As with all our Top 50 library lists, this ranking is based on User Ratings in the Nintendo Life games database and is subject to fluctuation, even after publication.

So, if you haven't rated your favourite N64 games, feel free to exert your influence and potentially switch up the order of the games below. You can also check out our reader-ranked list of all the N64 games available on Nintendo Switch Online, too. Enjoy!


The Nintendo 64 is a console which tends to divide gamers. Launching back in 1996 (or 1997 in PAL regions) as the gaming industry's bread-and-butter switched from sprites to polygons, the console represents — from a certain perspective — the first time Nintendo really dropped the ball. Tired of the platform holder's licensing terms, many developers jumped ship to Sony's PlayStation, attracted by fairer deals and cheaper disc-based media. In the meantime, Nintendo doubled down on an esoteric piece of hardware with confusing, kiddy-coloured controllers that were arguably out of step with gaming's maturing audience.

On the other hand, for many gamers the N64 evokes some of our very warmest, strongest gaming memories. It was while brandishing this console's three-pronged pad that many of us took our first steps into a three-dimensional Mushroom Kingdom or Hyrule, and the unrivalled excitement of four-player split-screen Mario Kart or GoldenEye sticks in our mind like few other multiplayer experiences.

Thanks to the User Ratings submitted by readers, we present to you the top 50 N64 games ever. There's no doubt that we've got a fine selection of 64-bit lovelies below, but remember, this list is not set in stone. The ranking will continue to evolve automatically according to user scores submitted to the Nintendo Life game database, so don't worry if you missed out on 'voting' — you can still do so by simply scrolling down and rating them now!

And should the fancy take you, you can do the same for each of Nintendo's consoles with our top 50 best games lists, including NES, SNES, Game Boy, GBC, GBA, Nintendo DS, 3DS, GameCube, Wii, Wii U and more.

If there's a game bubbling under the top 50 that you'd like to rate, feel free to find it using the search tool below and give it a score out of 10. Otherwise, plug in your Rumble / Controller / Transfer / Expansion Paks and get ready for the best N64 games of all time...

Note. In order for games to become eligible, they need a minimum of 50 User Ratings in total.

50. Goemon's Great Adventure (N64)

This sequel took the character and colour of the original and threw in a bonus co-op mode for another wonderfully entertaining platform adventure with an off-the-wall Japanese flavour. There's an argument to be had over which is best, and we tend to lean towards the original, but they're both fine games.

49. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (N64)

In August 2002, this became the final game released for the Nintendo 64 in North America. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 also received a port on GameCube (which launched the previous year!), and although the version on the older console was never going to fare brilliantly in direct comparison, it's still a very fine game.

Largely overshadowed by its flashier disc-based brethren, then, but Edge of Reality sent the console out on a high with this final entry in the N64's Birdman trilogy.

48. ISS 98 (N64)

Konami's Major A studio took the solid foundation of ISS 64 and built upon it with some wonderful additions including an optional top-to-bottom view and the appearance of the referee on the pitch. That might sound like a tiny and almost insignificant detail, but having the ref onscreen blew our minds back in 1998. A beautiful game, indeed.

47. Jet Force Gemini (N64)

An underrated entry in the Rareware library, Jet Force Gemini coupled cute design with chunky, gungy third-person blasting in a world-hopping quest to defeat insectoid overlord Mizar. Juno, Vela and trusty good boy Lupus' adventure is not without flaws, but JFG is a surprisingly deep and satisfying one that's worth investigating if you're a Rare fan looking for gems that passed you by around the turn of the millennium.

46. Beetle Adventure Racing! (N64)

Most people who played Beetle Adventure Racing! back in the day probably went in with low expectations, but coming from Paradigm Entertainment — a studio that worked with Nintendo on Pilotwings 64 and also made the excellent F-1 World Grand Prix games on the system — it's a fun, beautifully constructed little racer that's well worth revisiting.

45. Quake II (N64)

Quake II excels at providing a fast-paced first-person shooter experience on N64, and one which feels quite different from system stalwarts GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark. The single-player is a gruelling task, if only because of the enemies’ resilience to almost all kinds of weaponry, not to mention that hitting them is a bit difficult when you move so fast that your shots don’t line up with your crosshair. That’s not to say that it isn’t fun, but it does nevertheless require some patience. These last two issues are also present in the multiplayer mode, but given that each player is at the same disadvantage, it isn’t as big an issue. Moreover, the multiplayer feels surprisingly nippy for an N64 game and usually maintains a playable frame rate even with four players. It may not be as memorable or as deep in terms of gameplay as its Rare competition on the system, but Quake II is nevertheless entertaining, and especially worth experiencing if you miss the glory days of the arena multiplayer shooter. Playable on Switch via the remaster, too.

44. WWF WrestleMania 2000 (N64)

The first game released following THQ's takeover of licence holder duties from Acclaim, WCW's loss was very much WWF's gain. WWF Wrestlemania 2000 expanded on AKI's WCW/nWo Revenge from the previous year while bringing in the signature stable of World Wrestling Federation stars and setting the stage for the brilliant No Mercy.

43. Snowboard Kids (N64)

An Atlus-published Mario Kart-alike which subs out karts for 'boards, Racdym's underappreciated Snowboard Kids is the secret best multiplayer racer on the system. It added goofier characters, extra tension and comedy to the familiar formula — the end of a run usually produces hilarious pile-ups as you scramble for the ski lift and the next 'lap'. With subtle stick controls and great music, it's a real gem and it gets extra respect points for not swapping out 'Kids' for 'Kidz'. Classy.

42. Star Wars Episode I: Racer (N64)

Based on the best bit of The Phantom Menace (apart from the Darth Maul bits and all the soundtrack), Star Wars Episode 1: Racer tapped into the same vein of high-octane antigrav racing as WipeOut and F-Zero X. While not quite as smooth or accomplished, it utterly captured the energy of sequence in the movie, throwing in a deep upgrade and trading system and a dual-handed two-pad control scheme that more closely mirrored the controls of the onscreen pods, which really let you relive the thrill of boosting past Sebulba, Ben Quadinaros, and... erm, the rest. The Game Boy Color got a limited top-down version, but the N64 iteration is one of the best games ever to bear the Star Wars brand. Watto’s banter and post-race rendition of the Cantina theme is also excellent.

Happily, a Switch port of the game is now available with some HD spit polish and a lovely smooth frame. Utinni!

41. StarCraft 64 (N64)

This N64 port of the first entry in Blizzard's franchise was a surprisingly good version of an RTS title that, at the time, wasn't a natural or easy fit for consoles. Developer Mass Media Inc. did an admirable job with the port, and managed to pack in a split-screen multiplayer mode (if you had an Expansion Pak, that is). StarCraft 64 also included some extra missions in addition to the Brood War expansion, and gave Nintendo gamers a glimpse of a PC classic on their TV.