Acclaimed Video Games

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

Updated: October 16, 2026

Most Acclaimed Commodore 64/128 Games of All Time

Filters

86 of 86

Tetris

#1 Tetris (1985) (#4)

Alexey Pajitnov | 8, DOS, NES, GB | Puzzle | ~3h | 103 lists

SimCity

#2 SimCity (1989) (#121)

Maxis | DOS, MAC, 5, SNES | City Building | ~16h | 37 lists

Pac-Man

#3 Pac-Man (1980) (#130)

Namco | ARC, 3, 5, DOS, NES | Maze | ~48m | 38 lists

Ms. Pac-Man

#4 Ms. Pac-Man (1982) (#154)

General Computer Corporation (GCC) | ARC, 4, DOS | Maze | ~1h | 30 lists

Elite

#5 Elite (1984) (#199)

Acornsoft, David Braben, Frontier Developments, Ian Bell | 6, DOS | Space Combat | 24 lists

Contra

#6 Contra (1987) (#201)

Konami | ARC, DOS, 3, NES | Run and Gun | ~1h | 29 lists

Sid Meier's Pirates!

#7 Sid Meier's Pirates! (1987) (#237)

MicroProse Software, Inc. | 6, DOS, MAC, NES | Strategy / Action-Adventure | ~8h | 19 lists

Zork

#8 Zork (1977) (#257)

Infocom | 6, DOS, MAC | Adventure / Interactive Drama | 22 lists

Robotron: 2084

#9 Robotron: 2084 (1982) (#302)

Vid Kidz | ARC, 6, DOS, A52, A78 | Shooter | ~18m | 17 lists

#10 Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (1985) (#306)

Origin Systems | 10, DOS, NES | Role-Playing | ~21h | 19 lists

Pitfall!

#11 Pitfall! (1982) (#314)

Activision | 4, 3 | Platform | ~36m | 20 lists

OutRun

#12 OutRun (1986) (#347)

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

R-Type

#13 R-Type (1987) (#358)

Irem | ARC, 7, SMS, TG16 | Shooter | ~1h | 17 lists

Castlevania

#14 Castlevania (1986) (#370)

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

Bubble Bobble

#15 Bubble Bobble (1986) (#375)

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

Lode Runner

#16 Lode Runner (1983) (#395)

Brøderbund Software, Irem | ARC, 4, NES | Puzzle-Platformer | ~2h | 14 lists

Ghosts 'n Goblins

#17 Ghosts 'n Goblins (1985) (#415)

Capcom | ARC, 3, NES | Platform | ~3h | 13 lists

#18 Star Wars (1983) (#433)

Atari, Atari Games | ARC, 3, 7, DOS, MAC | Shooter | ~30m | 12 lists

M.U.L.E.

#19 M.U.L.E. (1983) (#439)

Ozark Softscape | 3, DOS | Strategy | ~2h | 12 lists

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe

#20 Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe (1990) (#462)

The Bitmap Brothers | DOS, 3, SMS, GEN | Action / Sports | ~3h | 12 lists

Marble Madness

#21 Marble Madness (1984) (#467)

Atari Games | ARC, 4, DOS | Racing / Platform | ~36m | 11 lists

Archon: The Light and the Dark

#22 Archon: The Light and the Dark (1983) (#477)

Free Fall Associates | 7, DOS | Action / Strategy | ~24m | 13 lists

Ultima VI: The False Prophet

#23 Ultima VI: The False Prophet (1990) (#508)

Origin Systems | DOS, 3 | Role-Playing | ~24h | 9 lists

Arkanoid

#24 Arkanoid (1986) (#516)

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

Maniac Mansion

#25 Maniac Mansion (1987) (#526)

Lucasfilm Games | A2, C64, DOS, NES | Point-and-Click | ~3h | 11 lists

Ultima III: Exodus

#26 Ultima III: Exodus (1983) (#527)

