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When it comes to video games, there is hardly a more classic system than the Nintendo 64. Launched in the mid 1990s, the 64 came at a perfect time for video games to start moving into the modern versions we know today.
The N64 was cartridge-based, so the graphics almost immediately fell behind the then-brand new Sony Playstation, which was disc-based. However, the N64 had a killer selection of games, and millions of kids spent their entire childhoods exploring the castles of Super Mario 64, or body slamming their best friends in WCW/nWo Revenge.
While there were a plethora of games made for the Nintendo 64, we put in the long hours, aggregated millions of real user reviews, and picked out the 10 best N64 games ever made. Whether you want 3D adventure games, Nintendo flagship characters, fighting games, wrestling games, or shooters – the N64 truly offered something for everybody.
Read on, to see our top picks – and make sure you’ve got some Mountain Dew and three old friends by your side, for that truly authentic, mid-90s, Nintendo 64 experience!
Our Top Pick
Super Mario 64
Despite being the flagship launch title for the N64, Super Mario 64 was never truly topped during the life cycle of the system. While more advanced players might argue that either Zelda game deserves the nod, we think that Mario appealed to far more consumers, and can still easily enthrall young kids today.
While there were more specialized titles, and ones that were also more challenging – there was nothing that moved the world of gaming forward more, than the initial release of Super Mario 64. Our top pick, and it will forever be an all-time classic.
Other Great Picks
Goldeneye 007
If you didn’t grow up playing 4 player Goldeneye death matches, we sort of just feel bad for you. Launched at the height of the shooter being a revelatory gaming experience (right after Doom, and at about the same time as Quake), Goldeneye suddenly and swiftly convinced even the most casual game that shooting games were where it was at.
All these years later, and Goldeneye still holds up. The gameplay is fast, challenging, but still accessible to someone playing for the very first time. We cannot recommend this one more highly, and it will likely never be topped, in terms of overall importance to the continual lineage of video games. A must-own.
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Gamers waited patiently for Link to move into a 3D world – and boy, were they not disappointed. While some may argue that the sequel, Majora’s Mask, should occupy this spot, it was Ocarina Of Time that was the biggest leap forward, and also the most popular upon release.
Truth be told, both games are incredible, and were even more so, upon their initial release. If you love spending hundreds of hours playing a completely immersive game, this is definitely the pick for you. Highly recommended.
WCW/nWo Revenge
While some may argue that WWF No Mercy has more features, WCW/nWo Revenge was the first game that took that giant leap forward from the primordial ooze of WCW vs. nWo: World Tour. Revenge was a huge progression – offering a giant roster, pixel perfect character designs, improved gameplay, and so much more.
On top of that, it’s faster than No Mercy, and also offers a far better roster – in fact, this roster is essentially a who’s who of the legends of professional wrestling. If you love fun, and you own an N64, you’re totally failing, if you don’t already have this game in your collection.
Mario Kart 64
While technically Mario Kart started on the Super Nintendo, everyone remembers this version the most fondly. With insanely improved graphics, despite only arriving a few years later, Mario Kart 64 provides endless hours of innocent fun.
You can throw banana peels at other players in perfect resolution, knock your friends completely off of Rainbow Road, or just curse and scream about how Yoshi and Peach are much faster than every other character. No matter what you choose to do, this is one of those games that just never gets old, no matter how much you’ve played it.
Banjo-Kazooie
This platformer was universally beloved upon its release in the late 90s, and time has also been kind to it. It can take hundreds of hours to completely beat this one – and we guarantee you’ll love every minute of it.
Almost a perfect combination of Super Mario 64 and Disney, it’s fun for all ages, and the difficulty increases accordingly. While you can find tougher games, this one provides plenty of depth for even the most experienced player – despite being easily accessible for kids as young as 7. Highly recommended.
Wave Race 64
Most don’t realize that this super-fun racing game was actually a sequel to a 1992 Game Boy title. Originally envisioned to feature vehicles which transformed while racing, the game was changed to consist only of jet skis.
Whether you want to play against your friends, or just enjoy the solo mode, this one is a great experience. For the time, the graphics were also pretty groundbreaking, and the music simply never gets old. A timeless pick.
Donkey Kong 64
When the N64 was launched in 1996, Donkey Kong was a well-known Nintendo character. Donkey Kong Country had previously been successful on the Super Nintendo, but Donkey Kong 64 took things to a whole other level.
It won endless amounts of awards in 1999, including best overall game, and it was fun that literally anyone could enjoy. While it doesn’t provide the thrill of shooting your friends (like in Goldeneye), it offers nearly anything else you could ever want from a video game.
Conker’s Bad Fur Day
This infamous game was delayed numerous times, and by the time it finally came to the market, it was near the end of the Nintendo 64’s life cycle. But boy, was it ever worth the wait!
Evolving from a harmless adventure game (similar to Donkey Kong), by the time it was actually released, Conker was a Nazi / teddy bear killing squirrel who cursed regularly – and also drank beer. To say it was unprecedented for a Nintendo console, would be a massive understatement.
