The 1990s is the third decade that marked the video game industry’s history. The innovation that made its way into the video gaming world defined this decade. The ’90s ushered in a transition from sprite-based graphics to create 3D graphics, which spurred other video games. During this decade, handheld gaming started gaining prominence and popularity. Although Arcade games still maintained their relative popularity, they started to decline because home consoles were widely gaining ground fast. It’s because of this incline of users playing video games that we made this list of the greatest 1990s video games.
It will interest you to know that the video game industry market crashed in the early ’80s, specifically in 1983. Somehow, it didn’t recover, not until the Nintendo Entertainment System came out in its glory in 1985 in North America. They dominated the gaming market until 1989 when Sega came as a prime competitor. This birthed a healthy console war throughout the ’90s up until now, as these console manufacturers of video games have competed with one another. As a result, games in the ’90s had an influx of growth, innovation, and good ideas for the gaming world! It ushered in a decade that new gaming genres came into existence, fantastic controls, improved peripherals, and better-written storylines! Even voice acting came into production, all of which added up to production quality!
Presenting our Top 10 Video Games from the 1990s!
The top 10 video games from the ’90s spread across a pretty wide variety of genres, as it revealed the greatest gaming offerings at the time. This list offers you iconic video games that dominated the ‘90s both in terms of popularity and standard. It also did well to gift gamers the pleasures of entertainment. Let’s get right to it!
10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
Start this list on the number 10 spot is Sonic the Hedgehog 2, one of the greatest 1990s video games. Unlike the original created in 1991, this second main entry in the Sonic the Hedgehog series has a new Sonic sidekick! Known as Miles ‘Tails’ Prower, and a second player can control it. Here, Sonic and Tails must stop their antagonist, Dr. Ivo Robotnik. He’s an antagonist who endlessly attempted to steal the Chaos Emeralds and then use them to power the Death Egg, his space station. A pretty interesting game!
This 10th placed game stands out as one of the best games of the ‘90s. Asides from the two-player functionality that this video game came up with, the speed increased in a way that made it more interesting to play. Hirokazu Yasuhara led this game’s design. Tim Skelly designed the new 3D special stages present in this game, based on a tech demo birthed by Yuji Naka. The industry noted this game as a huge success. It sold over 6 million cartridges, making it the 2nd best-selling genesis game. This game received much appraisal for its level design, visuals, and music. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 gifted the ‘90s with a game that had levels considered to be a near-perfect mix of both fun and challenge!
9. Metal Gear Solid (1998)
Number 9 on this list goes to Metal Gear Solid! Gamers recognize this game for its leaps and bounds as far as the stealth game genre is concerned. Here, players are to control ‘Solid Snake,’ who is a soldier that infiltrates a nuclear weapon facility. He does it to neutralize the terrorist threat from FOXHOUND, a renegade special forces unit. More into this brilliant game, Snake must carefully make sure he liberates hostages and stops the terrorists from launching a nuclear strike. In Metal Gear Solid, Kojima employed cinematic cutscenes that made use of the in-game engine and graphics. Also, the voice acting was brilliantly employed throughout!
Konami excellently developed Metal Gear Solid and then released it for the PlayStation in the year 1998. Hideo Kojima wrote, directed, and produced the game before he left Konami and moved on to establish Kojima Productions. This game was a huge success and was one of the hallmarks of the ’90s video gaming world. It sold over 7 million copies worldwide and further shipped 12 million demos! Metal Gear Solid is often considered to be way ahead of its time because of the impressive technicalities.
Of interest, gamers consider Metal Gear Solid as one of the greatest and most important video games from the ’90s, having scored an average of 94/100 on the Metacritic website. This video game brilliantly helped to popularize the Stealth genre as well as the in-engine cinematic cutscenes. It no doubt was phenomenal as it also gave way for subsequent versions and sequels and even media adaptations!
8. Super Metroid (1994)
Super Metroid is, by all accounts, a brilliant masterpiece! Hence, this game has earned a place as number 8 on this list and is noted by most as one of the greatest 1990s video games. It is a meatier game than its predecessor. This iteration improved its formula in practically every way, possessing thrilling fights! In this action-adventure game, the focus is on exploration. Here, players control the bounty hunter, Samus Aran, who travels on an adventure to planet Zebes to retrieve an infant Metroid creature that Ridley, the Space Pirate leader, had stolen. During the gameplay, players search for power-ups and use them to reach previous areas that were inaccessible at the time. More concept features also came into play and were added to the series. They include the auto-map, an inventory screen, and of course, the ability to fire in all directions! Many gamers consider it one of the best video games of all time!
Nintendo both published and developed Super Metroid for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It went ahead to receive critical acclaim, critics and gamers alike praised the game’s atmosphere, music, gameplay, and graphics. The game did not initially sell well in Japan. However, it did way better in North America, shipping over 1.42 million copies worldwide as of 2003.
