Top 50 Arcade Games of All Time - Explored

Arcades are where it all began: the birthplace of gaming culture and competition. It’s much like go-karting for somebody who wants to grow up to be a Formula 1 racer. Players of all ages and from all places play with or against each other and establish a sense of brotherhood in the process. Great innovation happens in arcades, not just in terms of the technical side of gaming, but also the business aspect of gaming: the art and science of earning millions of dollars by creating a fun and captivating game. Their cultural impact aside, arcades did not go extinct when home consoles came into the fore just like books didn’t disappear with the advent of video or the Kindle. There has been a recent resurgence of arcade gaming, especially because of the speed-running community and the satisfying sense of fraternity involved in it all. In this Marvelous video, we look at the top 50 arcade games of all time let's go!
#arcadegames #arcadegame #arcade #top50

[@kushviper]

The footage of Contra you used was from the NES version.

[@jacob-spring]

this threw me off as well lol

[@Haywood-Jablomie]

It's an Ai made video. The computer doesn't know the difference. lol

[@JoshuaBerke-nu2om]

I noticed this for several of the games as well

[@mathew3267]

Sega Rally was Saturn version.

[@JordanDilla]

No Narc, After Burner, Operation Wolf, Driver. This list needs more love.

[@move_i_got_this5659]

Guitar Hero, Killer Instinct

[@luisreyes1963]

Wasn't Driver a PS1 game?

[@JordanDilla]

@@luisreyes1963 you are right. I meant Hard Driving

[@EFreD-ed4ds]

No Wonder Boy, Arkanoid, 1942, Track & Field, Paper Boy, Q-Bert, Burger Time, Mr. Do, Bomb Jack...

[@O.G.Trashboat]

@JOrdanDilla I use to love playing Operation Wolf in arcades!

[@SuperZippyzippy]

I remember playing mortal kombat for the first time in an arcade room at a waterpark. I miss those days

[@perfectsplit5515]

Fighting Shang Tsung was actually easier than fighting in the endurance fights, because Tsung had only 1 life bar you had to deplete.

[@Lauren_Tyler]

No Pole Position? You gotta be kidding me!

[@rsuriyop]

Solid list. Most of the ones that I thought should be in there actually made it in there. Although I still feel that Soul Calibur, Crazy Taxi, Outrun, and either Sega Rally Championship or Dayton USA would have also felt justified being up there somewhere.

[@Agju]

Sega Rally Championship is on there tho

[@O.G.Trashboat]

Killer Instinct was a great 2D fighter. I will never forget the 1st time i heard "COMBO BREAKER" in an arcade and looked and half the arcade was waiting for their turn to drop a quarter.

[@quantumfx2677]

I've never played killer Instinct, was it good with the controls and fun ? What would you compare the game play to in other fighting games. Worse fighting game I didn't care for was primal Instinct , I had the arcade & sold it hopefully killer Instinct doesn't play like that as I wouldn't mind owning the arcade if the play is good!

[@O.G.Trashboat]

@@quantumfx2677 Do you mean Primal Rage? I have never heard of a game called Primal Instinct?

[@quantumfx2677]

@@O.G.Trashboat Yes! Lol

[@quantumfx2677]

@@O.G.Trashboat Yes, controls were not good! And never cared for the gameplay. Killer instinct hopefully is much better.

[@O.G.Trashboat]

@@quantumfx2677 I believe it's they are both from the same Dev Studio.

[@kleinworld2915]

Girl in thumbnail? Where is that picture from or who she is. Thank you for awesome video

[@dhall888]

Hahaha, that helped me click this video too..

[@rsuriyop]

Looks like a young Nelly Furtado

[@howardthompson4613]

No it looks like Bobby Lee's ex girlfriend 😂😂😂

[@yuppiecake9097]

That butt in those shorts compelled me to click on this video.

[@Rogerioapsandrade]

The Contra gameplay sequence is from the home NES version . Contra arcade has a different visual style, speed and sounds ( although the gameplay is similar ) Still, nice video. It was a fun watch and a great nostalgia travel

[@roberthunter479]

Was about to post the same thing.

[@sird2333]

The NES game. I remember one night in grade school having some friends over and we played the hell outta Contra. Got to the final level and the main boss looked like a big dick with a mouth! I’m cracking up remembering our reaction!! 😂😂😂😂😂

[@benjisurya]

Complete rubbish ranking.. either yoi didnt care or you dont know nothing about video games.. or both

[@roberthunter479]

@@benjisurya I don't agree with the ranking either but that's okay. It's their opinion. It's not as though this list of theirs is the final word. I do question them using the NES port of Contra for an arcade "greats" list. That fact alone does cause me to question whether somebody under 25 picked these games or not.

[@Haywood-Jablomie]

It's made by an ai bot.

