10 Best NES Games, Ranked

The Nintendo Entertainment System wasn’t the first home video game console, but it was arguably the most transformative in the industry. When it was released in North America in 1985, it saved the video game industry and established Nintendo as a premier outlet for excellent games. Throughout the console’s life, there were over 700 officially licensed games (and many unlicensed ones) released on the NES, and there are dozens of excellent ones. We’ve rounded up the top ten, based on sales, their impact on the industry, and how much fun they are to play. We’ve also limited our selections to the best entry in a given franchise to shake things up.

10) Excitebike

Excitebike is a relatively simple racing game that arrived on the NES in North America in 1985. The player controls a motocross racer across various jumps and obstacles, and legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto developed it. Excitebike was one of the highest-selling titles on the NES, with more than 4.6 million units sold. That makes it the ninth best-selling title on the NES, and it’s easy to see why. Excitebike is highly replayable, inviting players to beat their best scores and keep trying in a format that doesn’t get boring. You can play it today and have just as much enjoyment as the folks who played it 30 years earlier.

9) Dragon Quest III

Depending on when you were first introduced to it, the game could have been called Dragon Quest III or Dragon Warrior III, but either way, it’s a fantastic RPG. The game was released in 1988, and it’s easily one of the best RPGs on the console. The third title in the series introduces many enhancements over its predecessors, including an extensive, open-world experience, which was incredibly innovative at the time. The game allows players to easily swap characters in and out of their party. It also features a day/night cycle, and quests are more streamlined. As an RPG, Dragon Quest III checks all of the boxes, and it’s a fun and exciting game on the console.

8) Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is a port of the 1984 arcade game, though it differs by including the then-world heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson, as its final boss. The game was a massive hit on the NES when it was released in 1987, becoming a defining title on the system. It features a story in which the player character, Little Mac, travels from fight to fight to face off for the title of World Heavyweight boxing Champion. It includes cutscenes and progressively more challenging opponents. Players had to learn their opponents’ moves and adjust their gameplay accordingly. Punch-Out!! is easily one of the best sports titles on the NES.

7) Contra

Contra was released for the NES in 1988 as a port of the 1987 arcade game. It’s probably best remembered for being the primary title where players can use the Konami Code, which gives them 30 lives instead of the standard three. This made the game beatable for most players, as Contra is genuinely a “Nintendo Hard” title, meaning it’s incredibly challenging without the extra lives. It features multiple gameplay formats and progressively more difficult enemies, leading to a final boss fight that stands the test of time. Contra became a massive success on consoles and is widely beloved as one of the best action games of the 1980s.

6) Metroid

Metroid launched a franchise when it was released in 1987 on the NES, and it also introduced a challenging genre that became known as “Metroidvania.” This title, alongside Castlevania, established a sub-genre of action-adventure games that focuses on nonlinear progression requiring the acquisition of new abilities or tools to proceed. Metroid is an incredibly fun platformer that introduces various movement mechanics to overcome hardware limitations and, in doing so, establishes many genre norms. Decades after its release, Metroid remains a popular title for speedrunners, and it’s easily one of the greatest games released on the console.

5) Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse

While every player has their favorite pick from the original Castlevania titles on the NES, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse is widely considered to be the best of the bunch. The 1989 game is a prequel to the events of the first title, released in 1986, and is set several centuries earlier. In the game, Trevor Belmont heads out to fight the forces of Dracula. Unlike Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, which incorporated RPG and action-adventure mechanics, Dracula’s Curse is a return to form of the original action-platformer format. It’s one of the most important games in the franchise, and it spawned re-releases and was adapted into the Netflix animated series Castlevania.

4) Ninja Gaiden

Ninja Gaiden was released on the NES in 1988 and established a franchise alongside the beat-’em-up arcade version released around the same time. The NES game is a hack-and-slash platformer set in a retro-futuristic version of 1988, focusing on Ryu Hayabusa, who’s on a quest to America to avenge his father. The game features an elaborate narrative that intertwines with the ongoing action, telling an incredible story, making it one of Ninja Gaiden’s best elements. It was one of the best games on the console and an important game in video gaming history, as it established many of the norms found in similar genre titles released in the years following Ninja Gaiden.

3) Mega Man 2

While many players enjoyed Mega Man, it wasn’t a huge seller, but Capcom didn’t give up on its new IP. It released Mega Man 2 in 1988, which significantly improved upon the format, helping to establish the franchise. It’s actually the second-best-selling title in the long-running series, having sold more than 1.5 million copies. Mega Man 2 is also considered to be the best title in the so-called “Classic” Mega Man series, which includes 11 games. Mega Man 2 is innovative, fun to play, and it’s not as punishingly difficult as its predecessor, though it’s also not easy. It’s one of the best platformers on the NES and is easily one of Capcom’s greatest games ever.

2) The Legend of Zelda

Of all the RPGs released on the NES, the inarguable best is easily The Legend of Zelda. The game was transformative of the genre, establishing many of the norms that would be incorporated into RPGs for decades. It came in a glorious gold cartridge, had memory allowing for saves, and included a massive open-world map. Players took Link on an adventure across Hyrule, fighting bosses in complex dungeons to acquire new items, leveling up along the way so they could face off against Ganon in a final fight. It not only established the Legend of Zelda franchise, but also stands as one of the best video games of all time.

1) Super Mario Bros. 3

While the first two Super Mario Bros. are some of the best platformers of all time, Super Mario Bros. 3 offered a significant upgrade to the playing experience of the franchise. The 1988 platformer features a large world map of seven kingdoms, adding some quasi-RPG elements to the format. It also introduced many of the upgrades that remain in the franchise today, including flight and sliding. The game is easily one of the NES’ most replayable titles, and it’s also the system’s best-seller (that wasn’t bundled with the console), having sold over 18 million copies.

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