Best Science fiction games from the 1980s

Best Science fiction games from the 1980s [Discovery Queue]

Games like Maniac Mansion, Space Quest III: The Pirates Of Pestulon, and Planetfall, ranked by the GamesGraph community.
Last updated: October 16, 2026

1

1

Maniac Mansion

1987October 1987 by Lucasfilm Games

Point-and-click, Adventure, Fantasy

Point-and-click, Adventure, Fantasy

6.48 Good- 140 ratings
2

2

Space Quest III: The Pirates Of Pestulon

1989March 1989 by Sierra On-Line

Point-and-click, Puzzle, Adventure

Point-and-click, Puzzle, Adventure

5.70 Okay+ <100 ratings
3

3

Planetfall

1983July 1983 by Infocom

Adventure, Science fiction, Comedy

Adventure, Science fiction, Comedy

5.64 Okay <100 ratings
4

4

Starflight

1986August 1986 by Binary Systems

RPG, Simulator, Adventure

RPG, Simulator, Adventure

5.62 Okay <100 ratings
5

5

Lode Runner

1983October 1983 by Brøderbund Software

Platform, Puzzle, Science fiction

Platform, Puzzle, Science fiction

5.56 Okay <100 ratings
6

6

Carrier Command

1988July 1988 by Realtime Games Software Ltd.

Shooter, Simulator, Strategy

Shooter, Simulator, Strategy

5.55 Okay <100 ratings
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Choose Add on one you know to rate it. After 8 ratings, GamesGraph can recommend games that fit your taste.
7

7

A Mind Forever Voyaging

1985August 1985 by Infocom

Adventure, Science fiction, Text

Adventure, Science fiction, Text

5.55 Okay <100 ratings
8

8

Astrosmash

1981October 1981 by Mattel Electronics

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.53 Okay <100 ratings
9

9

Wasteland

1988January 1988 by Interplay Productions

RPG, Turn-Based, Adventure

RPG, Turn-Based, Adventure

5.52 Okay <100 ratings
10

10

Portal

1986November 1986 by Nexa Corporation

Adventure, Science fiction, Text

Adventure, Science fiction, Text

5.52 Okay <100 ratings
11

11

Phantasy Star II

1989March 1989 by Sega R&D 2

RPG, Fantasy, Science fiction

RPG, Fantasy, Science fiction

5.51 Okay <100 ratings
12

12

Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter

1986October 1986 by Sierra On-Line

Point-and-click, Puzzle, Adventure

Point-and-click, Puzzle, Adventure

5.50 Okay <100 ratings
13

13

Zanac

1986July 1986 by Compile

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.45 Okay <100 ratings
14

14

Slap Fight

1986July 1986 by Toaplan

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.45 Okay <100 ratings
15

15

Manhunter: New York

1988December 1988 by Evryware

Point-and-click, Adventure, Science fiction

Point-and-click, Adventure, Science fiction

5.43 Okay- <100 ratings
16

16

Prehistoric Isle

1989May 1989 by SNK

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.42 Okay- <100 ratings
17

17

Battle Squadron

1989December 1989 by Innerprise

Shooter, Science fiction, Isometric

Shooter, Science fiction, Isometric

5.42 Okay- <100 ratings
18

18

Galaxy Force II

1988December 1988 by Sega AM2

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.40 Okay- <100 ratings
19

19

Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge

1987November 1987 by Sierra Entertainment

Point-and-click, Puzzle, Adventure

Point-and-click, Puzzle, Adventure

5.39 Okay- <100 ratings
20

20

Formation Z

1984September 1984 by Hect

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.39 Okay- <100 ratings
21

21

Heavy Barrel

1987February 1987 by Data East

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.36 Okay- <100 ratings
22

22

Super Contra

1988January 1988 by Konami

Shooter, Platform, Arcade

Shooter, Platform, Arcade

5.36 Okay- <100 ratings
23

23

Manhunter 2: San Francisco

1989December 1989 by Evryware

Point-and-click, Adventure, Science fiction

Point-and-click, Adventure, Science fiction

5.35 Okay- <100 ratings
24

24

Truxton

1988October 1988 by Toaplan

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.34 Okay- <100 ratings
25

25

Captain Blood

1988December 1988 by ERE Informatique

Puzzle, Simulator, Adventure

Puzzle, Simulator, Adventure

5.34 Okay- <100 ratings
26

26

Shufflepuck Cafe

1989July 1989 by Brøderbund Software

Sport, Science fiction, First person

Sport, Science fiction, First person

5.34 Okay- <100 ratings
27

27

Starcross

1982September 1982 by Infocom

Puzzle, Adventure, Science fiction

Puzzle, Adventure, Science fiction

5.34 Okay- <100 ratings
28

28

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

1984September 1984 by Infocom

Puzzle, Adventure, Science fiction

Puzzle, Adventure, Science fiction

5.32 Okay- <100 ratings
29

29

Robotron: 2084

1982January 1982 by Vid Kidz

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.32 Okay- <100 ratings
30

30

Gain Ground

1988November 1988 by Sega Enterprises, Ltd.

Shooter, Real Time Strategy, Strategy

Shooter, Real Time Strategy, Strategy

5.31 Okay- <100 ratings
31

31

Tex Murphy: Mean Streets

1989January 1989 by Access Software

Point-and-click, Puzzle, Adventure

Point-and-click, Puzzle, Adventure

5.30 Okay- <100 ratings
32

32

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

1988October 1988 by Lucasfilm Games

Point-and-click, Adventure, Science fiction

Point-and-click, Adventure, Science fiction

5.29 Okay- <100 ratings
33

33

Hostages

1988December 1988 by New Frontier

Shooter, Simulator, Sport

Shooter, Simulator, Sport

5.28 Okay- <100 ratings
34

34

Zero Wing

1989July 1989 by Toaplan

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.27 Okay- <100 ratings
35

35

Star Wars

1983May 1983 by Atari Games

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.27 Okay- <100 ratings
36

36

Space Ace

1983October 1983 by ReadySoft

Shooter, Adventure, Arcade

Shooter, Adventure, Arcade

5.24 Okay- <100 ratings
37

37

Thexder

1985April 1985 by Game Arts

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.22 Okay- <100 ratings
38

38

Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World

1988December 1988 by New World Computing

RPG, Turn-Based, Adventure

RPG, Turn-Based, Adventure

5.20 Okay-- <100 ratings
39

39

Galaga

1981September 1981 by Namco Limited

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.18 Okay-- 126 ratings
40

40

Impossible Mission II

1988December 1988 by Novotrade

Platform, Puzzle, Strategy

Platform, Puzzle, Strategy

5.15 Okay-- <100 ratings
41

41

Yars' Revenge

1982May 1982 by Atari

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.15 Okay-- <100 ratings
42

42

Space Harrier II

1988October 1988 by Sega Enterprises, Ltd.

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.09 Okay-- <100 ratings
43

43

Karnov

1987January 1987 by Data East

Shooter, Music, Platform

Shooter, Music, Platform

5.00 Okay-- <100 ratings
44

44

Centipede

1981June 1981 by Atari

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

4.83 Mediocre++ <100 ratings
45

45

Stargate

1981December 1981 by Vid Kidz

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

4.76 Mediocre+ <100 ratings
46

46

Defender

1981March 1981

Shooter, Strategy, Science fiction

Shooter, Strategy, Science fiction

4.16 Mediocre- <100 ratings
47

47

Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel

1989July 1989 by Cyan Worlds

Point-and-click, Adventure, Science fiction

Point-and-click, Adventure, Science fiction

Needs more reviews