The golden age of arcade games may be long behind us, but the legacy of those pixel-packed paradises still lives on. From neon-lit reimaginings of Pac-Man and Space Invaders to full-blown spiritual successors, these games prove that the arcade genre still has plenty of room to grow.
Whether it’s a sleek puzzle game built from the bones of Tetris or a rhythm-based shooter inspired by Galaga,there’s just something so magical about seeing old-school game foundations rebuilt with today’s tech and modern designs.
These games aren’t just retro throwbacks—they’re love letters to a forgotten era of gaming. With that in mind, here are some of the best modern games that revamp, reimagine, or outright resurrect yesteryear’s greatest hits!
10Galagan’s Island: Reprymian Rising
Galaga Resurrected
Skinny Jean Death Studios
Release Date
June 12th, 2015
Space Shooter
Who else remembers wasting hours upon hours of their childhood standing in front of aGalagaarcade game? I swear that upbeat, electronic theme still plays in my mind every time I pass an arcade in public.
This indielove letter to arcade shooterswould satisfy even the most nostalgic gamers, with catchy soundtracks, 80s-style neon graphics, and, in the developers' own words,ship formations that are “so pretty you almost don’t want to destroy them”.
Borrowing heavily from the arcade classic Galaga, Galagan’s Island: Reprymian Rising is a space shooter that focuses more on reviving the simple classics of our childhood, rather than reinventing them entirely.
You’ll face exponentially wild enemy waves, unlock special weapons, and consistently ride the line between unbearable bullet hell and Saturday morning cartoon. It doesn’t set out to reinvent the vertical shooter wheel, but it does paint it neon and give it a modern-day makeover.
9Space Invaders Extreme
OG Space Invaders, But Better
TAITO CORP.
February 21th, 2008
Space Invadersis another space shooter that managed to worm its way into the hearts of many, back when most games only had a handful of buttons and required tokens to operate.
Space Invaders Extreme is a modernized version of the game that keeps everything we knew and loved about the original, while also introducing present-day mechanics and graphics that serve to enhance the experience even further.
It keeps the heart of the original alien-blasting gameplay intact, but layers onchain combos, hidden bonuses, giant boss fights, and hypnotic visual effectsthat practically demand you enter a flow state.
It’s the perfect game to play if you just want to turn your brain off for a few hours after a long day of customer service and career-induced overstimulation. No matter what kinds of games you’re usually into, you just can’t ever go wrong with Space Invaders!
8Tetris Effect: Connected
Tetris Against Friends
Tetris Effect: Connected
No matter what gaming era you hail from, Tetris has almost definitely wormed its way into your life in some form or another. Whether it was an arcade game you stumbled across in a Chuck E. Cheese wannabe game room or a free game on your phone, Tetris isone of those timeless classicsthat everyone has played at least once.
If you’ve always wanted to flex your Tetris skills on your friends and watch your friendships die in real-time, thenget ready for the neon-charged roller coasterthat Tetris Effect: Connected is going to take you on.
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This game features everything you remember from the beloved puzzle game of your childhood, but with even more insane single-player modes, local multiplayer modes, and an online, competitive multiplayer mode that pits you against the best Tetris players in the country!
7PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX+
Fancy PAC-MAN for the Win
Mine Loader Software
September 25th, 2013
PC, Mobile, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Puzzle Maze
Pac-Man is one of the most easily recognized video games in the world, and is one of the most well-loved classics of current generations.
Whether you first met Pac-Man in a sticky, toddler-filled arcade or on some weird plug-and-play joystick your mom found at a garage sale, there’s no denying the yellow dot-chomper is one of gaming’s most iconic faces. He’s been running from ghosts for decades now, but somehow, he’s never looked cooler than he does inPAC-MAN Championship Edition DX+.
This revamped version addsseveral new game modes, tons of new maze layouts, and lots of crazy in-game challengesthat’ll put your chomping skills to the test. you may choose to take on the hoards of ghosts alone in single-player mode, or show off to your friends via local or online multiplayer mode.
6Toasterball
Pong, but Toaster-fied
Les Crafteurs
January 15th, 2020
PC, Nintendo Switch
Physics-Based Sports
RememberPong? Well, this game is kind of like that, but instead of two paddles smacking a ball back and forth,it features two toasters spring-loaded with burnt bread. Yup, really. It might sound ridiculous, but it’s actually one of the most entertaining yet simplest games I’ve played in a while.
Built upon the bones of old-school arcade games like Pong, Toasterball is a physics-based strategy game that involves frantically hitting a ball at your opponent. Rather than using paddles or rackets, however, this game puts you in control of a common toaster.
You can use your toaster to jump up and hit the ball directly, or you can push down your plungers to shoot smoking hot bread at your target instead. Doing so can increase your chances of getting a fastball, which can be hurled at your opponent’s defenses at lightning speeds.
There are multiple challenges, environments, and modes that this game will throw at you, too, including an arcade mode that makes it look (almost) exactly like a game of Pong!
Toasterball is the kind of game that I can get lost in for hours, just getting drunk on the feeling of annihilating the enemy toaster over and over again. You can choose to play against an annoyingly talented AI or your friends through local or online multiplayer. But be warned: you might not have any friends left after this.
5Puzzle Bobble Everybubble!
