90s Games That Still Feel Incredible To Play

So many gamers are 90s children, and what an era that was to grow up in. You may even have had the pleasure of introducing a new generation to some of your childhood games. If you have, or you plan to, the key is to choose titles carefully. For the benefit of discerning young gamers in the making, it’s vital to bear in mind that some titles from the 90s have aged far, far better than others. There are some games from your childhood that you should never replay, and others that are as fun as ever despite their age.

Here are some of the very best games from the 90s, from a wide range of systems and genres, that are still a treat to play decades later. This isn’t to say that they don’t show their age in places (some more than others), as we’ll discuss, but that this doesn’t detract too much from a great time.

10

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic’s Super Sequel

The original Sonic the Hedgehog was an enormous success on arrival in 1991. Its high-speed action offered an entirely different platforming feel to Mario’s own early adventures, and the excellent music and presentation immediately cemented Sonic as a true alternative and rival to the platformer king himself. What the sequel needed to do, then, was not detract from any of that, but also not to simply retread the same territory.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is still, for many, the high point of the series, never matched despite the many different directions the games have tried since. Intuitive and satisfying to control, with the beloved addition of Tails and varied roster of new zones (and Eggman contraptions), it’s as fun as ever.

9

Streets of Rage 2

Mechanical Improvements Go A Long Way

Sega’s original Street of Rage is the epitome of simple, effective arcade action. In this scrolling beat ’em up, the player character can perform a simple combo, a jump attack, swing weapons found in the environments, or throw their foes. Returning to the original today, then, this limited moveset can make it feel rather repetitive. There’s a reason why Streets of Rage 2 is so well-regarded, and it’s the rather more robust combat system.

The returning and debuting cast members each have unique special moves, but they have to be balanced carefully with regular attacks, because a little HP is expended with each use. It doesn’t complicate the action, nor the overarching plot of defeating Mr X’s goons and liberating Wood Oak City once more, but it just adds an incredibly satisfying and strategic layer to combat. This is, arguably, the perfect beat ’em up, blending its more involved action with dramatically improved visuals and one of the most outstanding soundtracks of its era.

8

Doom

Ripping And Tearing Never Gets Old

The metallic shriek of the doors as they open with a key card. The sound of an imp’s fireballs blazing towards you. The blast of a shotgun. Doom‘s very sound effects are indelibly etched on the brains of a generation. The series has evolved in all kinds of fascinating ways since 1993, with the rebooted series introducing mechanics from grisly glory kills to crunching shield bashes, but there’s something special about the original title, something simple, pure, and primal.

Fans have battled across the Martian moon of Phobos and into hell countless times (surely on a wide range of devices over the years), but it never gets old. In fact, as you learn the most efficient paths through levels and the locations of the various secrets, it gets better with each replay. Mechanically, it’s extremely simple today, but each blast from the game’s arsenal of iconic weapons is as impactful and satisfying as it ever was.

7

Worms Armageddon

Still The Greatest Slice Of Wormy Warfare Ever?

Worms is another series that has taken all kinds of different directions since its introduction in 1995. It’s ventured into the third dimension, branched out into Worms Golf and Worms Pinball, and even tried its hand at being an entirely different kind of shooter in the shape of Worms Rumble. Even so, Worms Armageddon grew from a humble expansion of Worms 2 (which introduced the characteristic detailed and colorful cartoony visuals of the former) into one of the most beloved entries of all. There’s a good reason why this title was selected for a re-release in 2024, in the shape of Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition.

The series is primarily about multiplayer action, and while Armageddon is amply equipped for that, it also made a bold effort at providing something substantial for solo players to tackle. Deathmatch and the campaign will both challenge skilled players. Even if you’re just in it for the chaotic party action with friends, the wild new weapons like Freeze and the Concrete Donkey will ensure you have a blast. With excellent presentation and so many customization options, this one’s still so much fun to revisit.

6

Super Mario World

True 2D Platforming Royalty

The New Super Mario Bros. games are sometimes derided for being formulaic and playing it safe. It’s important to note, though, that this is partially because of Nintendo’s expert touch with 2D platformers in the first place. These titles are known for excellent level design and varied, inventive, and fun worlds. They are also designed to cater to younger and/or less experienced players, while still having myriad secret routes and unlockable difficult levels for those who want to test themselves. All of these factors define Super Mario World.

Originally launching in Japan in 1990, the game tells the tale of yet another Princess Peach (Toadstool) kidnapping from Bowser. The setting this time is Dinosaur Land, a realm through which Mario can traverse using new power-ups like the famed Cape Feather. New movement options like this allowed the developers to create more intricate, involved stages, and veterans may well have memorized the Warp Whistle locations and secret exits hidden within them. It’s a game that rewards curiosity and exploration, as the best platformers do, and is still a joy to run through whether it’s for the first or tenth time.

5

Donkey Kong Country

DK’s Finest Adventure

The reveal of Donkey Kong Bananza was an enormous revelation for the furry funster’s fans. It had been a long time since he’d been given a starring role in an original platformer, after all. Why was such a title so heavily anticipated in the first place? Partially because of the quality of the Donkey Kong Country series.