Origin Systems | 8, DOS, MAC | Role-Playing | ~16h | 10 lists

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

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

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

Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny

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

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

A Mind Forever Voyaging

#29 A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985) (#578)

Infocom | DOS, 3 | Adventure / Interactive Drama | ~6h | 6 lists

The Sentinel / The Sentry

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

Firebird Software | 6, DOS | Puzzle | 6 lists

Manic Miner

#31 Manic Miner (1983) (#611)

Matthew Smith | 5 | Platform | 5 lists

Head over Heels

#32 Head over Heels (1987) (#623)

Ocean Software | 7 | Action-Adventure | 6 lists

Centipede

#33 Centipede (1981) (#650)

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

Ghouls 'n Ghosts

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

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

Battlezone

#35 Battlezone (1980) (#670)

Atari | ARC, A26, VC20, C64 | First-Person Shooter / Vehicular Combat | ~12m | 7 lists

The Bard's Tale

#36 The Bard's Tale (1985) (#671)

Interplay Productions | 6, DOS | Role-Playing | ~22h | 7 lists

Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2

#37 Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 (1987) (#672)

Taito | ARC, 5, NES, SMS, GEN, TG16 | Platform | ~2h | 8 lists

International Karate +

#38 International Karate + (1987) (#678)

System 3 Software | 5 | Fighting | ~48m | 7 lists

Paradroid

#39 Paradroid (1985) (#722)

Graftgold | C64 | Shooter / Puzzle | ~1h | 5 lists

Shinobi

#40 Shinobi (1987) (#738)

Team Shinobi | ARC, DOS, 6, NES, SMS, TG16 | Hack and Slash / Platform | ~1h | 6 lists

Mario Bros.

#41 Mario Bros. (1983) (#748)

Nintendo R&D1 | ARC, A26, A52, 5, NES | Platform | ~54m | 7 lists

Defender of the Crown

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

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

Impossible Mission

#43 Impossible Mission (1984) (#796)

Epyx | 5 | Puzzle / Platform | ~3h | 5 lists

Turrican II: The Final Fight

#44 Turrican II: The Final Fight (1991) (#803)

Factor 5 | 5, GEN | Run and Gun | ~2h | 4 lists

California Games

#45 California Games (1987) (#804)

Epyx | A2, C64, LYNX | Sports | ~2h | 7 lists

Stunt Car Racer / Stunt Track Racer

#46 Stunt Car Racer / Stunt Track Racer (1989) (#817)

Microplay Software, MicroStyle | DOS, 5 | Racing | ~3h | 6 lists

Pole Position

#47 Pole Position (1982) (#818)

Namco | ARC, 3, 5 | Racing | ~24m | 8 lists

Spy Hunter

#48 Spy Hunter (1983) (#822)

Bally Midway | ARC, A26, CV, 6, DOS, NES | Vehicular Combat | ~24m | 9 lists

Jet Set Willy

#49 Jet Set Willy (1984) (#837)

Software Projects | 3 | Platform | ~2h | 5 lists

The Hobbit

#50 The Hobbit (1982) (#863)

Beam Software | 6, DOS | Adventure | ~1h | 5 lists

Smash TV

#51 Smash TV (1990) (#875)

Williams | ARC, 5, NES, SNES, SMS, GEN | Shooter | ~2h | 5 lists

Exile

#52 Exile (1988) (#878)

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

Wizball

#53 Wizball (1987) (#930)

Sensible Software | DOS, 5 | Shooter | ~2h | 3 lists

Boulder Dash

#54 Boulder Dash (1984) (#945)

First Star Software | ARC, 7, CV | Maze / Puzzle | ~3h | 7 lists

Gauntlet II

#55 Gauntlet II (1986) (#951)

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

Football Manager

#56 Football Manager (1982) (#982)

Addictive Games Ltd | 8, DOS | Simulation / Sports | ~2h | 2 lists

Qix

#57 Qix (1981) (#989)

