Best SNES Masterpiece Video Games Of All Time, Ranked

For some, the Super Nintendo is the greatest console of all time. Nintendo fans who grew up in the 90s have strong connections to games like Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Chrono Trigger, and more. For the most part, 10/10 games back then hold up now because the craftsmanship of these games was so solid, making them timeless.

Anyone can pick up those SNES games and others today and have a good time, guaranteed. So, for the sake of variety, let’s go over some of the best games on the SNES and offer up ten classics that are mostly accessible and hold up relatively well.

Secret Of Mana

Sword In The Stone

Secret of Mana is only the second game in the Mana series, and it starts with a young boy finding a sword in the forest. Afterward, he embarks on a magic journey to find elemental deities to hopefully gain enough power to stop an evil force.

It’s a bit of a cliched plot, but the action is great, and it still looks stunning, plus at the time it was a groundbreaking RPG that supported three-player co-op. With great visuals, tons of weapons to unlock, and co-op options, Secret of Mana still stands out as an SNES action RPG.

Kirby Super Star

A Collection Of New And Old

Kirby Super Star is a collection of new and old Kirby games reworked for the SNES console. For example, there is a brief remake of Kirby's Dream Land inside, along with mini-games to check out, like a martial arts contest or a samurai duel.

The best game found within is called The Great Cave Offensive, which is sort of like a light Metroidvania. With amazing sprites, chipper music, a great collection of games, and excellent platforming with unique powers, Kirby Super Star is an essential for any SNES lover.

NBA Jam

From Downtown!

NBA Jam is a game that transcended sports, as even those who didn’t like basketball at least played this game on the SNES or maybe in the arcades. It was an easy basketball game to pick up, featuring two-on-two matches in a small court, plus there were powers like lighting the basketball on fire to slam dunk it into a basket.

Kids who grew up in the 90s memorized phrases like “He’s heating up” and “From downtown.” Whether alone or in co-op, NBA Jam is still fun to play a match in occasionally.

Mega Man X

Super Fighting Robot

Mega Man X was the Mega Man reboot that no one knew they wanted, but are thankful every day that it happened. The core concept remained the same, as this version of the fighting robot, X, learned powers from bosses and players could choose any of the eight stages in the order they pleased.

What changed was that defeating certain bosses would affect other levels, like freezing a fire-filled factory, plus X could get armor upgrades. It’s the little touches that made Mega Man X a more accessible game with some of the best music in the series, not to mention some of the best on the SNES.

Street Fighter 2

Bare-Knuckle Brawling

Street Fighter 2, in all of its versions that hit the SNES, is a fighting game that everyone owned. While future Street Fighter games added cooler powers and had bigger rosters, it’s safe to say that Street Fighter 2 still holds up.

Like NBA Jam, anyone can pick up this game and have a fun, friendly match with a friend or partner, and it’s not overly violent like Mortal Kombat to restrict age groups from enjoying it. The art is great, the controls are responsive, everyone’s music themes are catchy and have remained iconic, and there’s no better game about beating up cars as a side hustle.

Final Fantasy 6

Join The Party

Final Fantasy 6 is a favorite among some Final Fantasy fans, and it’s easy to see why. Everything was overhauled from the five games that came before, especially the story and characters. The roster was huge, each character mattered, for the most part, and the story took a wild turn midway through that no other Final Fantasy has been bold enough to try since.

The turn-based RPG gameplay initially was fine, but it leveled up once the Magicite system was introduced, which allowed characters to learn abilities and magic through Summons called Espers.

Super Metroid

An Isolating Beginning

Super Metroid is the third game in the Metroid series, and it’s the one that perfected the formula. Set on an isolated planet, bounty hunter Samus Aran has to search for space pirates, ancient artifacts, and power-ups to complete her mission.

From super speed to freeze rays, the power-ups will help players deal with enemies and explore the ever-expanding map. While not completely a horror game, Super Metroid is one of those engrossing, atmospheric experiences that will suck players in and never let go until the credits roll.

Chrono Trigger

Time After Time

Chrono Trigger is one of the best turn-based RPGs to ever hit a system, and it broke so many boundaries at the time. Enemies appeared in dungeons, the world map was devoid of battles, characters could combo with others in combat, and the time-traveling element was out of this world.

Between different eras, like the age of dinosaurs and the future, players could affect reality with choices, albeit small for an SNES game. Still, this compact time-traveling adventure became a gold standard that stands up to many AAA RPG experiences on modern consoles today thanks to its innovative ideas, slamming music, and brilliant sprite work.

Super Mario World

Yoshi Is Here

Super Mario World is the type of game that is fun to play every day, one level at a time to blow off some steam, or to fully complete every year, and the Switch makes this very possible. Decades later, the imaginative level design, world map exploration, and power-ups all make this a must-play 2D Mario game.

Yoshi, secret stages, fun music, and more are all reasons why kids back in the day even bothered to get an SNES. As great as the 3D Mario games are, the purity of this 2D experience is just so mesmerizing that it transcends the third dimension.

The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past

Two Worlds In One

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the third entry in the Zelda series, and like Super Metroid, this third game is the one that perfected the formula that would influence future titles. The open-world, while gated in some ways, gave players plenty to explore on the SNES between finding items or going into main story dungeons.

Compared to modern Zelda games now, the map is minuscule, but back in 1992, for North America, it seemed gigantic. Cool bosses, unique weapons, quirky characters, and a midway story twist all made this a Zelda game to remember.