Update: Now includes Nightshade which is available on the Nintendo Switch Online service in the West from 18th December 2020.
Remember, this list evolves as users rate the games within, so head to the game's profile and rate it out of 10 if you'd like to see a particular game climb the rankings below. Carry on!
The collection of NES games available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers continues to grow over time, albeit slowly, and there are now well over 50 retro releases from the original Nintendo Entertainment System to enjoy via the subscription service.
We asked Nintendo Life readers to rate the available NES games on Switch using our User Rating system, and it's now time to reveal the results! The following list is compiled using the ratings (out of 10) given to each game in our database (and Nintendo Life readers did the same for the available SNES games, too).
It should be noted, however, that this list is not set in stone and will automatically change over time to reflect the ratings. If you look below and see a game you think deserves to be higher up, click on the 'Profile' button and score it yourself - your personal rating could boost its placement in the overall ranking.
So, settle down and prepare to scroll through the best NES games available on Nintendo Switch Online in the West (see our full list of every Nintendo Switch Online NES and SNES game for Japanese exclusives). We begin, naturally, at the bottom...
57. Volleyball (NES)
Certain entries in Nintendo's 'Black Box' series have aged better than others and, unfortunately, Volleyball went off long ago. In fact, we'd go as far as to say it's the worst of Nintendo's early sports titles, providing only the very basics of the game in a rather unattractive package. We much prefer a round of Tennis when it comes to ball-based net sports, but we suppose you've got nothing to lose in firing up Volleyball for a match or two.
56. Soccer (NES)
The beautiful game has seen more than its fair share of digital iterations over the years. This quaint early effort won't keep you occupied for long, but Soccer is an intriguing look into early sports titles on the system and worth firing up at least once.
55. Baseball (NES)
Another rather primitive take on a national sport, the 'Black Box' title Baseball is a slow-and-steady game that takes time to master, but persevere and you'll find it to be a fun, if simple, experience - especially with a second player in tow. It's more of a historical document at this point, but there's fun to be had if you give it a chance.
54. City Connection (NES)
City Connection didn't look or feel particularly good back in the day, and time has not been kind to Jaleco's city-hopping arcade port. With so many other options available in the NES library, getting behind the wheel of this one again isn't recommended unless you're determined to take every last NES title available for a quick test drive.
53. The Immortal (NES)
An isometic fantasy action-RPG published by EA, The Immortal might not be the NES classic that springs to mind, but it was generally well received when it released back in 1990. It dumps you in the Labyrinth of Eternity and charges you with searching the dungeon for your character's tutor, Mordamir. On the way, you'll inevitably have to battle beasties, cast spells and perform general wizard-y deeds.
52. Kung-Fu Heroes (NES)
You'll need to bring a second player along to get the most out of Kung-Fu Heroes. It's a simple martial arts game but the combination of decent moves, power-ups and the tactical options that come from having two players controlling Jacky and Lee makes this one worth a go, especially if you're a fan of kung-fu fighting.
51. Clu Clu Land (NES)
If you can stomach the odd controls and steep difficulty, you may well be able to mine some fun from Clu Clu Land, and as a 'Black Box' title it's certainly got curio kudos. That said, this arcade puzzle-style maze game is unlikely to keep your attention unless you're a real Nintendo enthusiast or scholar. We'd be tempted to leave our Rupee collecting to Link.
50. Tennis (NES)
Rudimentary is perhaps too kind an adjective to describe Tennis, although we've always had a soft spot for it (and its Game Boy brethren, in particular). It's an extremely simple take on the sport, and not one that'll keep you occupied for any length of time, but at the very least it's fun to see how far we've come.
Game? Why not. Set? Hmm, perhaps. Match? Nah, you're alright - let's play Mario Bros. 3.
49. Mighty Bomb Jack (NES)
A relatively unique offering from Tecmo, Mighty Bomb Jack won't click with everyone and couldn't be described as 'essential'. However, if you've played through all the obvious NES platformers and are looking for something a bit different, this hybrid platformer offers a good challenge that's fun to control. Worth a look for arcade-style platforming fans.
