The Nintendo 64 redefined what a home console could do. It delivered the smoothest 3D worlds of its generation, four-player multiplayer out of the box, and a controller that still divides opinion thirty years later. If you are new to the library or returning after years away, this is the list you need: the best N64 games of all time, ranked by legacy, playability, and pure fun.
I have ranked 20 essential titles across every genre the console mastered, from genre-defining platformers to the shooter that turned a movie tie-in into a phenomenon. Keep reading for the full ranked list, a quick-reference table, and my honest advice on the best way to play these games in 2026.
Why the Nintendo 64 Still Matters in 2026
The N64 was Nintendo’s answer to the 32-bit era, and it arrived with a singular obsession: 3D. Where rivals stuffed their discs with pre-rendered backgrounds, Nintendo bet everything on polygons rendered in real time. The gamble paid off. Super Mario 64 taught an entire generation how to move through space, and nearly every 3D game released since owes it something.
More than its technical achievements, the N64 is remembered for its local multiplayer. GoldenEye 007 sleepovers, Mario Kart 64 banana fights, and Super Smash Bros. chaos turned the console into the heart of the living room. That social DNA is why the best N64 games still feel alive today, even against modern online giants.
How I Ranked the Best N64 Games
Ranking the best N64 games is subjective, so let me be transparent about my criteria. I weighed four factors: critical and historical impact, how well the game holds up today, replay value, and how uniquely it used the N64 hardware (the analog stick, the Rumble Pak, the four controller ports).
A quick note on omissions: the list focuses on the most significant releases, so a few beloved cult titles land in the honorable mentions. If your favorite is missing, check the honorable mentions at the end, where I have given every near-miss its due.
The 20 Best N64 Games of All Time, Ranked
20. Jet Force Gemini
Rare closed the generation with one of its most ambitious experiments. Jet Force Gemini blends third-person shooting, platforming, and a swarm of tiny alien twins into a game that is far bigger than its reputation suggests. The save system is cruel and the final boss demands everything you have, but the scale and the art direction are unmistakably Rare. It is a flawed masterpiece, and it earns the final slot.
19. Excitebike 64
A Nintendo launch in spirit, Excitebike 64 took a 2D classic and built a surprisingly deep physics-based racer around it. The motocross handling is genuinely advanced, with weight transfer, suspension tuning, and crashes that look spectacular. It never became a mainstream hit, but for racing fans it is one of the quiet triumphs of the library.
18. 1080° Snowboarding
Nintendo’s snowboarding answer to SSX never reached the same heights, but it remains a technical showcase. The trick system rewards timing over button mashing, and the sense of speed down the mountain is remarkable even now. It is a demanding game, and that precision is exactly what keeps it playable in 2026.
17. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Piloting an X-Wing through the Death Star trench is a fantasy every Star Wars fan has, and Rogue Squadron delivered it. Factor 5 built one of the best-looking games on the system, with mission design that adapts the films into varied objectives. The Expansion Pak even added improved graphics, making it an early showcase for the add-on.
16. Pokémon Snap
There is nothing else like Pokémon Snap on any console. You ride an on-rails cart through islands of wild Pokémon and photograph them, chasing better angles, fluffier poses, and hidden secrets. It is short, but its charm is timeless, and the 2021 remaster on Switch proved that the concept never aged.
15. Mario Party 2
The Mario Party formula peaked early. Mario Party 2 refined the board game chaos of the original and added themed boards that give each match personality. As a party game it is unrivalled on the system, and while it will end friendships, that is part of the appeal. The mini-games are the star, and dozens are still genuinely fun.
14. Wave Race 64
Wave Race 64 is a showcase for liquid simulation that still looks impressive. Jet skis carve through dynamic waves, and mastering the buoy racing takes real skill. The water physics were revolutionary in 1996, and no other racer on the system captures that same sense of motion and flow.
