Best N64 Games: 25 Must-Play Classics for Every Fan

If you want one place to start choosing among the best N64 games, begin with the kind of play you enjoy most. The Nintendo 64 can suit a solo evening, a quick match with friends, or a long trip through a game world. Your favorite will depend on the genre and pace you like, not a universal ranking.

This list brings together 25 classics with lasting play appeal and the original experiences that defined the console. It offers returning fans a chance to revisit old favorites and gives first-time players a clear way into the N64. The Expansion Pak is a Nintendo 64 memory accessory that adds 4 MB of memory to the console.

Key Takeaways

• Pick a genre you already enjoy.
• Choose a solo game or a group game to fit your plans.
• Use rankings as a guide, not a rule.
• Check which games are on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
• Try one game for a short first session.
• A good first pick is the one that makes you want to play one more round or explore one more room.

Best N64 Games for a First Playthrough

For a first N64 session, Super Mario 64 is the strongest all-around starting point, while Ocarina of Time is the better pick if you want a longer adventure. Start here if you want a quick feel for the console’s range, from open spaces to story-led play.

These five games offer clear starting points across platforming, adventure, racing, shooting, and battles. Each has a distinct rhythm, so choose by the kind of session you want rather than by release date.

The classics that show what the console can do

Super Mario 64 arrived on June 23, 1996, and puts you in open 3D spaces where you can decide what to explore. Mario Kart 64 followed on December 14, 1996, with racing made for sharing a screen.

GoldenEye 007 came out on August 25, 1997, and pairs mission goals with split-screen competition. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time arrived November 21, 1998, for players who want a longer story and a world to explore.

Super Smash Bros. launched on January 21, 1999. Its Nintendo-character battles make it a strong first fighting game for fans who want a lively match rather than a long campaign.

Pick the game that fits the session you have planned, not the one with the biggest reputation.

Which Mario Games Belong on an N64 Starter List?

For a newcomer, Super Mario 64 is the Mario pick for platforming, while Mario Kart 64 is the one for racing. They offer very different ways to enjoy Mario’s world, and both give you a clear goal from the start.

Mario Party is a separate group-play choice, with board-game turns and mini-games. It suits a group that wants a shared party format more than a solo introduction to the console.

If you are choosing for a mixed group, Mario Kart 64 is the easiest of these five to turn into a shared session.

Which N64 Adventure Games Reward Exploration?

If your favorite part of a game is finding a new path or hidden collectible, start with Banjo-Kazooie. Its focused design makes each area feel like a place worth checking closely.

Adventure games among the best N64 games suit players who enjoy exploration more than short competitive rounds. These four choices range from bright collecting trips to a stranger quest shaped by time.

1. Banjo-Kazooie: Released June 29, 1998, it offers a focused collectible adventure with varied worlds and clear goals.
2. Donkey Kong 64: Released November 22, 1999, it gives you a much larger collectathon, with several characters and plenty to uncover.
3. Rayman 2: Choose this atmospheric 3D adventure for a distinct world and a different cast of characters.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask: Released April 27, 2000, it builds an unusual quest around a world that changes with time.

Banjo-Kazooie is a good fit when you want to roam without facing an enormous list of tasks. Donkey Kong 64 takes the opposite route, with a broader world and more objects to gather. Your patience for repeated collecting can help settle the choice.

Rayman 2 brings a more atmospheric feel to its 3D adventure. Its world gives exploration a different tone from the playful character-led trips elsewhere on the console.

Link’s journey in Majora’s Mask feels unlike a standard quest because time shapes what happens around you. Pay attention to the people and places you meet as the world changes.

Choose Majora’s Mask when you want the adventure to feel unusual and built around a world that changes with time.

Which N64 Games Make the Best Group Sessions?

For an immediate head-to-head match, WWF No Mercy gives a group a different kind of competition from racing or a fighting game. Its wrestling focus puts the action in the ring, with matches and character options to shape a session.

Choose a focused match when your group wants competition without a long party session. For changing rules and varied rounds, a party game is the better fit.

Head-to-head competition on one screen

WWF No Mercy was released November 17, 2000. Its wrestling matches suit players who want to take turns in the ring, and its customization lets you adjust the feel of a bout.

