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.
Most popular coin-op conversion games
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Virtua Cop 2
Windows XP/98/9519974.2/5 Sega
Virtua Cop 2 is an abandoned light gun first-person rail shooter game designed by Yu Suzuki, developed and released by Sega in 1997 for Windows, and also published for Saturn, Dreamcast and PlayStation 2. Virtua Cop 2 is the second title in the Virtua Cop series that became much popular in the arcades at the time.
Crazy Taxi
Windows XP/98/9520024.1/5 Sega
Crazy Taxi is an abandoned driving / racing game developed by Sega and released by Activision in 2002 for Windows and other platforms (it's an arcade conversion). Crazy Taxi is set in a city full of potential passengers: get them on your taxi and drive them to various destinations in time.
Street Fighter 2
DOS19924.3/5 Capcom
Street Fighter II is a classic arcade fighting game developed and published by Capcom. It was first released in 1991 as a sequel to the original Street Fighter. Street Fighter II is widely regarded as one of the most influential and iconic video games of all time, credited with popularizing the fighting game genre and shaping the arcade scene of th...
PC-Man
DOS1982remake4.1/5 Orion Software
PC-Man is an abandoned top-down Pac-Man clone in every regard: from the shape of the protagonist, to the cute ghosts. PC-Man was designed by Greg Kuperberg, developed by Orion Software and released in 1982 for DOS. As PC-Man, you have to move through a one screen maze to collect dots (pills? wafers?) and avoid being touched by one of the usual Pac-...
House of the Dead
Windows XP/98/9519984.2/5 Sega
House of the Dead is an old horror-themed rail shooter game, developed and released by Sega in 1998. The whole gameplay can be summarized in a single sentence "a first-person 3D shooting gallery with zombies". House of the Dead runs on older version of Windows, so you may need a virtual machine to play it properly.
Volfied
DOS19914.3/5 Taito
Volfied is an arcade game developed and released by Taito Corporation in 1989. It's a puzzle game that gained popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The game is named after the fictional planet "Volfied", where the gameplay is set.In Volfied, players control a small spaceship called "Challenger" and must eliminate 80% or more of the playfiel...
Q*Bert
DOS19843.9/5 Parker Brothers
Q*bert is a classic arcade game that was created by Warren Davis and Jeff Lee and was released by Gottlieb in 1982. The main goal of Qbert is to change the color of every cube in a pyramid by having the character, Qbert, hop on each cube. Once all cubes have changed to the target color, the player advances to the next level. Various ...
Golden Axe
DOS19914.2/5 Sega
Golden Axe is a classic arcade game developed by Sega and released in 1989. It's a side-scrolling beat 'em up game set in a fantasy world where players choose one of three characters: a barbarian, a dwarf, or an amazon, each with their own strengths and abilities.The game follows the quest of these heroes to rescue the King and Princess of Yuria fr...
Mortal Kombat
DOS1993protected4.3/5 Midway Manufacturing Company
Mortal Kombat is one of the most popular 1 on 1 fighting games. No wonder it spawned many sequels. You can play as one of the seven digitized characters and must fight everyone else to the top. One of the distinctive features of Mortal Kombat is the fatality: a special move to finish off the adversary.
Robocop
DOS19894/5 Data East
Robocop is an abandoned beat 'em up / run and gun shooter game developed and released by Data East in 1989 for a number of platforms, including DOS. Robocop is a conversion from an arcade game released by Data East in 1988 and it was based on the movie of the same name, Robocop, by Paul Verhoeven. Your goal is to get to the final boss by shoot...
Bubble Bobble
DOS19894.2/5 Taito
Bubble Bobble is widely regarded as one of the most beloved and charming platform arcade games of all time. The gameplay objective in Bubble Bobble is straightforward: players must clear each screen of various monsters and advance through numerous stages to ultimately reach the final level. Players control two adorable dinosaurs, Bub and Bob. ...
Donkey Kong
DOS19834/5 Nintendo
Donkey Kong is a landmark video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and first released by Nintendo in 1981. The original arcade game introduced players to a narrative where a carpenter named Jumpman, who would later become known as Mario, must rescue his girlfriend Pauline from a giant, barrel-throwing ape named Donkey Kong. This game is oft...
Dragon's Lair 3: The Curse of Mordread
DOS1992protected4/5 Sullivan Bluth Interactive Media
Dragon's Lair III, also known as Dragon's Lair III: The Curse of Mordread, is an installment in the classic Dragon's Lair series of animated arcade games. The game was released in 1991 and represents a continuation of the series known for its full-motion video (FMV) animation and interactive gameplay. Players control the hero, Dirk the Daring,...
Arkanoid
DOS19884.1/5 Taito
Arkanoid is a classic arcade video game that was first released in 1986 by Taito. It is a breakout-style game, which means that the primary objective is to break a wall of bricks or blocks by bouncing a ball off a paddle at the bottom of the screen. The game takes its name and inspiration from Atari's Breakout, which was released in the 1970s. ...
OutRun
DOS19894.2/5 Sega
Operation Wolf
DOS19894.3/5 Taito
Dig Dug
DOS19833.9/5 Namco
Dig Dug is a classic maze arcade action game that was first released by Namco in 1982 as a coin-op and later for a number of other systems. The gameplay of Dig Dug involves digging tunnels through the earth to reach and defeat the various creatures that inhabit the underground maze. The player has an air pump, which he can use to inflate the monste...
Paperboy
DOS19884.1/5 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...
Rampage
DOS19884.2/5 Midway Manufacturing Company
Ms. Pac-Man
DOS19833.9/5 Midway Manufacturing Company
Double Dragon
DOS19884/5 Technos Japan
Star Wars
DOS19884.2/5 Atari
Daytona USA
Windows XP/98/9519943.4/5 Sega
Daytona USA is an arcade racing game that was originally released by Sega in 1993. It quickly became one of the most iconic and influential racing games of its time. The game was designed by Toshihiro Nagoshi and developed by Sega AM2, a division of Sega known for creating innovative and visually impressive games.The game features three distinct tr...
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
DOS19884.2/5 Technos Japan
Super Street Fighter 2
DOS19964.3/5 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...
Virtua Cop
Windows XP/98/9519974.1/5 Sega
Arkanoid 2: The Revenge of Doh
DOS19894.1/5 Taito
Altered Beast
DOS19904.1/5 Sega
Altered Beast is a classic side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade game developed and published by Sega. It was originally released in arcades in 1988 and later ported to various home consoles, including the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.Players control a resurrected centurion who battles through five levels filled with undead creatures and other mythical beas...
Sega Rally Championship
Windows XP/98/95Windows19953.7/5 Sega
Darius Gaiden
Windows XP/98/9519984.2/5 Taito