Growing up as a teen in the 1980s, I spent significant time and quarters in my local arcades. I loved playing many different coin-operated games and pinball machines back in the day and look back fondly at them.
I always wondered what made certain games more popular than others. The Internet didn’t exist so it’s not like we could see what was being released and what was hot. You’d typically just go to your local arcade and a new game(s) would be there with a crowd of people around it.
It is difficult to determine the best-selling arcade coin games of all time, as sales figures for arcade games are not widely published, but some of the most popular and successful arcade games include the following classics:
- Pac-Man (1980) – Developed by Namco, Pac-Man is widely considered one of the most popular and iconic arcade games of all time. It is estimated to have sold over 400,000 arcade units worldwide.
Personal commentary: This was one of my personal favorites although I preferred the game play and graphics of Ms Pac-Man which was released several years later. The game was originally called Puck-Man since the character looks kind of like a yellow hockey puck. But the designers were afraid that kids would scratch out the P and turn it into the letter F on the machine to spell a very bad word, so they changed the name to Pac-Man instead. - Space Invaders (1978) – Developed by Taito, Space Invaders is considered a classic and is credited with popularizing the shooter genre. It is estimated to have sold over 360,000 arcade units worldwide.
Personal commentary: This was the first coin-operated game I remember playing at the front of our local K-Mart near the cashiers. I remember the sounds of firing the cannon and how slow the cannon seemed to move left and right especially as you were trying to dodge the missiles being fired at you. - Street Fighter II (1991) – Developed by Capcom, Street Fighter II revolutionized the fighting game genre and is considered one of the most popular and successful arcade games of all time. It is estimated to have sold over 200,000 arcade units worldwide.
Personal commentary: I never got into this one although I remember the game and the graphics on the machine. I do like fighting games but only played this one a handful of times. - Donkey Kong (1981) – Developed by Nintendo, Donkey Kong was one of the first platform games and introduced the character Mario. It is estimated to have sold over 130,000 arcade units worldwide.
Personal commentary: Another personal favorite of mine including the sequel Donkey Kong Jr. Funny story about the name…Donkey Kong was named by the creator of the game, Shigeru Miyamoto. The character’s name is a combination of “donkey,” which represents the stubbornness of the character, and “Kong,” a reference to the iconic King Kong character. - Mortal Kombat (1992) – Developed by Midway Games, Mortal Kombat is a fighting game that is known for its graphic violence and finishing moves. It is estimated to have sold over 130,000 arcade units worldwide.
Personal commentary: This game is one I remember well because I recall wanting to play it but never being able to master it so I gave up. I’d see other guys flipping the joystick and pressing buttons to do the moves but I didn’t play it enough to get that good. I also remember thinking about how it really upped the game – no pun intended – in terms of impressive play and graphics for a fighting game. - Asteroids (1979) – Developed by Atari, Asteroids is a classic space shooter that was one of the first games to use vector graphics. It is estimated to have sold over 75,000 arcade units worldwide.
Personal commentary: I remember this black and white classic very well. You’re a small triangle in the center of the screen shooting incoming asteroids of all sizes to avoid being killed. You can also move all over the screen which required even more skill since you’d disappear off one side of the game field and then reappear on the other side. All the while trying not to bump into an asteroid. - Pong (1972) – Developed by Atari, Pong is considered the first successful arcade game and is credited with popularizing the video game industry. It is estimated to have sold over 50,000 arcade units worldwide.
Personal commentary: Pong is widely regarded as being the game that really kicked things off for video games and later became a very popular home option along with ripoff competitors. It’s essentially an electronic game of ping pong or air hockey. You move a blip back and forth left to right on a screen with your paddle and try to score on your opponent.
Keep in mind that these are rough estimations and it is hard to know for sure the exact number of units sold for each game, but these are some of the most popular and successful arcade games in history.