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The 25 best Nintendo 64 games, ranked
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Genre: Action-adventure. Ocarina of Time earns the top spot for the way its exploration, dungeons and adventure work together. Its world gives the journey a sense of scale, while Z-targeting makes combat and encounters feel designed for 3D space. Start here if you want the N64 at its most complete and influential.
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Super Mario 64
Genre: 3D platformer. Mario’s movement is the star: running, jumping and exploring feel rewarding across a collection of varied objectives. Its open-ended levels make it easy to play in short bursts or settle in for a longer hunt for stars. Choose it first if you want a pure showcase for 3D platforming.
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GoldenEye 007
Genre: First-person shooter. GoldenEye combines objective-based campaign missions with memorable local multiplayer. Its mission tasks encourage more than simply reaching the end of a level, and its split-screen battles made it a defining social game for the console. It is an especially strong pick for a group, though its place here reflects its impact as well as its play.
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Mario Kart 64
Genre: Kart racing. Mario Kart 64 is an essential N64 multiplayer game, built around four-player races and tracks that reward both quick decisions and familiarity. Its immediate pick-up-and-play appeal makes it one of the easiest recommendations for a group.
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Banjo-Kazooie
Genre: 3D platformer. A richly varied platform adventure, Banjo-Kazooie offers a playful world to explore and plenty of objectives to uncover. It is a natural next choice for anyone who enjoys Mario 64’s mix of movement, discovery and collectible-driven goals.
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The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Genre: Action-adventure. Majora’s Mask takes the N64 Zelda formula in a more unusual, time-structured direction. Its distinctive atmosphere and focused world make it a compelling alternative to Ocarina of Time for players who want an adventure that feels stranger and more concentrated.
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Star Fox 64
Genre: Rail shooter. Star Fox 64 pairs brisk arcade action with alternate routes that give repeat runs a reason to change course. Its compact campaign is a good fit when you want a focused game rather than a sprawling adventure.
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Paper Mario
Genre: Role-playing game. Paper Mario brings a colorful, story-led RPG to a list otherwise dominated by action and multiplayer. Its turn-based battles and character-focused journey make it a worthwhile change of pace for anyone looking to spend longer with a single-player game.
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Super Smash Bros.
Genre: Fighting. The original Smash Bros. turns familiar Nintendo characters into an approachable party fighter. It is a strong choice for local competition when you want something more chaotic and immediately accessible than a traditional one-on-one fighting game.
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Wave Race 64
Genre: Racing. Wave Race 64 brings a different feel to N64 racing, putting water and wave movement at the center of the challenge. It adds welcome variety beside kart and circuit racers, and rewards players who want to master a more unusual driving feel.
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Pokémon Snap
Genre: On-rails photography. Rather than battling or collecting Pokémon in the usual way, Pokémon Snap asks you to observe them and capture moments on film. Its relaxed pace and distinctive premise make it one of the console’s most memorable departures from conventional action.
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Mario Party 2
Genre: Party game. Mario Party 2 is a natural pick for a living-room group: its board-game structure and minigames create a session shaped as much by friendly rivalry as by skill. It gives the N64 library a different kind of multiplayer night from racing or fighting.
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Blast Corps
Genre: Action and puzzle. Blast Corps stands out for its distinctive destruction-focused challenges. It is a good option for players who want a goal-driven game built around figuring out how to clear a path, rather than exploring a conventional platform world.
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Pokémon Puzzle League
Genre: Puzzle. Pokémon Puzzle League delivers fast, competitive tile-matching action. Its clear rules make it easy to start, while the speed and pressure give it room to become a serious challenge.
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International Superstar Soccer ’98
Genre: Sports. This soccer game adds a sports option to a library often remembered for platformers and party games. It belongs on a broad N64 shortlist for players who want a match-based game to play alone or with friends.