[@KEN-1991]

The 3D games and the Golden-Age games (from 1978-1984) both deserve their own Top 50s. There are tons of great 2D arcade games in 1985 and over.

[@jamalvargas6146]

Alien Vs Predator (1994) and Street Fighter 3 Third Strike (1998) (my favorite SF entry)

[@perfectsplit5515]

In my junior year of college, I played AVP with my best friend form high school in the local arcade. It was bonding experience of teamwork. It was much better suited for team play than Aliens video game in 1990.

[@kuma1388]

NES version of Contra?

[@cueball981]

Yup..sadly so.

[@RiVer-Parish]

Another entertaining video thanks.

[@dhall888]

Silent scope and ss2 were my jam back in the day. Only needed one credit by the end!

[@PCFix411RetroZone]

My all time favorite back at the arcade was Daytona USA. I love sitting in those chairs and driving those cars.

[@MerpTime]

sad my favorite arcade is not in this list, I dropped tons of quarters on WWF Wrestlefest.

[@rollin-kimblecroskey9110]

This sure brings back a lot of great memories 🙂

[@di6connected451]

Gauntlet legends, marvel vs Capcom 2, Capcom vs SNK, ddr there is so many great games that could’ve been mentioned in here

[@lorenzopignagnoli2268]

Beautiful and carving arcade Spirit perfectly :,) focusing above all on brawlers, platformers and shooters.

[@gothamcityarcade]

Love your list of games! Just subscribe to your channel...

[@optimusrhymz2226]

Good list.

[@terrence6041]

I hate to be the one that points this but Space Invaders was a vertical shooting game. Horizontal is left to right vertical is up-and-down. I don't know what kind of thought processes. Could expose. the fact.

[@Ryuujin1078]

I like who they showed footage of NES contra as an arcade game lol

[@gundamw3490]

Great Arcade Great games Masterpiece ❤ Many good times 😊

[@omegalevelnerds777]

Imagine watching to see where X-men Arcade and Marvel VS Capcom 2 would be on the list.......

[@ninjaundermyskin]

I'm just here for the left side of the thumbnail. I don't even know what the this video is about

[@williamwright9079]

Yeah juicy as!

[@StrelokBoggard]

Men you guys are being sloppy,a lot of the footage has been taking from the console versions and I’m not talking about the new modern switch arcade perfect ports, no. Taken from like the graphically inferior original consoles releases, like contra, the contra arcade has better colors, bigger sprites and a different resolution ratio. Sega rally is also the inferior (but still beloved) Saturn version in an emulator,I can tell cause of the net effect where transparencies are suppose to be but the drawing distance is too far off… so emulator. And that’s only two examples, there’s at least 4 that I know for sure the footage is not the arcade version

[@c.bretmiller6148]

Well, I'm glad you said it, as I was about to.

[@DerekDavis213]

Agreed. very sloppy with footages, and sometimes no sound from the games. Inexcusable.

[@joshbrekke6374]

Great list however there would be no parallax background scrolling without MoonPatrol. Games like Tempest, HangOn, ThunderBlade, Pole Position, Elevator Action, Gauntlet, Super Sprint, and several others on your list were very popular & wide spread here in Minnesota. Rastan had very loud & awesome soundtrack that really set it apart as well. I was happy to see Tron, Frogger & MrsPac Man. Thanks. Good list but a few really good ones were not mentioned. Q Bert also comes to mind & Zaxxon 3D, Metal Slug, Choplifter & After Burner

[@simonhamid]

Gallagher? Dear oh dear. I used to play Galaga. This must have been the Scottish release.

[@shauneburke89]

Surprised no Commando, Choplifter and Pole Position.

[@johngraves9237]

OMG the MEMORIES!!!!

[@edwardspencer1967]

Where is Mr Do? cost me a fortune in the 80's :)

[@mercuryman1250]

Richard is the best narrator

[@730indoorsman]

it's AI

[@user-jx4fe1xt8q]

Is Richard a robot?

[@DerekDavis213]

The narrator call Asteroids *Asteroid* . Huge mistake there.

[@ricksenske8787]

How the hell did Battlezone not make it to this list?

[@beermaven2197]

No Gauntlet? I sentence you to arcade jail!

[@ssdivizion]

There should be at least 50 more games on this list, make another video

[@dhall888]

I never knew there were mega man arcade games… I was 6 then, but I remember everything… I remember playing the street fighter the movie arcade game at a Pizza Hut when it first came out and could tell then it was not great.., but need to find the mega man one some day

[@DontInterruptMeCunt]

Ahh fond memories of playing, mk1,2,3&umk3,virtul fighter 1 &2, tekken1,2&3 ,killer instinct & gold, xmen vs street fighter, marvel vs street fighter,marvel war of the gems( it was a fighting game not the version on snes so i may have the name wrong), street fighter 1,&2+turbos, alpha 1&2 , marvel vs capcom 1&2 , the house of the dead 1&2, area 51, super mario bro, time crisis, pit fighter, final fight,and what was more fun than 4 people playing tmnt or xmen with 4 players and so many more games..thanks for the walk down memory lane. Im glad i was born in the 80s and got to enjoy many great arcades in the 90s.

