Best retro games in 2021 best videogames of all times

Oldschool games GTA Vice City to Super Mario World, here’s our list of the top best retro games of all time. We’re convinced that our list of the best retro games we’ve listed here is still worth your time and holds up well today. Since the earlier days of Computer Space and Pong in the 1970s, video games have grown in various directions and encompass a wide spectrum of genres retro video games.

It’s impossible to condense all of those games into a single definitive list, but we did our best. Many of these games are now playable on modern platforms old school games, whether as part of a compilation, an online service, or a brand-new remaster, so vintage video games we’ve also included links to where you can acquire these oldies 80s pc games list.

And, classic video games in case you’re wondering, what do we believe to be the best retro games?

We’ve included everything from the Xbox to the PlayStation 2 and GameCube oldschool games. Some of the games on this list set new standards for others to follow, while others received critical acclaim upon their first release, but all of them are still a lot of fun to play. So let’s get started old video games.

The best retro video games In 2022

1. OutRun 2006

• Outrun 2006: Coast to Coast is one of our favourite retro games
• PSP, PC, PS2, and Xbox are the platforms on which it was released.
• It was released in 2006.

We could have included a plethora of fantastic racing games on this list old school video games, but Sumo Digital’s riotously colourful arcade racer is the one we keep coming back. Sumo’s port is fantastic no matter what system you play it on. It’s essentially a retooled update of OutRun 2 SP, an expansion for the 2003 smash hit OutRun 2.

Coast 2 Coast features its titular main mode, which offers an unbelievable variety of difficulties ranging from outrunning opponent racers to drifting as stylishly as possible, in addition to accurately replicating the 30 stages from both games. It’s not just one of the best arcade racers ever made, but it also shows how a game can adapt to outperform its equally illustrious forefather. Please bring it back, 80s video games Sega, for current consoles best videogames of all times.

2. Shenmue

• Shenmue is one of our favourite retro games
• Dreamcast was the platform on which the game was released.
• In 1999, it was released.

While its sequel certainly offers more combat pc games from the 80s, arcade fun, and forklift truck driving, the original Shenmue first demonstrated Sega’s final console’s absolute raw power.

Yu Suzuki chose the Dreamcast to realise his dream for what would be (for its time, at least) a game of astonishing realism that felt a world away from the various arcade-themed games that had dominated Sega’s console after repeatedly navigating Sega through the treacherous seas of the arcade industry.
Its unique persistent environment felt so unusual that a slew of fans fell in love with it, resulting in the franchise’s revival two decades later video game retro.

Purchase Shenmue 1/2
PS4 / Xbox One remastered now

3. Castlevania

• One of our favourite retro games is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
• PlayStation version released
• In 1997, it was released.
• Boot Cover for Protection
• Weifang Konzervative

Konami’s horrific masterpiece was born when gamers were enthralled with cutting-edge 3D technology.
Rather than giving in to public pressure, director Toru Hagihara and the rest of his crew (which included future Castlevania series chief, Koji Igarashi) steadfastly kept the same side-on concept that had served the series well in its 8 and 16-bit incarnations.

The difference here was that instead of merely exploring linear stages, the player (as Alucard) was thrown into a looming non-linear castle with many surprises hidden within its massive inverted walls popular retro games.
It was such a success that several subsequent handheld Castlevanias used the same format, and it helped popularise the term Metroidvania.

4. Elite is one of our Best retro games

• When was it released?
• In 1984, it was released.

Yes, best classic games of all time Elite is crustier than a week-old slice of bread, but it still can impress with its exciting combat, rich layers of strategy, and the sheer expanse of its massive universe. Elite, coded by David Braben and Ian Bell and inspired by a wide range of media (Battlestar Galactica to Star Wars 2001: A Space Odyssey), presented an incredible universe of possibilities as you manoeuvred your Cobra Mark III across a world bursting with adventure.

The Elite franchise goes on, and Brayburn is still at the helm, yet something about the original game’s procedurally generated worlds makes us want to go back and explore them.

5. Monkey Island The Mysterious Island

• One of our favourite retro games is The Secret of Monkey Island
• Originally published by: Various
• In 1990, it was released.

Point-and-click adventures were a major deal in the 1980s and 1990s, and Lucasfilm dominated the genre.
Due to its razor-sharp humour, utterly captivating characters, and hard puzzles, Monkey Island remains possibly the best game in the company’s legendary point-and-click canon popular 80s video games monkey edge.

Developed by Ron Gilbert, David Grossman, and Tim Schafer, the game’s focus on sharp one-liners, an authentic gaming world – inspired in part by Disney’s Pirates Of The Caribbean ride – and a solid narrative has given the game a timeless appeal that makes it a joy to play even today best old video games.

