Best games
Best Arcade games on GameCube
The 30 best Arcade games on GameCube, ranked from 7,886 critic and player ratings.
The best Arcade game on GameCube right now is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, with a critic score of 94/100 — 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: 1970 to 2026.
- 30 games are listed on this page, carrying 7,886 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 30
01
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is a 2001 skateboarding video game and the third installment in the Tony Hawk's series. Skate as the legendary Tony Hawk or choose from a dream team of 12 top pro skaters, including old favorites like Lasek, Thomas, Muska, and Steamer, as well as new talent like Gilfberg, Caballero, Koston, and Mullen. Travel from L.A. to Tokyo, Suburbia to Skater's Island performing challenges and meeting goals with new moves that include the Revert, which allows you to link vert tricks, and flatland tricks such as Caspers, the Primo, and Handstand Manual.
94
/100
02
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
Drop into the ultimate challenge. In the next chapter in the Tony Hawk series, pros challenge you to make your mark in huge free-roaming levels, taking on 190 progressively harder goals with no time limits to hold you back. Decide when you're ready to take on your Pro Challenge and move into the pro ranks, where it's a whole new game. Build your skills, perform all-new tricks, play up to eight players online, and show that you've got what it takes to go Pro.
91
/100
03
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Dr. Eggman (aka Dr. Robotnik) has returned, turning helpless animals into robots and forcing them to build his ultimate weapon, the Death Egg! But this time, Sonic has a friend that can help him: Tails! Find the 7 Chaos Emeralds and stop Dr. Robotnik’s evil scheme!
90
/100
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is a 2001 skateboarding video game and the third installment in the Tony Hawk's series. Skate as the legendary Tony Hawk or choose from a dream team of 12 top pro skaters, including old favorites like Lasek, Thomas, Muska, and Steamer, as well as new talent like Gilfberg, Caballero, Koston, and Mullen. Travel from L.A. to Tokyo, Suburbia to Skater's Island performing challenges and meeting goals with new moves that include the Revert, which allows you to link vert tricks, and flatland tricks such as Caspers, the Primo, and Handstand Manual.
94
/100
02
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
Drop into the ultimate challenge. In the next chapter in the Tony Hawk series, pros challenge you to make your mark in huge free-roaming levels, taking on 190 progressively harder goals with no time limits to hold you back. Decide when you're ready to take on your Pro Challenge and move into the pro ranks, where it's a whole new game. Build your skills, perform all-new tricks, play up to eight players online, and show that you've got what it takes to go Pro.
91
/100
03
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Dr. Eggman (aka Dr. Robotnik) has returned, turning helpless animals into robots and forcing them to build his ultimate weapon, the Death Egg! But this time, Sonic has a friend that can help him: Tails! Find the 7 Chaos Emeralds and stop Dr. Robotnik’s evil scheme!
90
/100
04
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
The Mushroom Kingdom just got a whole lot more hectic as Mario and friends double up for furious kart racing. This time around, each kart holds two racers that can switch places at any time, so choose from a huge cast of favorites and pair them up any way you see fit. The character in front handles the driving duties, while the character in the rear doles out damage with six normal items and eight special items that only specific characters can use. Get ready for some intense multiplayer mayhem with your favorite characters, including Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Peach, Bowser, and Koopa.
85
/100
05
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Need for Speed: Most Wanted takes on the gameplay style of the first Most Wanted title in the Need for Speed franchise. Most Wanted allows players to select one car and compete against other racers in three types of events: Sprint races, which involves traveling from one point of the city to another, Circuit races, each having two or three laps total and Speed runs, which involve traversing through a course in the highest average speed possible. There is also the Ambush races, which start with the player surrounded by cops and tasked to evade their pursuit as quickly as possible.
