Best games
Best Arcade games of 1994
The 11 best Arcade games released in 1994, ranked from 806 critic and player ratings.
The best Arcade game of 1994 is Alien vs. Predator, with a critic score of 84/100 — 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: 1994.
- 11 games are listed on this page, carrying 806 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 11
01
Alien vs. Predator
Alien vs. Predator is a 1994 beat 'em up video game developed and released by Capcom for the CPS-2 arcade game system. It is based on the science fiction franchise of the same name. Introducing an original fighter to the game: Lt. Kurosawa, the players take control of up to three from the selection of four cyborgs and Predator characters in a battle against the Xenomorph hordes and rogue human soldiers.
84
/100
02
SAMURAI SHODOWN II
One of SNK's legendary fighting game series has made a return! In Samurai Shodown II, you can take on one of the roles of 15 warriors as you fight your way through the land to defeat the evil Mizuki! Slash, kick, and slice your opponents in half...do whatever it takes...live by the sword, and die by its blade.
80
/100
03
Virtua Fighter 2
Virtua Fighter 2 is a fighting video game developed by Sega. It is the sequel to Virtua Fighter (1993) and the second game in the Virtua Fighter series. It was created by Sega's Yu Suzuki-headed AM2 and was released for arcades in 1994. Ports were later released for various platforms.
77
/100
Alien vs. Predator
Alien vs. Predator is a 1994 beat 'em up video game developed and released by Capcom for the CPS-2 arcade game system. It is based on the science fiction franchise of the same name. Introducing an original fighter to the game: Lt. Kurosawa, the players take control of up to three from the selection of four cyborgs and Predator characters in a battle against the Xenomorph hordes and rogue human soldiers.
84
/100
02
SAMURAI SHODOWN II
One of SNK's legendary fighting game series has made a return! In Samurai Shodown II, you can take on one of the roles of 15 warriors as you fight your way through the land to defeat the evil Mizuki! Slash, kick, and slice your opponents in half...do whatever it takes...live by the sword, and die by its blade.
80
/100
03
Virtua Fighter 2
Virtua Fighter 2 is a fighting video game developed by Sega. It is the sequel to Virtua Fighter (1993) and the second game in the Virtua Fighter series. It was created by Sega's Yu Suzuki-headed AM2 and was released for arcades in 1994. Ports were later released for various platforms.
77
/100
04
Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat II is a fighting game originally developed by Midway for arcades in 1993. It serves as the second main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise and follows the success of its predecessor by enhancing the gameplay and further developing the original game's mythos. Mortal Kombat II introduces more varied finishing moves and several iconic characters, such as Kitana, Mileena, Kung Lao, the hidden character Noob Saibot, and the series' recurring villain, Shao Kahn.
76
/100
05
Bust-A-Move
Bust-A-Move (also known as Puzzle Bobble) is a real-time puzzle game in which the player controls a device called "pointer" at the bottom of the screen, aiming and releasing randomly colored bubbles upwards. Depending on the aiming, the bubbles may float up directly or bounce off the walls, changing their trajectory. The goal is to aim the bubbles in such a way that they will touch identically colored ones. When such bubbles form a group of three or more, they pop and disappear from the screen. If the ceiling of the area is covered by too many bubbles, it will gradually descend; the game is over when it nearly reaches the player-controlled pointer. Should the player fail to release the bubbles within a specific time limit, they will be released automatically, unaffected by the pointer's aiming.
76
/100
06
Tekken (1994)
Tekken is a fighting game and the first entry in what would become the Tekken series and franchise. It was one of the earliest 3D-animated fighting games, incorporating many of the concepts from Sega's Virtua Fighter. Unlike traditional fighting games that require inputting commands as rapidly and accurately as possible, Tekken slows the action down by emphasizing rhythm, strategy, and deception over speed.
75
/100
07
Virtua Cop
Players assume the role of police officers in a first-person perspective and use a light gun to shoot criminals and advance through the game, with penalties for shooting civilians. The players could also shoot powerups that grants him a weapon or a life. The weapon is lost if the player is hit, but not if he shoots a civilian. Virtua Cop was notable for its use of polygonal graphics, which were subsequently used in both House of the Dead and Time Crisis, instead of the two dimensional sprites that were popular for previous games in the same genre. It is also notable for being one of the first games to allow the player to shoot through glass. Its name derived from this graphical style, which was previously used in Virtua Fighter, Virtua Striker and Virtua Racing.