This game refined and established the “Metroidvania” subgenre, thereby greatly inspiring other games within the genre! At the time, players experienced much fun as they proceeded through each thought-provoking level. Moreover, the game contained advanced combat controls, which its lovers found as a plus.
Super Metroid also became popular for speed-running. Notably, this game received a later emulated for the Virtual Console service on various Nintendo platforms since 2007. What’s more, it became part of the Super NES Classic Edition micro-console in 2017! Even all these years later not only is it one of the greatest 1990s video games but also one of the greatest video games of all time.
7. Doom (1993)
For the number 7 spot on this list, you will find Doom, which is unarguably one of the most significant games in video game history! In this brilliant first-person shooter (FPS) game, players take up the role of a space marine called ‘Doomguy.’ Players are to fight their way through hordes of invading demons that come from Hell. Interestingly, an estimated 20-50 million people played the first nine levels of this game within two years!
The games industry often cites Doom as one of the greatest games of all time! It not only helped define the FPS genre but it also greatly inspired several similar games. Id Software developed this game for MS-DOS. It will interest you to know that Doom practically pioneered online distribution and technologies that include 3D graphics, support for custom modifications via packaged WAD files, as well as multiplayer gaming! The hellish imagery and graphic violence sure made it one of the top video games that sparked controversies in history, no doubt. However, no one can deny that it was one of the phenomenal games from the ’90s decade!
6. Pokémon Red/Blue (1996)
Number 6 on this list is Pokémon Red and Blue. They were the first installments of the Pokémon video game series. Hence, the popular Pokémon franchise would not be where it is now without this very game! In this vastly interesting game, players control the protagonist from an overhead perspective. Here, players are to navigate Kanto’s fictional region in a fulfilling quest to master Pokémon battling. The goal of this game is to become the champion of the Indigo League. To do this, one must defeat the 8 Gym Leaders and the Elite Four, who happen to be the top 4 Pokémon trainers in the land.
Pokémon Red and Blue is a brilliant role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and then published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. Critics largely praised this Video game for its multiplayer options and the concept of trading. Reviewers gave it an aggregate score of 89% on GameRankings, and gamers consider it to be among the greatest games that graced the ’90s decade! This game’s release marked the genesis of what grew into a multibillion-dollar franchise that has jointly sold over 300 million copies worldwide! It will also interest you to know that in 2009, they appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records under Best-selling RPG on the Game Boy as well as the Best-selling RPG of all time!
5. Super Mario 64 (1996)
On the number 5 spot on this list is Super Mario 64! A game that has revolutionized 3D gaming and is the reason why we have games the way we do to this date. It’s because of that that it has cemented itself as one of the greatest 1990s video games. This is the first platform game in the Super Mario series to feature a 3D gameplay! Here, the player explores Princess Peach’s castle with a quest to rescue her from Bowser. This game emphasizes exploration that exists within vast worlds. Mario is to complete several missions as he moves through occasional linear obstacle courses, just the way the traditional platform game offers. It brilliantly preserves many gameplay elements, visual style, and the characters of the quintessential Mario.
Super Mario 64 is vastly acknowledged for its advancement in 3D gaming. It practically triumphed in the period where 2D gaming was still the standard. It brilliantly integrated a free-flow movement that opened up a world of possibilities in the gaming world. This game features open-world playability with vast degrees of freedom that runs across all three axes in space. The levels’ visuals came out to be intricately detailed than earlier games. It had hidden secrets and ‘unlockables.’ All of which added to its replay value.
It will interest you to know that this game was the first to earn a perfect Edge magazine score! Critics applauded its visuals, gameplay, music, and ambition. As of 2003, it had already sold a whopping 11 million copies! Super Mario 64 came out with a dynamic camera design. It featured a 360-degree analog control, which established a new archetype as far as the 3D genre was concerned! The reason as why it’s not ranking higher, even with how it was a monumental leap, is because of how it hasn’t quite aged as well as the listing above this one. The movement can feel sluggish, the camera joystick is reversed, and it’s quite repetitive in nature.
4. Final Fantasy VII (1997)
The 4th position goes to Final Fantasy VII. This role-playing video game has a fantastic story buildup. It features Cloud Strife, who is a mercenary that joins an eco-terrorist organization. He does this to stop a world-controlling megacorporation and prevent them from using the planet’s life essence as an energy source. As the game proceeds, Cloud and his allies ensue in pursuit of Sephiroth, who happens to be a former member of the organization that seeks to cause harm to the planet. As the journey unfolds, Cloud further improves closeness with his party members, and that includes Aerith Gainsborough, who is the one that has the secret that could save their world.
Square developed this brilliant game for the PlayStation console. It is the 7th of the Final Fantasy series and happens to be the first in the main series with a PAL release. Final Fantasy VII is the first in the series to make use of full-motion video and 3D graphics. It went further to introduce sci-fi elements, coupled with a more realistic presentation. This game happens to be a landmark game that is also considered one of the most influential video games ever made. Final Fantasy VII has won several ‘Game of the Year’ awards and was duly acknowledged for boosting PS’s sales and further popularizing console role-playing games in the world!
