Best games
Best Arcade games of 1985
The 9 best Arcade games released in 1985, ranked from 650 critic and player ratings.
The best Arcade game of 1985 is Ghosts 'n Goblins, with a critic score of 90/100 — updated September 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: 1985.
- 9 games are listed on this page, carrying 650 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 9
01
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Ghosts 'n Goblins is a platform game where the player controls a knight, named Sir Arthur, who must defeat zombies, ogres, demons, cyclops, dragons and other monsters in order to rescue Princess Prin Prin, who has been kidnapped by Satan, king of Demon World. Along the way the player can pick up new weapons, bonuses and extra suits of armor that can help in this task. The game is often considered very difficult by arcade standards and is commonly regarded as one of the most difficult games ever released. The game is considered by Gametrailers.com to be the world's second most difficult game ever made. The player can only be hit twice before losing a life (the first hit takes away Arthur's armor, and the player must continue on in his underwear until completing the level, or finding replacement armor). If the player loses a life, he is returned to the start of the level, or the halfway point if he has managed to get that far. Furthermore, each life can only last a certain length of time (generally around three minutes), the clock being reset at the start of a level. If the clock does run out, the player instantly loses that life. After defeating the final boss, but only with the cross weapon (if the player does not have the cross weapon, they will be prompted that it is needed to defeat the boss and restart at the beginning of level 5 and must repeat round 5 and 6 again regardless if the weapon is obtained immediately or not) for the first time the player is informed that the battle was "a trap devised by Satan". The player must then replay the entire game on a higher difficulty level to reach the genuine final battle.
90
/100
02
Lunar Pool
Lunar Pool is the first advanced home video billiards game ever. Never before has the player been able to choose among 60 different "tables." Jump around to your favorite, or master each stage consecutively. Your score is kept automatically. You set up the electronic cue stick, aim the cue ball, choose the power you need and shoot! Then watch the ball ricochet around the "table" and land in the pocket. Learn to be a "hustler" by mastering all 60 stages (an expansion over the original PC-8801 32 stages).
76
/100
03
Gradius
One of the defining characteristics of the Gradius series is the use of a "power meter." The power meter is powered by a power-up item, whose purpose, when collected, is to move a highlight to the next power-up on the power meter. When a power-up that the player wants becomes highlighted, he or she may activate it, also causing the highlight to reset.
74
/100
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Ghosts 'n Goblins is a platform game where the player controls a knight, named Sir Arthur, who must defeat zombies, ogres, demons, cyclops, dragons and other monsters in order to rescue Princess Prin Prin, who has been kidnapped by Satan, king of Demon World. Along the way the player can pick up new weapons, bonuses and extra suits of armor that can help in this task. The game is often considered very difficult by arcade standards and is commonly regarded as one of the most difficult games ever released. The game is considered by Gametrailers.com to be the world's second most difficult game ever made. The player can only be hit twice before losing a life (the first hit takes away Arthur's armor, and the player must continue on in his underwear until completing the level, or finding replacement armor). If the player loses a life, he is returned to the start of the level, or the halfway point if he has managed to get that far. Furthermore, each life can only last a certain length of time (generally around three minutes), the clock being reset at the start of a level. If the clock does run out, the player instantly loses that life. After defeating the final boss, but only with the cross weapon (if the player does not have the cross weapon, they will be prompted that it is needed to defeat the boss and restart at the beginning of level 5 and must repeat round 5 and 6 again regardless if the weapon is obtained immediately or not) for the first time the player is informed that the battle was "a trap devised by Satan". The player must then replay the entire game on a higher difficulty level to reach the genuine final battle.
90
/100
02
Lunar Pool
Lunar Pool is the first advanced home video billiards game ever. Never before has the player been able to choose among 60 different "tables." Jump around to your favorite, or master each stage consecutively. Your score is kept automatically. You set up the electronic cue stick, aim the cue ball, choose the power you need and shoot! Then watch the ball ricochet around the "table" and land in the pocket. Learn to be a "hustler" by mastering all 60 stages (an expansion over the original PC-8801 32 stages).
76
/100
03
Gradius
One of the defining characteristics of the Gradius series is the use of a "power meter." The power meter is powered by a power-up item, whose purpose, when collected, is to move a highlight to the next power-up on the power meter. When a power-up that the player wants becomes highlighted, he or she may activate it, also causing the highlight to reset.
74
/100
04
Paperboy
Paperboy is a 1985 arcade game by Atari Games originally developed in 1984 . The players take the role of a paperboy who delivers newspapers along a suburban street on his bicycle. The game was ported to numerous video game consoles and personal computers. Paperboy was innovative for its theme and novel controls. The player controls a paperboy on a bicycle delivering newspapers along a suburban street which is displayed in a cabinet perspective (or oblique projection) view. The player attempts to deliver a week of daily newspapers to subscribing customers, attempts to vandalize non-subscribers' homes and must avoid hazards along the street. Subscribers are lost by missing a delivery or damaging a subscriber's house.
71
/100
05
Balloon Fight (1985)
Balloon Fight was developed and released by Nintendo, being the console port of the Arcade game VS. Balloon Fight (which was developed at the same time by another team, but released first). It was ported onto numerous other systems, and has more recently been released on the Nintendo Wii U. The game allowed for 1 player and 2 player gameplay, providing cooperative play to get past each stage.
