina (1984 Video Game)
Mystery
Take control and follow the life of a "defect", which takes the shape of a human body that was formed inside a machine. The defect goes through all stages of life from cells to senility, as... See full summary »
Stars: Jon Pertwee, Donna Bailey, Ian Dury, Mel Croucher
Votes: 35
52. Knight Lore (1984 Video Game)
The player, as Sabreman, has been bitten by the Sabre Wulf and now transforms into a werewolf at nightfall. He has 40 days to collect items throughout Melkhior the Wizard's castle and brew a cure for his curse.
Votes: 40
53. Excitebike (1984 Video Game)
Sport
Participate in a motocross championship. Ride your bike through excitingly designed circuits full of ramps and jumps.
Director: Shigeru Miyamoto
Votes: 866
54. Marble Madness (1984 Video Game)
Sci-Fi
Marble Madness is an arcade video game designed by Mark Cerny, in which the player must guide a marble through six courses, populated with obstacles and enemies, within a time limit.
Votes: 166
55. Paperboy (1984 Video Game)
Action, Comedy, Family
You play a kid delivering papers on his treacherous route.
Star: Brandon Scott Miller
Votes: 378
56. Super Mario Bros. (1985 Video Game)
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A plumber named Mario and his brother Luigi travel through the Mushroom Kingdom to save the princess from the evil Bowser.
Director: Shigeru Miyamoto
Votes: 7,151
57. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (1985 Video Game)
Adventure, Fantasy
Can you become an Avatar?
Votes: 88
58. Bomberman (1985 Video Game)
Action
Bomberman is a robot engaged in the production of bomb manufacturing. Along with other robots, he is forced to work in an underground compound by evil forces. Bomberman found this life to ... See full summary »
Votes: 161
59. Way of the Exploding Fist (1985 Video Game)
Action
The player takes part in a series of one-on-one karate matches, all overseen by a wise old expert who appears in the background. Once the player defeats an opponent they move up to the next stage and a more difficult adversary.
Votes: 24
60. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (1985 Video Game)
Crime, Family, Mystery
You play a detective of the ACME Detective Agency chasing a notorious thief around the world as you learn about geography.
Directors: Dane Bigham, Lauren Elliott, Gene Portwood | Star: Alex Fernandez
Votes: 73
63. Ghosts 'n Goblins (1985 Video Game)
E | Action, Adventure, Family
A knight, named Sir Arthur, must defeat zombies, ogres, demons, cyclops, dragons and other monsters in order to rescue Princess Prin Prin, who has been kidnapped by Satan, king of Demon World.
Votes: 421
64. The Bard's Tale (1985 Video Game)
Adventure, Fantasy
The evil wizard Mangar has cursed your hometown, Skara Brae, with eternal winter. It is up to you to assemble a party of adventurers to save Skara Brae.
Votes: 44
66. Rush'n Attack (1985 Video Game)
Action
Rush'n Attack, originally released in Japan and Europe as Green Beret, is a run and gun arcade game released by Konami.
Director: Phazer Atsuko
Votes: 105
67. Deja Vu (1985 Video Game)
Adventure, Mystery
Private eye Theodore "Ace" Harding awakes in a seedy Chicago bar with no memory of who he is, how he got there, or why there's a dead body in the office upstairs.
Votes: 19
68. Castlevania (I) (1986 Video Game)
E | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
In the late 15th century, vampire slayer Simon Belmont must destroy Count Dracula by infiltrating his sanctuary, Castlevania.
Director: Hitoshi Akamatsu
Votes: 1,404
69. The Legend of Zelda (1986 Video Game)
E | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Follows the story of a young boy named Link that must save a kidnapped princess from the evil, demonic Ganon, who put a spell on his lair which can only be removed with the 3 pieces of the Triforce, a golden triangle with mystical powers.
Directors: Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka
Votes: 3,206
70. Bubble Bobble (1986 Video Game)
E | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Bub & Bob, twin dinosaur brothers, begin a fantastic journey to recover the food stolen from their people by the evil Baron Von Bubba.
Votes: 503
71. Metroid (1986 Video Game)
E | Action, Adventure, Mystery
Bounty hunter Samus Aran descends below the planet Zebes to infiltrate the labyrinthine Space Pirate base and hunt down the deadly, life-sucking species known as the Metroids.
Directors: Yoshio Sakamoto, Satoru Okada
Votes: 1,522
73. Dragon Warrior (1986 Video Game)
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A knight becomes entrusted with the impossible mission to rescue the abducted Princess Gwaelin and vanquish the Dragonlord.
Director: Koichi Nakamura
Votes: 278
74. Arkanoid (1986 Video Game)
E | Action, Family, Sci-Fi
Controlling the spaceship 'Vaus', the player must prevent a ball from leaving the playing field by bouncing it against bricks. Once all bricks have been destroyed, the player may progress to the next stage.
Votes: 267
75. Silpheed (1986 Video Game)
Action, Sci-Fi
A group of terrorists led by a man named Xacalite has taken control of a powerful battleship known as Gloire, with the objective to destroy Earth. Armed with the Silpheed dogfighter, your ... See full summary »
Director: Takeshi Miyaji
Votes: 15
76. Alter Ego (1986 Video Game)
Adventure, Drama
RPG that simulates life choices and outcomes. Make choices for your character, who has physical, intellectual and other skills, to see how he or she ends up in life. Bad choices lead to disturbing deaths, smart choices lead to good life.
Votes: 32
77. OutRun (1986 Video Game)
Not Rated | Sport
You must race your Ferrari through various unique locations in order to reach checkpoints. While playing, the player can choose which route to take and has a choice between one of three different music themes.
