9 Best 90s Arcade Games That You Should Know Update 04/2024

Best 90s Arcade Games

Arcade games have a long history that goes back about 50 years. From Pong to Pac-Man, the ’70s and ’80s were the first to make games that would become console classics, like Pac-Man. Donkey Kong games were made before the series became a huge hit on Nintendo consoles just a few years later.

When it comes to games in the arcade, the ’90s took them to a whole new level. Fighting games were popular because of games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was one of the games that was popular. A lot of great classic games were made in the 1990s, as well as a lot of great games that would become some of the best arcade games of all time.

1. Killer Instinct (1994)

Killer Instinct (1994)

Killer Instinct is a very good fighting game, even though it hasn’t aged as well as some of its competitors. It’s somewhere in the middle of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. The 1994 game brought a lot of new things to the genre, and it had a combo system that was better than the rest at the time of Killer Instinct’s release.

The game has fast-paced gameplay, satisfying ending moves, impressive graphics for its time, and a great soundtrack. Killer Instinct is fun to play even now. The arcade version of the game is still fun to play.

2. Ninja Baseball Bat Man (1993)

Ninja Baseball Bat Man is a forgotten game that didn’t get much attention in Western arcades. It’s a video game that makes you laugh. A beat ’em up about four robot heroes striving to retrieve a statue of Babe Ruth, Ninja Baseball Bat Man takes players on camp-fueled adventures with accessible combat, unforgettable villains, and charming visuals.

Ninja Baseball Bat Man didn’t stand out in a decade full of beat ’em ups. However, the game has held up better than most of its peers. It is so much fun.

3. Windjammers (1994)

Windjammers (1994)

When Windjammers came out in the 1990s, it was one of the most surprising games to come back more than two decades later. It was made for the PS4 in 2017 and is set to get a sequel in 2022. The sports game wants players to win a very hard game of frisbee, but frisbee. On the surface, that might not sound very interesting. However, Windjammers has a lot of interesting things going on.

Windjammers is a great game to play, whether you play it in an arcade or at home with your own games. All six characters have different stats and special throws, and players can choose which one they want to play as when they play. People play against each other to see who can score 12 points first. But the shots have little tricks that make a big difference in the fights. Hopefully, Windjammers 2 is as fun as the first one.

4. Daytona USA (1994)

As far back as the mid-’90s, Sega’s arcade game was a big hit. Daytona USA is still one of the most well-known racing games from this time. Great music and stunning graphics for its time made Daytona USA an entirely new kind of game. It was years ahead of other console games at the time.

This was the kind of game that people hoped they would one day be able to play at home. This made arcades worth going to in the 1990s. When consoles could play games like Daytona USA and more well, arcades lost some of their appeal and reason for being there.

5. The Simpsons (1991)

The Simpsons (1991)

The Simpsons has had a lot of video game adaptations. Some of them are good, but most of them aren’t worth your time. The Simpsons is what the game is called. It came out when the show was at its peak in popularity, and the game captures the excitement of being in Springfield.

You’ll love The Simpsons because it has a fun look, great animation, and great gameplay. It’s also one of the best arcade games of all time.

6. Smash TV (1990)

Smash TV was a dual-stick shooter that used to take all of someone’s coins. Once the chaos started, it was hard to put down. Smash TV is broken up into levels that send waves of enemies at the player, quickly turning the game into a chaotic mess. This makes for an action-packed experience with no down time.

Smash TV has a lot of things that make up its history, like power-ups, a tonne of cheap enemies, and cheesy announcements. They aren’t as good as the arcade version, but they are still fun.

7. Soulcalibur (1998)

Soulcalibur (1998)

The Soul Edge game engine was used to make the SoulCalibur arcade game. It had better mechanics, new characters, and a new look that helped define the 1990s fighting game genre.

Adding to the game’s appeal was a soundtrack that blew most of its competitors out of the water at the time.

To make the Dreamcast port even better, it would add a single-player Mission Mode and new players, but it was the arcade version that first caught our attention. It’s a great arcade game.

8. Dance Dance Revolution (1998)

dance dance revolution is one of the most well-known rhythm games ever made by Konami, which came out in 1998. People play the game by using buttons on the ground to match symbols that fly by in front of them on the screen. It is very simple.

DDR’s mix of anime, pop, and dance music, as well as its competitive nature, quickly made the game a big hit with people all over the world.

As time passed, the game became so popular that it moved to PlayStation and the GameCube at some point. If you go to a lot of arcades, you’ll often see new versions of Dance Dance Revolution. The platform shown above is called Dance Dance Revolution Extreme.

9. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo (1994)

Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo (1994)

With its fun characters and fighting styles, Super Street Fighter caught our attention. However, the gameplay was often slow, which made the game a little less exciting.

To fix the slow gameplay, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo added the Turbo speed function, which made the game a lot better.

Still, there are tournaments for this game today. There were also a lot of different versions made by the Capcom team after this one. There was a game called “button mashing” that I used to play all the time when I was younger and it is still one of my favourite 1990s arcade games. I’ll fight you over that claim.