Is now available for purchase on Steam

6. R-Type

• R-Type is one of our favourite retro games
• Originally published on: Arcade
• In 1987, it was released.

The shoot-’em-up genre is nearly as old as gaming itself, and this particular gem first exploded onto the scene in 1987 and remains just as important today owing to a modern release in the state of R-Type Dimensions EX video games classics. Irem’s shooter game has everything you want from a genre game, including rewarding power-ups, punishing attack waves, and some excellent monsters that are as difficult to defeat as they are bizarre to look. Sure, it’s difficult, but it’s never unfair, and dozens of other games have imitated its massive mothership on stage 3. A great classic for all eternity most popular retro games.

It’s currently available digitally on iOS, Switch, PS4, Steam, and Xbox One

7. Grand Theft Auto: video game developed by Rockstar Games.

• GTA Vice City is one of our favourite retro games
• Originally available for PC, PS2, and Xbox.
• In 2002, it was released.

Yes, must play retro games GTA 3 was the first game to be released, and yes, San Andreas expanded the franchise in exciting new directions, though neither game is as fantastic as Vice City.
The best vintage video games experiences of Tommy Vercetti’s rise to power may depend laboriously on a glut of classic movies, despite it also works because of its entertaining task structure, over-the-top violence, and complete and utter commitment to catching the nostalgia of the 1980s, from the neon-drenched cover to the heavily licenced soundtrack, which includes everything from Kim Wild’s Kids In America to Toto’s Africa.
Then there’s the fantastic Hollywood voice cast, which includes such heavyweights as Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds, and Ray Liotta as the game’s protagonist.

8. Streets of  Rage 2

• One of our favourite retro games is Streets of Rage 2.
• Originally available on: Mega Drive
• In 1992, it was released.

If we were including modern brawlers here, Streets Of Rage 4 might take the award, but because we’re only looking at the good old days of gaming, Sega’s great sequel takes the prize.
Everything about Streets Of Rage 2 was larger and more useful than its predecessor, from the vastly improved visuals to Yuzo Koshiro’s thunderous soundtrack (which occasionally smartly riffed off his work in the original game) to the game’s unexpectedly deep combat mechanisms top ten retro games.
Skate and Max, two new fighters, joined Blaze and Axel as they kicked and pummelled their way through the filthy streets in pursuit of Mr X.

9. Half-Life 2

• Half-Life 2 is one of our favourite retro games
• Initially available on: PC
• Advertisement published in 2004

Half-Life may have established the formula for atmospheric story-driven first-person shooters, but its superb sequel pushed the genre further popular old video games.
The beauty of Half-Life 2’s sequel is how it always finds new methods to allow you to engage with its vast game area and make the most of its numerous satisfying weaponry.
Then there’s Half-Life 2’s gravity gun, a weapon designed to show off not only the tremendous power of PCs at the time, while also the game’s developers’ brilliant ingenuity.
It’s another famous computer games from the 70s example of a sequel outdoing its acclaimed predecessor in every regard, like OutRun 2006.

Now available on Steam and Xbox via The Orange Box.

10. GoldenEye 007

• One of our favourite retro games is GoldenEye 007
• N64 (Nintendo 64)
• In 1997, it was released.

While Rare’s game’s framerate is showing its age now (especially during multiplayer sessions), its superb level design and solid mission organisation haven’t lost any of their power.
While console shooters and film licences existed before GoldenEye, few had the same flare and self-assurance.
GoldenEye’s dynamic mission structure, in which new goals were introduced as difficulty increased, felt refreshingly novel at the time, and its careful attention to detail provided an impressively genuine rendition of the film it was based 90s video games.
It’s a shame that it’s currently in such a legal muddle that we’ll never be able to play it on new systems.

11. Sonic the Hedgehog

• Sonic the Hedgehog is one of our favourite retro games
• Originally available on: Mega Drive
• In 1991, it was released.

Sega’s blue blur may be 30 years old, but his debut game is still as enjoyable to play today as it was back in 1991. Yuji Naka’s game, designed to compete with Nintendo’s Super Mario series’ platforming supremacy, may have prioritised speed over exploration. Still, it nevertheless provided plenty of opportunities to explore the colourful zones that Sonic sped through. Sonic The Hedgehog quickly became an icon, thanks to some hypnotic-looking visuals and a catchy music by Dreams Come True’s Masato Nakamura, and helped establish Sega’s Mega Drive as the coolest machine to purchase 90’s games.

SEGA Mega Drive Classics is now available on Xbox One, Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC.

