Here Are The Most Popular Retro Games 90’s Kids Played Growing Up

Retro or old school games were a huge part of the lives of kids who grew up from the 1980s till the early 2000s. Adults that grew up in that era are very familiar with going straight from school to play in arcades or staying up late to play on NES, Nintendo, and many other consoles.

Here is a trip down memory lane with a few games that every 80s-90s kid might have played growing up:

Super Mario

First introduced in 1985, Super Mario has been a part of every 90s household growing up especially for Nintendo. The games followed around Mario who was sometimes joined by his brother Luigi and other members of the Mario cast.

Following a simple plot, Mario went around, jumping across different platforms and atop enemies in themed levels, typically rescuing Princess Peach from the antagonist Bowser.

Tekken

Introduced in 1994 by Bandai Namco Entertainment, the fighting video and arcade game focused on hand-to-hand combat between multiple characters to win the King of Iron Fist tournament. The tournament is hosted by Mishima Zaibatsu, where the characters fight to take control of the company.

The conflict amongst the Mishima family serves as the main focus of the plot.

Street Fighter

Japanese competitive fighting video game developed by Capcom, Street Fighter first hit the markets in 1979. Street Fighter is one of the highest-grossing games of all time of Capcom’s flagship series.

Aladdin

In 1993 Disney’s Aladdin was adapted into a game that was released for Sega Genesis, as well as by Capcom for the Super NES. The single-player video game was later adapted for other platforms, including the DOS and Gameboy.

The first game to use hand-drawn animation, Aladdin follows the same storyline as the original movies where the player controls Aladdin throughout, fighting enemies, and eventually comes face to face with the protagonist, Jafar.

The game went on to win Electronic Gaming Monthly’s Best Genesis Game in 1993.

Snow Bros

Originally developed by Toaplan, Snow Bros is a 1990’s platform arcade video game that follows the snowmen twins Nick and Tom across 50 different levels. The twins jump on and off platforms and navigate through obstacles to save the princesses Puripuri and Puchipuchi.

Originally introduced in arcades, Snow Bros later became popular across various platforms.

King of Fighters

Another in a series of fighting games, The King of Fighters was the first release by SNK in 1994. The games are centred around a title tournament where fighters from multiple SNK games take part.

King of Fighters was originally released yearly starting with the arcade games for SNK’s New Geo MVS.

Pinball

Arcades are often associated with the constant sound of pinball machines, the earliest of the coin-activated electromechanical games. Origins of the Pinball machine can be traced back to early as the 1930s. Early machines were purely mechanical and used coin slots and steel balls.

Modern Pinball began its journey in the 1980s. Known for its soundtracks, light shows and animations, electronic games soon displaced the Pinball machines.

Pacman

Bandai Namco Entertainment’s Pacman came to be known as one of the best maze chase games since it was first launched in 1980. Pacman is one of the longest-running, highest-grossing, best-selling video game franchises that came to be associated with 1980s popular culture.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Video game series and media franchise, Sonic the hedgehog follows a blue hedgehog, Sonic as he tries to battle the evil scientist, Doctor Eggman. First released in 1991, every Sonic game had unique game mechanics and stories with recurring elements such as ring-based health systems and fast-paced gameplay. Sonic the Hedgehog is Sega’s flagship franchise, and one of the best selling video game franchises.

Mortal Kombat

Released in 1992, Mortal Kombat is an arcade fighting game. The first in the Mortal Kombat video game series, the games were centred around various characters who take part in a martial arts tournament.

Considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time by audiences in the 21st century, Mortal Kombat went on to become one of the best selling games, with a number of releases and film adaptations.

Need for Speed

First released in the December of 1994, the Need for Speed franchise is published under Electronic Arts, focusing on street racing and tasking players to complete quests while evading the police.

Tetris

Initially released in 1984, Tetris has become a household name, establishing itself as one of the greatest early video games.

Created by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov, the game is available for over 65 different platforms, setting the Guinness World Record for the most ported video game.

The game has also been a part of various research studies analyzing theoretical complexities, and the impact of the Tetris effect on the human brain.

Honorable Mentions

Even though these games failed to make it into the list, they’re still very popular and were extensively played in the ’90s and early 2000s.

1. Resident Evil
2. Doom
3. Silent Hill
4. The Lion King
5. Pokemon
6. Super Smash Bros
7. Tomb Raider
8. The Lion King
9. Contra
10. Medal of Honor
11. Prince of Persia
12. Fifa
13. Duck Hunt
14. Crazy Taxi
15. Final Fantasy

Are there other retro games you played as a kid that didn’t make it into the list? Share them in the comments below.