Best Arcade Games on the PS1

The arcade games worth playing on the PlayStation start with Tekken 3, Gran Turismo, PaRappa the Rapper.

The PS1 and Arcade Games

The console that made 3D normal and made discs mandatory. Full soundtracks, voice acting and pre-rendered backdrops gave a generation of studios room to invent genres we still play.

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. Tekken 3

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

  2. 2. Gran Turismo

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

  3. 3. PaRappa the Rapper

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

  4. 4. Ridge Racer Type 4

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

  5. 5. Crash Team Racing

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

  6. 6. Wipeout 3

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

  7. 7. Tekken 2

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

  8. 8. Street Fighter Alpha 3

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

  9. 9. Time Crisis

    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 PS1?

Tekken 3 is the usual first answer, and there are 9 in the library we cover.

Was the PS1 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 PlayStation, 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 PS1

Or browse the whole PlayStation library.