48. Eliminator Boat Duel (NES)
One of the lesser-known entries in the NES lineup, Eliminator Boat Duel is worth firing up if you've never taken its powerboats for a spin. A bird's-eye view racer from the early '90s, it isn't likely to rock your world, but it's a solid addition to the console's library and there are many worse ways to spend an hour or two than at the wheel of a ruddy great 8-bit powerboat. The odd '90s mix of 12-year-old boy's fantasy and technicolor on the cover alone makes it worth investigating at least once.
47. Nightshade (NES)
An action-adventure title with point-and-click gameplay elements, Beam Software's Nightshade offered an odd mixture of gangland action on the mean streets of Metro City with an intriguing system which monitored the main character's popularity of the eponymous vigilante crimefighter. Intriguing, but ultimately unsuccessful, this late NES title (it released in 1992) is perhaps best remembered as the precursor to the much better Shadowrun on SNES.
46. Star Soldier (NES)
As vertical shooters go, Star Soldier hasn't aged brilliantly, and looks particularly drab these days. It's not without merit, and shooter fans may get a kick from it, but better alternatives are readily available. One for 'fans of the genre' only, then.
Comments (107)
Number 1 is not a surprise!
Honestly, I’d say Ninja Gaiden has aged better than Metroid, Mario 2 and the original Zelda. The original SMB and SMB3 are classics though.
I pretty much expected number 1, but if I'm being honest, it should have been SUPAH MARIO BROS 2, BABYYYYYY, GAME OF THE YEAR!!!
This is awesome.... I love these "as voted by you" lists. Keep em' coming NL!
RCR at #10? Blasphemy.
You say StarTropics never had a follow up, but it did actually. Surprised it hasn't made it to the service yet. I'd love a modern take on the game.
Mario 2 will always be tied with 3 for me.
I wish they made a sequel with those game mechanics
KIrby should be number 1, but not bad NL.
Clicked just to make sure SMB 3 was #1
Honestly surprised by a couple of these. Yoshi being #40 makes me think not enough people played it. As drop puzzles go, it was a pretty fun time sink.
Crystalis could have been a liiiiiittle higher though.
Yes, Mario 1 2 and 3 are classics. I have played them so many times over the years (since they were first released) that I have lost count.. it may be in the hundreds.. or even thousands..
Had them on every Nintendo console I have ever owned, I think (of course, starting with the NES).
This is also a big reason why the movie "The Wizard" is a classic to me. You have to love a movie that features Super Mario 3 as the main attraction!
Star Tropics DID have a follow up - Zoda's Revenge: Star Tropics II.
I’d never played Vice: Project Doom until NES Online, and I really liked it. I thought it may be a but higher on the list, but I also get that it isn’t. The usual suspect in the top 5, and I cannot disagree. Some legendary games there.
Kirby's Adventure is the best NES game and would be higher if more people had played it
Can't argue with the top 5 at all. Although id put LoZ at #1
Just dropping a comment to observe the oddity that is NL referring to Wario as Mario's "alter-ego"
Well I didn't vote for any of these. Of course that's because I didn't feel like it, but now I can't complain about the order since I didn't participate. So much regret.
Personally I don’t think the NES games have aged well, I mean Mario 3 is probably number one for me even though I’m not a huge fan of it, original Mario in my opinion is rubbish.
Journey to Silius and Tecmo Bowl should be ranked higher, very solid list overall though.
Kirby’s Adventures should be higher. It’s one of the very best NES games and it still holds up to this day.
I think Eliminator Boat Duel deserved to come higher! Seriously, give it a try, I think it’s really cool how it keeps changing racing style from side-on to top-down to into-the-screen.
Other than that, the list is pretty much perfect.
When you get to the top 10 you realise how legendary some of these games are. Some absolute gems. Super Mario 3 is phenomenal. I’ve said it before but for someone who’s never owned a NES it’s great to have so many classics at my fingertips.
@WiltonRoots,
People often forget that for many Switch owners all the NES and SNES games will be brand new to them.
Seems legit, not many surprises here.
City Connection is placed in hell where it belongs
Am I alone thinking that Crystalis is a way better game than Zelda II? Zelda II had some good ideas, but I feel like its execution had a lot of issues that make for a far less fun game comparatively.
Super Dodgeball deserves better than this.