13. F-Zero X
Where Wave Race is about grace, F-Zero X is about pure, reckless velocity. Running at a blistering 60 frames per second, it is the fastest game on the system, with thirty futuristic machines and brutal, track-edge danger. It is unforgiving, but the pursuit of a perfect lap is one of the most satisfying loops on the N64.
12. Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 took the original’s rail-shooter concept and made it the template for the genre. Branching paths, voiced characters, and a difficulty curve that rewards replays made it a fixture of the system. It also launched the Rumble Pak, making it a hardware milestone as much as a game. “Do a barrel roll” became an internet institution for a reason.
11. Diddy Kong Racing
Often dismissed as a Mario Kart clone, Diddy Kong Racing is actually its own beast. It adds planes and hovercrafts, a hub world, and an adventure mode with proper boss races. Rare packed it with content, and the soundtrack is one of the best on the system. If you ever feel you have exhausted Mario Kart 64, this is the perfect partner.
10. Conker’s Bad Fur Day
Conker’s Bad Fur Day is the most audacious game Rare ever shipped. Under the cute squirrel exterior is a crude, brilliant comedy adventure that parodies everything from Saving Private Ryan to The Matrix. The production values are spectacular for the hardware, and its humour has aged into a cult phenomenon. It is a one-of-a-kind experience.
9. Paper Mario
Before the RPG series became a paper-craft platformer, Paper Mario was a genuinely great turn-based RPG. It proved the N64 could deliver a deep, funny, character-driven adventure, and its timing-based combat system remains a joy. The writing is witty, the partners are memorable, and it holds up far better than most RPGs of the era.
8. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Majora’s Mask is the strangest Zelda ever made, and that is its genius. A groundhog-day structure forces you to relive three days over and over, learning the routines of a town on the edge of apocalypse. It is darker, more experimental, and more emotional than anything Nintendo had attempted. The Three-Day cycle is a design idea that still has no real imitators.
7. Perfect Dark
GoldenEye’s spiritual successor is bigger, smarter, and more ambitious. Perfect Dark adds an engaging campaign, a fully realised sci-fi setting, and a robust suite of multiplayer modes. Rare crammed in everything it had learned and then some. It is one of the most technically impressive titles on the system, and the co-op and counter-operative modes are still unique.
6. Super Smash Bros.
It is hard to remember a time before Smash was a worldwide phenomenon, but the original was a quiet experiment. Nintendo’s mascots collide in a chaotic four-player brawler where the goal is to knock opponents off the stage, not drain their health bar. The formula was perfect from day one, and the N64 original remains a pure, timeless party game.
5. Mario Kart 64
Mario Kart 64 took everything that worked in the SNES classic and moved it into three dimensions. The result was an overnight phenomenon and the second best-selling game on the system. Four-player battles, item chaos, and shortcut secrets made it the default choice for every living room. It may be outshone by later entries, but its place in history is secure.
4. Banjo-Kazooie
Rare’s answer to Super Mario 64 is a bigger, funnier, denser collectathon. Banjo and Kazooie share moves that no platformer had attempted, the worlds are enormous and packed with secrets, and the writing is delightful. It refined everything Super Mario 64 introduced, and for many players it is the better game. A worthy top-four pick in any list of the best N64 games.
3. GoldenEye 007
Before GoldenEye, console shooters were a joke. After GoldenEye, every studio wanted to build one. The campaign is a superb reinterpretation of the film, but it was the four-player deathmatch that changed gaming forever. It defined the FPS on consoles and spawned a genre of imitators that lasted a decade. It is dated by modern standards, but historically untouchable.
2. Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64 is the most important 3D game ever made. It established the analog stick as the default input, the camera as a design problem to solve, and the open, explorable hub world as a template for decades. It is also simply brilliant to play, with movement so expressive that fans still break it apart today. As the best-selling N64 game of all time, its influence cannot be overstated.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is routinely named the greatest game ever made, and with good reason. It took Zelda’s core loop, added a revolutionary lock-on targeting system, and crafted a world that feels alive and considered in every corner. The transition from child Link to adult Link is one of gaming’s most memorable moments. As the highest-rated game of its generation, it earns the top spot by a hair.
