ARCADE

Arcade Games

Coin-op arcade cabinets predate every home console on this site, and many of the genres those consoles later built on — run-and-gun shooters, versus fighters, beat-'em-ups — started on arcade hardware first. This hub covers original coin-op titles rather than home ports.

Captain America and the Avengers

Captain America and the Avengers

Data East, 1991

Data East's 1991 four-player arcade beat-'em-up starring Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Vision. Play free in your browser.

Dynasty Wars

Dynasty Wars

Capcom, 1989

Capcom's 1989 hack-and-slash, adapting the Three Kingdoms manga Tenchi wo Kurau. Play free in your browser.

Magic Sword: Heroic Fantasy

Magic Sword: Heroic Fantasy

Capcom, 1990

Capcom's 1990 fantasy platform beat-'em-up, climbing 50 floors of the Dragon Tower. Play free in your browser.

Three Wonders

Three Wonders

Capcom, 1991

Capcom's July 1991 three-games-in-one cartridge, anchored by the hobbit-adventure platformer Midnight Wanderers. Play free in your browser.

Toki

Toki

TAD Corporation, 1989

TAD Corporation's Dec. 1989 run-and-gun platformer, starring an ape cursed by an evil wizard. Play free in your browser.

Dark Seal

Dark Seal

Data East, 1990

Data East's 1990 isometric fantasy beat-'em-up, also known as Gate of Doom. Play free in your browser.

The Last Blade

The Last Blade

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SNK's 1997 weapon-based fighter with a dual Power/Speed stance system. Play free in your browser.

Metal Slug 4

Metal Slug 4

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SNK's 2002 run-and-gun, the first entry developed after the studio's 2001 reorganization. Play free in your browser.

Fatal Fury Special

Fatal Fury Special

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SNK's 1993 update to Fatal Fury 2, a predecessor to the King of Fighters series. Play free in your browser.

Art of Fighting

Art of Fighting

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SNK's 1992 fighter and Fatal Fury prequel, with a spirit-energy meter and zoom camera. Play free in your browser.

The King of Fighters ’97

The King of Fighters ’97

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SNK's eighth KOF entry, closing out the original Orochi storyline arc. Play free in your browser.

X-Men vs. Street Fighter

X-Men vs. Street Fighter

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Capcom's 1996 fighter, the first entry in its long-running 'Vs.' crossover series. Play free in your browser.

Puzzle Bobble

Puzzle Bobble

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Taito's 1994 bubble-shooter puzzle game starring the Bubble Bobble cast. Play free in your browser.

Power Instinct

Power Instinct

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Atlus's 1993 comedic fighting game, known for its elderly grandmother character Otane. Play free in your browser.

Samurai Shodown

Samurai Shodown

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SNK's 1993 weapon-based fighting game for Neo Geo, one of the genre's most influential. Play free in your browser.

Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams

Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams

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Capcom's 1995 fighter, a prequel bridging Street Fighter and Street Fighter II. Play free in your browser.

Metal Slug 3

Metal Slug 3

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SNK's 2000 run-and-gun, widely regarded as the high point of the series' Neo Geo era. Play free in your browser.

Metal Slug X

Metal Slug X

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SNK's 1999 rebalanced re-release of Metal Slug 2, fixing its slowdown issues. Play free in your browser.

Raiden II

Raiden II

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Seibu Kaihatsu's 1993 sequel, refining the original Raiden's twin-fighter shoot-'em-up formula. Play free in your browser.

Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom

Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom

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Capcom's 1993 D&D-licensed beat-'em-up, the predecessor to Shadow over Mystara. Play free in your browser.

Battle Circuit

Battle Circuit

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Capcom's 1997 sci-fi beat-'em-up with a shopping-based upgrade system. Play free in your browser.

Raiden

Raiden

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Seibu Kaihatsu's 1990 vertical shoot-'em-up, a defining early bullet-hell-adjacent shooter. Play free in your browser.

Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara

Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara

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Capcom's 1996 D&D-licensed beat-'em-up with full RPG character classes and leveling. Play free in your browser.

Knights of the Round

Knights of the Round

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Capcom's 1991 King Arthur beat-'em-up with an unusual experience-based leveling system. Play free in your browser.

1944: The Loop Master

1944: The Loop Master

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Eighting's 2000 vertical shoot-'em-up, continuing Capcom's 19XX series after a near-decade gap. Play free in your browser.

The Punisher

The Punisher

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Capcom's 1993 licensed beat-'em-up starring Frank Castle and Nick Fury. Play free in your browser.

Bubble Bobble

Bubble Bobble

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Taito's 1986 platformer starring bubble-blowing dragons Bub and Bob. Play free in your browser.

1942

1942

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Capcom's 1984 WWII vertical shoot-'em-up, the first entry in the '19XX' series. Play free in your browser.

Final Fight

Final Fight

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Capcom's 1989 beat-'em-up starring Metro City mayor Mike Haggar, originally conceived as a Street Fighter sequel. Play free in your browser.

Double Dragon (Arcade)

Double Dragon (Arcade)

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Technos Japan's 1987 arcade original, one of the beat-'em-up genre's foundational titles. Play free in your browser.

Warriors of Fate

Warriors of Fate

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Capcom's 1992 beat-'em-up loosely based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Play free in your browser.

Pac-Man

Pac-Man

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Namco's 1980 maze-chase arcade game designed by Toru Iwatani, one of the best-selling arcade cabinets ever made. Play free in your browser.

Galaga

Galaga

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Namco's 1981 fixed shooter with a signature ship-capture-and-rescue mechanic. Play free in your browser.

Donkey Kong (Arcade)

Donkey Kong (Arcade)

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Nintendo's 1981 arcade platformer directed by Shigeru Miyamoto, introducing Mario (as Jumpman). Play free in your browser.

Space Invaders

Space Invaders

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Tomohiro Nishikado's 1978 arcade shooter for Taito, credited with sparking the arcade industry's first boom. Play free in your browser.

Super Pac-Man

Super Pac-Man

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Namco's 1982 arcade sequel, swapping dot-eating mazes for a key-and-door structure. Play free in your browser.

Metal Slug

Metal Slug

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Nazca Corporation's 1996 run-and-gun on Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware. Play free in your browser.

Metal Slug 2

Metal Slug 2

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SNK's 1998 run-and-gun sequel, adding new vehicles and stages to the Neo Geo original. Play free in your browser.

Captain Commando

Captain Commando

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Capcom's 1991 CPS-1 beat-'em-up starring a four-hero squad in a near-future crime city. Play free in your browser.

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs

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Capcom's 1993 beat-'em-up adapted from Mark Schultz's Xenozoic Tales comic. Play free in your browser.

The King of Fighters ’98

The King of Fighters ’98

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SNK's 1998 Neo Geo fighter, a roster-focused 'Slugfest' entry in the King of Fighters series. Play free in your browser.