Simple Yet Addictive
May 23rd, 2023
Nintendo Switch
Puzzle Shooter
You’re probably familiar with games like this one, either from watching your mom lose hours of her life on random Facebook games or from the front page of your phone’s app store.
Puzzle Bobble Everybubble, and many other bubble-popping puzzle games, arebased on Bubble Bobble, an 80s arcade game about shooting bubbles in specific formations.Matching the same color bubbles will cause them all to pop, and the more bubbles you pop, the more you win! It’s also weirdly satisfying to hear all of those tiny bubbles pop at once.
Puzzle Bobble Everybubble features the same color-matching chaos of the original, but adds tons of new challenging levels, adorable characters, story modes, and even a multiplayer mode that lets up to 4 players compete at once!
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This game is one of those timeless, endlessly replayable experiences that’s perfect for all ages, whether you’re a newbie to the franchise or a bubble-popping veteran trying to relive your childhood.
4Streets of Rage 4
A Timeless 2D Beat ‘Em Up
Streets of Rage 4
As the fourth installment of the immensely popular Streets of Rage series, a 90s-era series of beat ‘em up action games,Streets of Rage 4is the perfect addition to any gamer’s collection. It’s timeless, it’s addictive, and it’s hilariously self-aware; there’s really little else that you could ask for in an arcade game.
Streets of Rage 4 is the first installment in the series in over 25 years, and man, does it not disappoint.
This long-awaited sequel keeps everything that fans loved about the original series—tight combat, seemingly unbeatable bosses, insanely catchy soundtrack—and layers it withall-new, modern mechanics, including multiplayer mode, a one-of-a-kind electronic soundtrack, and a deeper combat system that actually rewards skillful play over desperate button-mashing.
Of course, you can still throw enemies into each other, beat up everything that moves, and eat random food off the ground to heal up, because some traditions are just sacred. Whether you load it up for the nostalgia trip or are just a newbie looking to get in on the 2D knockout action, Streets of Rage 4 is just a timeless classic that punches all the right buttons.
3Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
2D Turtle Power
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Few things scream “childhood” as loudly as Saturday morning cartoons and arcade games, and this beautiful, one-of-a-kind title has them both. Inspired by classic arcade beat ‘em ups and other classic TMNT arcade brawlers,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revengeis easily one of the best arcade-style games on the market.
Shredder’s Revenge is everything you remember about classic TMNT beat-’em-ups: side-scrolling chaos, absurd villains, and cheesy one-liners that would sound out of place anywhere else.
In addition to these, this title also lets its players experience their favorite half-shelled heroes in an all-new way, with up to 7 playable characters,full-color pixel art graphics, and a new multiplayer mode that supports up to 6 people!
This game is like the resurrection of all the good parts of childhood; it literally feels like being smacked back into 4th grade with nothing to your name but an NES and a mountain of game cartridges, ready to be played.
With callbacks around every corner, an original soundtrack that never ceases to slap, and gameplay that’s as approachable as it is oddly deep, Shredder’s Revenge is a perfect example of how you do a retro revival right.
Fun Fact: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge was made by Dotemu, the same team behind Streets of Rage 4!
2Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Can’t Go Wrong with The Kong
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
There are few original Nintendo characters that are as easily recognizable as the Mario Brothers or Kirby, but Donkey Kong still manages to hang with the best of them.
Before he was leaping through icy caverns and vine-swinging across HD jungle landscapes, Donkey Kong was just a tie-wearing menace chucking barrels at the gaming industry’s favorite terrified plumber. You couldn’t walk into a single arcade in America without seeing at least one Donkey Kong game, and now, he’s all overjust about every modern console imaginable.
Tropical Freezemight look worlds away from those humble, pixelated beginnings, but its soul is pure old-school platforming perfection.
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This revamped masterpiece takes everything that made Donkey Kong Country a Super Nintendo staple and cranks it up to 11, with a gorgeous, streamlined gameplay design, a new game mode called “Funky Mode” (I’ll leave the rest to your imagination), and a soundtrack so good that it honestly deserves its own Spotify playlist.
With4 playable characters and a 2-player co-op mode, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is quite possibly one of the best additions to the franchise that it ever could’ve asked for.
1Mortal Kombat 11
The Greatest Arcade Series of All Time
Mortal Kombat 11
Traumatizing kids in arcades everywhere since the early 90s, Mortal Kombat has always refused to pull its punches in more ways than one. The original was a controversy magnet, with parents everywhere desperate to get it banned before it corrupted the innocent minds of their children (spoiler Alert: it didn’t work).
It goes without saying thatany game persecuted by parents in the 90s was pure gold, and somehow, the 11th installment in the series is even better and bloodier than its predecessors.
Mortal Kombat 11takes that old-school 1v1 arcade brutality and injects it with modern graphics so detailed you’re able to see the immediate regret in your opponent’s eyes before you punch their skull straight into the stratosphere. Not only does this title add to Mortal Kombat’s ever-evolving lore and storyline, but it also provides its players with hours upon hours of gory, skull-shattering goodness.
It’s got a seamlessly slick combo system, two time-bending story campaigns (finally, a fighting game with a story you’llactuallywant to finish), and an incredible roster of over 37 characters whose rebooted fighting styles you won’t want to miss.
This gory love letter to 2D brawlers is one of the most culturally significant arcade series of all time, and is the best choice for nostalgia-seekers and newbies alike.
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