These Were the Best Video Games of 1985

The year is 1985. New Coke is a thing. Back to the Future, The Goonies, and Beverly Hills Cop hit theaters. A gallon of gas costs $1.12, a dozen eggs costs $0.80, and the world is introduced to the Nintendo Entertainment System. Life would never be the same. With the NES hitting home markets and the arcade experience in full swing, let’s look at the best gaming had to offer in 1985.

Honorable Mention: Ghosts ‘n Goblins

You begin in a pristine suit of shining armor and end up dead in your underpants. Now that I reflect on that, it seems like a depressingly realistic analogy for adulthood.

5) Paperboy

This game was decades ahead of its time as it helped pioneer the idea of playing a game about having a job. So, the next time you consider downloading Impoverished Telemarketer or Roofing Simulator, spare a thought to the O.G., Paperboy.

4) The Oregon Trail

Kudos to whoever decided you’re never too young to learn what dysentery is, or that it will absolutely kill you—as will cholera, drowning, measles, exhaustion, squirrel bites, typhoid, and a broken arm (only one of those wasn’t in the game).

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3) Commando

Not to be confused with G.I. Joe, “Super Joe” was the titular Commando, dropped into a jungle and tasked with mowing down its hapless inhabitants. Who knew a mid-80s arcade game could be so adept at teaching foreign policy?

2) Gauntlet

Wizard is about to die…inserts 46th quarter.

1) Super Mario Bros.

If you’re talking gaming in 1985, you’re talking Super Mario Bros., an all-time great. It was also an all-time marketing ploy for Nintendo to ship the NES with Duck Hunt and Gyromite included, forcing parents of the time to purchase Super Mario Bros. separately or face their children’s wrath.