10 Best Retro Games: Exciting Blasts from the Past in 2026

They are not just about nostalgia either. Many of them are still genuinely fun to play today.

If you feel like revisiting some old favorites or trying them out for the first time, this list brings together 10 of the best retro games and their modern versions that I think are absolutely worth your time.

Our Top Picks for Retro Games

While each of the retro games on this list made huge names for themselves by creating video game history, some deserve special mention:

Pac-Man

(1980)

– Eating pellets in a maze while running from ghosts makes for easy, addictive fun for literally everyone.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991)

– This Zelda game is a shining example of what makes the franchise so great.

Super Mario World (1991)

– This SNES launch title elevated everything the NES Mario games did, and redefined platforming perfection.

And while these are the best of the best on this list, keep scrolling to see the full list of retro games here, as well as some more historical tidbits and great deals.

10 Best Retro Games That Still Hold Up Today

Narrowing down a massive pool of classics into a list of the best retro games was not easy. I looked beyond just popularity and nostalgia, considering how well each title still plays today, its impact on the industry, and how it has been received over time.

Some of these games have modern remakes that helped keep them relevant, while others remain timeless purely because of their design.

Now let’s get into the picks. How many of these classics have you played?

Pac-Man

The Arcade Icon That Started It All

Our Score ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ Arcade (original), too many to list 1980 / 2016 Creator/s Namco Average Playtime Variable First up on this list is a game that predated even Mario’s debut:

Pac-Man

. This game was a massive commercial success (with over billion made in), and the eponymous yellow ball is now one of Bandai Namco’s faces and is frequently on the list of greatest games of all time.

You control Pac-Man, who must navigate a maze and eat all the pellets. Along the way, you’ll be chased by ghosts (Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde), each of whom will move randomly, but at higher difficulties, they become much faster and attempt to cut off or preempt your moves.

Why we chose it Short, sweet, and always challenging, the original PAC-MAN manages to take a basic task and turn it into an amazingly addictive gameplay loop, turning it into a global phenomenon.

Pac-Man

’s success came both from how addictive its gameplay was as well as how it was made to cater to as many gamers as possible. Lead designer Toru Iwatani wanted to make a game that would appeal to women and children, in contrast to the more masculine appeal of other games at the time. The rest, as they say, is history.

Even today,

Pac-Man

’s legacy is still strong.

While Namco tried their hand at different genres such as platforming and action

Pac-Man

games, nothing beats the original. This gameplay is still incredibly strong today, as can be seen in’s PAC-MAN 256, an endless take on the classic

Pac-Man

.

My Verdict:

The original PAC-MAN epitomizes the simple yet highly addictive game design that dominated the early 80s, and it’s still very much worth playing today.

DOOM

The Retro Game That Defined a Genre

• Our Score
• ☆
• ★
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• ★
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• ★
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• ★
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• ★
• (Reboot) PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series One
• (Original) 1993 / 2017, (Reboot) 2016
• Creator/s
• (Original) id Software, (Reboot) id Software, Bethesda
• Average Playtime
• (Original) ~5 hours, (Reboot) ~12 hours

Now for another genre-defining FPS:

DOOM

. Few will debate just how big of a splash this classic FPS game had, and while the reboot which we’ll be talking about wasn’t as influential, it’s still every bit as hardcore as the original.

As with pretty much every retro game,

DOOM

doesn’t need much of a story. You play as Doomguy, a demon-killing space marine who’ll march from Mars to the bowels of Hell itself. All the while, you’ll shoot, blast, and gib demons of every sort in visceral, bloody combat. Simple, manly, and super badass. And yes, that describes both the and versions.

Why we chose it The original

DOOM

paved the way for the modern FPS genre with its punchy gameplay and atmospheric design. This legacy endures up to this day, with shooters like Call of Duty, Halo, and yes,

DOOM

(2016).

Even though

DOOM

itself would reboot the franchise in, not much has changed. It’s still the same enjoyable demon-killing romp, this time utilizing modern hardware for an even more immersive experience. And while it’s not as influential as the original (it’s hard to make history twice), DOOM 2016 is still very much worth a look for those looking to play retro games.

My Verdict:

The original

DOOM

was a true milestone for video games, and even in its modern incarnation, it’s still very entertaining.

★ The Retro Game That Defined a Genre Play the original on the Nintendo Switch DOOM (2016)

Street Fighter II [The Retro Fighting Game Revolution]

Our Score ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ Too many to list Creator/s Capcom Average Playtime Variable

Street Fighter II

is a game that I believe requires no introduction. Despite the meager performance of the original Street Fighter,

Street Fighter II

was and still is an incredibly influential title; I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that it’s a cornerstone of the fighting video game genre.

Street Fighter II

does have a token story, but it just gets in the way of gameplay. Besides, it’s much more fun to pick your favorite from characters and beat the crap out of the AI or other people in strategic, tense 1v1 combat, all of which makes for some pretty wild fun.

Why we chose it

Street Fighter II

isn’t just incredible fun. It also single-handedly codified many of the genre’s mechanics, such as combos (which were a bug, btw), cancels, and movesets unique to each character.

Today, we’ve got stuff like Tekken and Mortal Kombat on consoles ranging from PC to Xbox. But without

Street Fighter II

laying the foundations, these fighting games (and heck, the entire genre) would not exist as we know them.

My Verdict:

Street Fighter II

’s fast and furious battles make it a title worth your time, even with the advent of more modern video games.

• ★ The Retro Fighting Game Revolution
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo
• Street Fighter Games

Streets of Rage 2 [Retro Beat ’Em Up Excellence]

• Our Score
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• Sega Genesis, Sega Megadrive, Game Gear, Nintendo 3DS
• Creator/s
• Sega
• Average Playtime
• ~3 hours
• Last, but definitely not least on this list is the formidable

Streets of Rage 2

. While Sonic was Sega’s flagship series, they had other excellent games as well, such as this perfect mix of action, rhythm, and co-op fun.

In this game, you and up to one other friend pick from one of characters (Axel, Blaze, Max, and Skate), each of whom have their own fighting styles. Story-wise, you’re supposed to be fighting against the Syndicate, a crime organization that’s utterly infested their city. This translates to walking around and taking down bad guys with punches, kicks, throws, and more.

Why we chose it There are a lot of memorable arcade brawlers, yes, but

Streets of Rage 2

is the gold standard against which others in the genre are judged.

While there were a ton of side-scrolling beat-em-ups in the s and s (especially in arcades), none of them could quite reach the quality that

Streets of Rage 2

had. Sure, the beat-em-up genre was nothing new, but Streets of Rage 2’s superb presentation and refinements to gameplay makes it a video game that’s still worth diving into today.

Lastly, I should point out that Streets of Rage 2 is part of the Sega Genesis Collection, which as of writing can only be redeemed via key, making it a true collector’s item.

My Verdict:

Streets of Rage 2

is a short and sweet game that’s a great pick not just for retro players, but those looking for some uncomplicated fun.