Kirby's Adventure and Mario Bros. 3 are the only games that don't feel held back by the hardware limitations and level design idiocy of the NES era. They're completely playable with well designed levels.
Open Tournament Golf is fun too. SMB1 and Lost Levels are good, but not to the same extent as SMB3. They're held back by the hardware.
Surprised Vice:Project Doom and Journey to Silius ranked so low. Guessing its mainly due to their lack of popularity
I actually quite liked City Connection... thought it deserved to be a lot higher, but I'm not complaining. Just the only weird thing I see about this list....
I mean I would obviously rate the top 10 differently but that one I think is far too low.
@Octoguy it's already #4 behind the original Zelda, Mario and Mario 3, what more do you want?
@Nintendzoey Well said, my friend...
Saw "The Wizard" in theatres, originally. Although, I have re-watched recently as well, within the past year. That Super Mario Bros. 3 scene still gives me goosebumps to this day.
Also, leaking the location of the Flute in the Castle Stage, for the Warp... That was so awesome 💯
Too young to care about "spoilers", just wanted to try it out and Warp to the Giant World like Jimmy 😎
@Maulbert @Baker1000 Ah, of course! I’ve edited that entry to mention it. Cheers 😊
SMB3 deserves to be #1. With that said, I'm gonna be THAT guy and say SMB1 does not deserve to be #2. Top ten for sure, but games like Kirby, punch-out and Ninja Gaiden all deserve to be above SMB1 on the list.
@mauhlin12 Tecmo Bowl is probably my most played game on the service, it’s just so much fun in two player.
I don't think they are the best NES games, but I think Kirby's Adventure, Startropics, SMB3 and Mother really felt ahead of their time on the system
@the4seer I know exactly what you mean. When Super Mario 3 is announced in the movie.. it is like the movie saying "This Is Your childhood".. absolute goosebumps, I agree.
That movie was everything (along with "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", which I also saw when it was first released to theatres) to me as a kid. I actually have a signed poster of "The Wizard" signed by the cast [Todd Holland (the director), Beau Bridges, Luke Edwards, Christian Slater and Fred Savage] except for Jenny Lewis unfortunately. I have it framed and hung in my living room.
Still remember watching the movie and seeing the flute location in the first castle as well.. I remember racing home to find it on my actual NES game. Sad that kids these days will probably not be able to experience anything like that, the internet provides all the secrets now.
Pro ranking: shadow of the ninja moves up
I'd put Kirby higher up on the list, above Zelda, simply because it doesn't make me want to cease existing when I go back to it in the modern age.
@johnvboy I mean I wouldn't have gone out of the way to buy them, but they got thrown in with the online so to me it was like getting a box of mystery toys from the 80s.
@WiltonRoots,
Same here, at the old virtual console prices at best I would of had five or six titles, as I have played a lot of them before, this way you get them all, and they are all stored in the cloud.
Expected. Personally I can’t stand Zelda 1. Not a fan at all. Or Metroid 1.
My top 5 would be:
Mario 1-3, Kirbys Adventure, Wrecking Crew. Never saw this poll go up. Then again I don’t visit much.
@nessisonett nah lmao
I have actually had a lot of fun playing soccer with my son, ok it’s a product of its time but definitely not the worst nes game on switch. I also really enjoy cit6 connection
I doubt hardly anyone is surprised by #1.
Solomon's Key is legitimately amazing, I wonder if it would be much higher if more people played it. (Zelda 2 is also underrated imo)
Super Mario Bros 2 is my favorite NES game. It's such a quirky game with great sprites and fun mechanics. I still play through it regularly. I've been waiting for a follow-up forever.
Can't argue with Mario 3, still a great game today.
StarTropics never had a follow up? What are you talking about? There´s a StarTropics II. It was even on Wii's VC.
Wasn't surprised with number one.
After playing Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland on the GBA I can't go back to the original. It's like playing the original Metroid after Zero Mission.
City Connection wasn't that bad for me and Yoshi is a neat little puzzle game. I enjoyed Startropics but without the rewind feature it would be incredibly frustrating.
Kirby's Adventure and Super Mario Bros. 3 are the only NES games I truly enjoy on NSO.
So it seems me and one other person appreciate City Connection 😂.
