The Nintendo 64 remains a formative video game console that helped push the industry forward with cutting edge games. There continues to be a lot of love for retro gaming consoles and the Nintendo 64 is both endlessly nostalgic as well as genuinely innovative. The N64 helped bring Nintendo into 3D gaming as well as popularize four-player multiplayer, which was groundbreaking during the ‘90s.
The Nintendo 64 is the home for some of the best video games of all time, like Super Mario 64, Goldeneye 007, and Banjo-Kazooie. That being said, some N64 games were hits upon their release, but have since become clunky chores that don’t hold up well in comparison to modern classics. It’s easy for video games to become products of their time, but there are a handful of Nintendo 64 titles that are still fun to play today, even in contrast to Nintendo’s most recent hits.
10 Star Fox 64
Release Date: April 27, 1997
The Super Nintendo’s Star Fox redefined what was possible on Nintendo’s 16-bit console thanks to the game’s innovative Super FX chip. A Star Fox 2 was ready to go before being pulled from release in favor of an upgraded Star Fox 64. The Nintendo 64 rail shooter takes the best elements from both SNES Star Fox titles and transforms them into an engaging experience that’s easy to learn and rewarding to master.
Star Fox 64 offers multiplayer for those who have completely finished the single-player experience, which is full of secrets and additional challenges. Subsequent Star Fox sequels have struggled to top Star Fox 64, which still controls and looks like a dream.
9 Paper Mario
Release Date: August 11, 2000
RPGs were few and far between on the Nintendo 64, which helps Paper Mario stand out as one of the console’s best and a creative pivot for Nintendo’s gaming mascot. Initially developed as a sequel to Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario has built its own identity that’s spawned six games across multiple consoles.
Paper Mario has deep gameplay that will please hardcore RPG fans, while the cute 2D aesthetic has helped its visuals age gracefully. Many cite the GameCube’s Paper Mario sequel as the strongest in the franchise, but the N64 original is an excellent start that’s still heads and shoulders above many of its modern sequels.
8 F-Zero X
Release Date: July 14, 1998
The Nintendo 64 became a surprisingly strong home for racing games due to the console’s focus on four-person multiplayer. The F-Zero franchise has largely had to live in the shadow of Nintendo’s Mario Kart racers, but each series uniquely tackles the genre. F-Zero is known for extremely fast-paced and futuristic racing, which really comes into its own on the Nintendo 64.
There’s a lot of fun to be had with Mario Kart 64 or Diddy Kong Racing. However, F-Zero X focuses on the racing genre’s fundamentals. Not only does F-Zero X hold up incredibly well, but it’s available in 60fps on Nintendo Switch Online.
7 Mischief Makers
Release Date: June 27, 1997
Treasure were acclaimed video game developers who made a name for themselves on 16-bit Genesis sidescrollers like Gunstar Heroes and Dynamite Headdy. Mischief Makers is Nintendo’s first official collaboration with Treasure and they stick with what they know in what’s one of the N64’s most distinct sidescrollers.
Mischief Makers‘ protagonist Marina is a powerful robot maid and it’s frustrating that she doesn’t get a whole series of games to showcase her skills. Mischief Makers offers genuine challenges for more seasoned gamers and if it were released today it’d easily be one of the Switch’s most talked about titles.
6 The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time & Majora’s Mask
Release Dates: November 21, 1998 & April 27, 2000
Nintendo fans currently have the Nintendo Switch’s sprawling open world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, to keep them occupied for hundreds of hours. There’s no denying that the Switch’s Zelda games are the biggest in the franchise’s history, but many fans consider the series’ peak to be with its pair of Nintendo 64 games, Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.
These games are not without their faults, but they transform Zelda into an engrossing 3D world that pushes the N64 to its limits. The boss battles, storytelling, and wealth of side-quests and mini-games were unheard of at the time, but are still substantial today.
5 Bomberman Hero
Release Date: April 30, 1998
Konami’s Bomberman has been a multi-console puzzle hit since the early ’80s. The Nintendo 64 deconstructs the franchise in exciting ways with three titles that transform Bomberman into an action-adventure platformer that still retains its classic puzzle elements. Each of these games are surprise hits that have unfortunately slipped through the cracks over the years and are typically absent from Nintendo’s Virtual Consoles.
Bomberman Hero is the most adventure-based of the trio and its abstract worlds and unique platforming levels still stand out and hold their own against more celebrated games like Super Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie. It also has a phenomenal soundtrack that’s ahead of its time, if anything.
4 Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
Release Date: August 7, 1997
Legend of the Mystical Ninja found early life on Nintendo consoles even though it’s not strictly a Nintendo franchise. The N64’s Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon is an ambitious 3D platformer that’s so atypical that it’s a surprise that it was localized outside of Japan. Mystical Ninja retains its Japanese sense of humor, meta elements, and unique voice.
In addition to satisfying 3D platforming, there are also first-person mecha battle sequences. The Nintendo 64’s second Legend of the Mystical Ninja game, Goemon’s Great Adventure, also holds up well by modern gaming standards. As a sidescroller, it just doesn’t bring as much to the genre as Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon does for 3D adventure platformers.
3 Mario Party 2
Release Date: December 17, 1999
Mario Party has turned out dozens of titles and many of the most recent entries compile the best mini-games from past titles. Multiplayer gaming has always been one of Nintendo’s specialties and the Mario Party games really tap into what’s possible with a group of friends. The first Mario Party, while fun, is simplistic without much of a single-player experience to offer.
Some mini-games are also torturous instead of enjoyable. Mario Party 2 properly builds upon its predecessor’s foundation with new rules and gameplay modes. Mario Party 3 is also for the Nintendo 64, but this is when the series starts to hit diminishing returns and focus on the wrong elements.
2 Pokémon Snap
Release Date: March 21, 1999
Pokémon has some creative spin-offs that explore different facets of its rich universe. Pokémon Snap is essentially a rail shooter, only one where players try to capture photographs of Pokémon in nature instead of firing weapons at enemies. It took Nintendo more than two decades to finally release a successor to Pokémon Snap, Nintendo Switch’s New Pokémon Snap, which is a testament to how long the N64 original has been able to keep audiences entertained.
New Pokémon Snap feels like a proper evolution. However, there wouldn’t be a demand for it if the original weren’t still a popular hit on Nintendo Switch Online and past Virtual Console services.
1 Mario Kart 64
Release Date: December 14, 1996
Mario Kart is a legendary gaming franchise that features such simplistic, yet enjoyable gameplay that it’s hard to not connect with the series. Mario Kart begins on the Super Nintendo, but the console’s 16-bit limitations remove much of the skill and agency of the experience.
Mario Kart 64 helped show what the N64 can do with racing games and it’s still as fun as ever, regardless of which mode is being played. The Nintendo Switch’s Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to go strong and benefits from additional DLC characters and courses, but every game has just been replicating Mario Kart 64‘s mechanics and success.