Best games
Best PC games of 1994
The 18 best PC games released in 1994, ranked from 4,249 critic and player ratings.
The best PC game of 1994 is FINAL FANTASY VI, with a critic score of 92/100 — 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 80 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.
- 18 games are listed on this page, carrying 4,249 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 18
01
FINAL FANTASY VI
Final Fantasy VI is the sixth main installment in the Final Fantasy series, developed and published by Square. It was the final title in the series to feature two-dimensional graphics, and the first story that did not revolve around crystals. The game gives players up to fourteen playable characters, the largest cast in the series, and features the Active Time Battle pseudo-turn based menu command system. A party can consist of up to four characters, though some events require the player to assemble three different parties of up to four and switch between them. Each character has a unique command ability, such as Terra's Trance, Locke's Steal, Edgar's Tools or Sabin's Blitz, and can also learn Magic spells from earning AP from battles with magicite equipped. Each character's rare Desperation Attack will randomly activate after using the Attack command when at critical health.
92
/100
02
Beneath a Steel Sky
Beneath a Steel Sky is a cyberpunk, point and click, adventure game. You assume the role of Robert Foster and embark on a quest to make the world a better place, along with your robot companion Joey.
91
/100
03
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (or simply Sonic 3 & Knuckles or Sonic 3 Complete Edition) is a platform video game which is the result of locking-on Sonic & Knuckles with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 using the former catridge's unique "lock-on" technology. It is essentially a large combined game of its two lock-on components and contains all Zones from the said games and also contains special features unique to this game. This would have been the original Sonic the Hedgehog 3 the developers intended but time constraints by Sega resulted in the game being split into two.
89
/100
FINAL FANTASY VI
Final Fantasy VI is the sixth main installment in the Final Fantasy series, developed and published by Square. It was the final title in the series to feature two-dimensional graphics, and the first story that did not revolve around crystals. The game gives players up to fourteen playable characters, the largest cast in the series, and features the Active Time Battle pseudo-turn based menu command system. A party can consist of up to four characters, though some events require the player to assemble three different parties of up to four and switch between them. Each character has a unique command ability, such as Terra's Trance, Locke's Steal, Edgar's Tools or Sabin's Blitz, and can also learn Magic spells from earning AP from battles with magicite equipped. Each character's rare Desperation Attack will randomly activate after using the Attack command when at critical health.
92
/100
02
Beneath a Steel Sky
Beneath a Steel Sky is a cyberpunk, point and click, adventure game. You assume the role of Robert Foster and embark on a quest to make the world a better place, along with your robot companion Joey.
91
/100
03
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (or simply Sonic 3 & Knuckles or Sonic 3 Complete Edition) is a platform video game which is the result of locking-on Sonic & Knuckles with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 using the former catridge's unique "lock-on" technology. It is essentially a large combined game of its two lock-on components and contains all Zones from the said games and also contains special features unique to this game. This would have been the original Sonic the Hedgehog 3 the developers intended but time constraints by Sega resulted in the game being split into two.
89
/100
04
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Elder Scrolls - Arena is the first RPG fantasy game of the Elder Scrolls series. The game takes place on a planet called Nirn in the empire of Tamriel. The emperor of Tamriel, Uriel Septim, is planing to gather the whole Nirn under the imperial flag. He allies himself with the mage Jagar Tharn who is unfortunately intent on stealing the emperor's throne. Jagar Tharn imprisons the emperor in another dimension and locks the key inside a dungeon under the imperial city. Your job is to find all the pieces of the key, reassemble it, kill Jagger Tharn and free the emperor.
88
/100
05
System Shock (1994)
A seminal cyberpunk first-person exploratory adventure game with RPG elements in which, waking up in the Citadel Space Station, a lone hacker has to survive corrupted enemies and collect audio logs and equipment from former station workers in order to shut down SHODAN, the station's artificial intelligence that has killed everyone on board and now intends to destroy the world.
