Top 10 Video Game Bonus Stages

[@WatchMojo]

Special Thanks to our users "viliguns" "mac121mr0" "Захар Тихий" "mac121mr0" for suggesting this idea on our Interactive Suggestion Tool at www.Watchmojo.com/suggest

[@Zellha01]

top10 most used apps

[@Zellha01]

top 10 video games that go to spaces

[@Zellha01]

top 10 video games that go to spaces

[@badassbard3295]

top 10 famous youtubers

[@ryanchavarria5171]

+Lieutenant Nomad your name should be lieutenant very mad cuz you sound like you got a stick in your ass lmao.. Foh..

[@WatchMojo]

In case you were wondering how the Mojoholics voted in our poll, see the votes and entries here: watchmojo.com/suggest/Top+10+Video+Game+Bonus+Levels Note, of course, that viewer votes are just one of the hundreds of data points and variables that we consider and look at when we create our lists. Make sure to sign up and participate on future lists at www.WatchMojo.com/suggest

[@2Thessalonians1_7]

I knew Street Fighter would be number 1, but I thought of Sunset Riders and they actually gave it an honorable mention, so good looking out, Watchmojo!

[@sonicmario64]

The platform bonus stages from SSB were always fun to play, and I think it's kind of a shame that they were taken out in other games in the series.

[@HEWVILLE]

So much 90's nostalgia in one video... 0_0 (*PS: give my face a tap if you're a 90's kid!*)

[@oscaralvarez5742]

+BrandyBoy Cuz we're the BEST generation ever! haha

[@khadinebennet7546]

+Oscar Alvarez True that

[@El_Chuchuca]

+BrandyBoy Today's games be like: Bonus stages? you mean DLC ?

[@brandonhooper3346]

+ChuchucA Sup? I know like the skyrim DLC

[@glaciemdraco]

+BrandyBoy *tap*

[@AceDragonXX]

MISSING BONUS STAGES Hyper Funk Zone - ToeJam & Earl: Panic on Funkotron Basketball Bonus Game - Dynamite Headdy Gumball Machine - Sonic 3 & Knuckles Treasure Bonus Area - Ristar

[@DareDB]

I think both Sonic 2 and 3 special stages should've made the list. They were really quite challenging and fun. Yes, I know the WatchMojo rule but they should've made an exception

[@LightningNerd]

I really like the bonus stages from Rampage 2: World Tour

[@Shadsilvson11]

I still hate the Special Stages in Sonic 2, especially if you have Tails following Sonic as the AI will always screw you over. Give me Blue Spheres over the half-pipe any day.

[@SpongicX]

+Shadsilvson11 at least that issue was fixed in the revival bonus stages from Sonic 4: Episode 2.

[@Reayashin]

+Shadsilvson11 As much as I want to agree, I'll take Sonic 2 Special Stages over Blue Spheres anyday, tho my favorite is Sonic 1's.

[@chuckobscure]

You know you can play without Tails, right?

[@Shadsilvson11]

Yeah, but even with that knowledge I'm still not a fan of those stages. I find the ring quota for the Chaos Emeralds to be damn strict. Like if you get hit once, or miss a nice line of rings you're screwed. Combined with the fact that the turns would often blindside you with bombs and that only made things more frustrating than fun. I found the special stages in Sonic 4 Episode II to be much better designed.

[@jasminejohnston6393]

Fun Fact: the “Get Blue Spheres” message originally said “Get Blue Balls” but it was changed to avoid referencing genitalia

[@cloudcity4194]

SF2's car smashing is GREAT, but honestly, it should be #2 and Galaga's bonus stage should be #1, since it's pretty much the first game I remember playing that even had a bonus stage.

[@jasonlee4562]

The battle against the "mothership" in Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando, you access it by going to Planet Damosel and activating the pad that turns Clank giant, awesome fight on the moon against giant robots and... well, the mothership, with the reward being "the Mapper", which reveals where all the Platinum bolts and hidden areas were on the map. OR, in the same game, the battle against the Swamp Monster II, by going to back to Planet Oozla after acquiring the Gravity Boots and accessing the hidden area in the Megacorp store, with the reward being the "Box Breaker" which gave you the ability to break all the nearby crates with the overhead attack (Hyper-Strike)