Pokémon Stadium arrived April 30, 1999, and centers on Pokémon battles. Its side activities add another way to play, so it can suit a group that wants more than a straight series of fights.

Diddy Kong Racing came out November 14, 1997. It blends racing with an adventure structure, giving you more to do than simply choose a course and race.

Party games for changing the rules each round

Mario Party launched December 18, 1998, and mixes board-game turns with mini-games. Each round can change the challenge, which helps keep a group session lively.

That format works best when your group enjoys pauses between quick challenges. Players who want a direct contest may prefer a focused match instead of a long party session.

A brother or friend can join the fun, but the group’s patience matters too. Mario Party asks you to enjoy the turns between mini-games, not only the mini-games themselves.

Pick Mario Party when your group wants its turns and mini-games to keep changing the challenge.

Which N64 Racing Games Are Worth Revisiting?

Start with Wave Race 64 if you want a racing game where the water and course shape the feel of each run. The shifting water makes each turn feel different from a race on dry ground.

These four racing games offer distinct experiences, not interchangeable versions of the same race. Choose by the movement and challenge you want to master.

• Wave Race 64: Released September 27, 1996, it puts water and course design at the heart of every race.
• 1080° Snowboarding: Released February 28, 1998, it focuses on snowboarding challenges and landing tricks.
• F-Zero X: Released July 14, 1998, it brings futuristic high-speed racing to the track.
• Excitebike 64: Released April 30, 2000, it turns motocross into a test of timing and control.

Wave Race 64 is a strong choice when you want the course itself to affect how you steer. The water adds a different feel from the crisp turns of a track-based racing game.

F-Zero X is the pick for sheer speed and a futuristic setting. Keep your focus on the track as you race at high speed, since small steering choices can change a run.

Excitebike 64 moves the action to motocross. Its bikes give the races a different sense of movement, with jumps and landings as part of the challenge.

1080° Snowboarding asks you to balance tricks with the race itself. Choose 1080° Snowboarding when landing tricks matters as much as reaching the finish.

Which N64 Action Games Bring the Most Variety?

Choose Perfect Dark if you want a shooter with more than one way to approach its missions. Its varied weapons give you room to tackle a futuristic mission in different ways.

The best choice depends on whether you want shooting missions, space combat, or vehicle puzzles. Star Fox 64 and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron both feature flight, but they play very differently.

Star Fox 64, released April 27, 1997, is a mission-based rail shooter. You follow a set flight path while aiming at threats and reacting to each mission’s goals.

Fox McCloud leads the action, but this is not open-ended spacecraft piloting. Its guided routes keep the focus on quick decisions and accurate shooting.

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron came out December 7, 1998. It puts you in spacecraft from the films, making it the clearest choice for space combat and piloting.

Perfect Dark arrived May 22, 2000. Its futuristic setting and weapons make it a shooter built around missions, rather than a game about flying or racing.

Blast Corps offers a different kind of action through vehicles and destruction. You take on objectives that ask you to clear a path, so the challenge feels closer to a vehicle puzzle.

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron is the clearest pick here for players who want their action centered on flying.

What N64 Games Suit RPG, Horror, and Offbeat Tastes?

If you want a role-playing game rather than another platformer or racer, try Paper Mario first. Its turn-based battles give you time to plan each move.

Paper Mario, Kirby 64, Resident Evil 2, and Conker’s Bad Fur Day serve four very different tastes. That range makes this group a good place to look beyond familiar genres.

Paper Mario was released August 11, 2000. It brings turn-based role-playing to a colorful world, with battles that reward choices instead of fast button presses.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards arrived March 24, 2000. Its approachable platforming makes it a friendly option when you want a lighter video game with a clear path forward.

Resident Evil 2 is the survival horror pick. Its darker tone and tense encounters make it a stronger fit for players who want suspense than for a relaxed game night.

Conker’s Bad Fur Day takes a different route with irreverent humor aimed at mature players. It has an M rating, a March 4, 2001 release date, and a Metascore of 92.

The rating matters more than the colorful characters might suggest. Conker’s jokes and tone set it apart from the other games Nintendo fans may remember from the system.