85
/100
06
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
You've been chosen by Tony Hawk to compete against Bam Margera's team in the World Destruction Tour. In an all-new storyline, Tony Hawk's Underground 2 takes you to skateparks around the world, where you can spray your custom tag, slap stickers, and even create new skate lines. Now you can play as yourself, as your teammates, or as more than 20 special skaters. If you're feeling nostalgic for older Tony Hawk games, you can try Classic mode, which challenges you to accomplish your favorite goals, such as Secret Tape and High Score.
84
/100
07
Ikaruga
In this vertical scrolling spaceship shooter, you control a ship that can change its polarity at will. As blue/white, the ship can easily destroy red/black enemies, and vice versa. Bullets of your polarity can be collected to fuel your energy gauge, but those opposite will kill you. Destroying an enemy ship causes them to fire revenge bullets which can be absorbed and fired back by the player. Different difficulties exist to change exactly how you interact with polarized points, or how they appear. It is the spiritual successor to Radiant Silvergun, featuring similar level and boss design, as well as it's buddhism inspired themes and aesthetics. Both are directed by Hiroshi Iuchi, who also composed Ikaruga's soundtrack.
84
/100
08
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
The game is a sequel to the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the same system and follows on directly from the end of the game, in which Sonic defeated his enemy, Dr. Robotnik; crash-landing on a floating island, Sonic encounters new character Knuckles the Echidna, and must once more retrieve the Chaos Emeralds while also working to stop Dr. Robotnik from relaunching his ship, the Death Egg.
83
/100
09
Crazy Taxi (1999)
Hey hey, come on over and have some fun with Crrrrrazy Taxi! Barrel through traffic packed streets, hurdle off parking garages, and Crazy Combo your way to Crazy Money in a wild frantic race to scare up the most fares. In Crazy Taxi, time is money, and only the Craziest Cabbies come out victorious.
82
/100
10
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
The Need for Speed series returns, this time reverting back to the 'chase' arcade experience instead of a racing simulation. Top speed racing is the name of the game, where you must outchase not just the opposing drivers, but the cops. Choose from a selection of today's (and yesterday's) top sports cars, including the Ferrari F50, Porsche 911 and a range from the likes of Ford, Corvette, BMW, Lotus, Mercedes, Aston Martin, the McLaren F1 and a lot more. The competitive race mode allows you to take on other drivers and beat them to the line. A selection of tracks allows you to not only dodge incoming traffic, but perform deadly jumps and stunts to receive points. These points, combined with the points recieved from your finishing position, can unlock new cars and tracks. The Hot Pursuit mode combines all the major elements of the competitive mode with the chance to out run the cops. They will throw everything at you to try and stop you, including running you off the road, setting up road blocks and unleashing an attack helicopter equiped with missiles. Three busts by the cops ends the race.
81
/100
11
Lego Star Wars: The Video Game
80
/100
12
Need for Speed: Underground 2
78
/100
13
Spider-Man: The Movie
77
/100
14
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
74
/100
15
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
74
/100
16
Madagascar
73
/100
17
Worms Blast
73
/100
18
Need for Speed: Carbon
70
/100
19
Neighbours from Hell: Revenge Is a Sweet Game
69
/100
20
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
68
/100
21
Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
68
/100
22
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
67
/100
23
Sonic Heroes
67
/100
24
Sonic Riders
66
/100
25
Shrek 2: The Game
63
/100
26
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
60
/100
27
Kirby's Adventure
60
/100
28
Ratatouille
60
/100
29
Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
59
/100
30
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut
57
/100
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
The Mushroom Kingdom just got a whole lot more hectic as Mario and friends double up for furious kart racing. This time around, each kart holds two racers that can switch places at any time, so choose from a huge cast of favorites and pair them up any way you see fit. The character in front handles the driving duties, while the character in the rear doles out damage with six normal items and eight special items that only specific characters can use. Get ready for some intense multiplayer mayhem with your favorite characters, including Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Peach, Bowser, and Koopa.
