Best games
Best Game Boy games of 1994
The 9 best Game Boy games released in 1994, ranked from 1,347 critic and player ratings.
The best Game Boy game of 1994 is Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament, 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.
- 9 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,347 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 9
01
Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament
Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament featured cars that require different handling techniques for each course and also hovercraft and helicopters. There are different playing modes including "head-to-head", in which each player earns points by driving a full screen ahead of the opponent. TV presenter Violet Berlin features as a playable driver. The MS-DOS version featured a track editor. A selling point for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version was the J-Cart, a cartridge including two control ports, thus eliminating the need for a 4-player adaptor. It also included a 'pad-sharing' feature which allowed 2 players to share a single joypad; thus it enabled 8 players to compete simultaneously, on certain tracks.
84
/100
02
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Hey! Things are really cookin' on Kitchen Island! Wario's got a scheme to steal the pirates' treasure so he can have his very own castle! You help Wario get the treasure by smashing into the the magic pots! Each pot changes him into Dragon Wario, Bull Wario, or Jet Wario! With each change comes new powers! Dozens of enemies try to stop Wario, but you have the power to beat them! Be the bad guy! Explore the many exciting levels of Kitchen Island! Battery-backed memory saves your progress for many hours of fun!
80
/100
03
Disney's The Lion King
The Lion King brings to life the majesty and mystery of Africa through the tale of Simba, a lion cub faced with the challenging transition to maturity. Believing himself to be responsible for his father's death, Simba enters the wilderness - where he finds salvation with Pumbaa the warthog and Timon the meerkat, and his education begins. Take control of the young cub Simba and, through interaction as detailed as the lust terrain, guide him safely through.
80
/100
Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament
Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament featured cars that require different handling techniques for each course and also hovercraft and helicopters. There are different playing modes including "head-to-head", in which each player earns points by driving a full screen ahead of the opponent. TV presenter Violet Berlin features as a playable driver. The MS-DOS version featured a track editor. A selling point for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version was the J-Cart, a cartridge including two control ports, thus eliminating the need for a 4-player adaptor. It also included a 'pad-sharing' feature which allowed 2 players to share a single joypad; thus it enabled 8 players to compete simultaneously, on certain tracks.
84
/100
02
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Hey! Things are really cookin' on Kitchen Island! Wario's got a scheme to steal the pirates' treasure so he can have his very own castle! You help Wario get the treasure by smashing into the the magic pots! Each pot changes him into Dragon Wario, Bull Wario, or Jet Wario! With each change comes new powers! Dozens of enemies try to stop Wario, but you have the power to beat them! Be the bad guy! Explore the many exciting levels of Kitchen Island! Battery-backed memory saves your progress for many hours of fun!
80
/100
03
Disney's The Lion King
The Lion King brings to life the majesty and mystery of Africa through the tale of Simba, a lion cub faced with the challenging transition to maturity. Believing himself to be responsible for his father's death, Simba enters the wilderness - where he finds salvation with Pumbaa the warthog and Timon the meerkat, and his education begins. Take control of the young cub Simba and, through interaction as detailed as the lust terrain, guide him safely through.
80
/100
04
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country is a side scrolling platformer by British developers Rare in 1994. It featured revolutionary pre-rendered 3D graphics that give the game a very unique look compared to most other games on consoles at the time. The two playable characters featured in the game are the titular character, Donkey Kong and his nephew, Diddy Kong. Together the two swing, climb, jump, swim, cartwheel, ride animals, and blast out of barrels on their way to recover their stolen bannanas from the evil King K. Rool and his Kremling army. The adventure takes you through a variety of different environments and levels that continually change up gameplay. Donkey Kong Country also provides plenty of opportunities for exploration with almost every level having a multitude of collectible, shortcuts, and hidden bonus areas.
80
/100
05
Earthworm Jim
A crow is chasing a worm named Jim while in outer space Psy-Crow is chasing a renegade ship. The ship's captain has stolen an ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit and Queen Slug-for-a-Butt has ordered Psy-Crow to get it, since it can make her more beautiful than Princess-What's-Her-Name. Psy-Crow blasts the captain and the suit falls to Planet Earth. Back on earth Jim wonders if he is finally safe when an ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit lands on him. Luckily Jim rests in the neck ring of the suit. Then the space particles begin interacting with Jim, causing a light-speed evolution. Jim soon realizes he is in control of the suit. Jim overhears the Queen's plans for the suit and decides to meet this Princess...
76
/100
06
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
07
Urban Strike
Urban Strike is a helicopter based shoot 'em up, mixing action and strategy, retaining its predecessor's core mechanics, and expanding on the model with additional vehicles and settings. This time, the campaign takes the player all over the North American continent, beginning in Hawaii and moving through locations in Mexico, San Francisco, New York, and Las Vegas.
69
/100
08
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
The Super NES version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a side-scrolling action game composed of seven stages, with two different gameplay styles.
55
/100
09
Animaniacs
Animaniacs is a side-scrolling action/puzzle game based on the animated TV series of the same name. The Warner kids, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot have escaped the water tower again and are on a quest to retrieve movie memorabilia from the Warner Bros. studio lot. There are 4 stages, and in each stage the Warners must work together to get past obstacles and enemies. Yakko can push or pull boxes, Wakko can use his hammer to smash things, and Dot can blow kisses to charm simple minded foes.
52
/100
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country is a side scrolling platformer by British developers Rare in 1994. It featured revolutionary pre-rendered 3D graphics that give the game a very unique look compared to most other games on consoles at the time. The two playable characters featured in the game are the titular character, Donkey Kong and his nephew, Diddy Kong. Together the two swing, climb, jump, swim, cartwheel, ride animals, and blast out of barrels on their way to recover their stolen bannanas from the evil King K. Rool and his Kremling army. The adventure takes you through a variety of different environments and levels that continually change up gameplay. Donkey Kong Country also provides plenty of opportunities for exploration with almost every level having a multitude of collectible, shortcuts, and hidden bonus areas.
80
/100
05
Earthworm Jim
A crow is chasing a worm named Jim while in outer space Psy-Crow is chasing a renegade ship. The ship's captain has stolen an ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit and Queen Slug-for-a-Butt has ordered Psy-Crow to get it, since it can make her more beautiful than Princess-What's-Her-Name. Psy-Crow blasts the captain and the suit falls to Planet Earth. Back on earth Jim wonders if he is finally safe when an ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit lands on him. Luckily Jim rests in the neck ring of the suit. Then the space particles begin interacting with Jim, causing a light-speed evolution. Jim soon realizes he is in control of the suit. Jim overhears the Queen's plans for the suit and decides to meet this Princess...
76
/100
06
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
07
Urban Strike
Urban Strike is a helicopter based shoot 'em up, mixing action and strategy, retaining its predecessor's core mechanics, and expanding on the model with additional vehicles and settings. This time, the campaign takes the player all over the North American continent, beginning in Hawaii and moving through locations in Mexico, San Francisco, New York, and Las Vegas.
69
/100
08
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
The Super NES version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a side-scrolling action game composed of seven stages, with two different gameplay styles.
55
/100
09
Animaniacs
Animaniacs is a side-scrolling action/puzzle game based on the animated TV series of the same name. The Warner kids, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot have escaped the water tower again and are on a quest to retrieve movie memorabilia from the Warner Bros. studio lot. There are 4 stages, and in each stage the Warners must work together to get past obstacles and enemies. Yakko can push or pull boxes, Wakko can use his hammer to smash things, and Dot can blow kisses to charm simple minded foes.
52
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Game Boy game of 1994?
Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament currently tops the ranking with a score of 84/100 across 41 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.