Between Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64, reasonable people can disagree forever, but the nod here goes to the adventure. It changed what games could be while still being endlessly replayable today. If you play one game on this entire list, make it this one.
The Best N64 Games at a Glance
Here is a quick-reference table of the ten most essential titles from the list above, with developer and genre for each.
| Game | Developer | Genre |
|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Nintendo EAD | Action-adventure |
| Super Mario 64 | Nintendo EAD | 3D platformer |
| GoldenEye 007 | Rare | First-person shooter |
| Mario Kart 64 | Nintendo EAD | Kart racing |
| Banjo-Kazooie | Rare | 3D platformer |
| Super Smash Bros. | HAL Laboratory | Fighting |
| Perfect Dark | Rare | First-person shooter |
| Majora’s Mask | Nintendo EAD | Action-adventure |
| Paper Mario | Intelligent Systems | RPG |
| Conker’s Bad Fur Day | Rare | Platformer adventure |
Honorable Mentions
Cutting the list to twenty meant leaving out more great games than most systems ever produced. If you want to go deeper, start with these: Sin & Punishment (a Treasure rail-shooter that never left Japan officially), Ogre Battle 64, Harvest Moon 64, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Resident Evil 2, Blast Corps, Bomberman 64, Killer Instinct Gold, Donkey Kong 64, and Banjo-Tooie.
How to Play the Best N64 Games Today
There has never been a better time to play the N64 library. The Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack includes the most important titles, including Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, and more, all running with save states and rewind. For collectors, original hardware with an EverDrive 64 is still the definitive experience, and I cover the hardware options in our guide to retro consoles with built-in games.
If you want the best possible image from original hardware, our guide to upscalers and modern displays explains every option from simple adapters to premium solutions. And if you prefer emulation, our complete N64 emulation guide walks you through the setup, the legal side, and the best emulators available today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best N64 game of all time?
The most common answer is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which is also the highest-rated game ever made according to Metacritic’s all-time chart. Super Mario 64 is the other perennial candidate. Most serious debates about the best N64 game come down to these two.
What is the best-selling N64 game?
Super Mario 64 is the best-selling N64 game of all time, with over eleven million copies sold. Mario Kart 64 follows with around ten million, and GoldenEye 007 sits third with roughly eight million.
What is the rarest and most expensive N64 game?
The crown belongs to the North American Stunt Racer 64, which is extremely rare because it was a Blockbuster rental exclusive and never had a retail release. Prices regularly exceed a thousand dollars. Other valuable carts include Sculptor’s Cut, Bomberman 64: The Second Attack, and Conker’s Bad Fur Day in boxed, complete condition.
Are N64 games still worth playing in 2026?
Absolutely. The best N64 games hold up far better than most of their generation because they were built around 3D fundamentals rather than gimmicks. The multiplayer titles in particular remain as fun today as they were in the 90s, which is more than can be said for most shooters and racers of the era.
What is the hardest N64 game?
F-Zero X is brutally difficult, with razor-thin margins and no forgiveness. Among exclusives, Jet Force Gemini’s save system and final boss push it into the conversation, and Majora’s Mask’s three-day timer is punishing for first-time players.
Final Verdict: The Best N64 Game Is Ocarina of Time
After all the deliberation, one title stands above the rest. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the best N64 game of all time, and it is the game I would recommend to anyone, gamer or not. It is a masterclass in pacing, design, and emotional storytelling that has never been surpassed on the hardware that made it possible.
But the N64’s greatness was never about a single game. It was about a library that rewarded curiosity, a controller that gave players new ways to play, and a living room full of friends passing around three handles and arguing over the fourth. If you take only one thing from this list, let it be this: pick any title above and play it tonight. The best N64 games are timeless, and they are waiting for you.