[@tommasosimonini4469]

ash lake, dark souls, you have no obligation to visit this place, so we can consider it a "bonus stage", has incredible view ... like for real one of the most stunning video game stage imo, has a own secret covenant + rare dragon weapon... honestly, should have been on the list

[@SuperGuldo]

+Simonini Tommaso not a bonus stage

[@BehemothShotGlass]

+Simonini Tommaso You also have 0 obligation to visit the depths, and it is not a bonus stage. It is easily bypassed. I wouldn't recommend it tho. It is way too good of an early game grind area. Plus, there are a total of (at least) 4 optional areas that you don't need the master key for Ariamis, Great Hollow, Ash Lake, and the Asylum revisited. Not counting the valley of drakes, because you end up at least walking through it at least once to get to blight town if you take the short cut.

[@KiryuGodzilla1]

In G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra The Game, a bonus level is called Breach Pit where you get to play as Baroness, Storm Shadow, Firefly and Destro to destroy the G.I. Joe Mobile Pit and in Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2 Rogue Leader, the 2 bonus levels were called Triumph of The Empire and Revenge on Yavin where you get to play as Darth Vader in Tie Advanced X1 to destroy Luke Skywalker and the Rebels and these 2 bonus levels follows a what if scenario like what if the Rebels did not blow up the Death Star.

[@WandererRedux]

Haha awesome, they used footage from Naka's LP of _The Simpsons Arcade Game_! That was a fun series to watch.

[@JohnMartin-ll9cw]

Well, my favorite bonus stage is found in a 1991 SNES game after collecting 100 stars at the end of any level, where you must hit panels in order to make three in a row, with each successful row granting you an extra life.

[@dukejaywalker5858]

You forgot "Galaga: Challenging Stage"! Maybe the first game to feature a bonus stage. I can't think of one before that.

[@jamesparson6166]

This... How could they forget it?

[@Tetriad11]

I would have definitely added the Vault, from Diablo 3. Let me explain, if you're not familiar; the Vault is the goblin world, where everything is made out of money. You have a ridiculously small chance of getting a portal when you kill a goblin, or you can loot the puzzle ring, which grants immediate access. You usually get about 500 000 gold coins an hour in Diablo; well, after 5 minutes in the Vault, you can get to 100 million gold coins, as well as loot from the boss. Awesome feeling :)

[@DiabloBiscuit]

It took me 28 years to finally line up one of those damn pictures.

[@SpongicX]

I thought the Break the Target Challenges from SSB Melee were better, Brawl's on the other hand was disappointing, even though it was easier.

[@PresStar2Play]

Wow, those Sonic 2 Special Stages are so hi-res.

[@JoeThreeler]

Man, flip this list order, and you've got it perfect... except Sonic 2, that one IS really good.

[@tatsuostatic8567]

So much nostalgic bonus stage games I played and always keep failing, Good Times. SSB Melee bonus stage is my favorite

[@martinnguyen2458]

My favorite stages are in the ones in Crash Bandicoot: 2 and 3.

[@alpieogd2125]

Martin Nguyen but it still the same in every crash games

[@nmlss]

I loved Lion King's bonus stage with Simba trying to catch the bugs.

[@buffon1590]

Skullmonkey's bonus stage was a classic. I remember the good times playing that game.

[@Boggzorz]

I completely forgot about the Balloon Pump game! The best.

[@sackboy5055]

thanks for mentioning lbp 2

[@sukhjeetsingh5998]

You are the beat and keep up the good work

[@o_Formiga]

best thing about being a 80s/90s kid is that we get to review old times with this "new technology' :D

[@aymanys]

i believe Socic The Hedgehog 3 had the best bonus stage. Some of them were really challenging and not to mention that the music was awesome.

[@erickvelasquez6445]

God that DK jungle swing song gets me right in the feels

[@thetalltitan2235]

Top 10 Video Game Minigames (OF ALL TIME). Please!

[@AaroniusMedia]

I'll always love the bonus stages in Rayman 1.

[@KeiichiO]

The fact that I even saw the Sonic 2 bonus stage in the thumbnail pisses me off. Those bonus stages are the bane of my existence...

[@SpongicX]

I don't think Resident Evil 4 should count, since that really wasn't a bonus stage, and was just an optional side activity. To me, a bonus stage is a temporary little challenge you go through, but with only one try. In RE4, you could keep paying to keep on playing the shooting gallery. A real bonus stage is either earned, or found hidden in a level in a game. They should only give you one chance at beating it at a time, and if you fail, you'll have to replay that level later to access it again.

