Top 10 Most Iconic Video Games of the 1990S

Released in 1996 alongside the Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64 sold 11 million copies and single-handedly defined how 3D platformers work. Its revolutionary analog stick controls, open-world hub design, and 120 Power Star objectives created a blueprint copied by every 3D platformer that followed for the next two decades.

Final Fantasy VII launched in 1997 on PlayStation with a then-staggering $45 million budget. It sold 13 million copies worldwide and made Japanese RPGs a global phenomenon, introducing Western audiences to sweeping operatic storytelling, cinematic cutscenes, and the emotionally devastating death of a major protagonist that shocked millions of players.

Developed by a nine-person team at Rare and released in 1997 for the N64, GoldenEye 007 sold 8 million copies and pioneered console first-person shooter multiplayer. Its four-player split-screen deathmatch mode defined a generation of social gaming and proved the FPS genre could thrive on consoles, not just PCs.

id Software's Doom launched in 1993 and invented the first-person shooter genre as we know it. Distributed as shareware, it was downloaded over 10 million times and famously installed on more computers than Windows 95. Its fast-paced demon-slaying gameplay, atmospheric level design, and network deathmatch mode made it a cultural phenomenon that redefined PC gaming.

Capcom's Street Fighter II arrived in arcades in 1991 and on SNES in 1992, generating an estimated $1.5 billion in arcade revenue between 1991 and 1993. It defined competitive fighting games, introduced the concept of special moves with joystick inputs, and created the template for one-on-one fighters that persists to this day across dozens of franchises.

Game Freak's Pokemon Red and Blue launched in 1996 in Japan and 1998 globally on Game Boy, selling 31 million copies. The games spawned the largest media franchise in history, generating over $150 billion across video games, trading cards, anime, and merchandise. Its creature-collecting and trading mechanics — built around the Game Boy link cable — created an entirely new genre.

Blizzard's Diablo arrived in 1996 and created the action RPG dungeon crawler genre. Selling 2.5 million copies in its first year, it introduced the addictive loop of randomized loot drops, procedurally generated dungeons, and relentless demon-slaying that would define an entire genre. Its dark gothic aesthetic and cooperative multiplayer via Battle.net set a new standard for PC gaming.

Sega's blue blur launched in 1991 on the Genesis as a direct answer to Nintendo's Mario franchise, and sold over 15 million copies — more than the console itself had sold at launch. Sonic's blistering speed, tight level design, and irreverent attitude made him an instant cultural icon and gave Sega the mascot it needed to mount a serious challenge in the 16-bit console wars.

id Software's Quake arrived in 1996 as the first fully 3D first-person shooter, replacing Doom's pseudo-3D engine with true polygon environments. It pioneered online multiplayer deathmatch over the internet — not just local networks — and featured a landmark industrial soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. Quake's engine technology and multiplayer infrastructure shaped online gaming for years to come.

Released in 1996 alongside the Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64 sold 11 million copies and single-handedly defined how 3D platformers work. Its revolutionary analog stick controls, open-world hub design, and 120 Power Star objectives created a blueprint copied by every 3D platformer that followed for the next two decades.

Final Fantasy VII launched in 1997 on PlayStation with a then-staggering $45 million budget. It sold 13 million copies worldwide and made Japanese RPGs a global phenomenon, introducing Western audiences to sweeping operatic storytelling, cinematic cutscenes, and the emotionally devastating death of a major protagonist that shocked millions of players.

Developed by a nine-person team at Rare and released in 1997 for the N64, GoldenEye 007 sold 8 million copies and pioneered console first-person shooter multiplayer. Its four-player split-screen deathmatch mode defined a generation of social gaming and proved the FPS genre could thrive on consoles, not just PCs.

id Software's Doom launched in 1993 and invented the first-person shooter genre as we know it. Distributed as shareware, it was downloaded over 10 million times and famously installed on more computers than Windows 95. Its fast-paced demon-slaying gameplay, atmospheric level design, and network deathmatch mode made it a cultural phenomenon that redefined PC gaming.

Capcom's Street Fighter II arrived in arcades in 1991 and on SNES in 1992, generating an estimated $1.5 billion in arcade revenue between 1991 and 1993. It defined competitive fighting games, introduced the concept of special moves with joystick inputs, and created the template for one-on-one fighters that persists to this day across dozens of franchises.

Game Freak's Pokemon Red and Blue launched in 1996 in Japan and 1998 globally on Game Boy, selling 31 million copies. The games spawned the largest media franchise in history, generating over $150 billion across video games, trading cards, anime, and merchandise. Its creature-collecting and trading mechanics — built around the Game Boy link cable — created an entirely new genre.

Blizzard's Diablo arrived in 1996 and created the action RPG dungeon crawler genre. Selling 2.5 million copies in its first year, it introduced the addictive loop of randomized loot drops, procedurally generated dungeons, and relentless demon-slaying that would define an entire genre. Its dark gothic aesthetic and cooperative multiplayer via Battle.net set a new standard for PC gaming.

Sega's blue blur launched in 1991 on the Genesis as a direct answer to Nintendo's Mario franchise, and sold over 15 million copies — more than the console itself had sold at launch. Sonic's blistering speed, tight level design, and irreverent attitude made him an instant cultural icon and gave Sega the mascot it needed to mount a serious challenge in the 16-bit console wars.

id Software's Quake arrived in 1996 as the first fully 3D first-person shooter, replacing Doom's pseudo-3D engine with true polygon environments. It pioneered online multiplayer deathmatch over the internet — not just local networks — and featured a landmark industrial soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. Quake's engine technology and multiplayer infrastructure shaped online gaming for years to come.