Super Smash Bros.
By the end of the 90s, players had long wanted a Nintendo fighting game. And they got what they wanted – Super Smash Bros. not only had great commercials – the gameplay was incredible.
Just like Goldeneye, you could grab three friends and spend hours fighting each other in the game’s awesome four player mode. All these years later, it’s still packed with endless amounts of fun, and brings back instant nostalgia.
What Is The Nintendo 64?
The Nintendo 64 was arguably the most popular cartridge-based video game system of the entire 1990s. Made and marketed by the juggernaut that is Nintendo, it featured many games that transported legendary characters into 3D worlds for the first time.
This included Mario, Donkey Kong, Pokemon, and numerous others. In addition, the legendary Goldeneye 007 and AKI wrestling games (like WWF No Mercy) were released for the system.
Amongst other titles, The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time is particularly legendary, as is the flagship launch title – Super Mario 64. While the graphics and sounds may seem a little dated these days, the N64 was on the cutting edge, at the time of its release.
When Was The Nintendo 64 Made?
The Nintendo 64 came out in 1996 in North America and Japan – but development for it started in early 1994, under the code names Project Reality, and also Ultra 64. Unfortunately, the Sony Playstation put a big dent in the viability of the console, as consumers liked that games were now on disc (which also provided far better audio options than the N64 cartridges did).
After the SNES, Nintendo was ready to take things fully 3D – which gave them a wall of bankable titles. Most notably captured by its best-selling title, Super Mario 64, Nintendo never looked back once they made the full switch to 3D graphics.
Was The N64 A Failure?
The N64 was not a failure, but the Sony Playstation did eat into Nintendo’s marketshare. Part of the problem was that not too many games were actually made for the N64, and the ones that did, lacked in the sound department.
There was also initial dislike of the controller, which introduced an array of confusing buttons and triggers. The N64 has been named in the top ten, of greatest video game consoles of all-time, by numerous publications.
While many games for the system are forgotten, just as many are remembered. Since the N64 existed in the last few years before the internet became truly mainstream, it tends to hold a special place in many gamer’s hearts.
If you lived through the era, you likely remember spending hours on games, just to move to the next level. There was very little way to get cheat codes at the time, and we would scour the nascent internet for hours upon end – hoping to find a strategy guide, if we could.
There were no YouTube walkthroughs – it was all down to your own skill (and sometimes luck) to beat games. In this time period, games were also usually much harder – since manufacturers wanted you to rent the game many times over, before being able to beat it.
Why Is Nintendo 64 So Expensive?
There are a few reasons behind this one. For starters, there were not all that many games made for the console.
This initially made prices high, as there was more of a demand for the games that were made, than there were copies available. Nintendo also did not want a lot of violence or blood in most of their games, which limited the number of developers who would agree to make games for the system.
This meant that N64 games started to be perceived as higher-class items – which Nintendo loved, because they could then charge more for them. It was also more costly to design games for cartridges – which, again, made fewer games available – again increasing demand.
These days, most N64 games aren’t terribly expensive, but rare games (especially ones produced in small quantities) can be fairly expensive. And if you want a CIB – that’s a ‘complete in box’ game – those can cost even more.
Is Nintendo 64 Coming To Switch?
While Super Mario 64 has made its way to the Switch, many N64 titles have not. This is due to the technical issues that make porting N64 titles difficult.
For this same reason, Nintendo 64 games are also quite difficult to emulate. This makes buying the physical cartridges the best way to play the old-school classics you love.
How Do I Choose The Best N64 Games For Me?
Choosing the best N64 games for your personal taste is fairy easy – determine what genres and types of games you like, whether it’s sports, platformers, fighting games, wrestling games, etc. – and go from there. There are numerous lists of the best Nintendo 64 games available online, no matter area of interest you have.
We recommend sticking to the top 20% of games though, as the lower 80% usually aren’t worth the time and effort to find them – let alone play them. Of course, there are comedy exceptions to this rule, like Superman 64 – possibly the single worst game ever made.
How Many Games Were Released For The N64?
In the United States, there were 297 games released for the Nintendo 64. In Japan, 197 were released, and in Europe 242 games were released.
Since some of these titles were duplicates, 389 unique games were released for the N64, in total. It should be noted that some of the Japanese games are very much worth getting, for American audiences – like Virtual Pro Wrestling 2.
The Best N64 Games
There you have it – our picks for the best N64 games ever made. Whether you want a shooter, a wrestling games, a sports game, a platformer, a fighting game, or an adventure game – the Nintendo 64 truly had something for everybody. While some of the graphics might seem dated by today’s standards – at the time, there was nothing else like it.
The nostalgia rush you’ll get will only be topped by the enjoyment your kids will have playing some of the classic games for the first time. So whether you want fun, puzzles, mystery, action, or just mindless entertainment – make sure you grab some of the best N64 games – before they start to fetch very high prices from collectors.