Check the M rating before choosing Conker’s Bad Fur Day for a shared or family game night.

How Do These Picks Compare With the Top 100 N64 Games?

A top 100 N64 games ranking and a sales chart measure different things, so neither alone decides what you should play. Rankings reflect choices made by a list, while sales show purchases or shipments.

Sales numbers cannot tell you how well a game fits your own taste. The ranking below places five major titles in a 25-game list and gives their N64 sales.

The top positions in a 25-game ranking

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time leads this ranking at No. 1. Donkey Kong 64, Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, and GoldenEye 007 follow in that order.

Super Smash Bros. holds No. 6 in the same 25-game ranking and sold 5,550,000 copies. Its lower sales total than Mario Kart 64 does not decide which game your group will enjoy more.

Seven picks placed between No. 14 and No. 20

A 100-game ranking places these seven picks in the middle of its list:

• No. 14: Banjo-Kazooie
• No. 15: Star Fox 64
• No. 16: Rayman 2
• No. 17: Resident Evil 2
• No. 18: 1080 Snowboarding
• No. 19: Blast Corps
• No. 20: Ridge Racer 64

Those placements are examples from a larger ranking, not a complete top 100 N64 games list. The N64 million-selling list contains 53 games, while franchise totals count sales across several games.

For example, combined franchise sales are 14.55 million units for Pokémon, 10.96 million for The Legend of Zelda, 10.15 million for Donkey Kong, and 7.87 million for Star Wars.

Treat rankings as a shortlist, then choose according to the genre and style of play you enjoy.

Which N64 Games Can You Play on Switch?

You can play a selection of N64 classics on Switch, but access to the N64 collection requires Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. The collection is selective, so it is not the same as the full N64 library.

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership is required to access these N64 games. The current collection includes the following ten titles:

• Super Mario 64
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• Mario Kart 64
• Star Fox 64
• GoldenEye 007
• Banjo-Kazooie
• Banjo-Tooie
• Donkey Kong 64
• Paper Mario
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

The N64 collection supports online play for up to four players. Mario Kart 64 can connect friends in different locations for online races, which makes it a natural pick for a group separated by distance.

Ocarina of Time has a useful option for busy sessions: you can suspend the game at any point. That makes it easier to pause a long adventure without needing to reach a planned stopping spot.

The best N64 games on Switch are the ones you want to play from this selected catalog. A familiar title may be a good start, but a favorite missing from the collection will not be available through this service.

Check the current collection on your console before subscribing, since the catalog itself is the deciding factor.

Which N64 Games Are Best to Emulate Today?

For emulation, Super Mario 64 is a strong first choice if you want a game built around movement and exploration. Its open stages make it easy to play in short bursts or longer sessions.

The best N64 games to emulate and the best N64 games to play today can be chosen with the same genre-first approach. Multiplayer picks also depend on your controller setup.

The Expansion Pak is an N64 memory accessory that adds 4 MB of memory to the console. Donkey Kong 64 and Majora’s Mask require it, while Perfect Dark runs in restricted mode without it.

The original console launched in the United States in September 1996 and has four built-in controller ports. That layout supports local group play, though each game sets its own player limit.

An N64 Controller Pak stores 123 pages of data. It is a separate accessory from the Expansion Pak, so the two names refer to different hardware and jobs.

Check the Expansion Pak requirement before choosing a game for original hardware.

If you are using original N64 hardware, check Expansion Pak requirements before starting Donkey Kong 64 or Majora’s Mask.

Conclusion

The easiest way to find a favorite is to begin with the kind of play you already enjoy. A familiar genre gives you a better first test than choosing only by a ranking or an old memory.

If friends are joining, pick a group game that fits the kind of night you have planned. For solo play, choose one title from a category and set aside a short first session to see whether its pace suits you.

That small trial can tell you more than a long list of scores. Pick one game from the list, invite a friend if it supports the kind of session you want, and give it a try.

About The Author

Ayesha Mansha

Ayesha Mansha writes about small business development, entrepreneurship, and practical ways to turn ideas into business opportunities. She focuses on accessible guides, business planning, and actionable insights to help readers navigate the early stages of building a business.

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