[@O.G.Trashboat]

Marvel vs Capcom?

[@luisreyes1963]

Despite this compilation video being "buggy", at least you gave Bubble Bobble some love.

[@stewietk]

They way he was saying Mario Bros is bothersome... I'm informing the proper authorities 😂

[@jppauley9969]

Who would that be?

[@Tig3rj]

How was this list broken down? Where was Star Wars? Dragons Lair? Narc? Games like Strider I never have heard of.

[@attackofthetheeyecreatures3472]

Strider was pretty popular. Star Wars and Dragon's Lair do need a mention, though.

[@roberthunter479]

Promoting Billie Mitchel's "Fist full of Quarters" Documentary? I thought it was found he lied about the high score.

[@EoR_2B4GOT10]

Neither Mitchel or Weeb were the record holder for Donkey Kong at the time of filming. It's mostly propaganda.

[@PumpedbyArcade]

Bomb Jack, Galaga, Black Tiger...

[@sharptoothtrex4486]

Even I chose City Connection as my Honorable Mention.

[@Tomorer]

Wowza! I wonder how many of those old units survive in people's garages??

[@DerekDavis213]

The emulator MAME will run most of these games perfectly on your home PC

[@MrJuggalo909]

My parents were like "ya, my son just ripped his head off."

[@bobrogers4387]

The way you pronounce Mario Brothers made me laugh!

[@maydaymayday4362]

Mario Bruhs

[@ryangardner9683]

That thumbnail pic….oohh weee

[@shireknight01]

Wait, this has to be your personal top 50 right, not the actual top 50? Because there's no Moon Patrol, no Mr Do, no Dig Dug, no Missile Command etc.

[@jdsjr21]

Totally forgot about noon patrol! 👏🏼🫡

[@umairalam7693]

no mention of snow bros, Chelnov (atomic runner) and the king of fighters

[@thadarkhadou]

Hang on, after burner, T2, revolution X, NFL blitz, king of the monsters, world heroes, ESWAT, killer instinct, king of fighters, wwf wrestlefest, samurai showdown, all the marvel vs capcom games? Damn I'm old.

[@profesa-rsk]

Wow if we got Popeye instead of Donkey Kong, not only DK never exist but neither would Super Mario! 🤯

[@CrazyAboutVinylRecords]

No love for Missile Command???

[@DerekDavis213]

At 8:10 , that's not the coin-op Donkey Kong game. omg And you didn't play any sound effects from Asteroids? wth

[@Biostalker420]

Before I watch this. Better be Altered Beast and Heavy Barrel in da house.

[@ricardohuff8774]

There many great arcade games out there, who that lady playing the arcade?

[@cueball981]

Its Mario BROTHERS...not Bros.

[@sird2333]

THANK YOU!!!!!

[@hpnoticville]

Why did you show Contra for NES?

[@SteveNorman]

To each their own and I enjoyed video but the inclusion of home conversion footage is unfortunate.

[@likilikiki]

My heart warms that Twin Cobra is on this list.

[@pilouuuu]

Nice thumbnail

[@andrewpittaway3023]

No Dig Dug ?

[@Whyteeford]

No Area 51????

[@Pooby1000]

Dynamite Duke???? AI is hilarious.

[@oahupc4688]

How come astroids sequel was not called hammerRoids?

[@bradleymcavoy3432]

No RoboTron 2084?!? 🙄🤦‍♂️😳 No Tempest? 🙄 I praise inclusion of Tron but Discs of Tron is in my Top 3 of all Time! 🤨 No Sit Down ‘83 Star Wars!?! Also Loved Gyruss ( One of the Greatest musical soundtracks in a video game Ever! 😎), Donkey Kong 3, Narc, Black Tiger, CyberSled, Smash T.V, Dragon’s Lair, Space Ace, Pole Position 1 & 2 and one of my personal favorites SNK’s Prehistoric Isle in 1930 ( 1989!) 😎🤩🤨

[@BURRITO44]

Awesome

[@Delmon-kr2gn]

This is AI YT: NBA Jam "is also filled with easter eggs and special features, such as SUPER CLEAN FLOORS." 🤪😬

[@johnny6610]

Street fighter 2, I’m 11 years old and grown men wanna beat me up for losing to me.

[@dojo2157]

You forgot Rygar, Wonder Boy, Shinobi and rolling thunder.