69
/100
06
Gun.Smoke
Gun.Smoke is very similar to Commando, another Capcom game, but with several differences. Whereas Commando is a run and gun game, this game is a scrolling shooter in which the screen scrolls upward automatically and players only have three ways to shoot, using three buttons for left, right, and center shooting. However, a player can also change the way the gunman shoots through button combinations. A player can still die by getting shot or struck by enemies like in Commando but improve protection by getting special items, including a horse, for protection up to three hits; boots, for speed of movement; bullets, for faster shots; and rifles, for shot length. These items are found by shooting barrels and rifles, boots, and bullets can stock up to five. It was brought to the Sega Master System in South Korea without a license by Prosoft in 1990.
69
/100
07
Ice Climber
If you can break through 8 levels of treacherous arctic ice, you'll reach the top of the mountain! But watch out. The Nitpickers, Condors, and Polar Bears don't want you up there. And they've got a bag of tricks that will test every ounce of your strength and courage. Are you going to let them stop you? No way! There are 32 mountains to choose from and endless thrills as you fight these arctic creatures alone or with a friend, and ascend to the top of the mountain in Ice Climber!
64
/100
08
Bomberman (2005)
Bomberman is a robot engaged in the production of bombs. Like his fellow robots, he had been put to work in an underground compound by evil forces. Bomberman found it to be an unbearably dreary existence. One day, he heard an encouraging rumor. According to the rumor, any robot that could escape the underground compound and make it to the surface could become human. Bomberman leaped at the opportunity, but escape proved to be no small task. Alerted to Bomberman's betrayal, large numbers of the enemy set out in pursuit. Bomberman can rely only on bombs of his own production for his defense. Will he ever make it up to the surface? Once there, will he really become human?
58
/100
09
Yie Ar Kung-Fu (1985)
Yie Ar Kung-Fu is a 1985 fighting game developed and published by Konami. Along with 1984's Karate Champ, which influenced Yie-Ar Kung Fu, it is one of the games that established the basis for modern fighting games.
20
/100
Paperboy
Paperboy is a 1985 arcade game by Atari Games originally developed in 1984 . The players take the role of a paperboy who delivers newspapers along a suburban street on his bicycle. The game was ported to numerous video game consoles and personal computers. Paperboy was innovative for its theme and novel controls. The player controls a paperboy on a bicycle delivering newspapers along a suburban street which is displayed in a cabinet perspective (or oblique projection) view. The player attempts to deliver a week of daily newspapers to subscribing customers, attempts to vandalize non-subscribers' homes and must avoid hazards along the street. Subscribers are lost by missing a delivery or damaging a subscriber's house.
71
/100
05
Balloon Fight (1985)
Balloon Fight was developed and released by Nintendo, being the console port of the Arcade game VS. Balloon Fight (which was developed at the same time by another team, but released first). It was ported onto numerous other systems, and has more recently been released on the Nintendo Wii U. The game allowed for 1 player and 2 player gameplay, providing cooperative play to get past each stage.
69
/100
06
Gun.Smoke
Gun.Smoke is very similar to Commando, another Capcom game, but with several differences. Whereas Commando is a run and gun game, this game is a scrolling shooter in which the screen scrolls upward automatically and players only have three ways to shoot, using three buttons for left, right, and center shooting. However, a player can also change the way the gunman shoots through button combinations. A player can still die by getting shot or struck by enemies like in Commando but improve protection by getting special items, including a horse, for protection up to three hits; boots, for speed of movement; bullets, for faster shots; and rifles, for shot length. These items are found by shooting barrels and rifles, boots, and bullets can stock up to five. It was brought to the Sega Master System in South Korea without a license by Prosoft in 1990.
69
/100
07
Ice Climber
If you can break through 8 levels of treacherous arctic ice, you'll reach the top of the mountain! But watch out. The Nitpickers, Condors, and Polar Bears don't want you up there. And they've got a bag of tricks that will test every ounce of your strength and courage. Are you going to let them stop you? No way! There are 32 mountains to choose from and endless thrills as you fight these arctic creatures alone or with a friend, and ascend to the top of the mountain in Ice Climber!
64
/100
08
Bomberman (2005)
Bomberman is a robot engaged in the production of bombs. Like his fellow robots, he had been put to work in an underground compound by evil forces. Bomberman found it to be an unbearably dreary existence. One day, he heard an encouraging rumor. According to the rumor, any robot that could escape the underground compound and make it to the surface could become human. Bomberman leaped at the opportunity, but escape proved to be no small task. Alerted to Bomberman's betrayal, large numbers of the enemy set out in pursuit. Bomberman can rely only on bombs of his own production for his defense. Will he ever make it up to the surface? Once there, will he really become human?
58
/100
09
Yie Ar Kung-Fu (1985)
Yie Ar Kung-Fu is a 1985 fighting game developed and published by Konami. Along with 1984's Karate Champ, which influenced Yie-Ar Kung Fu, it is one of the games that established the basis for modern fighting games.
20
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Arcade game of 1985?
Ghosts 'n Goblins currently tops the ranking with a score of 90/100 across 106 ratings. Ranking updated September 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.