[@KinakoIshiyama]

Hell, yes! I loved smashing the cars using Chun Li! :D

[@rmvannuchi]

The one in Sonic The Hedgehog 1 was is probably the most memorable one for me

[@fatjoka8597]

Switch sonic and street fighter and this list would've been perfect

[@cyrax94]

Tekken 6: the fight with the giant robot NANCY now that's a challenging fun bonus level!

[@MrEasyNah]

I feel that the best bonus stages that Sonic ever got were in Sonic CD. That shit just don't get old.

[@CasualChaoz]

I love the shooting range in Resident Evil 4. Free money and an achievement if you collect all the bottle caps :3

[@MADBD619]

You gotta love those bonuses....................

[@Filmonaut]

Perfect list!

[@4Cud1Life2Is3Mine0]

Does anyone remember the bonus stage in the 1st Jak & Daxter where you have to collect fish for the old man under the bridge? That was so addicting.

[@ReiAyanami8]

I always found that RE4 shooting range ridiculously easy in the Wii version of that game. Seriously, when I got to that part of the game, the pointer controls made that bonus area so easy, I felt like a damn marksman. I never wanted to leave.

[@JalilRabaj]

1995 Rayman Bonus stages! no wait, those were hellish places (?

[@bruguys804]

Soo much nostalgia with #4

[@kay812]

I remember Rocket Funland in Little Big Planet 2. It was really fun to play.

[@JonnySuite13]

Chun Li's Lightning Kick, that's all you gotta do!! If you wanna make good time, use fierce kick.

[@Neb69420blazing]

What about the Spyro bonus worlds? Those were great!

[@PosthumanHeresy]

6:13 How in the nine hells did you get the graphics looking so smooth? I've seen that special stage more than I've seen most family members and it is not that smooth.

[@jamesmccarthy3029]

Unmentioned bonus stages in game- cool spot, spyro, lion king (genesis/MD),die hard trilogy ps1, golden axe. 😜

[@dorkypants6608]

nostalgic! hahaha... was able to play street fighter 2 and sonic... those were the days!

[@jasminejohnston6393]

Pirate Bonus Levels (Pac-Man World). Super fun. Shame there’s only two levels that give you that bonus stage (Corsair’s Cove and Crazy Cannonade) upon completion of the level with all 6 PAC-MAN letters, because the next five variants are so hard compared the Pirate bonus stages...

[@TehRulke]

5:36 uh... what lvl is that? there are very few lvls that have enemies or objects beyond the black point and i dont remember any that long with a pipe in it.

[@TheNawaf258]

Sonic 3 Special Stages i really liked it the tempo increase the Special Stage Speeds up

[@Moondog954]

you forgot the bonus stage from Cool Spot where you're bouncing around on bubbles, in a bottle of 7up

[@SilvernixSP]

cool spot on SNES have some of the best Bonus Stage ever made and also all the stage in DKC 2

[@viewtiful1doubleokamihand253]

Car smashing was also included into GOD HAND, a forgotten gem by Clover Studios (Platinum Games), directed by the fucking KING of unappreciated gaming gems - Shinji Mikami.

[@zshocksoda1128]

The bonus level in the original 2d scroller Gex, notably the cemetery one where he warps into a special tv and must tail-whip skulls to obliterate the Fraken-geckos.

[@stupidthehedgehog3266]

Ken: It's been 20 minutes. I don't think E Honda's showing up. Ryu: You're not fighting E Honda, you're fighting a Honda. Ken: I'm fighting a car? Ryu: Yes. Ken: That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. Ryu: It was in the packet!

[@EvilMariobot]

Flash forward to 2018, and he's fighting a wrestling tiger with a belt made of fire.

[@captainjakemerica4579]

Damn these are some cool stages!!!

[@baxterburt1472]

The SMB bonus stages are really fun, but only if you know what you're doing

[@idiezsaucedo]

You literally forgot one of the best bonus stages of all time: that mission on starfox 64 you enter after taking all acceleration rings on the asteroid field mission.

[@Relicanth]

I miss the concept of Bonus Stages in games these days. Gave you a little something extra to shoot for.

[@tobythewookiee3462]

Seeing that car being destroyed brought back so many memories with my SNES

[@skewerthis1234]

I guess fishing in zelda isnt really like a bonus stage but its one of the best side things in gaming.

