Best games
Best Arcade games of 2019
The 17 best Arcade games released in 2019, ranked from 3,607 critic and player ratings.
The best Arcade game of 2019 is Katana Zero, with a critic score of 85/100 — 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 80 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: 2019.
- 17 games are listed on this page, carrying 3,607 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 17
01
Katana Zero
Katana Zero is a fast paced neo-noir action platformer, focusing on tight, instant-death acrobatic combat, and a dark 80's neon aesthetic. Aided with your trusty katana, the time manipulation drug Chronos and the rest of your assassin's arsenal, fight your way through a fractured city, and take back what's rightfully yours.
85
/100
02
Ape Out
Ape Out is a wildly intense and colorfully stylized smash ‘em up about primal escape, rhythmic violence, and frenetic jazz. Build up nearly unstoppable momentum and use your captors as both weapons and shields to crush everyone on your procedurally generated path to freedom.
84
/100
03
Tetris 99
A blockbuster battle royale! 99 players but only one will remain! Tetris 99 is the iconic puzzle game as you've never seen it before. Can you pick the right strategy to best 98 other players online - all at the same time?!
84
/100
Katana Zero
Katana Zero is a fast paced neo-noir action platformer, focusing on tight, instant-death acrobatic combat, and a dark 80's neon aesthetic. Aided with your trusty katana, the time manipulation drug Chronos and the rest of your assassin's arsenal, fight your way through a fractured city, and take back what's rightfully yours.
85
/100
02
Ape Out
Ape Out is a wildly intense and colorfully stylized smash ‘em up about primal escape, rhythmic violence, and frenetic jazz. Build up nearly unstoppable momentum and use your captors as both weapons and shields to crush everyone on your procedurally generated path to freedom.
84
/100
03
Tetris 99
A blockbuster battle royale! 99 players but only one will remain! Tetris 99 is the iconic puzzle game as you've never seen it before. Can you pick the right strategy to best 98 other players online - all at the same time?!
84
/100
04
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is a kart racing game developed by Beenox and published by Activision. It is a remaster of Crash Team Racing, which was originally developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation.
82
/100
05
Observation
Observation is a sci-fi thriller uncovering what happened to Dr. Emma Fisher, and the crew of her mission, through the lens of the station’s artificial intelligence S.A.M.
82
/100
06
Sayonara Wild Hearts
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a euphoric music video dream about being awesome, riding motorcycles, skateboarding, dance battling, shooting lasers, wielding swords, and breaking hearts at 200 mph.
81
/100
07
ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN
Leveraging the trueSKY technology and developed utilizing Unreal Engine 4, Ace Combat 7 will astound players with beautifully rendered skies and highly detailed cityscapes but also set the stage for the most engaging aerial battles in the franchise’s storied 20 year history accompanied with an immersive soundtrack. Ace Combat 7 will take the elements that the series is known for to a whole new level! Aces who have proven their combat prowess in Ace Combat 7’s campaign mode can take their dogfighting skills further with furious online multiplayer battles. PlayStation4 players will also be able to get immersed in ACE COMBAT 7’s realism through exclusive features developed specifically for PlayStationVR.
79
/100
08
Blazing Chrome
Blazing Chrome is a classic co-op run 'n gun with an original arcade feel. Players can choose between Mavra, the badass human resistance, soldier or Doyle, the groovy rebel robot, to kick some metal ass.
77
/100
09
River City Girls
River City Girls stars Kyoko and Misako, two street-tough high-schoolers who must fight their way through the six regions of River City to rescue their kidnapped boyfriends, series mainstays Kunio and Riki. Along the way, they'll utilize an arsenal of combos, counters, throws, and special attacks; battle an assortment of enemies; accept numerous side quests; level up with experience points; interact with NPCs (including guest stars from past River City games); and shop for a variety of items, food, and gear to boost stats and unlock new abilities. The girls can even wield weapons and recruit defeated foes to join them in combat!
77
/100
10
B
My Friend Pedro
My Friend Pedro is a violent ballet about friendship, imagination, and one man’s struggle to obliterate anyone in his path at the behest of a sentient banana.
76
/100
11
Gato Roboto
76
/100
12
A
Far Cry New Dawn
72
/100
13
Assemble with Care
72
/100
14
Team Sonic Racing
72
/100
15
Cooking Simulator
71
/100
16
C
Need for Speed: Heat
70
/100
17
Little Misfortune
61
/100
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is a kart racing game developed by Beenox and published by Activision. It is a remaster of Crash Team Racing, which was originally developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation.
82
/100
05
Observation
Observation is a sci-fi thriller uncovering what happened to Dr. Emma Fisher, and the crew of her mission, through the lens of the station’s artificial intelligence S.A.M.
82
/100
06
Sayonara Wild Hearts
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a euphoric music video dream about being awesome, riding motorcycles, skateboarding, dance battling, shooting lasers, wielding swords, and breaking hearts at 200 mph.
81
/100
07
ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN
Leveraging the trueSKY technology and developed utilizing Unreal Engine 4, Ace Combat 7 will astound players with beautifully rendered skies and highly detailed cityscapes but also set the stage for the most engaging aerial battles in the franchise’s storied 20 year history accompanied with an immersive soundtrack. Ace Combat 7 will take the elements that the series is known for to a whole new level! Aces who have proven their combat prowess in Ace Combat 7’s campaign mode can take their dogfighting skills further with furious online multiplayer battles. PlayStation4 players will also be able to get immersed in ACE COMBAT 7’s realism through exclusive features developed specifically for PlayStationVR.
79
/100
08
Blazing Chrome
Blazing Chrome is a classic co-op run 'n gun with an original arcade feel. Players can choose between Mavra, the badass human resistance, soldier or Doyle, the groovy rebel robot, to kick some metal ass.
77
/100
09
River City Girls
River City Girls stars Kyoko and Misako, two street-tough high-schoolers who must fight their way through the six regions of River City to rescue their kidnapped boyfriends, series mainstays Kunio and Riki. Along the way, they'll utilize an arsenal of combos, counters, throws, and special attacks; battle an assortment of enemies; accept numerous side quests; level up with experience points; interact with NPCs (including guest stars from past River City games); and shop for a variety of items, food, and gear to boost stats and unlock new abilities. The girls can even wield weapons and recruit defeated foes to join them in combat!
77
/100
10
B
My Friend Pedro
My Friend Pedro is a violent ballet about friendship, imagination, and one man’s struggle to obliterate anyone in his path at the behest of a sentient banana.
76
/100
11
Gato Roboto
76
/100
12
A
Far Cry New Dawn
72
/100
13
Assemble with Care
72
/100
14
Team Sonic Racing
72
/100
15
Cooking Simulator
71
/100
16
C
Need for Speed: Heat
70
/100
17
Little Misfortune
61
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Arcade game of 2019?
Katana Zero currently tops the ranking with a score of 85/100 across 335 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.