Banjo-Kazooie helped launch a franchise, with multiple sequels, and a special appearance in Diddy Kong Racing to keep fans happy. Rumors about the game returning continue to circulate, though there’s no confirmation about the bear and the bird going back into the jungle for another madcap adventure. At least not yet.

9) Wave Race 64

• Developer: Nintendo
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Release Year: 1996
• Genre: Racing / Watercraft Simulation
• Players: 1–2 Players
• Known For: Advanced water physics, tight controls, dynamic waves
• Why It Matters: Demonstrated how physics systems could transform racing gameplay.

Growing up on the private side of Cedar Beach in Long Island, New York, I was always in the water. My dad eventually bought a Wave Runner for the family, and so that could be why I’m so partial to Nintendo’s Wave Race 64, a fast-paced, physics-based racer that brings the fun of games like Sega’s Wave Runner into your living room.

Considered a classic among N64 fans, Wave Race 64 is a simple yet polished experience with tight controls, varied obstacles, and a multiplayer mode that will have you and your friends howling in both victory and incredulity. Presented in a letterboxed 14:9 aspect ratio, Wave Race 64 looks great as players carve through the ocean while performing stunts, leaping off platforms, and leaving other players in their wake. The soundtrack combines an ’80s vibe with an overly excited announcer that gets you pumped for every race! Jet ski games are a thing of the past, but Wave Race 64 never gets old.

8) Star Fox 64

• Developer: Nintendo
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Release Year: 1997
• Genre: Rail Shooter / Vehicular Combat
• Players: 1–4 Players
• Known For: “Do a barrel roll!”, rumble pack support, branching paths
• Why It Matters: Popularized force feedback technology through the Nintendo 64 Rumble Pak.

“Do a barrel roll!” Yes, Star Fox 64 is technically a reimagined version of the 1993 Super Nintendo game, but that doesn’t keep it from being one of the best experiences on the Nintendo 64. The game’s four-player dogfights provided endless hours of loud-mouthed entertainment, and the introduction of the N64’s rumble pack forever changed the way players felt while soaring through the cosmos as Fox McCloud and his team of anthropomorphized pilots.

Star Fox 64 is a must-have for the Nintendo 64. It takes everything about the Super NES original. It takes it to the next level with better gameplay, graphics, and controls for a solo or multiplayer experience that rivals GoldenEye 007 in terms of replayability and that “Just one more round” feeling, with the best ways to shoot your friends in the face safely.

7) Paper Mario

• Developer: Intelligent Systems
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Release Year: 2000
• Genre: Role-Playing Game (RPG)
• Players: 1 Player
• Known For: Paper art style, turn-based combat, witty writing
• Why It Matters: Launched one of Nintendo’s most beloved RPG subseries.

The Nintendo 64 is responsible for plenty of Nintendo firsts, including the start of the legendary studio’s Paper Mario series. This turn-based masterpiece finds Mario on another adventure through the Mushroom Kingdom, rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser. Known for its snappy dialogue, engaging turn-based combat, and some of the best storytelling Mario and his friends have to offer.

Paper Mario is a beloved RPG with an adorable paper-cutout art style that gives the game a playful, storybook presentation, setting it apart from other, more traditional Mario games. While the core Mario games sell more copies, Paper Mario helped launch a franchise that continues to release new games on several of Nintendo’s other consoles and handheld devices. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is my favorite, but roots are roots.

6) Super Smash Bros.

• Developer: HAL Laboratory
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Release Year: 1999
• Genre: Platform Fighter
• Players: 1–4 Players
• Known For: Nintendo crossover battles, chaotic multiplayer matches
• Why It Matters: Created one of gaming’s most successful crossover fighting franchises.

As a fighting game fan, I love it when the genre brings characters from across fandoms into the fold. I’ll take a Marvel vs. Capcom, Injustice, or Capcom vs. SNK game any day of the week, but Super Smash Bros. laid the groundwork for something special that brings characters from Nintendo’s beloved IPs into an all-out brawl that demands respect.

