Acclaimed Video Games
The top 1,400 most recommended games across 913 critic lists from 142 publications.
Updated: March 25, 2026
Most Acclaimed Video Games of 1981
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#1 Donkey Kong (1981) (#121)
Ikegami Tsushinki, Nintendo
|
ARC
,
NES
|
Platform
|
~18m
|
34 lists
#2 Galaga (1981) (#158)
Namco Limited
|
ARC
|
Shooter
|
~48m
|
24 lists
#3 Defender (1981) (#253)
Shockwave, Williams Electronics
|
ARC
,
A26
|
Shooter
|
~42m
|
20 lists
#4 Ultima / Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (1981) (#482)
California Pacific Computer, Sierra On-Line
|
A2,
A8
|
Role-Playing
|
~6h
|
10 lists
#5 Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (1981) (#538)
Sir-tech Software
|
7
,
NES
,
MAC
|
Role-Playing
|
~25h
|
10 lists
#6 Frogger (1981) (#627)
Konami
|
ARC
|
Action
|
~36m
|
8 lists
#7 Centipede (1981) (#659)
Atari
|
ARC
,
3
,
A8,
C64
|
Shooter
|
~18m
|
9 lists
#8 Tempest (1981) (#716)
Atari
|
ARC
,
4
|
Shooter
|
~54m
|
7 lists
#9 Warlords (1981) (#836)
Atari
|
ARC
,
A26
|
Action
|
~12m
|
5 lists
#10 Qix (1981) (#1011)
Taito
|
ARC
,
3
,
A52
,
NES
|
Puzzle
|
~42m
|
5 lists
#11 Scramble (1981) (#1184)
Konami
|
ARC
,
VECT
,
TT
|
Shooter
|
~24m
|
3 lists
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