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Best arcade games on GamesNostalgia

Arcade games are video games commonly installed in cabinets and placed in bars; they were very common in the '80s. Many arcade games were ported to home computers and consoles, even if the conversion sometimes required the removal of some features due to different hardware. However, in this case, we are not really talking about actual arcades but more about the genre. Arcade games are often simple titles based on skills and speed. Initially, they were based on single screens - think about Pac-Man and Space Invaders, for example, but then they started to feature scrolling screens.

In this group, you can find some of the most popular titles in the history of video games, such as Taito's Bubble Bobble or CAPCOM's Ghosts 'N Goblins. Some of the best beat-em-ups have been born as arcades, like Street Fighter or Double Dragon. SEGA's Golden Axe was a fantastic example of a hack-and-slash theme with cooperative action for two players (that could choose between 3 different characters). We should also not forget OutRun, an arcade that revolutionized racing games, and Irem's R-Type, a title that set the standard for horizontal scrolling space shooters. And let's not forget Arkanoid, the successor of Breakout. The list is long, but we cannot end this overview without mentioning one of the cutest platformers ever created, Taito's The New Zealand Story. In the list below, you will also find some games not originally born as coin-ops but only inspired by the classic arcades of the past. If you are interested in this genre, we suggest you also check the group coin-op conversion.

DX-Ball windows

DX-Ball is a 'breakout' clone, based on the popular Amiga game Megaball, developed for Windows in 1996 by Michael P. Welch..

Year: 1996 Genre: Arcade

arcade breakout clone freeware paddle pong

The House of the Dead windows

The House of the Dead is a shooter arcade game with an action-horror thematic created by Sega and released in 1996. The title was ported to Sega Saturn and Windows in 1998. These l...

Year: 1998 Genre: Shooter

3d arcade coin-op conversion first-person horror rail shooter

Supaplex dosamiga

Supaplex is a puzzle game developed by Think!Ware Development and published by Digital Integration in 1991 for the Amiga and DOS. Despite the fact the name sounds like a wrestling...

Year: 1991 Genre: Arcade

amiga original game arcade boulder dash variants clone freeware puzzle strategy

Street Fighter II dosgenesisamiga

Street Fighter II is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter and was developed and published by Capcom in 1991. Originally made for arcades, it was later released for other platforms, including that Amiga and PC.

Year: 1992 Genre: Brawler

2 players anime arcade brawler competitive fighting

Deluxe Galaga amiga

Deluxe Galaga is a shareware remake of the famous arcade Galaga for the Amiga. It was created in 1993 by Edgar M. Vigdal (also the author of Deluxe PacMan). The game is an enhan...

Year: 1994 Genre: Arcade

2 players aga amiga original game arcade enhanced remakes shareware shooter top-down

Ghosts 'N Goblins Remake windows

Ghosts 'n Goblins Remake is a freeware clone of the 1985 popular side-scrolling platforming game developed by Capcom for arcades..

Year: 2004 Genre: Arcade

arcade clone dark fantasy enhanced remakes freeware horror platformer side-scrolling sword and sorcery

Pang amiga

Pang, also known as Buster Bros in the US or Pomping World in Japan, is a 2d platformer arcade created by Mitchell Corporation in 1989. The goal is to destroy balloons that bounce ...

Year: 1990 Genre: Arcade

2 players arcade co-op coin-op conversion

Mortal Kombat II dosamigagenesis

Mortal Kombat II is the second installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise, developed by Midway games and published by Acclaim Entertainment in 1993. This sequel is just one of the ...

Year: 1994 Genre: Brawler

2 players arcade brawler coin-op conversion fighting martial arts motion capture versus violence

Super Street Fighter II Turbo dosamiga

Super Street Fighter II Turbo is a competitive fighting game created by Capcom and released initially as an arcade in 1994. It is the fifth game in the Street Fighter 2 series, b...

Year: 1995 Genre: Brawler

2 players 3do aga arcade brawler competitive fighting versus

Bubble Bobble amiga

Bubble Bobble is one of the most famous arcades ever created and a personal favorite of GamesNostalgia. This 2D cartoon action platformer designed by Fukio Mitsuji (aka MTJ) was released by Taito initially in 1986.

Year: 1987 Genre: Platformer

2 players arcade clear screen co-op coin-op conversion platformer

Dyna Blaster amiganes

Bomberman, or as it's known in Europe, Dyna Blaster, is one of my all-time favorites games. Originally created in 1983 for the PC Engine, it was later ported to the Atari ST and the Amiga.

Year: 1991 Genre: Arcade

arcade competitive maze multiplayer top-down

Rainbow Islands amiga

Rainbow Islands is the sequel to Bubble Bobble and was developed and published by Taito in 1987 for arcades only. It would remain a coin-op until 1990 when it was ported to the Amiga, Commodore 64, and other home platforms.

Year: 1990 Genre: Platformer

arcade cartoon coin-op conversion jumper platformer vertical-scrolling

Tyrian 2000 windows

Tyrian 2000 is a direct re-release of the original sci-fi vertical scrolling shooter Tyrian, developed by Eclipse Software. It was released by Epic Megagames for MS-DOS.

Year: 1999 Genre: Shooter

arcade science fiction shooter v-scrolling shoot-em up

WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game genesis

WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game is a coin-op created by Midway in 1995. It is impossible to deny that many of today's adults grew up with games like Super Mario Bros or Sonic. Bu...

Year: 1995 Genre: Brawler

2 players arcade brawler coin-op conversion competitive fighting licensed motion capture wrestling