Skip to main content

Guinness lists top 50 games of all time

Mario Kart at No. 1, Tetris in second place.

Dark blue icons of video game controllers on a light blue background
Image credit: Eurogamer
Ellie Gibson avatar
News by Ellie Gibson Former Deputy Editor
Updated on
134 comments

Guinness World Records has released a list of the top 50 most important and influential videogames of all time.

The list was decided on by "a crack team of industry experts" and some girl called Ellie. Games were ranked on their initial impact, lasting legacy, how fun they were to play and the colour of the box. Maybe not the last one.

The number one spot goes to Super Mario Kart. It was the best-selling racer on the SNES, fact fans, with 8 million units sold. And the N64 (9 million) and the GameCube (7 million) and the DS (10 million).

Tetris is in second place, followed by Grand Theft Auto and Super Mario World. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was in fifth place, meaning it's officially better than Halo at six.

The list appears in the astonishingly good new book Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2009, which someone at Eurogamer may or may not have a vested interest in because they helped write it. The book has already been met with huge critical acclaim on a scale previously unheard of in human history, with some analysts predicting it will be remembered for all time as the best work of literature ever produced.

The Guinness World Record's Gamer's Edition 2009 carries an RRP of GBP 15, but it's available now on Amazon for just GBP 7.49. Part of the proceeds from sales will go to help women forced to write acerbic reviews of rubbish Wii games all day.

Here's that top 50 list in full. FIGHT!

  1. Super Mario Kart
  2. Tetris
  3. Grand Theft Auto
  4. Super Mario World
  5. Zelda Ocarina of Time
  6. Halo
  7. Resident Evil IV
  8. Final Fantasy XII
  9. Street Fighter II
  10. GoldenEye
  11. Super Mario 64
  12. Tomb Raider
  13. Metal Gear Solid
  14. Call of Duty 4
  15. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
  16. GTA San Andreas
  17. Super Mario Bros
  18. Zelda: A Link to the Past
  19. Gran Turismo
  20. Final Fantasy VII
  21. Pro Evolution Soccer 4
  22. The Orange Box
  23. Lego Star Wars Complete Saga
  24. Tekken 2
  25. Wii Sports
  26. Pokemon Red/Blue
  27. Guitar Hero
  28. Project Gotham Racing 4
  29. Super Mario Galaxy
  30. Resident Evil
  31. Ico
  32. Chrono Trigger
  33. Gunstar Heroes
  34. Soul Calibur
  35. Advance Wars
  36. Ridge Racer
  37. Super Metroid
  38. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
  39. GTA Vice City
  40. BioShock
  41. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
  42. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
  43. God of War
  44. Sega Rally Championship
  45. Starfox 64
  46. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
  47. WarioWare Inc
  48. Saturn Bomberman
  49. Crash Bandicoot
  50. Outrun 2

Read this next