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Best Arcade games of 1997

The 9 best Arcade games released in 1997, ranked from 1,076 critic and player ratings.

The best Arcade game of 1997 is Tekken 3, with a critic score of 84/100 — updated October 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: 1997.
  • 9 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,076 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 12 October 2026.

Top 9

01 Tekken 3 Tekken 3 1997 · 561 ratings Tekken 3 is the third installment in the Tekken series. It maintains the same core fighting system as its predecessors but brings many improvements, such as significantly more detailed graphics and animations, fifteen new characters added to the game's roster, more modern music and faster gameplay. 84 /100
02 THE KING OF FIGHTERS '97 THE KING OF FIGHTERS '97 1997 · 72 ratings The King of Fighters '97 is a 1997 fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home console. It is the fourth game in The King of Fighters series. It was ported to the Neo-Geo CD, as well as the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn in Japan only. 81 /100
03 Rival Schools: United by Fate Rival Schools: United by Fate 1997 · 32 ratings The main fighting game is best described as a polygonal Marvel vs. Capcom game, with some notable differences. Control wise, the game varies from other Capcom fighting games by only having four buttons (two punches and two kicks, which is closer to the SNK game format) rather than the standard six. A player chooses a team of two characters, and fights against another two character team. The actual fights, however, are one-on-one fights, with the partner only participating by being called in when a player has enough 'vigor' for a Team Up attack, done by pressing a punch and kick button of the same pressure. The Team Ups would be some kind of double team attack by the character and partner, or (for most female characters' Team Ups) would heal the main character or give them more vigor. After the end of a round, a player (win or lose) has a choice to fight the next round with the partner from the previous round, or to keep their main character in play. The 'vigor' meter (essentially a super meter) could go up to 9 levels, with Team Ups costing two levels and super moves from a single person all costing one level of vigor. Much like the Marvel vs. Capcom games, launchers can be done that allow air combos to be performed, with all characters having universal low and high launchers. The game also had a few defensive techniques. Tardy Counters acted much like Alpha Counters from Street Fighter Alpha, allowing a player to immediately counter-attack from a blocking position. However, the restrictions on Tardy Counters are very lax; any hard normal, special or super attack can be used to Tardy counter (Alpha counters are only limited to certain special moves for each character), and Tardy Counters do not cost any extra vigor to perform (Alpha Counters required at least a level of Super Combo gauge to do). Attack Cancels allowed a player to cancel an incoming hit simply by timing their own hit with the attack, which would cancel out both attacks (though it does not nullify the remaining hits of a multi-hit move). Also, one additional level of vigor is awarded. 82 /100
04 Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter 1997 · 54 ratings Now you can choose your favorite heroes from the worlds of Street Fighter and Marvel Super Heroes to face off in a head-to-head battle for supremacy. Dive into the action to perform outrageous moves and link together amazing Chain Combos... then delight in their devastating results! Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter combines two incredible universes to create an entirely new legend of heroic proportions. 77 /100
05 Bloody Roar Bloody Roar 1997 · 40 ratings Bloody Roar, known as Bloody Roar: Hyper Beast Duel in Europe and Japan, is a fighting video game originally developed by Raizing (now Eighting) as an arcade game. It was later adapted for the PlayStation by Hudson Soft and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. The arcade version was released on July 7, 1997 and was titled Beastorizer in North America. The PlayStation version was released in Japan on November 6, 1997, in North America (under the title Bloody Roar) on October 31, 1997 and in Europe on March 1998. Bloody Roar is the first game in the Bloody Roar video game series and was followed by four sequels on multiple platforms. The game's story centers on a group of warriors known as "zoanthropes", who have the power to transform into half-human half-animal "Beasts", and the Tylon Corporation, and underground organization that seeks to use zoanthropes as mind-controlled weapons. The game received generally positive reviews from critics for its originality and graphics, while the audio received mixed opinions. The game's success resulted in its re-release for The Best range on October 14, 1999. The game was re-released on the PlayStation Network in North America on August 20, 2009. 75 /100
06 Street Fighter III: New Generation Street Fighter III: New Generation 1997 · 35 ratings Street Fighter III: New Generation is a fighting game in Capcom's Street Fighter series, originally released as coin-operated arcade game in 1997. Street Fighter III was produced for the CD-ROM-based CP System III hardware, which allowed for more elaborate 2D graphics than the CPS II-based Street Fighter Alpha games (the previous incarnation of the Street Fighter series), while revamping many of the play mechanics. The game, which was designed as a direct sequel to Street Fighter II, initially discarded every previous character except for Ryu and Ken (hence the "New Generation" subtitle), introducing an all-new roster led by Alex. 73 /100
07 Rampage World Tour Rampage World Tour 1997 · 40 ratings Rampage World Tour is a updated version of the classic Rampage. Rampage World Tour starts off at Scumlabs International where three lab technicians, George, Lizzy, and Ralph have mutated in an accident involving toxic waste. George has turned into a gigantic ape, Lizzy a gigantic lizard or dinosaur, and Ralph some sort of gigantic wolf. The three destroy the lab they previously worked at and then embark on a path of destruction encompassing the entire globe. 72 /100
08 Time Crisis II Time Crisis II 1997 · 31 ratings Time Crisis II is a light gun arcade game and the second installment in the Time Crisis series. It introduces co-operative multiplayer to the franchise. The game was first released in arcades in April 1998, with an enhanced port released on the PlayStation 2 in October 2001, bundled with the GunCon 2 controller. 70 /100
09 Mortal Kombat 4 Mortal Kombat 4 1997 · 211 ratings Mortal Kombat 4 is 1 vs 1 fighting game, similar to the other Mortal Kombat games, but this is first game in series with 3D characters models. The player can choose from 15 different fighters at the start (and several unlockables later on). Many fighters from earlier games in the series make a comeback (like Scorpion, Sub Zero, Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage etc.) while other new fighters join in, like Shinook (who is the main evil character in this game), Fujin, Jarek, and Kai. Goro returns as a boss. 69 /100
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Other years

Best Arcade games of 1999Best Arcade games of 1998Best Arcade games of 1996Best Arcade games of 1995Best Arcade games of 1994Best Arcade games of 1993Best Arcade games of 1991Best Arcade games of 1990Best Arcade games of 1988Best Arcade games of 1987Best Arcade games of 1986Best Arcade games of 1985

Same year, other platforms

Best PC games of 1997Best PlayStation 1 games of 1997Best Mac games of 1997Best Nintendo 64 games of 1997Best Sega Saturn games of 1997Best Linux games of 1997

Nearby rankings

Best Arcade games of 1996Best Arcade games of 1998

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Arcade game of 1997?

Tekken 3 currently tops the ranking with a score of 84/100 across 561 ratings. Ranking updated October 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.