3. Super Mario World (1990)
The second runner up on this list is proudly Super Mario World! This brilliant platform game follows the story of Mario. Here, he’s on a quest to save Princess Peach and Dinosaur Land from the antagonist, Bowser. As he proceeds on his quest, he is meant to defeat Koopalings, Bowser’s minions. He goes through a series of levels to attain this goal. This game introduces Yoshi, a dinosaur who can devour enemies and further gain abilities by eating the shells of Koopa Troopas, thus making it an even interesting game!
This game was vastly popular, despite it starting the ’90s decade! You’ve probably played it. Perhaps your parents did as well. Even your dog probably knows where the warp tunnels are! Nintendo developed it for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and this game gifted it many groundbreaking hits. This game is arguably the best 2D platformer ever made, as it sold over 20 million copies, making it unarguably the best-selling SNES game! It happens to be often considered as one of the greatest video games ever to be made. This brilliant game is noted to have led an animated TV series of the same name and a prequel, Yoshi’s Island, released in 1995. It has also been re-released on multiple occasions after this. Super Mario World is undoubtedly one of the most played and most loved video games that had its way into the ‘90s.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
While it was hard for me to decide which to go between number one and number 2, I had to put Ocarina at number 2 on the list. It’s still one of the greatest 1990s video games and is still continually played to this date. However, I don’t believe it was quite as monumental as our number-one spot. Number 2 spot on this list goes to no other but the fantastic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time! This brilliant action-adventure game is one that contains exploration and boss fights with an amazingly gripping story. Here, the player controls ‘Link’ in the fantasy land of Hyrule. The protagonist of the game is on a quest to stop the sinister king Ganondorf. Hence, the player is to travel through time while navigating dungeons and an overworld. More interestingly, the player must learn to play several songs on an ocarina to further progress with the game!
This amazing game was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64, being the 5th game in the Legend of Zelda series and the first that came with 3D graphics! Ocarina of Time comes with brilliant features like a target-lock system as well as context-sensitive buttons, which have now become very common in 3D adventure games.
This game has accrued praises from critics and has further won multiple awards and accolades. The visuals, gameplay, sound, writing, and of course, the soundtrack won the hearts of many in the ’90s! Many gamers consider the soundtrack as one of the best of all time! Veteran Zelda series composer Koji Kondo received credit as the individual that created the brilliant musical score. Gamers widely regard it as one of the greatest video games of all time, with several publications listing it as the greatest video game ever made.
It was very successful, as over 7 million copies were sold worldwide. It earned more than three times more pre-orders in the US than any other video game and was the best-selling game that existed in the country in 1998!
1. Half-Life (1998)
At the top of this phenomenal list is one of the greatest 1990s video games, Half-Life! This brilliant game with a whopping aggregate score of 96% on Metacritic is one of the most outstanding games that never go out of style. It revolutionized the first-person shooter genre with its level design and gameplay! In this game, players assume the role of Gordon Freeman, a scientist that must do all it takes to escape the Black Mesa Research Facility. This quest gets more interesting as the complex is filled with invading aliens. The very core of this game embodies fighting aliens and humans, armed with a variety of weapons. More interestingly, players solve puzzles as the game proceeds!
Valve developed this fantastic first-person shooter game, then Sierra Studios published it for Microsoft Windows in 1998. Unlike many other concurrent games, this game gifted its player with an almost uninterrupted control of Freeman! Half-Life‘s story is creatively told through scripted sequences as seen through the lenses of the protagonist. This was brilliant as it created an immersive world rather than a shooting gallery, a feature that many games now employ.
Half-Life received several acclaims for its seamless narrative, graphics, and realistic gameplay. It has won over 50 PC ‘Game of the Year’ awards. Gamers also consider it as one of the most influential FPS games. To the gaming industry, Half-Life is one of the best video games to date. As of 2008, Half-Life had sold over 9 million copies worldwide. As a result of this video game’s brilliance, it has received ports to the PlayStation 2 in 2001, Source Engine in 2004, macOS and Linux in 2013. There was a third-party remake, Black Mesa, which Crowbar Collective released in 2020! Half-Life has inspired several fan-made mods and deserves to sit proudly as number 1 on this list.
The Greatest 1990s Video Games Final Thoughts
From the list above, you can easily tell the ‘90s was filled with amazing leaps in the gaming industry. All of the aforementioned greatest 1990s video games above were simply monumental leaps in video game history, giving rise to a pop culture sensation where video games were practically getting as much attention as movies in Hollywood. This era brought a decade where games were not only for kids but for everyone! Hence, it is safe to say that the ’90s was an excellent decade where brilliant games thrived and production value drastically improved, which continues till today!
Author: Chris Ingledue
Contact: email
Bio: I am the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab pop Culture and Toy Shop. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day, I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. I scour the internet, like when we had the Sears Catalog of yesteryear, for the next great treasure. Then, I await the arrival of the postman as if he were Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their own versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!