Acclaimed Video Games

The top 1,400 most recommended games across 920 critic lists from 146 publications.

Updated: October 16, 2026

Most Acclaimed Video Games of 1981

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#1 Donkey Kong (1981) (#123)

Ikegami Tsushinki, Nintendo | ARC, NES | Platform | ~18m | 36 lists

#2 Galaga (1981) (#163)

Namco Limited | ARC | Shooter | ~48m | 25 lists

#3 Defender (1981) (#264)

Shockwave, Williams Electronics | ARC, A26 | Shooter | ~42m | 21 lists

#4 Ultima / Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (1981) (#488)

California Pacific Computer, Sierra On-Line | A2, A8 | Role-Playing | ~6h | 10 lists

#5 Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (1981) (#535)

Sir-tech Software | 7, NES, MAC | Role-Playing | ~26h | 11 lists

#6 Frogger (1981) (#629)

Konami | ARC | Action | ~36m | 9 lists

#7 Centipede (1981) (#650)

Atari | ARC, 3, A8, C64 | Shooter | ~12m | 10 lists

#8 Tempest (1981) (#723)

Atari | ARC, 4 | Shooter | ~42m | 8 lists

#9 Warlords (1981) (#824)

Atari | ARC, A26 | Action | ~12m | 6 lists

#10 Qix (1981) (#989)

Taito | ARC, 3, A52, NES | Puzzle | ~42m | 6 lists

#11 Zaxxon (1981) (#1044)

Sega Enterprises, Ltd. | ARC, 5, 4, DOS | Shooter | ~12m | 6 lists

#12 Scramble (1981) (#1137)

Konami | ARC, VECT, TT | Shooter | ~24m | 4 lists

#13 Castle Wolfenstein (1981) (#1383)

Muse Software | 3 | Action-Adventure / Stealth | 5 lists

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