[@paulmeade4862]

How are there 2 Crash Bandicoot honourable mentions? What happened to one per franchise? Also, anyone else glad there's a video game top 10 where Mario isn't #1?

[@paulxaviercyr]

More games need car smashing bonuses... That was very fun.

[@adamphillip5305]

Cool Spot had a great bonus stage

[@pask8r17]

How is the "Cow stage" from Diablo not in this list? It's an iconic level.

[@PHILLYCHEESESTEAK26]

Watchmojo really dropped the ball with putting Sonic 2's bonus stage over Sonic 3's, the sphere game is easily the best of the series.

[@The810kid]

the always overrate 2 and never show 3 sonic and knuckles or any other sonic game love

[@El_Chuchuca]

Today's games be like: Bonus stages? you mean DLC ?

[@AldenBunagCDAD]

Lol, while I was watching this, after #2 was announced, I was thinking, "What would be #1 if Sonic isn't?" then right before #1 is revealed, I was like "STREET FIGHTER!"

[@hankosanko]

sonic 3 & knuckles 3D special stage

[@TheEmanoel14]

Any Crash Bandicoot Warped bonus stage is better than this entire list.

[@Hylianguy38]

Sonic 3 bonus stages > Sonic 2 bonus stages

[@PhntmStudios]

Street Fighter II had the best bonus stages.

[@HazardInfinity]

What about that Museum stage after you finish the MW2 Campaign? I thought that was pretty cool.

[@Juneur]

Watchmojo said the bonus stage has to reward you. I played MW2's museum and it didn't reward me.

[@HazardInfinity]

+Juneur9224 oh my bad

[@kenterminateddq5311]

+Hazard Infinite What Museum stage? I beat the campaign and I don't recall.

[@HazardInfinity]

+kenterminatedbygoogle you go to mission select and there is the museum stage under the final mission

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Hazard Infinite It's a "bonus" stage? Ok, I'll check it out.

[@NamesSimba]

How do you put crash bandicoot at the beginning and not be ranked!?! Those bonus levels were so fun

[@j1nsawesome]

almost 10m guys!

[@Blistio11]

Killer 7 grasshopper stage!!

[@MrMrMrprofessor]

Since we're near Halloween: Top 10 Edgar Allan Poe Stories?

[@sephirothrikusora]

Do top ten secret bosses in video games.

[@levileavitt6393]

i love the bonus stages in sonic 3

[@wanderingedge]

"your not fighting E.Honda, your fighting A Honda"

[@unkeptmoss3285]

I remember the car smashing in Final Fight on the gameboy advance.

[@articuno0003]

thought donkey Kong 64 would be on there

[@Mitjitsu]

+articuno03 They aren't really bonus stages in DK64, as beating the mini games is needed to beat the game.

[@articuno0003]

no im talking the actual timed bonus stages where you jump in the barrels

[@ThePirateprincess23]

Damn, those Test Your Might levels are hard. I have the mobile version of MKX on my phone and I always end up failing each time it comes up. Also, they don't kill you every time you fail at Test Your Might- they just laugh at you (at least in the mobile version they do).

[@iamthamon1]

The line up the picture game is more funner in Super Mario all-stars version cuz I like the fanfare

[@ChaoticPhantasy]

from the beginning I was hoping car smashing would be number 1

[@arky3000]

i played 99% of those and their bonus stages! :D

[@Chaoslrd]

You guys should have used Rodeo Jim for the ending.

[@TonyAKA30]

The Sonic CD special stage was the best in the franchise, in my opinion.

[@chucky110]

Really Street fighter 2 at number 1. No way

[@Stan198812]

Does anyone happen to know what the melody in the background throughout the whole video is?

[@Kenny2100vn]

Street Fighter is just classic

[@Kenny2100vn]

Huh, believe it or not I wrote it before watching the topspot.

[@rami2401]

The car smashing stages also appeared in the Gravity Falls episode "Fight Fighters".

[@KCruzer]

OH MY CAR!

[@thebandit7623]

I was waiting for Street fighter car smash and mortal kombat test might. They both deserve in a top 10. Also Sonic bonus games were a challenge. The first sonic game was sonic as ball i think floating threw a dimension trying to get the chaos Emerald. Trying not to go the wrong way as the dimension spins it was hard know where to move.