The original arrived in 1994, and immediately wowed gamers with its pre-rendered visuals. Paired with the wonderful music, it holds up surprisingly well today, presentation-wise, and leaping on Kremlings’ heads, rocketing around in mine karts and collecting those elusive K-O-N-G letters remains a lot of fun. Just as with Super Mario World, this isn’t a title renowned for its plot (though it introduced the nefarious King K. Rool and his banana-thieving ways). It lacks some of the mechanics added to the sequels, too, such as throwing allies to reach higher ground. Nonetheless, it’s a fantastic title that can still be enjoyed today for more than just nostalgia’s sake.

4

Street Fighter 2

Choose Your Fighter

It’s often simply taken for granted that a sequel will improve on the original in a whole array of ways. A lot of titles, sadly, have failed in this endeavor, but one iconic game that absolutely succeeded was Street Fighter 2. The first game primarily focuses on Ryu’s journey to topple the planet’s best fighters. Four years later, Capcom would introduce a wide range of other fighters pursuing that same goal, refining the combat mechanics and ushering in an absolute paradigm shift of a multiplayer experience.

So many different versions of this title would release over the years, some introducing more advanced mechanics and different options to mess with. Whichever version you play, though, there’s something uniquely timeless about Street Fighter 2. From the up-close brawler Zangief to the long-ranged, tricky and floaty movements of Zangief, the pleasure lies in understanding your opponent’s arsenal, watching for particular behaviors, predicting when they’ll use a certain attack that may leave them vulnerable, and utilizing a well-practised combo to punish them as much as possible for doing so. These factors are fundamental to almost every one-on-one fighter since, and when you return to this one, it almost feels as though it hasn’t aged a day once you’re in the zone.

3

Theme Hospital

Not Taking The Industry Too Seriously

Some sims, like Cultist Simulator, are super serious and complex enough to be almost inscrutable. While a certain audience will lap up such a title, it does make it rather difficult to engage a broader, mainstream audience. The success of the Two Point titles, by contrast, is largely attributed to their excellent sense of humor. The first of these, Two Point Hospital, is widely regarded as the spiritual successor to Bullfrog Productions’ 1997 hit Theme Hospital.

On a given stage, players have a limited plot of land (with the potential to buy more when they have the revenue) on which to build a successful hospital. Choosing particular rooms and their placement is key to this, because there are some very unique ailments (such as Bloaty Head) that will require specialized facilities and efficient access to them. Additional features in rooms and corridors, like benches, bins, and vending machines, improve overall conditions, and you can spend hours perfecting every little aspect of your facility. There’s a lot to do, too: You’ll have to impress VIP visitors, balance staff happiness and monitor their performance, ensure your machines are regularly maintained and plants watered, respond to unpredictable medical emergencies in the vicinity, and generally keep everything clean, safe, and running smoothly. Some of the comedy is very ‘late 90s,’ predictably, but the colorful visuals and excellent all-around presentation help ensure that the game holds up very well, and it’s still a fun challenge today.

2

Dungeon Keeper

Lead An Army Of Evil Creatures

Dungeon Keeper is another Bullfrog Productions creation, but one that takes a very different direction. Instead of doing your very best to save the lives of patients, you’re instead tasked with terrorizing innocents and taking over the world from your underground lair. Needless to say, it’s also great fun. The player typically starts a level with a small group of imps, essentially your diggers, who can mine gold, carve out areas of earth in which to build your dungeon, and claim portals which will allow other types of creature to enter. Certain species will only join if specific rooms are built, and to a sufficient size (a large hatchery will tempt in the huge, hungry Bile Demon, for instance). You’ll train your horde up into a fighting force capable of defeating the heroic armies who stand in your way, defeating the champion of each realm to claim it as your own before moving onto the next stage.

The stages differ in terrain, objectives, types of enemies, and other factors that force you to switch up your approach. There are ample ways to do so, too, because your hordes aren’t just fighters. Some of them are deft at building fiendish traps, like poison gas clouds that erupt at intruders’ feet, while others can unlock news spells for you, which you can use to strike down foes (or heal allies, but that’s not as malevolent). It’s a game of diabolical scheming and tongue-in-cheek evil, and it has an atmosphere that still makes it unique and engrossing to play years later. More so than its sequel, perhaps.

1

Wipeout XL

Not As Futuristic As It Once Seemed, But Still An Exciting Racer

Some consider F-Zero to be the biggest name in town when it comes to futuristic racing games. If you’re not a Nintendo fan, though, you might be more of a Wipeout player. The first title was a Western launch release for the original PlayStation in 1995, and it fared well enough to warrant a sequel the very next year. Wipeout XL is set at the close of the 21st century, and the racing tournament in which pilots compete is harsh indeed: Weapons don’t just cause you to spin out as in a kart racer, they can eventually destroy a craft completely if its shields aren’t maintained.

This mechanic is new for the sequel and adds a huge sense of jeopardy, particularly for longer races, but the sense of speed and excellent music already makes the game a pulse-pounding experience as it is. Aside from the more conventional gameplay modes, too, expert players can unlock Phantom Challenge, additional races that are not for the faint-hearted. If you’re new to the game or are returning after a long hiatus, you’ll find that it does a reasonable job of easing you in and familiarizing you with the rather floaty controls, before amping up the challenge exponentially. It’s still exhilarating to blast through the tracks and rise up the ranks, if you have what it takes to do so.