Best Shooter games from the 1980s

Best Shooter games from the 1980s [Discovery Queue]

Games like River Raid, Crack Down, and Airborne Ranger, ranked by the GamesGraph community.
Last updated: October 15, 2026

1

1

River Raid

1982December 1982 by Activision

Shooter, Racing, Arcade

Shooter, Racing, Arcade

5.83 Okay+ <100 ratings
2

2

Crack Down

1989December 1989 by Sega Enterprises, Ltd.

Shooter, Isometric, Retro

Shooter, Isometric, Retro

5.57 Okay <100 ratings
3

3

Airborne Ranger

1987December 1987 by MicroProse Software, Inc.

Shooter, Simulator, Strategy

Shooter, Simulator, Strategy

5.55 Okay <100 ratings
4

4

Carrier Command

1988July 1988 by Realtime Games Software Ltd.

Shooter, Simulator, Strategy

Shooter, Simulator, Strategy

5.55 Okay <100 ratings
5

5

Astrosmash

1981October 1981 by Mattel Electronics

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.53 Okay <100 ratings
6

6

Twin Cobra

1987October 1987 by Toaplan

Shooter, Arcade, Isometric

Shooter, Arcade, Isometric

5.51 Okay <100 ratings
Have you played any of these?

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

7

Zanac

1986July 1986 by Compile

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.45 Okay <100 ratings
8

8

Slap Fight

1986July 1986 by Toaplan

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.45 Okay <100 ratings
9

9

Blue Lightning

1989December 1989 by Epyx

Shooter, Arcade, Thriller

Shooter, Arcade, Thriller

5.43 Okay- <100 ratings
10

10

Prehistoric Isle

1989May 1989 by SNK

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.42 Okay- <100 ratings
11

11

Battle Squadron

1989December 1989 by Innerprise

Shooter, Science fiction, Isometric

Shooter, Science fiction, Isometric

5.42 Okay- <100 ratings
12

12

Galaxy Force II

1988December 1988 by Sega AM2

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.40 Okay- <100 ratings
13

13

TwinBee

1986January 1986 by Konami

Shooter, Arcade, Fantasy

Shooter, Arcade, Fantasy

5.40 Okay- <100 ratings
14

14

Formation Z

1984September 1984 by Hect

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.39 Okay- <100 ratings
15

15

Heavy Barrel

1987February 1987 by Data East

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.36 Okay- <100 ratings
16

16

Super Contra

1988January 1988 by Konami

Shooter, Platform, Arcade

Shooter, Platform, Arcade

5.36 Okay- <100 ratings
17

17

KiKi KaiKai

1986September 1986 by Taito

Shooter, Turn-Based, Board Game

Shooter, Turn-Based, Board Game

5.36 Okay- <100 ratings
18

18

Time Pilot

1982November 1982 by Konami

Shooter, Arcade, Fantasy

Shooter, Arcade, Fantasy

5.36 Okay- <100 ratings
19

19

Truxton

1988October 1988 by Toaplan

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.34 Okay- <100 ratings
20

20

Knightmare

1986January 1986 by Konami

Shooter, Arcade, Fantasy

Shooter, Arcade, Fantasy

5.33 Okay- <100 ratings
21

21

Robotron: 2084

1982January 1982 by Vid Kidz

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.32 Okay- <100 ratings
22

22

Gain Ground

1988November 1988 by Sega Enterprises, Ltd.

Shooter, Real Time Strategy, Strategy

Shooter, Real Time Strategy, Strategy

5.31 Okay- <100 ratings
23

23

Hostages

1988December 1988 by New Frontier

Shooter, Simulator, Sport

Shooter, Simulator, Sport

5.28 Okay- <100 ratings
24

24

Zero Wing

1989July 1989 by Toaplan

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.27 Okay- <100 ratings
25

25

Star Wars

1983May 1983 by Atari Games

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.27 Okay- <100 ratings
26

26

Tutankham

1982January 1982 by Konami

Shooter, Platform, Puzzle

Shooter, Platform, Puzzle

5.26 Okay- <100 ratings
27

27

Hellfire

1989December 1989 by Toaplan

Shooter, Arcade, Side view

Shooter, Arcade, Side view

5.26 Okay- <100 ratings
28

28

Space Ace

1983October 1983 by ReadySoft

Shooter, Adventure, Arcade

Shooter, Adventure, Arcade

5.24 Okay- <100 ratings
29

29

Thexder

1985April 1985 by Game Arts

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.22 Okay- <100 ratings
30

30

Galaga

1981September 1981 by Namco Limited

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.18 Okay-- 126 ratings
31

31

Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair

1988November 1988 by Westone

Shooter, Platform, Arcade

Shooter, Platform, Arcade

5.16 Okay-- <100 ratings
32

32

Yars' Revenge

1982May 1982 by Atari

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.15 Okay-- <100 ratings
33

33

Space Harrier II

1988October 1988 by Sega Enterprises, Ltd.

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

5.09 Okay-- <100 ratings
34

34

Millipede

1982November 1982 by Atari

Shooter, Arcade, Side view

Shooter, Arcade, Side view

5.06 Okay-- <100 ratings
35

35

TwinBee

1985March 1985 by Konami

Shooter, Arcade, Fantasy

Shooter, Arcade, Fantasy

5.02 Okay-- <100 ratings
36

36

Karnov

1987January 1987 by Data East

Shooter, Music, Platform

Shooter, Music, Platform

5.00 Okay-- <100 ratings
37

37

Centipede

1981June 1981 by Atari

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

4.83 Mediocre++ <100 ratings
38

38

Stargate

1981December 1981 by Vid Kidz

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

Shooter, Arcade, Science fiction

4.76 Mediocre+ <100 ratings
39

39

Super Thunder Blade

1988October 1988 by Sega R&D 2

Shooter, Simulator, Third person

Shooter, Simulator, Third person

4.63 Mediocre+ <100 ratings
40

40

Defender

1981March 1981

Shooter, Strategy, Science fiction

Shooter, Strategy, Science fiction

4.16 Mediocre- <100 ratings