No joke, that game is in my top 10—and that’s not even nostalgia talking. I only recently discovered it in the past five years. To me it’s a great zippy arcade game 🕺🏼
Yep. This list has some very differently positioned games from my personal pick, but IN GENERAL it's close.
I remember seeing the box art for dr mario the very first time when I was a kid and had my imagination going crazy of what the game could be, like maybe a platformer as dr mario like super mario brothers, I was very disappointed when I realized it was just a tetris kind of game, I felt the same way about the yoshi nes game, another tetris type of game instead of a platformer
@Giygas_95 AYYOO SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 GAME OF THE YEAR EVERY YEAR BABYYYYYY
I honestly feel lile games such as Journey to Silius and Wario's Wood's should of been higher while games like Metro is and Zelda 2 should of been lower.
@RobotReptile I loved City Connection! My brother and I rented it from our local shop when it was new. Not because we were looking forward to it, but because nothing else was in at the time.
We really enjoyed it!
Personally I wish Rygar was on this list. I have no problem with this list as I love most NES games (some for their brilliance, some for nostalgia, some for both!), but yeah, there are definitely some NES gems out there beyond the classics.
Man, it's looking obvious with Vice: Project Doom, Journey to Silius, and Shadow of the Ninja "ranked" so far down the list, even behind an inferior Donkey Kong port and BOTH Excitebike games, that people will just downvote any game they don't know/care about and give whatever Nintendo published games an automatic pass. I'd hate to imagine what the scores would look like if we were able to see them in a way like the weekly eShop downloads.
I wan't going to post this, since I was mainly keeping track for myself, but here goes my scores (and borrowing heavily from NitendoLife's scoring scale). Unlike some folks here, I've played almost all of these (except for 7 or 8 of them) back in the days of renting out games at a video rental store...and also, when there used to be video rental stores. So I felt I can be objectionable enough to fairly rate the underrated and hard enough to see past the nostalgia goggles of the overrated.
10/10 (nigh perfect, performs great considering the hardware, thoroughly enjoyable, even after you finish you keep thinking about it for a while)
9/10 (excellent, can backlog that other retro game you were playing)
8/10 (solid, great gameplay worth coming back to)
7/10 (good, memorable, start telling friends about it if they ask)
6/10 (better than average)
5/10 (base average, has no major bugs)
No NSO games made it down here, as they shouldn't.
4/10 (not so good; bad level designs, bad RNG, finicky hit detection)
3/10 (bad execution; serious game mechanic problems)
2/10 (poor product; technical problems, game-breaking issues)
1/10 (actually unplayable, took the budget money and ran)
@LavaTwilight I want exactly what I stated in my comment: for it to be higher on the list. Above Zelda or maybe even the original Mario.
Solomon’s Key is excellent. I’ve got the Switch Arcade Archives version and ZX Spectrum game too.
I have played about 10 of them on the service, probably about 14 in total counting from when I was a kid. Need to hit the rest up tbh.
Wait, how is Wario "Mario's dastardly alter ego"? Aren't they two separate beings? 🤔
After looking through this list, I'm surprised, pleasantly, about how many games are available now on the service and how many of them are great titles.
Don't get me wrong, most of the black box games are terrible now, but Mario 1-3, Zelda 1 and 2, Kirby, Punch-Out, Metroid, Kid Icarus, Ninja Gaiden, Tecmo Bowl, Rygar, Blaster Master, Silius, Shadow of the Ninja, Vice, Crystalis, Startropics, Dr. Mario... these are all very solid titles.
Frankly, I don't get the whining about a Virtual Console. On my Switch in between the NSO online for NES and SNES, compilations (Mega Man, Castlevania, Contra, Sega Genesis, Namco Museum, SNK, etc.), Arcade Archives, Neo Geo ACA, Sega Ages, and more, I've got perhaps the largest selection of retro games I've ever had.
Also, the arcade archive versions of Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Mario Bros are far, far superior to the NES ones.
All these titles on VC would cost you $265.
I'll spend the $20 a year, thank you.
@kingbk I'm happy spending $5 or less a year with the family plan. Basically feels free. And while I know some VC purists love to complain about the new system, I've played through and enjoyed dozens of hours of games on NSO and paid, to date, less than $10 for all of these titles to enjoy with more coming at an admittedly slow rate, but at no extra cost.