12. Final Fantasy VII

• Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
• Originally released on: PlayStation
• In 1997, it was released.

Few Japanese RPGs have had as much impact on the genre as Squaresoft’s Final Fantasy VII.
Sure, it extensively riffs on cyberpunk and has several genre tropes like an amnesia-stricken hero and lengthy bouts of grinding. Still, it also has a good storey, a slew of lovable characters, and one of the genre’s most fearsome villains. Fans may have scoffed at Squaresoft for jumping Nintendo in favour of Sony’s PlayStation. Still, the decision proved wise, as Sony’s CD-ROM-based machine allowed Squaresoft to tell its dramatic storey in ways that a cartridge-based format simply couldn’t.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is currently available on Switch, PS4, Steam, Xbox One, and PS5.

13. Zelda: A Link To The Past

• One of our favourite retro games is Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
• Originally released for the SNES
• In 1991, it was released.

Link’s first SNES adventure remains the series’ best 2D game, and it’s revealing that it took Nintendo 22 years to create a spiritual sequel in the form of A Link Between Worlds.
A Link To The Past offered several firsts to the Zelda series, including a unique parallel world, and it also created a template that Nintendo and others would follow for many years monkey edge.
It keeps the sense of adventure that Shigeru Miyamoto pioneered with his original NES game. Still, it expands on it magnificently with thrilling new weapons, fantastic boss fights, and plenty of mysteries to discover in the vast overworld. It’s just one of the best 2D experiences you’re likely to encounter.

Play it now on the Nintendo Switch Online service on the Switch.

14. Metal Gear Solid

• Originally released on: PlayStation
• In 1998, it was released.

Few game directors are as ambitious and film-oriented as Hideo Kojima, and Metal Gear Solid stood out immediately on a best console with more than its reasonable share of film-like games.
While this was far from Snake’s foremost mission, the power of Sony’s system, along with great voice acting from David Hayter, got the character to life in a way that his 8-bit adventures simply couldn’t.
For all of its outstanding theatrical pace, hard stealth portions, and delightfully cheesy exposition, it’s the many ingenious Kojima flourishes that elevate Metal Gear Solid to probably the series’ best game.

15. Colossus’s Shadow

• Shadow of the Colossus is a entertainment of one of the best retro games of all time Games
• Initially released on: PS2
• In 2005, it was released.

You can practically hear your PS2 strain and creak as it tries to run Fumito Ueda’s massively ambitious game.
Shadow Of The Colossus is a boss thrill, with your protagonist Wander wandering the bleakly gorgeous Forbidden Land in the hopes of resurrecting a young woman named Mono.
Wander, aided by his beloved horse Argo, must solve easy puzzles and platforming to reach the resting places of the great monsters who hold the key to unlocking Mono’s return.
Each colossus you confront becomes a challenge in its own right as you figure out the best method to navigate its often massive bulk to find its weak places.
A absolutely amazing game, bolstered by an astounding score and an unexpectedly deep message.
It’s no surprise that Bluepoint Games has recreated it twice.

Play the remaster on PS4 right now.

16. Super Mario Kart

• One of the top best retro games of all time is Super Mario Kart
• Originally released for the SNES
• In 1992, it was released.

In 1992, Nintendo’s versatile plumber demonstrated that he could drive as well as hop on Koopas’ shells.
Originally conceived as a two-player successor to F-Zero, Nintendo’s brains changed their minds several months in and quickly added Mario and his friends in the game, helping to popularise a complete new sub-genre – kart racing – in the operation.
Super Mario Kart takes the frantic racing and creative track design of F-Zero. It adds the all-important multiplayer mode, and a wonderfully horrific Battle Mode and Time Trials that had us missing all manner of important meetings.
Nintendo created such a successful formula that it has been imitated ever since.

Play it now on the Nintendo Switch Online service on the Switch.

17. Halo: Combat Evolved

• One of our favourite retro games is Halo: Combat Evolved
• Originally released on: Xbox
• It was released in 2001.

While GoldenEye 007 created the groundwork for console first-person shooters, Bungie took the genre to a whole new level, inventing a series of outstanding concepts that are still commonly used today.
Bungie was already well-versed in the genre thanks to its Mac hits Marathon and Durandal. Still, a transfer to Microsoft let it to exercise its creative muscles, resulting in an unrivalled multiplayer experience and solo campaign.

Limiting the player to two weapons may appear to be a crutch, but it greatly expands Halo’s strategy. At the same time, the difficult AI of Halo’s foes, satisfying pace, dynamic open environments, and vehicular-based combat all contributed to the creation of a template that many followed but few surpassed.

