The most popular coin-op conversion games
Arcades experienced immense popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, serving as social hubs where people gathered to enjoy video games. Before the rise of poker machines, individuals frequented pubs or dedicated arcades to play video games known as coin-operated machines or coin-ops. These machines required players to insert coins to start playing, creating a pay-to-play model that was both thrilling and addictive.
As home video game consoles and computers advanced, many popular arcade games were adapted for these platforms. The transition allowed players to enjoy their favorite games in the comfort of their own homes. Systems like the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sega Genesis, and various home computers saw ports of arcade hits, often with slight modifications due to hardware limitations.
Coin-operated machines not only provided entertainment but also influenced game design, community building, and the overall trajectory of the gaming industry.
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Rockford: The Arcade Game
DOS1987protected Arcadia Systems
Super Street Fighter 2
DOS1996 Capcom
Super Street Fighter II is an enhanced version of the iconic arcade fighting game Street Fighter II, developed and published by Capcom. It was released in 1993 as an upgrade to Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting and introduced several new features, characters, and gameplay mechanics to the series.Super Street Fighter II expanded the roster wit...
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
DOS1989 Atari
Ivan 'Iron Man' Stewart's Super Off Road
DOS1990 Leland
Ivan 'Iron Man' Stewart's Super Off Road is an abandoned diagonal-down off-road racing game developed by Leland and released by Virgin Interactive in 1990 for DOS, but also published for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, C64, ZX Spectrum and a lot of 8-bit and 16-bit consoles. Super Off Road is a classic fixed-screen track-racing similar to S...
Paperboy
DOS1988 Atari
Paperboy was one of (if not THE) arcade hit of 1985. It was developed by Atari for the arcades and later published by Mindscape for DOS in 1988. More conversion were made for quite a few other platforms. Paperboy gameplay is peculiar: you control a boy riding a bicycle and your goal is to deliver as many newspapers as you can to a number of ho...
Double Dragon
DOS1988 Technos Japan
Shinobi
DOS1989 Sega
Dragon's Lair
DOS1989protected Sullivan Bluth Interactive Media
Hard Drivin'
DOS1990 Atari
Space Harrier
DOS1989 Sega
Space Harrier is a 3rd-person view rail-shooter developed by Sega in 1985. Space Harrier was a hit in the arcades, and later it was converted for a number of platforms, including DOS (4 years later!). The sequels - Space Harrier 3D and Space Harrier II - were never ported to DOS.
Raiden
DOS1994 Seibu Kaihatsu Inc.
Raiden is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up game developed by Seibu Kaihatsu and first released in arcades in 1990 and later for many home computers and consoles. Raiden follows the classic vertical scrolling shoot 'em up format. Players control a spaceship known as the R-9C "Red-Ray" and navigate vertically scrolling levels filled with wave...
Gauntlet 2
DOS1989 Atari
Taito's Super Space Invaders
DOS1991 Taito
Super Space Invaders is a video game developed and published by Taito Corporation, released in 1991. It's a sequel to the classic arcade game Space Invaders, which was originally released in 1978 and is one of the most iconic video games of all time.In Super Space Invaders, the core gameplay mechanics remain similar to the original Space Invaders, ...
Puzznic
DOS1990 Taito
Puzznic is a tile-matching puzzle video game originally developed and published by Taito in 1989 for arcade systems. The goal of Puzznic is to clear a series of levels by aligning matching tiles (blocks) to make them disappear. When two or more identical tiles touch, they vanish. Puzznic was ported to various platforms, including:NES, Gam...
Gauntlet
DOS1986 Mindscape
Rampage
DOS1988 Midway Manufacturing Company
Qix
DOS1989 Taito
Rampart
DOS1992 Atari
Rampart is an abandoned mix of strategy and shooter game designed by Dave Ralston and John Salwitz, developed by Atari and released by Electronic Arts in 1992 for DOS. Rampart was converted from the original arcade version to a number of platforms, including Amiga, Atari ST, C64, Game Boy, Genesis, Lynx, NES, SEGA Master System, SNES. Rampart is a ...
Road Runner
DOS1989 Atari
Road Runner is a video game based on the popular Looney Tunes cartoon series featuring Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. The game was originally developed by Atari Games and released in arcades in 1985. It was later ported to various home gaming platforms, such as the Atari 2600, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, MS-DOS and others. Yo...
Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom
DOS1984 Sega
After Burner
DOS1989 Sega
If you’ve ever wanted to fly a jet fighter at Mach “Oh no, I crashed again,” After Burner is the game for you. This 1989 DOS classic straps you into an F-14 and launches you straight into the danger zone - no training wheels, no brakes, just pure pixelated chaos. The sky is your playground, and missiles are your confetti. It's fas...
Stargate
DOS1983 Williams Entertainment
The Typing of the Dead
Windows XP/98/951999 Smilebit
The Typing of the Dead is a distinctive video game, essentially a typing adaptation of the classic rail shooter arcade game, The House of the Dead. Initially debuting in 1999 as an arcade machine, it later became available on other platforms as well.In The Typing of the Dead, players wield a keyboard to dispatch approaching hordes of zombies and ot...
Galaxian
DOS1983 Namco
Mortal Kombat 2
DOS1994protecteddemo Midway Manufacturing Company
Mortal Kombat II is an arcade fighting game released by Midway in 1993. It's the sequel to the original Mortal Kombat (1992). The game introduced several new fighters, including Kitana, Mileena, Baraka, and Jax, alongside returning characters like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, and Raiden. The game takes place in Outworld, ruled by the evi...
Robotron 2084
DOS1983 Williams Entertainment
Mortal Kombat 3
DOS1995protected Midway Manufacturing Company
Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting action game developed by Midway Manufacturing Company and released by GT Interactive Software in 1995 for DOS and Windows as well as for many other platforms. Mortal Kombat 3 is the third chapter of the acclaimed Mortal Kombat series that spawned many sequels, a few TV series and even movies (with various degree of suc...
Joe and Mac Cavemen Ninja
DOS1991 Data East
Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja is a side-scrolling platformer video game developed and released by Data East in 1991. Known as "Joe & Mac" in North America and "Caveman Ninja" in other regions, the game gained popularity for its humorous take on prehistoric themes, cooperative gameplay, and challenging levels.The game is set in a colorful and car...
Action Fighter
DOS1989 Sega
Action Fighter (1989, DOS) is Sega’s way of saying, “Why choose between car chases and aerial dogfights when you can have both?” You start in a motorcycle, grab some power-ups, and suddenly you’re flying a jet and blowing things up. It's like Spy Hunter had a Red Bull and watched Top Gun. The controls are twitchy, the pace i...
The Simpsons
DOS1991 Konami
The Simpsons Arcade Game, developed and published by Konami, is a classic side-scrolling beat-'em-up that became highly popular in arcades during the early '90s. Players take on the roles of the Simpson family members: Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa. Players navigate through levels filled with enemies, rescuing Maggie, who has been kidnappe...