In the 1980s, the arcade was the place to be.
We saved our quarters for a chance at fame and glory, achieving high shores and immortalizing our initials.
With the advancement of home consoles, arcades started to disappear in the 1990s and 2000s. However, they’ve made a comeback today, acting as bars that offer free-to-play games as long as you drink.
It gives us a chance to relive our glory days and fall in love with the best arcade games all over again.
Marvel vs Capcom 2
One of the best fighting games of all time, Marvel vs Capcom 2 pits the rosters of Marvel’s greatest heroes against Capcom’s iconic stars.
The fighting features teams of three pitted against each other, offering a seemingly endless amount of hero combinations.
Street Fighter 2
Before MVC2, there was Street Fighter.
Street Fighter 2 is arcade fighting perfection. It found an audience on home consoles, but it felt natural to pop in some quarters and play it on an arcade cabinet.
Mortal Kombat
I’d be remiss to talk about arcade fighting games without bringing up Mortal Kombat.
Its down to basics, brutally violent gameplay was a smash hit from the very beginning. If I had a dollar for every time I’d shout “Toasty!” after performing an uppercut, I’d have a lot of dollars.
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Frogger
An absolute classic, Frogger‘s gameplay was ahead of its time in the 1980s.
The idea to not get squished seems easy, but there’s a lot of maneuvering through traffic and other obstacles that stand in your way.
With enough time, practice, and pizza grease, you can dethrone George Costanza and stake your claim for a high score.
Galaga
The retro space shooter ate too many of my quarters back in the day. Trying to rack up high scores shooting down alien spaceships consumed my life as a kid.
Namco would also combine Galaga in an arcade cabinet with another iconic game.
Ms. Pac-Man
The original Pac-Man is one of the most important video games of all time.
Ms. Pac-Man adds more stages, increases the difficulty, and improves on the original in every possible way.
Crazy Taxi
Are ya ready? Here we go!
Crazy Taxi isn’t your typical racing game. Instead of racing against other drivers, you’re running a taxi cab, picking up passengers, and racing against the clock.
It’s a frantic driving experience that will test your skill as you look to pick up as many passengers as possible.
Daytona USA
Now this is a traditional arcade racing experience.
Daytona USA puts you behind the wheel of a stock car and race for glory against computer and human opponents. This was my personal favorite as a kid.
NBA Jam
Is it the shoes? Boomshakalak!
NBA Jam is basketball at its finest. It’s not an authentic experience, instead opting for an over-the-top 2-on-2 game, but nothing beats performing the high-flying slam dunks you can pull off.
Dance Dance Revolution
The DDR craze took arcades by storm in the ’90s.
It offers an experience we couldn’t necessarily get on home consoles: dancing along to the rhythm and music on the specialized dance pad.
Time Crisis
One of my favorite genres of arcade games, the light gun shooter was a chance to look cool. These games didn’t have a traditional control setup; instead, you aimed and shot a light run at the screen.
Time Crisis stands out above the rest thanks to its cover system, which was triggered with a foot pedal in arcades.
Missile Command
BMissile Command‘s concept is simple: defend your bases by shooting down oncoming missiles. It’s just you, a trackball, and the trigger.
The only catch is that oncoming fire moves quicker and quicker as you progress through the game.
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