It's really hard to thing throwing $300 at it to "own them" is better. At the current rate, it would take more than 50 years to equal the cost of just the current $265. And that's not counting the fact that VC didn't have online, rewind, etc. And I'll be dead in 50 years almost assuredly. And in 10-15 years the chances I even still own a Switch are relatively low.
The Adventures of Lolo is criminally placed on this list. Should be top ten! The puzzles are timeless. Also, I want the other Lolo games!
@Deltath Exactly. I "own" some of these titles through the NES Classic and SNES Classic, but people complained about backwards compatibility and having to pay over and over for the same games. Now they don't have to do that with the NSO service.
I have a feeling N64 and Gamecube games will likely get the remaster/remake treatment over being put on a service, especially since their graphics are quite dated.
Overall how I expected, but Zelda 2 is always way further down the list than it deserves. Still one of my favorites in the series.
I agree with most people, Kirby’s adventure should be higher. It was my most played game on the system, despite loving SMB3.
Pro wrestling should be WAY higher. So should Super Dodgeball and Ice Hockey.. Warios Woods Wrecking Crew and Yoshi should be at the bottom.
The highest ranked one I haven’t beat is Super Mario Bros. 2. One of only 6 main Mario games I haven’t beat l, and the only one I gave up on because it was too hard. I even beat The Lost Levels.
@kingbk I completely agree. And to be honest, I'd prefer that. I was going through my library on Wii U six months or so ago of VC titles and honestly, a lot of the N64 titles struggle to hold up. GC is on the cusp, but.. seeing something like The Thousand Year Door remade or even modestly remastered would be amazing. I can still play my GC copy if I want, anyway.
@Apportal_SMM2 No, you agree with several commenters. Most people clearly think it's 4th best, which is why it's on the poll as such.
It's hard to play Super Mario Bros. 3 and feel that it is, in any way, limited by its platform.
The first three levels of Kid Icarus are the hardest because you are so weak. Once you hit the first dungeon map and can grind for items from the shop, it is a much more enjoyable game.
There are still quite a few key NES titles missing from the list.. like Guardian Legend, Faxanadu, Crystallis, Baseball Stars. And it seems like a lot of the games available were from the early years of the NES when most of the games were just poor arcade ports or sports titles.
Solomon's Key, Adventures of Lolo, Warios Woods and Nes Open Tournament Golf would all get a lot higher grades in my book. Four really good games that deserves more attention.
I played the original Mario Bros a lot on the service. Really fun high score chaser. I agree that Lolo should be higher, it's a great game and I would love to see 2.
My top 3 NSO NES games would be:
3. River City Ransom (never played this back in the day, only got introduced to this by my friend when it appeared on NSO.. so I've got no nostalgia for it obviously. And most games from this era that I didn't play back then are hard for me to enjoy such as Metroid and TLoZ. It's also a genre I've never gotten into much. That said this game is brilliant, I love the controls and all the little shops)
2. Kirby's Adventure
1. SMB3
If Kirby's Adventure provided more of a challenge that might change things as I love the power ups and controls and the aesthetics and music and every thing. SMB3 is just so good though, I play through both these games pretty regularly and I can pretty much go through them almost from memory without much difficulty.
Tennis deserves better....
Silius in 37th place?! No no no!
@TechJunkie69 I think Battle of Olympus is also better than Zelda 2.. Hopefully we'll see that at some point.
@nessisonett i agree the first metroid is not very good. Just play super m! Ninja gaiden is still a great game and fluid control's. That end boss is a bugger to beat. 😎
These lists always make me want to play even the worst ranked games LOL
About Metroid, I'm planning on finishing it one of these days on my NES Mini, but with the help of a map in order to go to the final boss already. It's a classic and spawned a great series, but yes, the original is tough to play. Not because of the difficulty alone, but especially because of the design. You don't have any kind of map in-game and just wander around facing enemies that take a large amount of your health, usually to arrive to a dead end and having to backtrack. Metroidvania but not in a good way.
Thank God you can save progress, otherwise I would have abandoned already. Now I just want to know WHERE Mother Brain is, face it and move on to Metroid II.
