Best Arcade Games on the N64

The arcade games worth playing on the Nintendo 64 start with Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, Super Smash Bros.

The N64 and Arcade Games

The machine that worked out how to move a character in three dimensions, and then had to invent the camera to film it. Small library, enormous influence.

Arcade Games are a solid rather than a defining part of this library — worth knowing, but not the reason anybody owns the machine.

Filtering to arcade means you want short runs and a score, not a campaign. It is the right filter when what you liked was the one-more-go feeling.

The Arcade Games Worth Playing

  1. 1. Mario Kart 64

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  2. 2. Star Fox 64

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  3. 3. Super Smash Bros

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  4. 4. Diddy Kong Racing

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  5. 5. Wave Race 64

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  6. 6. 1080 Snowboarding

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  7. 7. F-Zero X

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  8. 8. Bomberman 64

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

What Makes a Good Arcade Game

A complete experience in twenty minutes, and a skill you keep. Arcade design is measured in the moment after you lose.

Story and progression. Arcade games repeat on purpose, and if you want to be pulled somewhere they will not do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best arcade game on the N64?

Mario Kart 64 is the usual first answer, and there are 8 in the library we cover.

Was the N64 good at arcade games?

It is a solid rather than a defining part of the library.

Why are arcade games so hard?

They were designed to end. A machine that let you play for an hour on one coin did not earn its floor space, so difficulty was the business model.

Do arcade games still get made?

Constantly, mostly by small teams. Several of the best beat-em-ups and run-and-guns of the last decade are new games built on forty-year-old design rules.

How is this list put together?

From the games this site covers on the Nintendo 64, matched against hand-mapped gameplay categories rather than a storefront's genre tag. A page only exists where there are at least four, which is why some console and genre combinations have no page at all.

Arcade Games on Other Consoles

More From the N64

Or browse the whole Nintendo 64 library.