Best games
Best Arcade games in 2026
The 250 best Arcade games, ranked from 22,133 critic and player ratings.
The best Arcade game right now is Super Mario World — updated August 2026.
01
Super Mario World
A 2D platformer and first entry on the SNES in the Super Mario franchise, Super Mario World follows Mario as he attempts to defeat Bowser's underlings and rescue Princess Peach from his clutches. The game features a save system, a less linear world map, an expanded movement arsenal and numerous new items for Mario, alongside new approaches to level design and art direction.
100
/100
02
Super Mario Odyssey
Explore incredible places far from the Mushroom Kingdom as you join Mario and his new ally Cappy on a massive, globe-trotting 3D adventure. Use amazing new abilities, like the power to capture and control objects, animals, and enemies to collect Power Moons so you can power up the Odyssey airship and save Princess Peach from Bowser’s wedding plans!
97
/100
03
LittleBigPlanet
Welcome to LittleBigPlanet – a world of infinite possibilities, where imagination becomes reality and the powers of creation are firmly in your hands. If you can think of it, you can create it if you can create it, you can share it if you can share it, you can play it – and watch our colorful LittleBigPlanet grow and diversify! It’s a new kind of game that unleashes the creativity in everyone. Design your own character and play over 50 awesome developer levels packed with dangers to navigate, races to win and puzzles to solve. As you play you will learn the skills to build a world of your own by earning creative tools and collecting hundreds of items. Use these items and tools to shape amazing levels of your own, featuring puzzles, challenges, and enemies of your own design. When you are ready, go online to access the LBP community and Share your creations for everyone to play. LittleBigPlanet is a world with no limits – a world that’s yours to shape, build and explore.
96
/100
Super Mario World
A 2D platformer and first entry on the SNES in the Super Mario franchise, Super Mario World follows Mario as he attempts to defeat Bowser's underlings and rescue Princess Peach from his clutches. The game features a save system, a less linear world map, an expanded movement arsenal and numerous new items for Mario, alongside new approaches to level design and art direction.
100
/100
02
Super Mario Odyssey
Explore incredible places far from the Mushroom Kingdom as you join Mario and his new ally Cappy on a massive, globe-trotting 3D adventure. Use amazing new abilities, like the power to capture and control objects, animals, and enemies to collect Power Moons so you can power up the Odyssey airship and save Princess Peach from Bowser’s wedding plans!
97
/100
03
LittleBigPlanet
Welcome to LittleBigPlanet – a world of infinite possibilities, where imagination becomes reality and the powers of creation are firmly in your hands. If you can think of it, you can create it if you can create it, you can share it if you can share it, you can play it – and watch our colorful LittleBigPlanet grow and diversify! It’s a new kind of game that unleashes the creativity in everyone. Design your own character and play over 50 awesome developer levels packed with dangers to navigate, races to win and puzzles to solve. As you play you will learn the skills to build a world of your own by earning creative tools and collecting hundreds of items. Use these items and tools to shape amazing levels of your own, featuring puzzles, challenges, and enemies of your own design. When you are ready, go online to access the LBP community and Share your creations for everyone to play. LittleBigPlanet is a world with no limits – a world that’s yours to shape, build and explore.
96
/100
04
New Super Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros. is a side-scrolling 2.5D action-adventure platformer game for the Nintendo DS, starring Mario and Luigi. The game features a solo story mode with Mario or Luigi, a two-player wireless game Mario Vs. Luigi, as well as a minigame mode for up to four players. The gameplay of New Super Mario Bros. is very much like that of the classic 2D platformers, mostly Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3, and substantially builds upon them to create gameplay both classic and contemporary. As the game is on DS, the touch screen allows players to store an additional power-up and view the distance still to go in a level.
95
/100
05
Forza Horizon 5
Your Ultimate Horizon Adventure awaits! Explore the vibrant and ever-evolving open-world landscapes of Mexico with limitless, fun driving action in hundreds of the world’s greatest cars.
94
/100
06
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
In the year 1986, Tommy Vercetti is heavily indebted to his mafia superiors after a drug deal gone awry, but his dreams of taking over Vice City (based on Miami) push him down a different path. Featuring a wide variety of vehicles and weapons, radio stations playing hit songs from the era and an intense atmosphere, GTA: Vice City is an open-world sandbox satire of '80's Miami.
94
/100
07
Burnout 3: Takedown
94
/100
08
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
94
/100
09
Burnout Paradise
Evolve or die. For Paradise, we knew we had to change everything. Burnout was a killer arcade driving game, but for a new generation of hardware and connected player Burnout had to become something more ambitious. Closed tracks made way for an expansive, open city, and we seamlessly synced your friends into the action and let you loose on a heap of cool challenges that unsurprisingly rewarded you for driving like a lunatic. Hey, it’s us after all.
