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 1986

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The Legend of Zelda

#1 The Legend of Zelda (1986) (#102)

Nintendo R&D4 | NES, FDS | Action-Adventure | ~8h | 31 lists

Metroid

#2 Metroid (1986) (#227)

Nintendo R&D1 | ARC, NES, FDS | Action-Adventure | ~6h | 22 lists

OutRun

#3 OutRun (1986) (#347)

Sega AM2 | ARC, 3 | Racing | ~36m | 15 lists

Castlevania

#4 Castlevania (1986) (#370)

Konami | DOS, C64, AMI, NES, FDS | Platform | ~3h | 15 lists

Bubble Bobble

#5 Bubble Bobble (1986) (#375)

Taito | ARC, 7, DOS, NES, FDS | Platform | ~3h | 14 lists

Dragon Quest / Dragon Warrior

#6 Dragon Quest / Dragon Warrior (1986) (#515)

Chunsoft | NES | Role-Playing | ~9h | 9 lists

Arkanoid

#7 Arkanoid (1986) (#516)

Taito | ARC, 11, DOS, MAC, NES | Puzzle | ~2h | 9 lists

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

#8 Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986) (#564)

Nintendo R&D4 | FDS, SNES | Platform | ~3h | 8 lists

The Sentinel / The Sentry

#9 The Sentinel / The Sentry (1986) (#595)

Firebird Software | 6, DOS | Puzzle | 6 lists

Kid Icarus

#10 Kid Icarus (1986) (#682)

Nintendo R&D1 | NES, FDS | Action / Platform | ~4h | 7 lists

Defender of the Crown

#11 Defender of the Crown (1986) (#752)

Master Designer Software, Inc. | 4 | Strategy | ~1h | 7 lists

Gauntlet II

#12 Gauntlet II (1986) (#951)

Atari Games | ARC, DOS, 3 | Hack and Slash / Dungeon Crawler | ~4h | 4 lists

Ikari Warriors

#13 Ikari Warriors (1986) (#1096)

SNK | ARC, MSX, CPC, NES | Run and Gun | ~1h | 4 lists

Salamander / Life Force

#14 Salamander / Life Force (1986) (#1107)

Konami | ARC, 4, NES | Shooter | ~48m | 5 lists

Super Sprint

#15 Super Sprint (1986) (#1115)

Atari Games | ARC, A26, 4, NES | Racing | ~24m | 3 lists

King's Quest III: To Heir is Human

#16 King's Quest III: To Heir is Human (1986) (#1161)

Sierra On-Line | A2, DOS | Adventure | ~4h | 3 lists

Thrust

#17 Thrust (1986) (#1207)

Firebird Software, Superior Software | 6 | Shooter | 3 lists

Solomon's Key

#18 Solomon's Key (1986) (#1351)

Tecmo | ARC, DOS, 4, NES, SMS, TG16 | Puzzle | ~4h | 3 lists

Trinity

#19 Trinity (1986) (#1357)

Infocom | 4, DOS, MAC | Interactive Drama | 3 lists

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