The 12 Best Atari 7800 Games [Ranked]

Double Dragon

Double Dragon is basically "80s action movie the video game." It's the perfect blast from the past and I love it for that.

Some might find this fact interesting, but Double Dragon was one of the first games Activision made. Back when it was just Activision and not Activision-Blizzard. The game is essentially one of the earliest scroller beat-em-ups, a genre that would become especially popular in the mid to late 80s and throughout the 90s. 40 years later and the game is still enjoyable. A true timeless classic.

Midnight Mutants

Midnight Mutants proves that every day can be Halloween, so long as you can outrun the mental asylum.

Just kidding. But still, Midnight Mutants was definitely one of the best Atari 7800 games of its time. It was a story-driven action-adventure game, something that was quite rare on account of the technology of the time. It's not the best adventure game, especially if you compare it to certain games nowadays, but at the time it blew the mind of kids the world over.

Ikari Warriors

Here's an interesting bit of video game history for ya. Ikari Warriors started its life as a Commando copy. Funnily enough, it actually ended up being better than its predecessor, and one of the best military games of the 80s.

In essence, Ikari Warriors is a vertical scrolling run-and-gun type of game. You play as either Colonel Ralf Jones "Red" or his Second Lieutenant Clark Still "Blue" as they gun their way towards the village of Ikari. Frankly, there are only a few things more exhilarating than seeing two muscle-bound madmen shoot up an entire army's worth of enemy soldiers.

Food Fight

As a child, there wasn't a trope that was more chaotic than the food fight. It was a total disintegration of any sort of rules and regulations. Pure pandemonium of the gastronomic kind.

All in all, Food Fight was rather simple. You played as a rabble-rousing child in the school's cafeteria. Your goal was to reach the tasty treat on the other side of the screen while avoiding the enemies gunning for you. While playing through it I didn't find it that special. However, many retro gamers consider it to be one of the best games for the Atari 7800, so hey. To each his own.

Alien Brigade

Alien Brigade was a weird one indeed. I'm personally biased against rail shooters, but Alien Brigade pulled it off perfectly.

Yes! Alien Brigade is a rail shooter. That fact will either send shivers down your spine or excite you even more. In Alien Brigade you play as a soldier in what looks to be Vietnam, tasked with fighting off an alien invasion. The aliens in question take over the bodies of your fallen comrades, which makes it even creepier. This one is probably one of the best Alien games for the Atari 7800. This and Galaga that is.

Basketbrawl

We all agree that sports are healthy. Right? So imagine the health benefits of combining basketball with MMA... Doesn't sound too healthy, does it?

Anyway. Basketbrawl does just that. It combines street basketball with a good old street brawl. As far as sports games are concerned, it's probably one of the best sports games for the Atari 7800. Punk Shot is one of my favorite games from the 90s, and I never knew that it was inspired by Basketbrawl until recently. Even though the game is a bit rough around the edges, it's still a good game to be honest.

Galaga

Speaking about alien games, we absolutely have to mention Galaga. One of the most important games of the 80s.

The Atari 7800 port is quite accurate in feel to the original arcade game. Sure, it isn't the exact same feeling, but it's a great arcade port nonetheless. You have to look at it from the perspective of an '80s kid. Any console port that offered a similar experience as the arcade version and saved you money is a great port. Plus, you can't go wrong with Galaga, it's a timeless classic regardless of the system it's on.

Mario Bros

Mario Bros is another arcade game that really gained a lot of traction in the 80s. Nowadays it's an entire franchise, but back then it was quite the novelty.

When the Mario Bros game released, everybody wanted to play with the funny Italian plumber man rummaging through sewer pipes. The gameplay was simple but addictive, and it made you want to come back over and over again to beat your previous high score. Looking back at it, even though it's simple. Mario Bros is one of the best Nintendo games, just because of its historical significance.

Ninja Golf

Honestly, I want to know what the boardroom over at BlueSky Software was discussing when they pitched Ninja Golf for the first time. Who thought Ninjas playing Golf would be a good idea?

Some genius apparently, as Ninja Golf turned out to be one of the best Atari 7800 games. Admittedly, the game is more "Ninja" and less "Golf", but still. The premise is rather simple. You start the game by pitching a golf ball. After that, you have to fight your way through the field to reach your golf ball, whereupon you fight a mystical dragon. In other words. Ninja Golf. Man, what a great game.

Donkey Kong

Mario Bros wasn't the only Nintendo Entertainment System game that made it onto the Atari 7800. Donkey Kong also had its own port on the Atari 7800.

Donkey Kong for the Atari 7800 is practically the same game as on the NEWS, however, I prefer the Atari 7800 version more. Don't get me wrong. The arcade game is still the best one out of all of them. It's just that the Atari 7800 version feels a bit "smoother" than the NES version. And in a game like Donkey Kong where pinpoint precision is required, that responsiveness difference can mean quite a lot.

Ms. Pac Man

Move over Pac Man, it's time for Ms. Pac Man to have some time in the spotlight.

We all remember Pac Man as one of the best arcade games of all time. Well, for all intents and purposes, Ms. Pack Man is practically the same game, but for the Atari 7800. If you love playing Pac Man, you'll love playing Ms. Pac Man. The only noticeable difference being the bowtie present on Ms. Pac Man's sprite. Ok, that and the new sound design, which is somehow even more repetitive and annoying than the original.

Joust

if you thought the concept behind Ninja Golf sounded bizarre, wait till you hear about Joust.

Joust is a game in which you play as knights armed with lances jousting with each other while riding upon large birds. That concept is so crazy and so bizarre that you'd be forgiven if you thought that it sounded like the plot for an Adventure Time episode. There really isn't much to Joust. You just fly around the screen and bonk the enemy knights with your lance. It's great fun all around.