Featuring characters from Nintendo’s Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, F-Zero, Metroid, Star Fox, EarthBound, Kirby, and Pokémon games, the OG Smash let players control some of their favorite characters in brand-new ways, with iconic moves, specials, and item drops that changed a player’s chances of winning a match on a dime. The gameplay is fast, frenzied, and forever unpredictable, as evolving stages and randomized weapons alter the match moment to moment. There are better installments of the Smash franchise, but if you own a Nintendo 64, this game is practically required to be a part of your collection.

5) The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

• Developer: Nintendo
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Release Year: 2000
• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Players: 1 Player
• Known For: Three-day cycle, transformation masks, dark tone
• Why It Matters: One of Nintendo’s most emotionally complex and experimental Zelda games.

Don’t worry, we’ll get there. For now, let’s take a moment to celebrate the Nintendo 64’s second-best game in the hallowed Legend of Zelda franchise. Majora’s Mask is a vibe. Considered by many to be one of the darkest games in Zelda history, Majora‘s time-sensitive gameplay and engrossing narrative provide Link with one of his most ambitious rescue missions.

In addition to the world of Termina feeling alive in ways players have not experienced before, the game’s 72-hour time loop mechanic gives the mission a sense of urgency. However, there’s still plenty of NPC side-quests to keep you exploring the title’s mysterious environments. The ability to switch between different masks (Deku, Goran, and Zora) offers fun new ways to interact with the game while giving you different abilities to keep exploration and puzzle-solving feeling fresh. If you’re feeling moody, pop Majora’s Mask into your Nintendo 64 for a surprisingly dark fantasy adventure with old friends.

4) Perfect Dark

• Developer: Rare
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Release Year: 2000
• Genre: First-Person Shooter
• Players: 1–4 Players
• Known For: Dual-wielding weapons, bots, advanced multiplayer modes
• Why It Matters: Expanded and refined the console FPS formula established by GoldenEye 007.

It’s a crime that The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics’ new Perfect Dark game got canceled in 2025. I wanted to play it. Thankfully, the original Perfect Dark on the N64 still slaps. Starring Joanna Dark, Perfect Dark is more than a “GoldenEye for girls,” a ridiculous label applied to this first-person shooter that was ahead of its time.

Featuring a robust story with branching mission paths, Perfect Dark introduced players to dual-wielding gameplay that made the moment-to-moment action sing with stylish movement and glory kills. Like GoldenEye, Perfect Dark featured a fantastic split-screen multiplayer mode that let players take on bots and accept missions together, all while giving them access to a respectable arsenal of weapons. Joanna Dark doesn’t get the respect she deserves for having one of the N64’s best games, but today, we’re giving her some flowers.

3) GoldenEye 007

• Developer: Rare
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Release Year: 1997
• Genre: First-Person Shooter
• Players: 1–4 Players
• Known For: Split-screen multiplayer, stealth mechanics, objective-based missions
• Why It Matters: Revolutionized console shooters and local multiplayer gaming.

If you owned a Nintendo 64 in 1997, you owned a copy of Rare’s GoldenEye 007. I’ll never forget the weekend my friend’s stepmother surprised him with a Nintendo 64 and copies of Star Fox 64 and GoldenEye 007 while I was visiting. We played non-stop until we were certain the system would overheat, the GoldenEye 007 cartridge melting from overuse. Luckily, that never happened, because like Ford’s old slogan, the Nintendo 64 was “build strong to last long.”

Developed by Rare and published by Nintendo, GoldenEye 007 finds Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond preventing a criminal syndicate from using a satellite weapon. While the game is finely polished for the time, and excels at making players feel like Bond, it’s the multiplayer that stands the test of time. Because we didn’t have online capabilities on the N64, players needed to get creative to keep their locations hidden from opponents, going so far as to tape a cardboard divider in the center of the television to discourage prying eyes. Sitting far too close to the TV, we’d spend countless hours hunting enemy agents, shouting and shoving one another while mastering the N64’s janky controls.