93
/100
10
Cut the Rope
93
/100
11
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
93
/100
12
Rock Band 3
92
/100
13
PaRappa the Rapper
92
/100
14
Vampire Survivors
91
/100
15
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
91
/100
16
Street Fighter IV
91
/100
17
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
91
/100
18
Asphalt 8: Airborne
91
/100
19
Mario Kart 8
91
/100
20
Forza Horizon 4
90
/100
21
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
90
/100
22
Super Mario Kart
90
/100
23
Mario Kart DS
90
/100
24
Jetpack Joyride
90
/100
25
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
90
/100
26
Omega Strikers
90
/100
27
Lethal League Blaze
90
/100
28
Mullet Madjack
90
/100
29
Rayman Origins
89
/100
30
Tetris Effect: Connected
89
/100
31
Forza Horizon 3
88
/100
32
Sid Meier's Pirates!
88
/100
33
Colin McRae: DiRT 2
88
/100
34
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
88
/100
35
Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit
88
/100
36
Alto's Odyssey
88
/100
37
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
88
/100
38
Lonely Mountains: Downhill
88
/100
39
Rayman Jungle Run
88
/100
40
Burnout 2: Point of Impact
88
/100
41
What the Golf?
88
/100
42
Risk of Rain 2
87
/100
43
Cuphead
87
/100
44
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
87
/100
45
DiRT 3
87
/100
46
Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time
87
/100
47
Angry Birds Rio
87
/100
48
Braid
87
/100
49
Peggle
87
/100
50
Venba
87
/100
New Super Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros. is a side-scrolling 2.5D action-adventure platformer game for the Nintendo DS, starring Mario and Luigi. The game features a solo story mode with Mario or Luigi, a two-player wireless game Mario Vs. Luigi, as well as a minigame mode for up to four players. The gameplay of New Super Mario Bros. is very much like that of the classic 2D platformers, mostly Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3, and substantially builds upon them to create gameplay both classic and contemporary. As the game is on DS, the touch screen allows players to store an additional power-up and view the distance still to go in a level.
95
/100
05
Forza Horizon 5
Your Ultimate Horizon Adventure awaits! Explore the vibrant and ever-evolving open-world landscapes of Mexico with limitless, fun driving action in hundreds of the world’s greatest cars.
94
/100
06
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
In the year 1986, Tommy Vercetti is heavily indebted to his mafia superiors after a drug deal gone awry, but his dreams of taking over Vice City (based on Miami) push him down a different path. Featuring a wide variety of vehicles and weapons, radio stations playing hit songs from the era and an intense atmosphere, GTA: Vice City is an open-world sandbox satire of '80's Miami.
94
/100
07
Burnout 3: Takedown
94
/100
08
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
94
/100
09
Burnout Paradise
Evolve or die. For Paradise, we knew we had to change everything. Burnout was a killer arcade driving game, but for a new generation of hardware and connected player Burnout had to become something more ambitious. Closed tracks made way for an expansive, open city, and we seamlessly synced your friends into the action and let you loose on a heap of cool challenges that unsurprisingly rewarded you for driving like a lunatic. Hey, it’s us after all.
93
/100
10
Cut the Rope
93
/100
11
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
93
/100
12
Rock Band 3
92
/100
13
PaRappa the Rapper
92
/100
14
Vampire Survivors
91
/100
15
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
91
/100
16
Street Fighter IV
91
/100
17
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
91
/100
18
Asphalt 8: Airborne
91
/100
19
Mario Kart 8
91
/100
20
Forza Horizon 4
90
/100
21
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
90
/100
22
Super Mario Kart
90
/100
23
Mario Kart DS
90
/100
24
Jetpack Joyride
90
/100
25
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
90
/100
26
Omega Strikers
90
/100
27
Lethal League Blaze
90
/100
28
Mullet Madjack
90
/100
29
Rayman Origins
89
/100
30
Tetris Effect: Connected
89
/100
31
Forza Horizon 3
88
/100
32
Sid Meier's Pirates!
88
/100
33
Colin McRae: DiRT 2
88
/100
34
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
88
/100
35
Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit
88
/100
36
Alto's Odyssey
88
/100
37
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
88
/100
38
Lonely Mountains: Downhill
88
/100
39
Rayman Jungle Run
88
/100
40
Burnout 2: Point of Impact
88
/100
41
What the Golf?
88
/100
42
Risk of Rain 2
87
/100
43
Cuphead
87
/100
44
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
87
/100
45
DiRT 3
87
/100
46
Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time
87
/100
47
Angry Birds Rio
87
/100
48
Braid
87
/100
49
Peggle
87
/100
50
Venba
87
/100
FAQ
What is the best Arcade game right now?
Super Mario World currently tops the ranking with a score of 100/100 across 1,964 ratings. Ranking updated August 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.