85
/100
06
Doom II: Hell on Earth
Doom II: Hell on Earth is a first-person shooter developed by id Software and released in 1994 as a sequel to the original Doom. The game continues the story, with players battling through Earth after it has been invaded by demonic forces. Gameplay remains similar to its predecessor, featuring fast-paced combat, maze-like levels, and an array of weapons, including the introduction of the powerful Super Shotgun. Doom II also adds new enemy types, such as the Arch-vile and the Mancubus, increasing the game's challenge. Initially released for MS-DOS, Doom II has since been ported to numerous platforms, becoming a cornerstone of the FPS genre.
84
/100
07
DOOM II
83
/100
08
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
The game is a sequel to the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the same system and follows on directly from the end of the game, in which Sonic defeated his enemy, Dr. Robotnik; crash-landing on a floating island, Sonic encounters new character Knuckles the Echidna, and must once more retrieve the Chaos Emeralds while also working to stop Dr. Robotnik from relaunching his ship, the Death Egg.
83
/100
09
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
10
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic & Knuckles is a side-scrolling platform game that continues the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Sonic seeks to prevent Dr. Robotnik from repairing the Death Egg and obtaining the Master Emerald, while Knuckles attempts to protect Floating Island. Players can control either character through a series of zones, collecting rings and Chaos Emeralds while defeating enemies and bosses. Knuckles can glide, climb walls, and break certain obstacles, while Sonic can use abilities granted by elemental shields.
80
/100
11
Theme Park
79
/100
12
Heretic
79
/100
13
Streets of Rage 3
78
/100
14
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans
77
/100
15
The Need for Speed
76
/100
16
Mortal Kombat II
76
/100
17
Earthworm Jim
76
/100
18
Dragonsphere
63
/100
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Elder Scrolls - Arena is the first RPG fantasy game of the Elder Scrolls series. The game takes place on a planet called Nirn in the empire of Tamriel. The emperor of Tamriel, Uriel Septim, is planing to gather the whole Nirn under the imperial flag. He allies himself with the mage Jagar Tharn who is unfortunately intent on stealing the emperor's throne. Jagar Tharn imprisons the emperor in another dimension and locks the key inside a dungeon under the imperial city. Your job is to find all the pieces of the key, reassemble it, kill Jagger Tharn and free the emperor.
88
/100
05
System Shock (1994)
A seminal cyberpunk first-person exploratory adventure game with RPG elements in which, waking up in the Citadel Space Station, a lone hacker has to survive corrupted enemies and collect audio logs and equipment from former station workers in order to shut down SHODAN, the station's artificial intelligence that has killed everyone on board and now intends to destroy the world.
85
/100
06
Doom II: Hell on Earth
Doom II: Hell on Earth is a first-person shooter developed by id Software and released in 1994 as a sequel to the original Doom. The game continues the story, with players battling through Earth after it has been invaded by demonic forces. Gameplay remains similar to its predecessor, featuring fast-paced combat, maze-like levels, and an array of weapons, including the introduction of the powerful Super Shotgun. Doom II also adds new enemy types, such as the Arch-vile and the Mancubus, increasing the game's challenge. Initially released for MS-DOS, Doom II has since been ported to numerous platforms, becoming a cornerstone of the FPS genre.
84
/100
07
DOOM II
83
/100
08
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
The game is a sequel to the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the same system and follows on directly from the end of the game, in which Sonic defeated his enemy, Dr. Robotnik; crash-landing on a floating island, Sonic encounters new character Knuckles the Echidna, and must once more retrieve the Chaos Emeralds while also working to stop Dr. Robotnik from relaunching his ship, the Death Egg.
83
/100
09
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
10
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic & Knuckles is a side-scrolling platform game that continues the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Sonic seeks to prevent Dr. Robotnik from repairing the Death Egg and obtaining the Master Emerald, while Knuckles attempts to protect Floating Island. Players can control either character through a series of zones, collecting rings and Chaos Emeralds while defeating enemies and bosses. Knuckles can glide, climb walls, and break certain obstacles, while Sonic can use abilities granted by elemental shields.
80
/100
11
Theme Park
79
/100
12
Heretic
79
/100
13
Streets of Rage 3
78
/100
14
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans
77
/100
15
The Need for Speed
76
/100
16
Mortal Kombat II
76
/100
17
Earthworm Jim
76
/100
18
Dragonsphere
63
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best PC game of 1994?
FINAL FANTASY VI currently tops the ranking with a score of 92/100 across 402 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.