A Nintendo 64 session can mean exploring Hyrule, racing friends, or chasing a high score. These picks offer adventure, sports, racing, action, and multiplayer fun, with room for both quick rounds and long evenings. The list pairs critic acclaim with the replay appeal that keeps a game enjoyable over time.
Maybe nostalgia brought you back, or maybe you want a classic game to share with friends. Either way, the right choice depends on the kind of play you enjoy. Use this ranking to find a first pick that fits how you like to play.
Key Takeaways
- Adventure picks include The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Banjo-Kazooie.
- Mario games span platforming, role-playing, golf, tennis, and kart racing.
- Wave Race 64 has nine courses and three play modes.
- Several N64 favorites support multiplayer play in different ways.
- Check a game’s rating before choosing it for a younger player.
- Pick by genre and play style, not rank alone.
How the Best N64 Games Earn Their Place at the Top
The top of this list is led by The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, with a Metascore of 99. Metascore is a score that summarizes critics’ reviews of a game. Metacritic lists 73 Nintendo 64 games, while titles with fewer than seven critic reviews are excluded.
Metacritic’s first 16 positions follow its Nintendo 64 ranking; positions 17 through 35 are editorial picks. That gives the best N64 games a clear starting order, then makes space for games with lasting appeal. Critic scores help compare games, but they do not decide which one will suit your taste.
| Rank | Game | Release year | Metascore |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | 1998 | 99 |
| 2 | Perfect Dark | 2000 | 97 |
| 3 | GoldenEye 007 | 1997 | 96 |
| 4 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask | 2000 | 95 |
| 5 | Super Mario 64 | 1996 | 94 |
Here are the first six positions, with a quick sense of what each game offers:
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: a sweeping adventure through Hyrule.
- Perfect Dark: a science-fiction shooter with missions and gadgets.
- GoldenEye 007: a spy shooter with varied settings and goals.
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask: a darker adventure shaped by a repeating three-day cycle.
- Super Mario 64: open-ended platforming built around exploring 3-D worlds.
- Paper Mario: a role-playing game with turn-based battles and storybook style.
A Top 100 N64 games list would cover far more titles; this is a focused 35-pick list. These are strong games to play today because the order balances critic scores with lasting appeal, not just a single number.
Metascore helps set the order, but replay appeal helps make the list useful to players.
GoldenEye 007’s 12 interactive 3-D environments make its single-player missions a distinct draw alongside its high-ranked position.
What makes ranks 7 through 12 stand out?
Wave Race 64 turns racing into a test of reading nine courses and shifting water conditions. Its changing waves make each lap feel less like a standard track race. Championship, Time Trials, and Stunt Mode give the game three distinct ways to ride.
The next five picks trade water racing for platforming, sports, and adventure. Each game has its own pace, so this group works well when you want a change of gameplay rather than another long quest.
- Banjo-Kazooie: Explore bright levels, collect items, and solve puzzles with a bear and bird duo.
- Wave Race 64: Learn nine courses and choose Championship, Time Trials, or Stunt Mode.
- Conker’s Bad Fur Day: Try a story-driven platform game with adult humor and an M rating.
- Mario Tennis: Play a quick match or build skill through a character-based sports game.
- Mario Golf: Choose among 11 golfers and four 18-hole courses.
- Rayman 2: The Great Escape: Follow a fast-moving adventure with platforming and exploration.
Mario Golf’s four full courses give you more than a quick putting challenge, while its 11 golfers add variety. Mario Tennis makes a better fit when you want a shorter, more direct match. Both let you play with familiar Mario characters in sports settings.
For the best Mario games on N64, consider Super Mario 64, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, and Paper Mario. They offer very different play, from 3-D platforming to role-playing and sports. Your favorite may depend on whether you want to explore, compete, or follow a story.
Conker’s Bad Fur Day stands apart from the lighter characters in this group. Its humor and content target adults, so its rating matters as much as its platforming appeal. For more picks across classic Nintendo 64 games, compare the genres you already enjoy.
Check the M rating before choosing Conker’s Bad Fur Day for a younger player.
Which games fill out ranks 13 through 18?