When we needed a break from the multiplayer mode, we settled for the mission-based single player campaign, comprised of tasks like recovering stolen objects, mowing down enemies, rescuing hostages, and using high-tech gadgets to make villains’ lives miserable. There were no health pick-ups, but a body armor upgrade could mean the difference between life and death in a pinch. An incredible amount of work went into the making of GoldenEye 007 to give Bond fans the ultimate superspy simulation. Many consider GoldenEye 007 one of the greatest games of all time, and certainly one of the best the Nintendo 64 had to offer. Long live the king!

2) Super Mario 64

• Developer: Nintendo
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Release Year: 1996
• Genre: 3D Platformer
• Players: 1 Player
• Known For: Analog stick movement, open-level design, 3D camera systems
• Why It Matters: Redefined 3D platforming and influenced countless games that followed.

After years of crushing the 2D platforming genre, Mario makes the leap to 3D in this game-changing N64 title that offers fans one of the iconic character’s most spirited adventures ever. Super Mario 64 revolutionized Nintendo’s most beloved franchise with exploratory gameplay that revealed a whole new side of Mario’s personality.

Often celebrated for its ingenious level design, Super Mario 64 feels magical in how it lets players approach iconic locations with renewed purpose. Yes, the camera is awful, but that’s part of why it’s not in the top spot. We learned to deal with the game’s negligible shortcomings back in the day, but I wouldn’t say no to a remake with modern camera control and better collision between Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom. Still, Super Mario 64 is a classic in every way it needs to be. The game informs every future 3D Mario title, and the platforming genre owes an unpayable debt to this renowned experience.

1) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

• Developer: Nintendo
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Release Year: 1998
• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Players: 1 Player
• Known For: Z-targeting, cinematic storytelling, iconic soundtrack
• Why It Matters: Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential video games ever made.

Ah, here we go! Ocarina of Time is a masterclass in Zelda game-making and is widely considered one of the greatest games of all time. Ocarina sets Link on his first 3D escapade, introducing fans to the Z-targeting system, which allowed for dynamic combat as the hero hops, flips, and lunges with precision for a unique Zelda experience.

Ocarina of Time presented Link’s world like never before, with epic dungeons that bring the puzzle-solving elements of the franchise to a new level. The god-tier soundtrack offers some of the best original and remixed songs from Zelda’s history, and the time-travel mechanic lets players carve through the kingdom as two versions of Link. While the game’s pacing could use a rework, there’s nothing like the first open-ended Zelda game to serve as an example for nearly every game in the franchise in the future. In other words, Ocarina of Time walked so Breath of the Wild could run, but damn if those first steps weren’t the best experience on the Nintendo 64.

What is the best Nintendo 64 game of all time?

Many players and critics consider The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time the greatest Nintendo 64 game because of its influence on 3D adventure games and action design.

What was the most influential N64 game?

Super Mario 64 revolutionized 3D platforming and camera movement in video games.

What are the best multiplayer Nintendo 64 games?

Popular multiplayer titles include GoldenEye 007, Mario Kart 64, and Super Smash Bros.

Why was the Nintendo 64 important?

The Nintendo 64 helped popularize analog stick controls, 3D game worlds, local multiplayer gaming, and rumble feedback technology.

What are the best Rare games on Nintendo 64?

Many fans consider Banjo-Kazooie, GoldenEye 007, and Perfect Dark among Rare’s best Nintendo 64 titles.

What do you think about our Top 10 Nintendo 64 list? What’s your Top 10 list look like? Leave a comment below and let us know what your favorite games for the Nintendo 64 are!

Our other Top 10 Gaming Lists So Far…

The Top 10 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Games Ranked

The Top 10 Sega Genesis Games Ranked

The Top 10 Super Nintendo (SNES) Games Ranked

The Top 10 PlayStation One Games Ranked

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