Pretty clear the main factor in people's scores was name recognition.
@Maulbert That's not how averages work.
I'm sad Ice Hockey isn't higher, as far as sports games go, it's definitely one of my favorites. Also I think Metroid is too high, the original Metroid is a really rough game, no map (and many rooms that look identical), no battery save, stiff controls, I suppose some people may like some of these things, but for most people it makes the game frustrating to play. The later releases are excellent, the first release not so much.
@LavaTwilight Well, "Kirby's Adventure" deserves to be #2 behind only SMB3.
@wazlon "Nightmare in Dream Land" is a remake of the original "Kirby's Dream Land" on GameBoy, not "Kirby's Adventure."
@Deltath The point of buying them on a Virtual Console service is that you only buy the ones you actually want to play. The large majority of these games aren't worth owning for most players. Nobody really cares if they had never gotten to try out the shovelware titles the one or two times they actually booted them up on NSO. Furthermore, they'd probably give a huge discount on the games already purchased on the Wii or Wii U VC, only needing to pay for the added features like rewind (that they would still get on the Switch version of the VC).
@BulbasaurusRex Even if I only bought ten games out of the entire lot, that's still more than I'm paying for an entire decade of the service. So I still just can't agree that it's better or even good. Also, while it's true I may only buy the ones I like most, the biggest reason I wouldn't buy more isn't because I wouldn't enjoy playing them, it's because I just don't want to spend too much money. With NSO, I've checked out every single title and I was glad to try them, even when I didn't like them. And that math was just counting the NES stuff. Not even looking at all the SNES titles, which cost a lot more and have a better library.
@Optimist80 yeah I totally agree. People just say the game is bad because other people say it is. It’s not the best game ever, (or anywhere near that point) but it shouldn’t deserve this much hate. 😄
@BulbasaurusRex Oh, right. Thanks for mentioning that
@Moroboshi876 not only the missing map. Those corridors looks so damn identical. It aged really badly. But it spawned a great series. Luckily we have zero mission.
@ALinkttPresent really? Lol. As a kid mario 2 was the only one i could beat. I found it to be way easier than 1 or three. Shows how different people are.
@tech7 Definitely. The Lost Levels was not initially released outside of Japan because it was too hard, but I beat it relatively easily compared to our own Super Mario Bros. 2. I don't know what it is about that game that makes it so hard for me compared to other 2D Marios.
No way I would rank the first LoZ and SMB1 that high.
SMB2 is better than SMB1 IMO.
Super Tecmo Bowl
Bubble Bobble
Kung Fu
NARC
Recca Summer Carnival '92
Mega Man CX
Sonic the Hedgehog NES Demake
Guerrilla War
Power Blade 1&2
GI Joe
Pauline in Donkey Kong with all 4 levels
Yeah call me when you get those
Welcome to the list, Nightshade.
Welcome to last place, Nightshade.
I hear Nightshade is actually pretty awesome, but I have yet to play it for myself.
I honestly thought it was super cool seeing the score jumps. I mean, we went from #7 with 7.88 to #6 with a whopping 8.37! Then it happened again with #1 and #2 - we went from 8.77 to 9.55!
The NES games were truly treasures.
I love the vote's Its so fun, its kinda like the character polls for manga.
"A modern game would never ask you to try setting random bushes alight to reveal a hidden passageway without signalling it with a huge neon 'SECRET HERE!' sign"
And that's a good thing because it is horrible game design. I'm grateful for TLoZ on the NES because it started my favourite Nintendo franchise but the game isn't good. Having to bomb walls and burn bushes without any indicator whatsoever is not fun. Even BotW gives you visual clues for puzzles and secrets and that is often said to be a loveletter to the first Zelda game
I have played most if not all of these NES games and many not on the list. The rankings are no surprise but there are so many other well desgined games out there that Nintendo likley cannot add due to licensing issues. I am pretty burnt on NES games but I have purchased some of the collections to get the games I feel are better. The one game I found hard to rent was Star Tropics because most VG rentals had only one or two copies and someone always kept them forever.
I am more interested in SNES games since I rented more Genesis games and while there were many versions for both platforms so many games were exclusives which gives me something to look forward to.
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