Blast Corps gives its puzzle-action premise a clear goal: clear a path before the damaged carrier reaches its destination. The ticking deadline makes each obstacle feel urgent. The first four games in this group occupy Metacritic positions 13 through 16; Star Fox 64 and Mario Kart 64 are editorial placements.
The set moves from collecting and platforming to racing and space combat. Donkey Kong and Banjo lead the adventure side, while the final two picks bring familiar action and competition.
- Donkey Kong 64: Explore large areas, collect items, and switch among different characters.
- Blast Corps: Use vehicles and puzzle-solving to clear a route for a runaway carrier.
- Banjo-Tooie: Return to a platforming adventure with connected areas to explore.
- Beetle Adventure Racing: Race through branching routes, including paths away from the main road.
- Star Fox 64: Join Fox McCloud and his crew in a space-combat adventure; the game arrived in 1997.
- Mario Kart 64: Race familiar characters on tracks built for sharp turns and item-based rivalries.
Donkey Kong 64 gives you a broad world to explore, while Banjo-Tooie builds on the duo’s platforming style. They suit players who like to search levels for objects and hidden routes. Blast Corps offers a different kind of challenge: the task is to remove obstacles quickly, not simply reach the end.
Beetle Adventure Racing rewards players who look beyond the main road. A side path can change the feel of a race and reward a curious driver. That makes it a useful pick when a standard lap-based racing game feels too predictable.
Star Fox 64 is the group’s space-combat choice, with missions that put you in the cockpit. Mario Kart 64 is more social, with character races and item attacks. These editorial picks widen the list beyond the first four ranked games.
For a racing game that rewards exploration, Beetle Adventure Racing is the pick in this group.
What should you try at ranks 19 through 24?
This stretch of the ranking swaps between high-speed races and head-to-head competition. Its variety makes the group a good place to look when you want action without settling on one genre. The six picks cover racing, fighting, wrestling, flight combat, and shooting.
These editorial choices sit beyond Metacritic’s first 16 positions. They bring different kinds of challenge, from racing through futuristic tracks to facing an opponent in the ring.
- F-Zero X: Pick futuristic racing with fast vehicles and demanding turns.
- Diddy Kong Racing: Choose a kart-racing game with a cast from the Donkey Kong world.
- Super Smash Bros.: Fight as familiar Nintendo characters in a character-based brawler.
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D: Take on flight combat in missions across the Star Wars world.
- WWF No Mercy: Step into a wrestling game built around matches and rivalries.
- Turok 2: Seeds of Evil: Play an action shooter with weapons and a mature M rating.
F-Zero X is the choice for high-speed runs, while Diddy Kong Racing brings a lighter kart-racing feel. The two games approach speed in different ways. One puts the focus on futuristic vehicles; the other uses a familiar cast and accessible racing style.
Super Smash Bros. centers its fights on Nintendo characters and stage hazards. WWF No Mercy shifts the contest to wrestling, with the ring setting the terms of each match. Both are options for players who prefer direct competition over a solo mission.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D changes the view again, putting you in a pilot’s role. Its flight-combat missions suit players drawn to space and the Star Wars setting. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil is the group’s action shooter, but its rating makes it a choice for adults.
Check the M rating before picking Turok 2: Seeds of Evil for a younger player.
Which games round out ranks 25 through 30?
Excitebike 64 brings motocross variety with 20 stadium tracks and six different riders. That mix gives you several ways to approach a race. Its track count and rider choices make it the racing pick in this group.
The remaining games shift among survival horror, Pokémon activities, and snowboarding. They suit different moods, from tense story play to collecting creature data or facing a battle.
- Resident Evil 2: Play a survival-horror story with tense action and an M rating.
- Excitebike 64: Race across 20 stadium tracks with six riders to choose from.
- Pokémon Snap: Photograph Pokémon in their natural settings instead of fighting them.
- Pokémon Stadium: Focus on Pokémon battles and match play.
- Pokémon Stadium 2: Continue the battle-focused Pokémon format with another set of matches.
- 1080° Snowboarding: Take to the slopes for a racing and trick-based snowboarding game.
