The best arcade games of all time
Before the first home console generation, arcades were the meccas of video games. While they are nearly extinct now, those old enough will think back fondly of the days of dumping endless amounts of quarters into those giant cabinets to play just a few minutes of a game. Arcade games were where many of the most iconic gaming characters and franchises first began, such as Donkey Kong and Street Fighter. While some have fallen into obscurity over the decades, some are still beloved to this day. Whether it be for the impact they had on game design or just because they’re still fun to play even today, these are our picks for the greatest arcade games ever made.
If this list is a bit too old school for you, we also have lists of the best PS5 games, best Xbox Series X games, and best PC games for something more modern.
Recommended VideosMs. Pac-Man
80% Platforms Commodore VIC-20, Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128, ZX Spectrum, Sega Game Gear, PC DOS, Apple II, Xbox 360, Sega Master System, Texas Instruments TI-99 Genre Arcade Developer General Computer Corporation (GCC) Publisher Bally Midway, Namco Hometek, Atari, Inc., Tengen, Atarisoft Release January 13, 1982 The original Pac-Man was a blockbuster at the time and even stands as the highest-grossing arcade game ever made, but its sequel Ms. Pac-Man blows it out of the water in every way. Released just one year later, this version kept the same addicting foundation of running through a maze, gobbling up pellets, and avoiding ghosts but added in new maze layouts and smarter AI ghosts to deal with. It managed to be an improvement on everything the original did without diluting that pure enjoyment factor or adding too much complexity to make it hard for anyone to step up and start playing. Plus, Ms. Pac-Man was one of the first female game characters ever made, which has to count for something. Ms. Pac-Man (1982) — Gameplay Related- The best simulation games on Switch
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