For over 50 years, video game consoles have entertained gamers worldwide.
From the early original days, headlined by Pong, to today’s consoles, which boast impressive storytelling and cutting-edge technology, every video game generation has experienced a lot of highs. Unfortunately, there have also been a lot of lows.
Whether it’s 8-bit graphics or 4K visuals at 60 frames a second, this is every video game generation ranked worst to best. We’ll note the important consoles in each generation and the years those consoles were in production.
First Generation (1972 – 1983)
Notable consoles:
- Magnavox Odyssey
- Coleco Telstar
- Home Pong series
From 1972 through 1983, the first generation of home consoles helped bring the video game industry to your house. Unfortunately, technical limitations meant consoles could only feature one or two games at most.
Pong was a smash hit, though. While other games in this generation couldn’t touch its success, it helped shape the future of gaming and what we could expect in future generations.
Second Generation (1976 – 1992)
Notable consoles:
- Atari 2600 and 5200
- ColecoVision
- Intellivision
Due to improved technology, home video games were rapidly improving. Atari led the way with an impressive lineup, notably featuring Asteroids, Space Invaders, and Pitfall! I want to give a special shoutout to my personal favorite: Miner 2049er.
The Atari consoles weren’t the only ones to see success; the ColecoVision and Intellivision also burst onto the scene, featuring games like Burgertime, Thundercastle, Threshold, and Montezooma’s Revenge. Still, despite the success of these consoles, the video game crash of 1983 nearly killed the industry.
Ninth Generation (2020 – Present)
Notable consoles:
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X|S
For me, the biggest issue with the current console generation of video game consoles is that developers are still releasing games for the eighth generation (PS4 and Xbox One).
The jump to 4K, and even 8K, resolution, solid-state drive storage, and streaming game libraries is great on paper. However, despite starting over four years ago, there isn’t much in terms of must-own titles.
Games like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring are some of the best games ever made, and exclusive titles like Ghosts of Tsushima show off the true power of current-gen hardware, but in the grand scheme of things, there’s not much new being done. The games are just bigger and prettier.
Third Generation (1983 – 2003)
Notable consoles:
- Famicom/NES
- Sega Master System
Following the video game crash of 1983, the “8-bit generation” helped save the day due to the success of the Nintendo Famicom, better known as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and the Sega Master System.
The success of the NES is well documented. Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 are some of the best games of the 1980s. Nintendo wasn’t the only game in town; Sega was making a name for themselves with their Master System console, headlined by the Golden Axe series, Alex Kidd, and Phantasy Star. As great as these consoles were for Nintendo and Sega, their successors would blow them out of the water. More on those later, though.
Eighth Generation (2012 – 2020)
Notable consoles:
- Wii U
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
Following the success of the seventh generation consoles, as well as the breakout of the Nintendo Wii and the motion control craze of the late ’00s and early 2010s, the industry was at a bit of a crossroads.
Nintendo released the Wii U, a home console whose main controller was a gigantic gamepad with a touchscreen. It was such a massive failure that Nintendo rushed out their next console: the Nintendo Switch, a hybrid console/handheld, is one of the most successful consoles ever at over 140 million units sold.
Meanwhile, Xbox tried to present its newest console as an all-in-one media device. Gamers rejected these media features, and its notoriously bad lineup of games didn’t help, either. As for Sony, the PlayStation 4 was a massive success. Still, these consoles and games didn’t have the same innovation as the ones we’re about to discuss.
Fourth Generation (1987 – 2004)
Notable consoles:
- Super Nintendo
- Sega Genesis
- Sega CD
- Neo Geo
Now we’re starting to play with serious power here. The Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis are some of the best consoles ever made, with game libraries that speak for themselves.
Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario World, the Final Fantasy games, Street Fighter, Streets of Rage, and many more were all the games of my childhood. I apologize for every game I missed; there are too many to go through.
This is a true murderer’s row of incredibly 16-bit games proving that home consoles were here to stay four years after the crash of 1983. This was also arguably the start of the “console wars,” with Sega’s advertising campaign focused around “Sega does what Nintendon’t,” a call to the faster-paced Sonic the Hedgehog games and the uncensored version of Mortal Kombat.
Special shoutout to the Neo Geo, the home of games like Metal Slug and Fatal Fury.
Fifth Generation
Notable consoles:
- Nintendo 64
- Sony PlayStation
- Atari Jaguar
- 3DO
- Sega Saturn
The fifth console generation is incredibly crowded, but a shocking number of hardware releases were absolute duds. The Atari Jaguar was supposed to be Atari’s return, but its awkward controller lineup of games made it dead on arrival. The 3DO didn’t fare much better, hampered by its insanely high price tag. The Sega Saturn couldn’t capitalize on the success of the Genesis, though it did feature far better games than the Jaguar and 3DO.
At the end of the day, the fifth generation belonged to the Nintendo 64 and the newcomer: the Sony PlayStation. I may be biased, but I firmly believe that the N64 has one of the best game libraries of all time: Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Conker’s Bad Fur Day; these are all great games. Yet, some argue that the PlayStation 1 has it beat on the back of Final Fantasy 7, Resident Evil 2, Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and more.
Honestly, you can’t do wrong having owned either an N64 or PlayStation 1. If anything, it was a sign of the times: Sony wasn’t playing around and would be a dominant force in the gaming industry from day one.
Seventh Generation
Notable consoles:
- Xbox 360
- PlayStation 3
- Nintendo Wii
I really wanted to have this as the best console generation for several reasons. First, the seventh generation represented a gigantic leap forward in terms of innovation. HD visuals were becoming the norm thanks to the power of the Xbox 360 and PS3 hardware. I still have no idea how these systems were able to run Grand Theft Auto V. Second, online gaming was growing at a rapid pace, and these consoles were at the forefront of it, most notably the Xbox 360 and the advancement of Xbox Live.
Then, of course, there was the Nintendo Wii, with Nintendo deciding that it was content to do its own thing: deliver an accessible console focused on motion controls that allowed anyone to jump in and play. Wii Sports was a mega-hit. For those looking for more traditional options, the Super Mario Galaxy games are still some of the best platformers ever made.
One remarkable thing about this generation is how much each console sold:
- Xbox 360: 84.7 million units
- PlayStation 3: 87.4 million units
- Nintendo Wii: 101 million units
Sixth Generation
Notable consoles:
- Sega Dreamcast
- PlayStation 2
- Nintendo GameCube
- Xbox
As great as the seven gen consoles are, and they all are great, they can’t hold a candle to the sixth gen systems.
Yes, the PS2 dominated sales and is the best-selling console ever (over 155 million units sold). However, what makes this generation the best for me are the games.
Let’s start with the PS2. The foundation for every franchise and every developer you know and love today started here. Naughty Dog continued their PS1 success (Crash Bandicoot) with the Jak & Daxter series. Insomniac developed the Ratchet and Clank franchise. The PlayStation 2 saw the birth of God of War and the introduction of the 3D open world of Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas.
The Xbox wouldn’t see the same success yet, but it gave us Halo: Combat Evolved, revolutionizing console FPS. It also birthed Xbox Live and Halo 2.
While the Nintendo GameCube would struggle from its mocked appearance (it was purple and came with a handle), the games were incredible: Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime, Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and my personal favorite game: Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. Many people also forget that the GameCube was a graphical powerhouse, producing some of the best looking games of the generation.
Of course, we can’t forget the Sega Dreamcast. While it was eventually outclassed by all the other consoles, it was an incredibly innovative system that was arguably ahead of its time when it came to online capabilities. We’ll always have Paris Crazy Taxi.
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