Pokémon Snap asks you to watch for creatures and capture them on film. Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2 center on battles instead. If you want a calmer Pokémon game, Snap changes the goal from winning a match to getting a good picture.
Excitebike 64 offers a different sort of replay, with its stadium tracks and six available riders. The wide range of routes gives races room to feel different from one another. 1080° Snowboarding trades dirt and stadiums for snow-covered slopes and board control.
Resident Evil 2 is the survival-horror option, not a light adventure for every age. Its M rating is an important detail for families choosing a game. The other picks in this group offer gentler themes and very different goals.
Check Resident Evil 2’s M rating before choosing it for a younger player.
What are the final five picks, ranks 31 through 35?
Robotron 64 is a natural pick when you want an immediate, short-session challenge. The simple goal is to shoot enemies and stay alive. Its quick rounds make it easy to play in short bursts.
The final group also includes an action adventure, a checkpoint-based racer, a score-focused fighter, and a party game. Each one offers a different kind of session, so rank alone should not decide which you try.
- Jet Force Gemini: Choose an action-adventure with exploration and combat.
- San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing: Race through city streets and hit checkpoints to extend your time.
- Robotron 64: Shoot enemies and survive in short, direct play sessions.
- Fighter’s Destiny: Score points through actions such as throws and ring-outs.
- Mario Party: Bring a group together for a party game built around varied play.
Jet Force Gemini gives you more of an action-adventure, with a setting to explore and battles along the way. San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing is about speed and route choices. Its checkpoints add time, so reaching them becomes part of the race.
Robotron 64 cuts away a long setup and gets you into the action quickly. That makes it a handy choice when you have a few minutes rather than an evening. Fighter’s Destiny also changes the usual fight format by rewarding actions with points.
Mario Party offers a group option for players who want a mix of challenges rather than one long story. It can fit a shared game night, though the right setup depends on the people playing. A friend who enjoys quick turns may prefer it to a longer adventure.
Fighter’s Destiny scores actions such as throws and ring-outs, so a fighter need not empty an opponent’s life bar to earn points.
In Fighter’s Destiny, a throw or ring-out can score points without emptying an opponent’s life bar.
Which N64 favorites suit your play style?
Choose by the kind of session you want, not only by a game’s place in the ranking. Your preferred pace can point you toward a long adventure, a sports match, or a quick round. Genre and play style are useful ways to choose a first game.
Adventure games on N64 range from large quests to platforming worlds. Mario games also cover several styles, so the character name alone does not tell you how a game plays.
Adventure games for exploration
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a strong pick for a large-scale adventure with Link and Hyrule at its center. Its world gives you places to explore and a story that unfolds over time. Choose it when you want a game to settle into.
Banjo-Kazooie and Rayman 2: The Great Escape suit players who want platforming mixed with exploration. Both let you move through distinct worlds and search for things along the way. You can find more platformer games for exploration if that style is your favorite.
Mario games for different kinds of play
Super Mario 64 centers on 3-D platforming and exploring stages. Paper Mario adds turn-based battles and a storybook feel. They share familiar characters, but their pace and gameplay differ.
Mario Kart 64 is the racing option, with quick races and competition. Mario Golf gives you a sports game built around careful shots, while Mario Tennis focuses on court play. These are distinct ways to play with Mario characters, from solo runs to matches with friends.
N64 games to emulate as a shortlist
A varied shortlist can help you decide which classic to revisit: try Ocarina of Time for adventure, Star Fox 64 for action, and Wave Race 64 for racing. Add Paper Mario if you want a slower role-playing game. This answers which N64 games to emulate by naming titles, not software or setup steps.
For another way to compare the games, use this N64 emulator guide alongside your shortlist. It covers emulator choices, while the titles themselves should match the kind of play you want.
Classics that still feel good to play today
The most approachable game today depends on what you enjoy. Pick Ocarina of Time for exploration, Wave Race 64 for racing, or Mario Golf for sports. Star Fox 64 offers a different kind of action when you want a mission-based game.
For multiplayer, choose a title that fits the group and the time you have. Mario Kart 64 gives friends a direct race, while Mario Party suits a group looking for changing challenges. If you are also choosing a newer system game, this guide to PS5 games by play style uses the same idea of matching a game to your session.
