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Best Arcade games of 1999

The 11 best Arcade games released in 1999, ranked from 1,045 critic and player ratings.

The best Arcade game of 1999 is Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, with a critic score of 90/100 — 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: 1999.
  • 11 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,045 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 12 October 2026.

Top 11

01 Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike 1999 · 110 ratings Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is the second follow-up to Street Fighter III. The game increased the character roster by adding five new characters and also added further refinements to the previous game's play mechanics and rules. All the returning characters from the previous Street Fighter III games were given new stages, endings, and voice actors for certain characters, continuing the overall storyline from where the first two games left off. 90 /100
02 Metal Slug X Metal Slug X 1999 · 141 ratings Metal Slug X is upgraded version of Metal Slug 2 (Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/I), which was released in March 1999 for the Neo Geo MVS. It fixed slowdown problems from the original game, and increased the difficulty. Metal Slug X also introduced some new elements to the game system. 80 /100
03 Dead or Alive 2 Dead or Alive 2 1999 · 73 ratings Dead or Alive 2 is a fighting game in the Dead or Alive series. The gameplay of DOA2, and all subsequent Dead or Alive games, borrows heavily from the Virtua Fighter series, but makes some key changes that drastically changes the way Dead or Alive is played in comparison to Virtua Fighter. In DOA2, the basis of the entire fighting system is the circular relationship between three types of moves: blows, throws, and holds.The other defining feature of DOA2, aside from blows/throws/holds, is its stun system. In DOA2 many attacks upon hitting will inflict a stun on the opponent. While stunned, the opponent cannot attack, and cannot guard, but they can hold. If the attacker lands a non-knockdown, non-launching attack while the opponent is stunned, the opponent will be re-stunned in a new way, depending on what attack was landed. A major difference between DOA2 and other fighters was in the safety and non-punishability of attacks, both upon hitting and upon being blocked. Most blows in DOA2 can be punished on hit and block by each character's faster throws, making blow-based offense very risky. In addition to the normal rules of juggling, each character also fits into a specific weight category, which affects how the character responds to being launched and being juggled. In DOA2, fights can occur on either water or ice; when a character is on such a surface, all non-knockdown, non-launching attacks will induce a stun on any successful hit. Walls and falls in the middle of stages are everywhere in the game. Many stages are also multi-tiered: to get to other areas of the stage, one character must be knocked off a ledge and fall into the next area. These falls deal usually fairly high damage, but cannot knock the opponent out. Other notable features included introducing CG cutscenes in line with the plot, replacing the original "Danger Zone" areas in stages with fully interactive ones, allowing players to juggle each other into walls, propelling characters from landmarks for more damage. 80 /100
04 Garou: Mark of the Wolves Garou: Mark of the Wolves 1999 · 66 ratings If you thought you'd seen the last of the incredible Garou: Mark of The Wolves series, you were sorely mistaken. Join classic brawlers and fresh finds (there are 11 new additions in all) for the fighting experience of the decade. The game's three unique modes of play include Offensive, Defensive, and Tactical, and there are plenty of Super Moves and Hidden Abilities to unlock. The realm of 2D fighting has rarely been this exciting, and it gets even more addicting when you play against a friend. 80 /100
05 Tekken Tag Tournament Tekken Tag Tournament 1999 · 130 ratings Tekken Tag Tournament is an update of Tekken 3 and is the fourth installment in the popular Tekken fighting game series. It is not canonical to the Tekken storyline however. 80 /100
06 Re-Volt Re-Volt 1999 · 112 ratings Re-Volt is an R/C car racing game from Acclaim, originally released in 1999. Re-Volt features great gameplay, realistic physics that still hold up to this day and bright and colorful visuals. It's a game aimed at people who just want to play a funky arcade racing game as well as for people who seek a more competitive challenge. It's meant for all ages and occasions: Play for yourself or in the local network with friends, or even online! 78 /100
07 Power Stone Power Stone 1999 · 39 ratings Power Stone is a fully 3D arena fighting game series made by Capcom. Power Stone was initially released on the Sega NAOMI hardware and later ported to the Dreamcast. In Japan Power Stone was adapted also into a manga, as well as a 26 episodes anime series. 76 /100
08 The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle 1999 · 47 ratings "The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle" is the sixth game in The King of Fighters series by SNK. Unlike in previous games of the series, there are four characters per team instead of three, with the fourth serving as a "Striker", a fighter whose function is only to enter a match, attack the opponent and leave without replacing their teammates. In total, there are seven teams, each containing four characters, four Team Edit characters and a boss. 76 /100
09 Hydro Thunder (1999) Hydro Thunder (1999) 1999 · 35 ratings The gameplay of Hydro Thunder consists of racing high-tech speedboats through treacherous environments, from the cold seas of the Arctic Circle, to a post-apocalyptic, flooded version of New York City. 75 /100
10 Crazy Taxi (1999) Crazy Taxi (1999) 1999 · 244 ratings 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. 60 /100
11 Virtua Tennis (1999) Virtua Tennis (1999) 1999 · 48 ratings 50 /100
Browse all the best Arcade games

Other years

Best Arcade games of 1998Best Arcade games of 1997Best 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 1999Best PlayStation 1 games of 1999Best Dreamcast games of 1999Best Nintendo 64 games of 1999Best Mac games of 1999Best Game Boy games of 1999Best Linux games of 1999

Nearby rankings

Best Arcade games of 1998

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Arcade game of 1999?

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike currently tops the ranking with a score of 90/100 across 110 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.