[@AMildCaseOfCovid]

I don't know what this list is for. The games that are the most fun? That's extra subjective. The games that were of the greatest impact? That's more measurable. Based on my experience in the arcade, Street Fighter 2 was the most impactful game I ever saw, and we were playing that for years.

[@dhall888]

No smash tv?, samurai showdown, metal slug?

[@user-jx4fe1xt8q]

The third best selling arcade game? What were the first two?

[@user-jo7vl6fz1m]

Is Popeyes nemesis Brutis in other countries? It's Bluto in the US

[@danielpauley1138]

It's "Bluto", not "Brutus" for Popeye

[@joakimkarlsson4274]

No Xevious or Choplifter?

[@drmoze]

Good choices and range. BUT... you missed Robotron and that is objectively wrong.

[@axilmar254]

no Outrun, really? one of the top 3 video games of all time?

[@bradleymcavoy3432]

His name wasn’t Mario in Donkey Kong he was known as “JumpMan” and Mario came later! 🙄

[@NickelAntonius]

Where's Operation: WOLF and Space Harrier?

[@JonDan]

IA Video = Laziness

[@4504595]

Good narration, but the script is written, at least in part, by AI 👎

[@kushviper]

Entirely

[@Fluoride_Jones]

A real human isn't narrating the video, either, considering I've heard the exact same voice on other channels that have nothing to do with video games.

[@calebopossum5023]

The Thumbnails look AI generated as well.

[@Fluoride_Jones]

@@calebopossum5023 You're right, Caleb. This whole channel was made by bots. That being said, not a bad video! 😆

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

How does the thumbnail look ai generated? ​@@calebopossum5023

[@TJFreeq]

The chick in the thumbnail looks mad familiar...🧐

[@williamwright9079]

Yeah, where she at?!

[@iwanttocomplain]

8:40 re. The Simpsons Arcade. "The popularity of the game lead to several sequels and other ports." So here, it's shown that this script has been auto generated. So desperate to have words to say, the software has made a safe guess that sequels and ports followed when there were no sequels and it was only ported to MS-DOS and the C64. Which is fairly well known to even the most amateur retro game nerd. The delivery of this simulated person is so dull and dense it almost becomes confusing to pay attention as a barrage of dull dry information is listed off by a robot from a script which was written by a robot. I honestly think media like this cancels out a video made by a human being in the overall cumulative effect of media being published.

[@thebossguide4859]

Donkey kong at 8:40? The clearly human voice in this is talking about other Simpson games not necessarily beat em ups. I think you're complaining too much.

[@iwanttocomplain]

it's clearly ai and it did not say simply that Simpsons games in general followed. If he had said "in the Simpson's universe" it would not have implied sequels to the game which was being discussed. I'm not complaining too much if the voice is ai after the video creator implies the voice is a human with a name. It should say AI Bob for clarity. Which is obviously is. Let alone a script which was also automatically generated.@@thebossguide4859

[@Hausbrauen]

Valid points. I do enjoy some of the content on this channel, but its videos would certainly increase in quality dramatically if it wasn't so rushed and reliant on AI. It does cause the delivery to ring of soullessness at best, and incredibly inaccurate at worst.

[@Hausbrauen]

@@thebossguide4859 Nah, that's all 100% artificial. Voice-to-text voices are quite good these days -- but having used them myself, it's incredibly easy to tell the difference.

[@okariin2686]

samurai showdown,pang..?

[@raggeragnar]

Star wars ? Paper boy ? Missile command ? Scramble ? Really ?

[@ssdivizion]

There should be at least 50 more games

[@jppauley9969]

Ahh Scramble.

[@FF2Guy]

What about Gauntlet?

[@billdonahue3765]

Xmen?

[@Codename-B]

filthy AI made video

[@erinwheatley7028]

You should've not included MK or SF2 or any fighters games because everyone know they are the greatest of all time..

[@nikosleontaronikos1980]

Where is THE BEST GAME OF ALL TIMES SHINOBI ????

[@christianromero6604]

Im sorry BUT, is knowone going to say anything about the 8:50-8:55 'CLAIM' of the game making 4.4 BILLION dollars? 💵 Like wtf....

[@patrickfroeschle1632]

area 51 didn't make it huh?

[@krtlkid]

Enjoyed the list but whos the chick in the thumbnail?

[@johnthomas77704]

There is one thing we came here to see… where is she and what have you done to her?

[@Jordzyi1]

You forgot tekken

[@alexisjohnson]

Blocking channel due to AI. A human would have known the contra footage wasn't the arcade.

[@user-jx4fe1xt8q]

😅What's with the Super Pac Man footage during the Pac Man review? Fucking bots.

[@CrashHell]

AI clickbait Bullroar

[@EpicKman316]

doesn't seem like you know what you're talking about

[@jockobo]

Mario what?