Best Adventure Game From Each Console Generation

One of the oldest video game genres is the adventure genre, which began on computers and shifted over to the home video game console market in the late 1970s. Like every other genre, it started small and has since blossomed into a variety of sub-genres. However, adventure games on consoles veered more towards action-oriented gameplay, whereas computer games spent a good chunk of time in the point-and-click arena. Regardless, there are countless adventure games, so we dug through the archives and found the best ones from each console generation. The winners were chosen based on contemporary critics’ reviews upon release, their overall impact on the genre as it developed, and how much fun they were to play.

1st) Colossal Cave Adventure

1st Gen: Atari Pong | Coleco Telstar | Magnavox Odyssey

The first console generation didn’t have any games that fit the adventure genre, but early computers did. The most impactful of the era was Colossal Cave Adventure, developed in 1976 for the PDP-10 mainframe computer. Over the next few years, more people worked on it, making it available to a larger audience. The text-based adventure game is one of the first interactive fiction games, though it’s not the first of its kind. It was the most influential and helped establish the adventure genre, which would ultimately find a home in the subsequent console generation.

2nd) Adventure

2nd Gen: Atari 2600 | Channel F | ColecoVision | Intellivision | Magnavox Odyssey 2

The second console generation saw several adventure games arrive on multiple systems, and while the Atari 2600 featured several, we have to give some love to Warren Robinett’s 1980 classic Adventure. The game is known today for including an Easter Egg, though it’s not the first to do so. It was initially developed as a graphical version of Colossal Cave Adventure, and like its predecessor, Adventure was highly influential in the expansion of the adventure genre and the development of a plethora of games that followed. By today’s standards, Adventure is a rudimentary game, but in 1980, it was an impressive creation that challenged players with its clever design.

3rd) The Legend of Zelda

3rd Gen: Atari 7800 | Nintendo Entertainment System | Sega Master System

By the third console generation, the adventure genre had solidified into multiple subgenres, and dozens of exceptional games were featured on the NES and Sega Master System. While there were plenty to play during the period, the best was The Legend of Zelda. This was the game that launched one of the biggest video game franchises of all time, and there have been some incredibly well-designed Zelda games (this isn’t the only one on this list). The Legend of Zelda incorporated many tropes that would continue to appear in similar action-adventure games for years, making it an archetypal game in the genre.

4th) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

4th Gen: TurboGrafx-16 | Genesis | Neo Geo | Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Adventure games released during the 4th console generation included some exceptional titles. While some good ones weren’t in the Zelda franchise, ultimately, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the SNES took the lead. While it’s the third game in the franchise, it serves as a prequel, returning to the top-down perspective of the OG title after The Adventure of Link’s side-scrolling method of gameplay. This is the game that introduced the Master Sword, and it’s one of the best titles in the franchise, having sold millions of copies across numerous systems since its release, as it’s been re-released multiple times.

5th) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

5th Gen: 3DO | Jaguar | PlayStation | Nintendo 64

I took a lot of heat for calling The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time an RPG in another article, and I have to admit, it’s really an adventure game. It’s also one of the greatest video games ever made. While there was a lot of competition in the 5th console generation, nothing came close to Ocarina of Time (except for The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask). It is the highest-rated game on Metacritic with a score of 99, beating out some serious competition, so when it came time to pick the winner for the 5th generation, there really wasn’t a moment of doubt — The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is king.

6th) God of War

6th Gen: GameCube | Dreamcast | PlayStation 2 | Xbox

Taking a moment to step away from the Zelda franchise, the 6th console generation had some excellent adventure games across several systems. Granted, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was released on the GameCube, but it didn’t beat out our top choice for the generation: God of War. The first God of War game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, and it received universal critical acclaim. The game launched a franchise that continues to this day, and is often cited among the greatest games of all time. God of War features a rich, detailed history, excellent character development, and lore, making it one of the best-written action-adventure games of all time.

7th) Batman: Arkham City

7th Gen: PlayStation 3 | Wii | Xbox 360

Like the 6th generation, the 7th generation saw many amazing adventure games, but one stands out above the rest: Batman: Arkham City. Before the Arkham franchise, games about the Dark Knight were hit or miss, but they proved otherwise, as the Arkham games demonstrated that the Caped Crusader could make for an excellent video game protagonist. The best of the franchise is Arkham City, which was released in 2011 on pretty much every system that could play it. Since its release, Batman: Arkham City has sold over 12.5 million copies and has been called one of the greatest games ever made. Before you ask, GTA V was my first pick, but it scored just below Arkham City.

8th) Red Dead Redemption 2

8th Gen: Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4 | Wii U | Xbox One

There was very little console exclusivity in the 7th-9th console generations, as most AAA games were available on every console. The best adventure game released during the 8th console generation was definitely Red Dead Redemption 2. The game features a massive, beautifully rendered open world set in 1899, a picturesque Wild West, where the player guides Arthur Morgan on all kinds of adventures, shootouts, robberies, hunts, and whatever trouble they find themselves in. RDR2 was an incredible success, winning a plethora of awards, receiving widespread critical acclaim, and selling more than 80 million copies.

9th) God of War Ragnarök

9th Gen: Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X|S

God of War Ragnarök is the sequel to 2018’s God of War, which came close to taking the top spot in the 8th generation. Ragnarök continues the story where its predecessor left off, adding new characters alongside old ones, many of whom are allies and enemies. The story is incredibly well told, the voice acting is absolutely brilliant, and the gameplay is top-tier entertainment. It’s no wonder that God of War Ragnarök won numerous accolades while selling over 15 million copies within a year of release. While it was released on PS4 and PS5, it definitely looks and plays best on the latter.

10th) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

10th Gen: Nintendo Switch 2 | PlayStation 6 | Xbox Project Helix

As of writing, there isn’t a consensus as to when the 10th console generation started, or even if it has begun. That said, some in the industry have pointed to the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 as its beginning. Using that as a guide, the best adventure game on the Switch 2 is, without a doubt, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. While Breath of the Wild is a fantastic game that definitely deserves mention, its sequel is exponentially better, adding more dynamic gameplay options that provide so much entertainment, it’s hard to quantify. Something else may unseat Tears of the Kingdom one day, but as of writing, that seems unlikely.

What’s your all-time favorite adventure game? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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