Start with one game from a genre you already enjoy, then branch out if its controls and pace suit you.
Can you play N64 classics on Switch and Switch 2?
On Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo 64 collection requires Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. The same membership also provides collection access on Nintendo Switch 2 through Nintendo Classics. The collection supports online play for up to four players.
The Switch collection includes selected N64 games, not every release from the system. Its catalog includes favorites such as Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, Donkey Kong 64, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Nintendo Switch access and online play
A Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership is required to access the Nintendo 64 collection on Switch. The collection supports online play for up to four players. Mario Kart 64 also lets you race online with friends through the collection.
The Nintendo Switch N64 games list includes racing, adventure, sports, and Pokémon picks. For example, you can play Mario Kart 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario Golf, Pokémon Snap, or Pokémon Stadium. The mix gives you options for solo play and online sessions.
Nintendo Switch 2 access through Nintendo Classics
Nintendo Switch 2 owners with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack can play the N64 collection through Nintendo Classics. The membership also provides access to the Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics games on Nintendo Switch. The same catalog includes titles such as GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, and Paper Mario.
For the best N64 games on Switch 2, start with the collection’s available choices, such as F-Zero X, Wave Race 64, or The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Nintendo Classics also has titles such as 1080° Snowboarding and Pokémon Stadium 2.
| Game type | Included titles | Collection detail |
|---|---|---|
| Racing | Mario Kart 64, F-Zero X, Wave Race 64 | Mario Kart 64 supports online races with friends |
| Zelda adventures | Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask | Two Zelda adventure titles |
| Mario sports | Mario Golf, Mario Tennis | Golf and tennis games |
| Pokémon | Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Stadium, Pokémon Stadium 2 | Photography and battle games |
The Nintendo 64 collection is a selection of games, and online play supports up to four players.
Confirm that the membership is active on the console you plan to use before starting a game.
Conclusion
The best first pick is the one that matches the kind of session you want. Choose an adventure for a longer escape, or pick racing and sports for a quick contest. A game that suits your pace is more likely to earn another turn.
Try a mix of solo and multiplayer styles if you want to see what the system offers. Pick one title from this list, then check its availability on the system you plan to use. Choose a title, invite a friend if it suits the game, and see which N64 world you want to revisit.
FAQ
Which Nintendo 64 game has the highest Metascore?
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has the highest Metascore, at 99. The game leads this ranking and was released in 1998. Its adventure follows Link through Hyrule, with exploration, puzzles, and combat. A high critic score can help you compare games, but your favorite may depend more on whether you enjoy long adventures.
Can you play every N64 game on Nintendo Switch?
No, Nintendo Switch offers a selection of N64 games rather than every release. The collection includes Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye 007, Paper Mario, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You can also find games such as Banjo-Kazooie and Pokémon Snap. The catalog covers several genres, but many original N64 games are not listed there.
Does the N64 collection on Switch 2 require a membership?
Yes, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack provides access to the collection through Nintendo Classics on Switch 2. The same membership provides access to the Nintendo 64 collection on Nintendo Switch. That means you need the Expansion Pack to use these collection games on either system. The catalog includes a selection of classic titles, rather than the full N64 library.
How many courses are in Wave Race 64?
Wave Race 64 has nine courses and three modes: Championship, Time Trials, and Stunt Mode. Championship gives you a race series, while Time Trials focus on your speed. Stunt Mode shifts the goal toward performing tricks. The water conditions and course layouts make steering part of the challenge, so clean turns matter as much as speed.
Is Conker’s Bad Fur Day suitable for younger players?
No, Conker’s Bad Fur Day is rated M, so check its rating before choosing it for a younger player. The game has mature humor and content, unlike the lighter tone of many other platform games on the system. Its rating gives families a clear reason to look at its content before play. A different game may be a better fit for kids.
How does Fighter’s Destiny award points?
Fighter’s Destiny awards points for actions such as throws and ring-outs, rather than requiring you to empty an opponent’s life bar. That rule changes how you approach a match. You can win points through well-timed actions instead of relying only on repeated attacks. It makes the fighting game a distinct choice if you want a contest built around scoring.