Votes: 336
78. Alex Kidd in Miracle World (1986 Video Game)
E | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
On his way home from training, a young martial artist named Alex Kidd learns of a villain who has taken over his homeland and kidnapped his family, so he sets out on a quest to rescue them.
Votes: 189
80. Maniac Mansion (1987 Video Game)
E | Adventure, Comedy, Mystery
A meteor crashes into Dr. Fred Edison's front yard and takes control over him. When Fred kidnaps Sandy, a college teenager, her boyfriend Dave Miller and his friends plan to break into the mansion and save her.
Director: Ron Gilbert
Votes: 784
81. Pirates! (1987 Video Game)
E | Action, Adventure
A player takes on the role of pirate, privateer, or pirate hunter in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Pirates is divided into mini-games with different skills and an overall map screen ... See full summary »
Director: Sid Meier
Votes: 138
82. Contra (1987 Video Game)
E10+ | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A terrorist organization named Red Falcon declares war on humanity and tries to take over the Earth. Two soldiers, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, are sent to stop the Earth's destruction.
Director: Koji Hiroshita
Votes: 1,618
83. R-Type (1987 Video Game)
Action, Sci-Fi
A side-scrolling space-shooter featuring various power-ups and bio-mechanical enemies.
Votes: 185
84. Dungeon Master (1987 Video Game)
Fantasy
Many have been sent to the quest to recover Librasulus' firestaff. The player is Theron, the apprentice of the Grey Lord, that goes into the dungeon with the task to resurrect four champions to find the firestaff and defeat Lord Chaos.
Director: Doug Bell
Votes: 29
85. Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards (1987 Video Game)
M | Comedy
Looking for a good time? Meet Larry. He's just turned 40, and he's still single. If you can get past the glow of his Grecian formula, you can see his hairline beginning to make a hasty ... See full summary »
Directors: Chuck Benton, Mark Crowe, Al Lowe | Star: Marc Graue
Votes: 230
86. Final Fantasy (1987 Video Game)
Unrated | Adventure, Fantasy
The four "Light Warriors" must fulfill a 2000 year old prophecy, traversing the land in order to restore light to the four elemental orbs and defeat an ancient evil to save their world.
Director: Hironobu Sakaguchi
Votes: 1,968
87. Double Dragon (1987 Video Game)
Unrated | Action, Family, Fantasy
Martial arts siblings Billy and Jimmy Lee must battle a tough gang known as the Black Warriors in order to rescue Billy's girlfriend, Marian.
Directors: Yoshihisa Kishimoto, Shinichi Saitou
Votes: 1,318
88. Mega Man (1987 Video Game)
E | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A lab assistant robot volunteers to be enhanced for fighting to stop a mad scientist from world domination.
Director: Akira Kitamura
Votes: 1,203
89. Metal Gear (1987 Video Game)
E | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
After Gray Fox, FOX-HOUND's best agent, goes missing, rookie Solid Snake is sent to the South African fortress "Outer Heaven" to rescue him from terrorists armed with a nuclear-equipped bipedal tank.
Director: Hideo Kojima | Star: Dennis Falt
Votes: 1,439
90. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987 Video Game)
E | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A direct sequel to the original Legend of Zelda, it follows Link as he is on a quest to break the sleeping curse placed upon Princess Zelda.
Directors: Tadashi Sugiyama, Yoichi Yamada
Votes: 1,846
91. California Games (1987 Video Game)
Sport
A sports video game featuring skateboarding, freestyle footbag, surfing, roller skating, flying disc (frisbee) and BMX.
Votes: 126
92. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988 Video Game)
E | Action, Adventure, Family
King Koopa has kidnapped Princess Toadstool, taken over all seven kingdoms in the Mushroom World, and put his seven kids in charge of all of them. It's the Mario Brothers to the rescue.
Directors: Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka
Votes: 5,830
93. Tetris (I) (1989 Video Game)
E | Action, Family
Different shaped blocks fall and you must form lines to clear to get points.
Votes: 395
94. Mega Man 2 (1988 Video Game)
E | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Dr. Wily escapes from prison and plans revenge on Mega Man.
Director: Akira Kitamura
Votes: 1,285
95. Dragon Warrior III (1988 Video Game)
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Dragon Quest III is set many years before the original Dragon Quest in a world separate from the first two games. A wicked fiend named Baramos threatens to destroy the world.
Votes: 142
96. Snatcher (1988 Video Game)
T | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Set in the mid-21st century, Gillian Seed and his trusty robot sidekick Metal Gear investigate the mysterious infiltration of deadly snatchers into the general population of Neo Kobe City.
Directors: Hideo Kojima, Shinya Inoue, Yoshinori Sasaki | Stars: Yûsaku Yara, Mami Koyama, Kikuko Inoue, Kaneto Shiozawa
Votes: 267
97. Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988 Video Game)
K-A | Action, Adventure, Family
Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad enter a mysterious door to save the people of Sub-Con from the evil frog Wart and his minions.
Director: Kensuke Tanabe
Votes: 3,425
98. Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (1988 Video Game)
E10+ | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Space Aliens are dumbifying the general public through the telephone system, so tabloid reporter Zak McKracken, along with the help of an anthropologist and her friends, they set out to destroy the dumbifying devices and save the earth.
Votes: 274
99. Ghouls 'n Ghosts (1988 Video Game)
E | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The Great Demon King Lucifer has become the new leader of Ghoul Realm and has struck the Princess with one of his laser beams. Arthur must destroy the demon in order to rescue the Princess' soul and bring her back to life.
Votes: 245
100. Bionic Commando (1988 Video Game)
Action, Adventure, War
Ladd Spencer, a member of the special FF Battalion, is dispatched to rescue Super Joe and uncover the enemy's secrets.
Votes: 168
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