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 1989
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#1 SimCity (1989) (#121)
Maxis
|
DOS,
MAC,
5,
SNES
|
City Building
|
~16h
|
37 lists
#2 Prince of Persia (1989) (#193)
Brøderbund Software
|
6,
DOS,
MAC,
TG16
|
Platform
|
~2h
|
27 lists
#3 Populous (1989) (#423)
Bullfrog Productions
|
3,
SMS,
GEN,
SNES
|
God Game
|
~12h
|
12 lists
#4 Herzog Zwei (1989) (#456)
Technosoft
|
GEN
|
Real-Time Strategy
|
~6h
|
9 lists
#5 Final Fight (1989) (#494)
Capcom
|
ARC,
SNES
|
Beat 'em Up
|
~1h
|
12 lists
#6 Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse (1989) (#603)
Konami
|
NES
|
Platform
|
~4h
|
9 lists
#7 Phantasy Star II (1989) (#656)
Sega R&D 2
|
GEN
|
Role-Playing
|
~27h
|
8 lists
#8 Baseball Stars (1989) (#683)
SNK
|
NES
|
Sports
|
~9h
|
8 lists
#9 DuckTales (1989) (#764)
Capcom
|
NES,
GB
|
Platform
|
~2h
|
6 lists
#10 Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (1989) (#773)
Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
|
SMS,
TG16
|
Action-Adventure /
Platform
|
~6h
|
4 lists
#11 Golden Axe (1989) (#776)
Team Shinobi
|
ARC,
SMS,
GEN
|
Beat 'em Up
|
~1h
|
7 lists
#12 Strider / Strider Hiryū (1989) (#815)
Capcom
|
ARC,
DOS,
3,
GEN
|
Hack and Slash /
Platform
|
~1h
|
5 lists
#13 Stunt Car Racer / Stunt Track Racer (1989) (#817)
Microplay Software, MicroStyle
|
DOS,
5
|
Racing
|
~3h
|
6 lists
#14 The Revenge of Shinobi / The Super Shinobi (1989) (#848)
Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
|
GEN
|
Hack and Slash /
Platform
|
~2h
|
5 lists
#15 River City Ransom / Street Gangs (1989) (#886)
Technos Japan
|
NES
|
Action-Adventure /
Beat 'em Up
|
~2h
|
5 lists
#16 Double Dragon II: The Revenge (NES) (1989) (#1140)
Technos Japan
|
NES
|
Beat 'em Up
|
3 lists
#17 Buster Bros. / Pang / Pomping World (1989) (#1251)
Mitchell Corporation
|
ARC,
DOS,
5
|
Action
|
~1h
|
2 lists
#18 Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero (1989) (#1306)
Sierra On-Line
|
DOS,
3
|
Adventure /
Role-Playing
|
2 lists
#19 Midwinter (1989) (#1367)
Rainbird
|
DOS,
AST,
AMI
|
Strategy /
Action RPG
|
~3h
|
2 lists
#20 Super Mario Land (1989) (#1376)
Nintendo R&D1
|
GB
|
Platform
|
~1h
|
3 lists
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