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Best Action games of 1987

The 9 best Action games released in 1987, ranked from 1,264 critic and player ratings.

The best Action game of 1987 is International Karate +, with a critic score of 90/100 — updated October 2026.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 1987.
  • 9 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,264 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 12 October 2026.

Top 9

01 International Karate + International Karate + 1987 · 36 ratings Call it a sequel... And you'll land up flat on your back. They called International Karate "the greatest Karate beat' em up yet" (Commodore User). And who are we to argue? But Archer Maclean has come up with a stunner: A third fighter. An amazing animated background. New moves (including double head-kick and a spectacular backflip). Re-mixed music by Rob Hubbard. And Balls! 90 /100
02 Faxanadu (1987) Faxanadu (1987) 1987 · 33 ratings Faxandu is for the Famicom and NES. The name was licensed by Falcom and was developed and released in Japan in 1987. Nintendo also released the game to the world market in 1990. It can be considered a side-story of Xanadu, which is the second installment of Falcom's long-running RPG series, Dragon Slayer. The title is a combination of "Famicom" and "Xanadu" 80 /100
03 Mega Man (1987) Mega Man (1987) 1987 · 295 ratings Experience the game that started it all! Play as cybernetic hero Mega Man as you battle to stop the evil scientist Dr. Wily and his Robot Masters from taking over the world! A classic platformer in every sense of the word, Mega Man features timeless 8-bit graphics, a memorable soundtrack, and balanced but challenging gameplay that combine to create one of the most iconic video games of all time. Mega Man, known as Rockman in Japan, is a 1987 action-platform video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was directed by Akira Kitamura, with Nobuyuki Matsushima as lead programmer, and is the first game of the Mega Man franchise and the original video game series. Mega Man was produced by a small team specifically for the home console market, a first for Capcom, who previously focused on arcade titles. 76 /100
04 Rygar (1987) Rygar (1987) 1987 · 34 ratings An open-world action-adventure game for the Nintendo Entertainment System that features a barbarian warrior with a distinctive "diskarmor" weapon. It is distinct from the original 1986 Arcade game Rygar, which saw numerous home console ports. 72 /100
05 Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987) Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987) 1987 · 148 ratings Castlevania was a cakewalk compared to this bloody curse. You thought you had the Prince of Darkness defanged - eh, Simon Belmont? Well think again, 'cause according to a damsel in distress, evil Count Dracula has left a horrifying curse in his wake. And the only hope you have of ending the terror is to destroy his missing body parts! Talk about your frightening quest, searching a maze of mansions, graveyards and dark, eerie forests - each guarded by man-eating werewolves, fire-throwing zombies and other devilish demons. Your grim chances are kept alive in Transylvania, where cowardly villagers offer clues to the whereabouts of Dracula's remains. And where you'll purchase magic weapons, including silver knives and flame whips. But beware the night. For when the sun disappears, Dracula's curse grows deadlier. And your chances grow dimmer and dimmer. 62 /100
06 Metroid Metroid 1987 · 240 ratings It's you against the evil Mother Brain in the thrilling battle of Metroid! You're inside the fortress planet Zebes. The planet of endless secret passageways where the Metroid are multiplying. Left alone the Metroid are harmless. But in the wrong hands they could destroy the galaxy. It's up to you to prevent the Mother Brain that controls Zebes from using the Metroid for evil purposes. But that won't be easy. You'll have to use your spacesuit to absorb valuable energy for your search to gain the use of power items like the Ice Beam, Wave Beam, High Jump Boots and Varia. If you survive, it will be you and your acquired powers against the Mother Brain. 60 /100
07 Shinobi Shinobi 1987 · 49 ratings The five missions in the game are each three or four stages long. Several hostages are being held in each stage; Joe must rescue all of them before he is allowed to finish the stage. The last stage in each mission has no hostages, but instead features a powerful boss character whom Joe must defeat. After completing each of the first four missions the player is taken to a bonus stage, where he can earn an extra life if he is able to kill all of the ninjas leaping towards him. Completing the fifth mission ends the game. Also, once the fifth mission begins, continues are no longer allowed; the player has to finish the game with however many lives he has left at that point. If the player earns a place on the high score board, the number of credits it took him to get that score is displayed along with his score. Joe's standard weapons are an unlimited supply of shuriken, along with punches and kicks when attacking at close range. One hostage per stage gives him a power-up. When powered-up, his throwing stars are replaced by a gun that fires large, explosive bullets, and his close-range attack becomes a katana slash. Joe can also perform "ninja magic," which may be used only once per stage and kills (or damages, in the case of bosses) all enemies on the screen. The game also allows the enemies to hide behind boxes or use shields to block Musashi's shurikens.[4] Joe can be killed with one hit, provided he is hit by a projectile or melee attack, but if he does not find himself in those situations, the player can touch regular enemies and just be pushed back without being damaged. Since most enemies appear in the same place on each level, it is possible to master the game by memorizing their locations and devising patterns to defeat them. At the end of each stage, the player receives score bonuses based on performance. Completing the stage without using ninja magic or without using any throwing stars or bullets earns the player a point bonus. The player has three minutes to complete each stage; remaining time at the end of the stage is also converted to bonus points and added to the player's score. 60 /100
08 Contra Contra 1987 · 263 ratings Contra (also known as Gryzor in Oceania and Europe), is a 1987 run and gun action game developed and published by Konami originally released as a coin-operated arcade game on February 20, 1987. The game had multiple ports, including for various computer formats. Several Contra sequels were produced following the original game. 50 /100
09 Double Dragon Double Dragon 1987 · 166 ratings Double Dragon is a 1987 beat 'em up video game developed by Technōs Japan and distributed by Taito for arcades across Asia, North America and Europe. It is the first title in the Double Dragon franchise. The player character has a repertoire of martial arts techniques which they can perform using the joystick and three action buttons (kick, jump, and punch) individually or in combination. Techniques range from basic punches and kicks to more elaborate manoeuvres like hair-grabbing moves and elbow strikes. When playing with another player, one can assist the other by grabbing their partner's opponent from behind. Caution should be taken, though, as some enemies can do the same thing to the players. The player begins the game with a certain number of extra lives and a life gauge which depletes as the player takes hits. If the life gauge runs out or the time limit reaches zero, the player will lose a life. There is a small variety of enemy characters that the player will face through the course of the game. Certain enemies carry melee weapons, which can be knocked out of their hands and picked up to use against them. Available weapons include baseball bats, whips, throwing knives, and dynamite; in addition, rocks, oil drums, and boxes can be found in certain places. The game is divided into four stages or "missions," consisting of a city slum, a factory, the woods, and the gang's hideout. The game normally ends if a single player defeats the final boss alone. However, if two players complete the game together, they are forced to fight each other to determine who will win Marian's affections. 39 /100
Browse all Action games

Other years

Best Action games of 2026Best Action games of 2025Best Action games of 2024Best Action games of 2023Best Action games of 2022Best Action games of 2021Best Action games of 2020Best Action games of 2019Best Action games of 2018Best Action games of 2017Best Action games of 2016Best Action games of 2015

Same year, other platforms

Best Amiga games of 1987Best Arcade games of 1987Best PC games of 1987Best NES games of 1987

Nearby rankings

Best Action games of 1986Best Action games of 1988Best Adventure games of 1987Best Arcade games of 1987

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Action game of 1987?

International Karate + currently tops the ranking with a score of 90/100 across 36 ratings. Ranking updated October 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.