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

Rogue / Rogue: Exploring the Dungeons of Doom

#58 Rogue / Rogue: Exploring the Dungeons of Doom (1980) (#1005)

Artificial Intelligence Design | 8, DOS, MAC | Roguelike | ~10h | 3 lists

Mercenary

#59 Mercenary (1985) (#1016)

Novagen | 5 | Action-Adventure | ~2h | 4 lists

Zaxxon

#60 Zaxxon (1981) (#1044)

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

Paperboy

#61 Paperboy (1985) (#1051)

Atari Games, Vivid Games | ARC, 5, NES | Action | ~1h | 3 lists

Ant Attack

#62 Ant Attack (1983) (#1052)

Sandy White | ZXS, C64 | Action | ~30m | 4 lists

Choplifter

#63 Choplifter (1982) (#1066)

Dan Gorlin | 6, A52 | Shooter | ~54m | 6 lists

Wasteland

#64 Wasteland (1988) (#1072)

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

Blades of Steel / Konamic Ice Hockey

#65 Blades of Steel / Konamic Ice Hockey (1987) (#1089)

Konami | ARC, DOS, C64, AMI, NES, FDS | Sports | ~2h | 3 lists

Salamander / Life Force

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

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

Space Harrier

#67 Space Harrier (1985) (#1110)

Sega AM2 | ARC, 5, SMS, TG16 | Shooter | ~24m | 3 lists

Super Sprint

#68 Super Sprint (1986) (#1115)

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

The Lords of Midnight

#69 The Lords of Midnight (1984) (#1131)

Amsoft, Beyond, Mindscape, Inc. | 3 | Role-Playing / Strategy | ~6h | 3 lists

Bomb Jack

#70 Bomb Jack (1984) (#1155)

Tehkan | ARC, 4 | Platform | ~42m | 3 lists

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

#71 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1984) (#1164)

Infocom | 7, DOS, MAC | Adventure / Interactive Drama | 4 lists

Spy vs. Spy

#72 Spy vs. Spy (1984) (#1174)

First Star Software, Vatical Entertainment | 7, NES, SMS | ~1h | 5 lists

Ballblazer

#73 Ballblazer (1985) (#1175)

Lucasfilm Games | 6, A52, A78 | Action / Sports | ~12m | 5 lists

Commando / Senjō no Ōkami

#74 Commando / Senjō no Ōkami (1985) (#1177)

Capcom | ARC, 4, DOS, NES | Run and Gun | 3 lists

Xevious

#75 Xevious (1983) (#1188)

Namco | ARC, 6, NES, A78 | Shooter | ~1h | 4 lists

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

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

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

Thrust

#77 Thrust (1986) (#1207)

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

The Way of the Exploding Fist

#78 The Way of the Exploding Fist (1985) (#1238)

Beam Software | 4 | Fighting | ~1h | 3 lists

Buster Bros. / Pang / Pomping World

#79 Buster Bros. / Pang / Pomping World (1989) (#1251)

Mitchell Corporation | ARC, DOS, 5 | Action | ~1h | 2 lists

Metal Gear

#80 Metal Gear (1987) (#1273)

Konami | DOS, C64, MSX, NES | Action-Adventure / Stealth | ~4h | 4 lists

Skool Daze

#81 Skool Daze (1984) (#1296)

Microsphere Computer Services Ltd. | ZXS, C64 | Action-Adventure | 2 lists

Moon Patrol

#82 Moon Patrol (1982) (#1330)

Irem | ARC, A26, A52, 4, DOS | Shooter | ~30m | 3 lists

Solomon's Key

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

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

Trinity

#84 Trinity (1986) (#1357)

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

Carrier Command

#85 Carrier Command (1988) (#1369)

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

Castle Wolfenstein

#86 Castle Wolfenstein (1981) (#1383)

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

All 86 results loaded