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 1988

14 of 14

#1 Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) (#38)

Nintendo R&D4 | NES | Platform | ~5h | 63 lists

#2 Mega Man 2 (1988) (#109)

Capcom | NES | Platform | ~3h | 39 lists

#3 Ninja Gaiden (1988) (#369)

Tecmo, Tecmo Koei Games | NES | Hack and Slash / Platform | ~3h | 14 lists

#4 Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (1988) (#548)

Origin Systems | 4, DOS | Role-Playing | ~20h | 8 lists

#5 Bionic Commando (1988) (#624)

Capcom | NES | Platform | ~2h | 10 lists

#6 Snatcher (1988) (#651)

Konami | PC88, MSX, TG16, SCD | Point-and-Click | ~8h | 5 lists

#7 Ghouls 'n Ghosts (1988) (#653)

Capcom | ARC, 5, GEN | Platform | ~2h | 7 lists

#8 Exile (1988) (#878)

Audiogenic | 5 | Action-Adventure | ~5h | 4 lists

#9 Wasteland (1988) (#1072)

Interplay Productions | A2, C64, DOS | Role-Playing | ~25h | 3 lists

#10 King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella (1988) (#1150)

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

#11 R.C. Pro-Am (1988) (#1158)

Rare | NES | Racing / Vehicular Combat | ~2h | 6 lists

#12 Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (1988) (#1197)

Lucasfilm Games | DOS, 4 | Point-and-Click | ~5h | 2 lists

#13 Ice Hockey (1988) (#1287)

Nintendo R&D4, Pax Softonica | NES, FDS | Sports | ~36m | 5 lists

#14 Carrier Command (1988) (#1369)

Realtime Games Software Ltd. | DOS, MAC, 5 | Vehicle Simulation | 2 lists

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