10 NES Games That Are Still Worth Playing From Start to Finish
Overview & Key Takeaways
A lot of old NES games have something to offer modern players, but only a select few of them are fun from beginning to end.
On October 18, 1985, the Nintendo Entertainment System launched in North America with a limited selection of games like Super Mario Bros. and Excitebike. Within a few years, it had a library of hundreds of titles, proving that rumors of the video game industry’s death throughout the early ‘80s were greatly exaggerated. Today, many of those early games feel like antiques. They’re not nearly as memorable as they once were, with so many generations of newer software to choose from. But there are some that still deserve your attention, even now. Here are 10 NES games that are still worth playing from start to finish.
10 Ninja Gaiden (1988)
Image: Koei Tecmo
Publisher: Tecmo
Ninja warriors clashed in a contemporary city, and players immediately knew they wanted to spend more time with agile hero Ryu Hayabusa. The cost was steep. Ninja Gaiden is one of the most challenging games of the era, at least out of the ones a person might still care to play today. Bosses hit hard and fast. Even birds have what it takes to knock an unwitting ninja from the tenuous safety a small ledge provides. The game inspired two sequels, which proved similarly compelling. Tecmo also brought the series back with a revival starting on the original Xbox, and 2005’s Ninja Gaiden Black is widely considered peak gaming. But there’s still no better place to start than with the first game in the original series.
9 Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse (1989)
Jeremy Parish/Polygon
Publisher: Konami
The Castlevania series is worth experiencing from start to finish, even before you get to critical darlings like Symphony of the Night. Each game is compelling in its own right, but Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse nailed the most details all at once during those all-important early days of the franchise. It did so by providing a variety of characters and routes through its gothic environments. Even today, players enjoy taking not one but multiple runs through its challenging stages, testing new strategies and weapon combinations as they enjoy exhilarating battles against the forces of darkness.
8 The Legend of Zelda (1987)
Image: Nintendo via Polygon
Publisher: Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda released first on the Famicom Disk System in Japan in 1986. In 1987, it came to the NES in North America. If you play it wrong, completing the first installment in the beloved series feels like tending to a monotonous laundry list. Players bomb every rock wall and burn every tree, one screen after another. But NPCs wait in hidden caves, happy to impart helpful tips to guide Link to the richest rewards and the most treacherous challenges. Players can tackle dungeons in nearly any order, ignoring their numbering. Those labyrinths contain gear to help topple Ganon and save Hyrule not once, but twice.
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7 Dragon Warrior 4 (1990)
Image: Jeremy Parish/Polygon
Publisher: Enix
There’s an argument to be made for celebrating each game in the legendary Dragon Warrior series (now known everywhere by the series’ Japanese moniker, Dragon Quest) on a list like this one. But Dragon Warrior 4 arguably does the most to earn a place not only here, but on our list of the 35 greatest NES games. The game divides its first half into bite-sized RPG adventures that feature a variety of intriguing heroes, then throws them all into one group when the main hero arrives on the stage in the final chapter. A sprawling world map, genuine narrative ambition, and technical mastery make the final 8-bit installment in the series one to remember… and to play through time and time again.
6 Kirby’s Adventure (1993)
Jeremy Parish/Polygon
Publisher: Nintendo
After a Game Boy debut, Kirby appeared in a more colorful and expansive adventure on the home console, shortly before the NES stepped aside to make way for the Super Nintendo. Today, players of all ages can enjoy exploring Dream Land in Kirby’s Adventure, which is full of whimsy and enemy abilities for the pink puff to absorb and utilize. If you are excited about new games in the series today, including the recently announced Kirby and the World Beyond for Nintendo Switch 2, you owe it to yourself to go back to this early title and witness one of its brightest moments.
5 Contra (1988)
Image: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Contra isn’t especially long, which makes it a perfect game to play through today, either alone or with a friend. The stages might feel unforgiving, but entering the “Konami code” on the title screen adds enough lives that with a little practice, you should be able to reach the closing credits and fend off an alien invasion. Numerous Contra games would follow, but there’s never been a purer delight than the very first installment, which was based on the arcade original.
4 Mega Man 2 (1988)
Image: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
A whopping six installments in the Mega Man series made their way to the NES, and most players who lived through the era have a personal favorite. Mega Man 2 is a popular choice, and perfect for this list because it is leaner than the titles that followed. Mega Man 3 introduced a slide move and a robotic canine named Rush, but it also featured the tedious Doc Robot stages. These twists on stages players had already cleared felt like filler. There’s not a truly bad entry among the franchise’s first six installments, but Mega Man 2 is arguably the most essential and replayable one of the lot.
3 Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (1987)
Image: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Some players still have the password memorized that takes them directly to a bout with Mike Tyson, which tells you just how deep it managed to burrow into their brains. The game pits the diminutive Little Mac against a roster of caricatures from around the globe, each possessing a unique personality and attack patterns. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (later released as Punch Out!! after the license agreement with Tyson expired) features one memorable event after another. A practiced player might advance from the starting fight with Glass Joe to the riveting final bout in less than a half-hour. Newer players will require considerably more time than that, but they’re unlikely to regret the investment, even now.
2 DuckTales (1989)
Image: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
DuckTales is one of the most replayable games in the NES library, allowing players to conquer its five main levels in whatever order they like (even though a visit to the African Mines prompts a detour). Even today, the stages are beautiful and an absolute joy to explore, comprising exotic locations such as the Amazon, the Himalayas, and even the Moon. Nearly every screen seems to hide something, and it’s exciting to discover each secret, even now. DuckTales Remastered on newer hardware remixed those levels and added a fresh coat of paint, but the original version is still the best… and perfectly accessible in 2026 as part of The Disney Afternoon Collection on consoles and PC.
1 Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Jeremy Parish/Polygon
Publisher: Nintendo
Super Mario Bros. 3 features dozens of unique stages spread across eight worlds, each one with something new to offer. The portly plumber climbs a tower to the clouds, swims with fish large enough to swallow him whole, passes through doors that turn his enemies enormous, and braves a sweltering desert sun that swoops from the sky to ruin his day. There are floating airships, secret mushroom houses, warp whistles, and more, which easily explain why so many players still consider it the finest game of its generation. Whether you go straight through the entire adventure from start to finish, which might take hours, or use shortcuts to speed your journey along, you’re in for a fantastic time on your first, tenth, and hundredth trip through the Mushroom Kingdom.