Available on Xbox One or Xbox Series X.

18. The World Warrior Best retro games is Street Fighter 2:

• The World Warrior
• Originally released on: Arcade
• In 1991, it was released.

Capcom’s original Street Fighter didn’t exactly light up the arcade world, but its sequel did everything right and evolved such a success that it forever transformed the one-on-one combat genre. The World Warriors of the label were a varied group of combatants, ranging from a muscular Russian wrestler to a green-skinned beastman, and their special skills and fighting styles were as diverse as their blood kinds.

Street Fighter 30th is now available on Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and PC.

19. The Super Mario 64 game

• Super Mario 64 is one of the top best retro games we’ve ever played
• Initially released on: N64
• In 1996, it was released.

One of the most impressive parts of Mario’s initial 3D adventure was how accurate it managed everything.
While an inconsistent camera might occasionally sabotage your efforts, the sheer control you had over Mario himself was incredible, and each painting he leapt into delivered a world that was as varied as it was innovative.
Recognizing that a classic Mario adventure would not work in 3D, Nintendo created many fascinating playgrounds for Mario to explore. It filled them with a range of engaging goals ranging from racing turtles to traversing a hazardous toxic maze.

20. Doomsday

• Doom is one of our favourite retro games
• Originally released by: Various
• In 1993, it was released.

Once upon a time, a first-person shooter wasn’t even called that; it was referred to as a Doom clone.
The game’s seismic impact echoed worldwide, ushering in a new genre and establishing that PCs were a viable gaming platform.
Wolfenstein 3D may have provided the groundwork, but Doom monumentally polished it, giving frantic action, sleek level design, and a superb choice of weapons that still hold up today.

Now available for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC is the 2016 remaster.

21. Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda

• Initially released on: N64
• In 1998, it was released.

If A Link To The Past established the norm for 2D adventures, Ocarina of Time was its 3D counterpart.
Perfectly planned with exciting cutscenes that pushed the captivating plot along while showcasing the power of Nintendo’s new 3D hardware, Ocarina’s greatest accomplishment is probably its solid realistic world that feels lived in and full of character.

22. Super Mario World

• Super Mario World is one of our favourite retro games
• Originally released for the SNES
• In 1990, it was released.

Is it possible for a game to be perfect?

We’re not sure, but it’s difficult to criticise the fourth main game in the Super Mario series. Super Mario World, released as a launch game for Nintendo’s new 16-bit machine, pushed the template of earlier games in the series to its breaking point, producing carefully constructed levels brimming with originality and ingenuity.

It taught Yoshi players, let Mario fly through the air with a new cape power-up, and was riddled with hidden treasures that beckoned you to explore every last nook and corner. It’s a work of art in 2D game design, and it was such a difficult act to follow that we’ve never played a finer 2D platformer since.

Nintendo Switch Online is now available for the Switch.

23. Resident Evil 4

• Resident Evil 4 is one of our favourite retro games
• Originally released on: GameCube
• In 2005, it was released.

Capcom’s brilliant fourth entry of its popular horror series reintroduced fan favourite Leon S Kennedy while reinventing the third-person action game. Resi 4’s DNA can be found in the roots of Gears of War, Uncharted, and countless other titles, but its distinct European setting, dynamic reliance on Quick Time Events, and complete lack of zombies demonstrated that Capcom was ready to take its successful brand in a radical new path. Its success has resulted in numerous reissues throughout the years, and it is currently accessible on VR.

Play it right now on Steam 4.

24. Tetris

• Game of Tetris
• Originally released by: Various
• In 1984, it was released.

Alexey Pajitnov’s intellectual puzzler began life on a Russian computer (the Electronika 60, in case you were wondering). Still, it has since gone on to earn global renown on a manner of platforms, from the lowly Spectrum to Nintendo’s Switch. While Tetris has taken numerous shapes over the years, its essential premise of carefully lining up separate Tetrominos to form lines that will later disappear has remained consistent, allowing anyone, young or old, to grasp it and start playing right away.

25. Tomb Raider 6

• Tomb Raider is one of our favourite retro games
• Originally released on the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and PC.
• In 1996, it was released.

Lara Croft was not the first female character to appear in a videogame, but she is perhaps the most important.
The affluent aristocrat was popular outside of the gaming world, and she swiftly became one of the rare videogame characters to transcend the medium that gave birth to her. Tomb Raider best retro games In 2021wasn’t only about Lara (important to gaming). Still, the Toby Gard-helmed game was a cracking experience in its own right, letting players to explore scary animal-filled tombs that delivered a startling feeling of scale that many believe the series has never surpassed.

Is currently available on Steam.