71
/100
08
Killer Instinct (1994)
Killer Instinct is a fighting game developed by Rare and published by Midway and Nintendo. It was released as an arcade game in the fall of 1994 and, the following year, ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and the Game Boy. The game's plot involves an all-powerful corporation organising a fighting tournament. The story was adapted in a limited comic book series published under the short-lived Acclaim Comics imprint. Killer Instinct features several gameplay elements unique to fighting games of the time. Instead of fighting enemies in best-of-three rounds bouts, each player has two life bars. The player that depletes the other player's life bars first wins the match. The game also introduced "auto-doubles", a feature which allows players to press a certain sequence of buttons to make characters automatically perform combos on opponents. Also featured in the game are "combo breakers", special defensive moves that can interrupt combos.
70
/100
09
Cruis'n USA
Cruis'n USA is an arcade racing game originally released in 1994. It was developed by Midway Games and published and distributed by Nintendo. It is the first game in the Cruis'n series and features locations around the United States.
66
/100
10
Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors
The DarkStalkers have been unleashed! All the creatures from your darkest dreams have materialized to wage an eternal war for domination of the night. The fate of all humanity rests on who wins this epic struggle. You control the power of your favorite supernatural monster to combine their special attacks and unique abilities in a head to head fighting challenge. It's a fierce and brutal conflict for supremacy in the monster hit of the year!
65
/100
11
Sega Rally Championship
50
/100
Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat II is a fighting game originally developed by Midway for arcades in 1993. It serves as the second main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise and follows the success of its predecessor by enhancing the gameplay and further developing the original game's mythos. Mortal Kombat II introduces more varied finishing moves and several iconic characters, such as Kitana, Mileena, Kung Lao, the hidden character Noob Saibot, and the series' recurring villain, Shao Kahn.
76
/100
05
Bust-A-Move
Bust-A-Move (also known as Puzzle Bobble) is a real-time puzzle game in which the player controls a device called "pointer" at the bottom of the screen, aiming and releasing randomly colored bubbles upwards. Depending on the aiming, the bubbles may float up directly or bounce off the walls, changing their trajectory. The goal is to aim the bubbles in such a way that they will touch identically colored ones. When such bubbles form a group of three or more, they pop and disappear from the screen. If the ceiling of the area is covered by too many bubbles, it will gradually descend; the game is over when it nearly reaches the player-controlled pointer. Should the player fail to release the bubbles within a specific time limit, they will be released automatically, unaffected by the pointer's aiming.
76
/100
06
Tekken (1994)
Tekken is a fighting game and the first entry in what would become the Tekken series and franchise. It was one of the earliest 3D-animated fighting games, incorporating many of the concepts from Sega's Virtua Fighter. Unlike traditional fighting games that require inputting commands as rapidly and accurately as possible, Tekken slows the action down by emphasizing rhythm, strategy, and deception over speed.
75
/100
07
Virtua Cop
Players assume the role of police officers in a first-person perspective and use a light gun to shoot criminals and advance through the game, with penalties for shooting civilians. The players could also shoot powerups that grants him a weapon or a life. The weapon is lost if the player is hit, but not if he shoots a civilian. Virtua Cop was notable for its use of polygonal graphics, which were subsequently used in both House of the Dead and Time Crisis, instead of the two dimensional sprites that were popular for previous games in the same genre. It is also notable for being one of the first games to allow the player to shoot through glass. Its name derived from this graphical style, which was previously used in Virtua Fighter, Virtua Striker and Virtua Racing.
71
/100
08
Killer Instinct (1994)
Killer Instinct is a fighting game developed by Rare and published by Midway and Nintendo. It was released as an arcade game in the fall of 1994 and, the following year, ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and the Game Boy. The game's plot involves an all-powerful corporation organising a fighting tournament. The story was adapted in a limited comic book series published under the short-lived Acclaim Comics imprint. Killer Instinct features several gameplay elements unique to fighting games of the time. Instead of fighting enemies in best-of-three rounds bouts, each player has two life bars. The player that depletes the other player's life bars first wins the match. The game also introduced "auto-doubles", a feature which allows players to press a certain sequence of buttons to make characters automatically perform combos on opponents. Also featured in the game are "combo breakers", special defensive moves that can interrupt combos.
70
/100
09
Cruis'n USA
Cruis'n USA is an arcade racing game originally released in 1994. It was developed by Midway Games and published and distributed by Nintendo. It is the first game in the Cruis'n series and features locations around the United States.
66
/100
10
Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors
The DarkStalkers have been unleashed! All the creatures from your darkest dreams have materialized to wage an eternal war for domination of the night. The fate of all humanity rests on who wins this epic struggle. You control the power of your favorite supernatural monster to combine their special attacks and unique abilities in a head to head fighting challenge. It's a fierce and brutal conflict for supremacy in the monster hit of the year!
65
/100
11
Sega Rally Championship
50
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Arcade game of 1994?
Alien vs. Predator currently tops the ranking with a score of 84/100 across 42 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.