Best games
Best Arcade games of 1984
The 10 best Arcade games released in 1984, ranked from 899 critic and player ratings.
The best Arcade game of 1984 is 1942, with a critic score of 80/100 — 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: 1984.
- 10 games are listed on this page, carrying 899 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 10
01
1942
1942 is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up made by Capcom that was released for the arcade in 1984. The goal is to reach Tokyo and destroy the entire Japanese air fleet. The player pilots a plane dubbed the "Super Ace" . The player has to shoot down enemy planes; to avoid enemy fire, the player can perform a roll or "loop-the-loop". During the game the player may collect a series of power-ups, one of them allowing the plane to be escorted by two other smaller fighters in a Tip Tow formation.
80
/100
02
Tennis
Tennis is a sports game developed and released by Nintendo for the NES. In North America and Europe, Tennis was one of 18 launch games for the NES. A Game Boy version was also released. The game features single-player and two-player modes for singles and doubles matches, with either competitive or cooperative gameplay. A computerized opponent's artificial intelligence can be set to one of five difficulty levels. Mario referees the matches.
74
/100
03
Road Fighter
Road Fighter is a car-based arcade game developed by Konami and released in 1984. It also was the first car racing game from Konami. The goal is to reach the finish line within the stages without running out of time, hitting other cars or running out of fuel (fuel is refilled by hitting a special type of car). The game also spawned two sequels in its time, Midnight Run: Road Fighter 2 in 1995 and Winding Heat in 1996, respectively. A Japan-only rebooted sequel was also released in 2010, 14 years after Winding Heat.
72
/100
1942
1942 is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up made by Capcom that was released for the arcade in 1984. The goal is to reach Tokyo and destroy the entire Japanese air fleet. The player pilots a plane dubbed the "Super Ace" . The player has to shoot down enemy planes; to avoid enemy fire, the player can perform a roll or "loop-the-loop". During the game the player may collect a series of power-ups, one of them allowing the plane to be escorted by two other smaller fighters in a Tip Tow formation.
80
/100
02
Tennis
Tennis is a sports game developed and released by Nintendo for the NES. In North America and Europe, Tennis was one of 18 launch games for the NES. A Game Boy version was also released. The game features single-player and two-player modes for singles and doubles matches, with either competitive or cooperative gameplay. A computerized opponent's artificial intelligence can be set to one of five difficulty levels. Mario referees the matches.
74
/100
03
Road Fighter
Road Fighter is a car-based arcade game developed by Konami and released in 1984. It also was the first car racing game from Konami. The goal is to reach the finish line within the stages without running out of time, hitting other cars or running out of fuel (fuel is refilled by hitting a special type of car). The game also spawned two sequels in its time, Midnight Run: Road Fighter 2 in 1995 and Winding Heat in 1996, respectively. A Japan-only rebooted sequel was also released in 2010, 14 years after Winding Heat.
72
/100
04
Duck Hunt
It’s duck season, and your trusty hunting dog is ready to scour the open fields. Test your sharpshooting skills as your targets take flight. Be quick to knock them out of the skies, or your canine companion won’t hesitate to make you the laughingstock of hunters! Need a change in scenery? Best your score against clay-pigeon targets instead! With three fun modes to choose from, get your trigger finger ready for some fast-paced action! You only have three shots to hit your target before it zooms offscreen. Things might get a bit hairy when you advance to the next round, because those ducks and clay pigeons are going to fly faster and faster! Play solo, or challenge a friend as you test your dogged determination and feathered speed in this NES classic!
72
/100
05
Excitebike
Excitebike is a motocross racing video game franchise made by Nintendo. It first debuted as a game for the Famicom in Japan in 1984 and as a launch title for the NES in 1985. It is the first game of the Excite series.
71
/100
06
Circus Charlie
An action/platform game in which the player controls a clown named Charlie who partakes in various circus attractions.
70
/100
07
Spartan X
Spartan X, known in North America by the Kung-Fu Master port, is a 1984 beat 'em up arcade game developed and published in Japan by Irem. It was later published in North America by Data East, without the movie license. The Japanese version was based on the Jackie Chan movie Wheels on Meals, known as Spartan X in Japan, and credited "Paragon Films Ltd., Towa Promotion", who produced the film upon which it was based. The game is considered by many to be the first beat 'em up video game, and contains elements of Bruce Lee's Game of Death.
62
/100
08
Hogan's Alley (1984)
Hogan's Alley is a 1984 video game by Nintendo. It was one of the first games to use a light gun as an input device. The game presents players with "cardboard cut-outs" of villains and innocent civilians. The player must shoot the villains and spare the innocent people.
60
/100
09
Donkey Kong 3
Stanley is a bugman. Donkey Kong has taken refuge in his greenhouse and it is now up to Stanley to stop the ape from stirring up any more insects that will soon destroy his flowers. Stanley saves the flowers by spraying bug spray on Donkey Kong.
60
/100
10
Wild Gunman (1984)
Wild Gunman is a light gun shooter game created by Nintendo.
29
/100
Duck Hunt
It’s duck season, and your trusty hunting dog is ready to scour the open fields. Test your sharpshooting skills as your targets take flight. Be quick to knock them out of the skies, or your canine companion won’t hesitate to make you the laughingstock of hunters! Need a change in scenery? Best your score against clay-pigeon targets instead! With three fun modes to choose from, get your trigger finger ready for some fast-paced action! You only have three shots to hit your target before it zooms offscreen. Things might get a bit hairy when you advance to the next round, because those ducks and clay pigeons are going to fly faster and faster! Play solo, or challenge a friend as you test your dogged determination and feathered speed in this NES classic!
72
/100
05
Excitebike
Excitebike is a motocross racing video game franchise made by Nintendo. It first debuted as a game for the Famicom in Japan in 1984 and as a launch title for the NES in 1985. It is the first game of the Excite series.
71
/100
06
Circus Charlie
An action/platform game in which the player controls a clown named Charlie who partakes in various circus attractions.
70
/100
07
Spartan X
Spartan X, known in North America by the Kung-Fu Master port, is a 1984 beat 'em up arcade game developed and published in Japan by Irem. It was later published in North America by Data East, without the movie license. The Japanese version was based on the Jackie Chan movie Wheels on Meals, known as Spartan X in Japan, and credited "Paragon Films Ltd., Towa Promotion", who produced the film upon which it was based. The game is considered by many to be the first beat 'em up video game, and contains elements of Bruce Lee's Game of Death.
62
/100
08
Hogan's Alley (1984)
Hogan's Alley is a 1984 video game by Nintendo. It was one of the first games to use a light gun as an input device. The game presents players with "cardboard cut-outs" of villains and innocent civilians. The player must shoot the villains and spare the innocent people.
60
/100
09
Donkey Kong 3
Stanley is a bugman. Donkey Kong has taken refuge in his greenhouse and it is now up to Stanley to stop the ape from stirring up any more insects that will soon destroy his flowers. Stanley saves the flowers by spraying bug spray on Donkey Kong.
60
/100
10
Wild Gunman (1984)
Wild Gunman is a light gun shooter game created by Nintendo.
29
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Arcade game of 1984?
1942 currently tops the ranking with a score of 80/100 across 54 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.