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Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
Genre: Action-adventure. Goemon’s adventure offers a welcome change of tone and style from the console’s biggest Western-known franchises. It is a good pick for players who have worked through the obvious headliners and want something more offbeat.
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Excitebike 64
Genre: Motocross racing. Excitebike 64 brings a more technical, stunt-oriented racing option to the list. It is a good counterpoint to Mario Kart’s item-driven competition and Wave Race’s water-based handling.
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Fighters Destiny
Genre: Fighting. Fighters Destiny offers another route into N64 fighting games, particularly for players who want something different from Smash Bros.’ party-style brawling. Its inclusion helps represent the console’s range beyond Nintendo’s best-known franchises.
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F-Zero X
Genre: Futuristic racing. F-Zero X is the N64 pick for high-speed racing without kart items or a conventional sports setting. It rounds out the racing options with a more direct test of speed and control.
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Mario Tennis
Genre: Sports. Mario Tennis makes a strong case for the console’s approachable sports games, offering a straightforward way to play a match alone or with friends. It is an easy fit for a collection that values variety as much as long adventures.
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Conker’s Bad Fur Day
Genre: Platform-adventure. Conker’s Bad Fur Day is a more irreverent platform adventure than the console’s family-friendly mascots. It gives the list a different voice and style, while still offering the exploratory appeal that suits the N64.
Rank #3
Donkey Kong 64 - Nintendo 64- Don't forget the mini games! Challenge a seal to a race around the lagoon. go on a crazy mine cart ride, and be on the lookout for a blast from the past..
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- Use of the required Expansion Pak(not included) allows incredible real time lighting effects and massive environments.
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Diddy Kong Racing
Genre: Kart racing. Diddy Kong Racing provides another multiplayer racing option, with a different cast and feel from Mario Kart 64. It is a worthwhile alternative if you want more than one kart racer in your N64 rotation.
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Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Genre: Platformer. Kirby 64 adds a more relaxed platforming option to the list. Its colorful presentation and accessible play make it a natural recommendation for players who want a gentler single-player game.
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Yoshi’s Story
Genre: Platformer. Yoshi’s Story is a compact, approachable platform game with a distinct visual style. It suits shorter sessions and offers a lighter counterpoint to the more demanding adventures on this list.
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Dr. Mario 64
Genre: Puzzle. Dr. Mario 64 rounds out the ranking with a familiar match-and-clear puzzle format. It is a solid choice for quick sessions, especially when you want a puzzle game rather than another action-heavy experience.
How to choose your first N64 game
Use the kind of session you want rather than treating the ranking as a checklist. The N64’s strongest games serve different moods and groups.
- For a landmark solo adventure: Start with Ocarina of Time, then try Majora’s Mask for a more unusual structure.
- For 3D platforming: Choose Super Mario 64 for open-ended objectives or Banjo-Kazooie for a longer exploration-focused journey.
- For local multiplayer: Mario Kart 64 is the straightforward racing pick; GoldenEye 007 is the shooter option; Mario Party 2 suits a board-game-and-minigames session.
- For shorter, replayable runs: Try Star Fox 64, Pokémon Snap or one of the puzzle games.
- For a less obvious pick: Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon and Blast Corps offer alternatives to the familiar mascots and headline franchises.
Where to play these N64 games now
Nintendo’s Nintendo Classics catalog offers a selection of Nintendo 64 games on Switch and Switch 2. Nintendo states: “A paid Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership is required to use this service.” The catalog is a selection, not a promise that every game in this ranking is available. Its lineup can change, and availability should be checked for the individual title and your region.
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How this ranking was made
This is an editorial ranking, not a consensus score. It weighs lasting playability and design, the range of experiences represented, each game’s distinctiveness or influence, and its value as an example of what the N64 does well. GamesRadar+’s February 2026 ranking places Ocarina of Time first, Super Mario 64 second and GoldenEye 007 third; Nintendo Life’s broader list makes different choices. Those rankings help identify standout candidates, but they do not settle a single objectively correct order.
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