85
/100
05
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Need for Speed: Most Wanted takes on the gameplay style of the first Most Wanted title in the Need for Speed franchise. Most Wanted allows players to select one car and compete against other racers in three types of events: Sprint races, which involves traveling from one point of the city to another, Circuit races, each having two or three laps total and Speed runs, which involve traversing through a course in the highest average speed possible. There is also the Ambush races, which start with the player surrounded by cops and tasked to evade their pursuit as quickly as possible.
85
/100
06
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
You've been chosen by Tony Hawk to compete against Bam Margera's team in the World Destruction Tour. In an all-new storyline, Tony Hawk's Underground 2 takes you to skateparks around the world, where you can spray your custom tag, slap stickers, and even create new skate lines. Now you can play as yourself, as your teammates, or as more than 20 special skaters. If you're feeling nostalgic for older Tony Hawk games, you can try Classic mode, which challenges you to accomplish your favorite goals, such as Secret Tape and High Score.
84
/100
07
Ikaruga
In this vertical scrolling spaceship shooter, you control a ship that can change its polarity at will. As blue/white, the ship can easily destroy red/black enemies, and vice versa. Bullets of your polarity can be collected to fuel your energy gauge, but those opposite will kill you. Destroying an enemy ship causes them to fire revenge bullets which can be absorbed and fired back by the player. Different difficulties exist to change exactly how you interact with polarized points, or how they appear. It is the spiritual successor to Radiant Silvergun, featuring similar level and boss design, as well as it's buddhism inspired themes and aesthetics. Both are directed by Hiroshi Iuchi, who also composed Ikaruga's soundtrack.
84
/100
08
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
The game is a sequel to the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the same system and follows on directly from the end of the game, in which Sonic defeated his enemy, Dr. Robotnik; crash-landing on a floating island, Sonic encounters new character Knuckles the Echidna, and must once more retrieve the Chaos Emeralds while also working to stop Dr. Robotnik from relaunching his ship, the Death Egg.
83
/100
09
Crazy Taxi (1999)
Hey hey, come on over and have some fun with Crrrrrazy Taxi! Barrel through traffic packed streets, hurdle off parking garages, and Crazy Combo your way to Crazy Money in a wild frantic race to scare up the most fares. In Crazy Taxi, time is money, and only the Craziest Cabbies come out victorious.
82
/100
10
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
The Need for Speed series returns, this time reverting back to the 'chase' arcade experience instead of a racing simulation. Top speed racing is the name of the game, where you must outchase not just the opposing drivers, but the cops. Choose from a selection of today's (and yesterday's) top sports cars, including the Ferrari F50, Porsche 911 and a range from the likes of Ford, Corvette, BMW, Lotus, Mercedes, Aston Martin, the McLaren F1 and a lot more. The competitive race mode allows you to take on other drivers and beat them to the line. A selection of tracks allows you to not only dodge incoming traffic, but perform deadly jumps and stunts to receive points. These points, combined with the points recieved from your finishing position, can unlock new cars and tracks. The Hot Pursuit mode combines all the major elements of the competitive mode with the chance to out run the cops. They will throw everything at you to try and stop you, including running you off the road, setting up road blocks and unleashing an attack helicopter equiped with missiles. Three busts by the cops ends the race.
81
/100
11
Lego Star Wars: The Video Game
80
/100
12
Need for Speed: Underground 2
78
/100
13
Spider-Man: The Movie
77
/100
14
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
74
/100
15
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
74
/100
16
Madagascar
73
/100
17
Worms Blast
73
/100
18
Need for Speed: Carbon
70
/100
19
Neighbours from Hell: Revenge Is a Sweet Game
69
/100
20
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
68
/100
21
Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
68
/100
22
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
67
/100
23
Sonic Heroes
67
/100
24
Sonic Riders
66
/100
25
Shrek 2: The Game
63
/100
26
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
60
/100
27
Kirby's Adventure
60
/100
28
Ratatouille
60
/100
29
Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
59
/100
30
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut
57
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Arcade game on GameCube?
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 currently tops the ranking with a score of 94/100 across 149 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.