The 10 best Godzilla games, ranked

Although the kaiju genre was invented in post-WWII Japan as a cautionary tale, over the years it has grown into a global phenomenon that appeals to anyone who just loves to watch giant monsters destroy everything or each other defy. And none is more famous or prominent than Godzilla, the biggest, baddest monster of them all.

With over 30 films in its decade-long history, it’s easy to see why there would also be many games centered on the rampaging giant lizard. In this article, we count down our list of the 10 best Godzilla games.

10. Godzilla: Monsters of Monsters (1988)

Platform: NO

This game, the oldest title on our list, featured a wide variety of kaiju monsters competing in cosmic environments. Unfortunately, this means there was no city smashing in this side-scrolling game while the giant monstrosities fought.

9. Super Godzilla (1994)

Platform: SNES

This game had an interesting mechanic of shifting angles and viewpoints. There were even views that gave the player a glimpse of the amount of destruction the eponymous monster would wreak on a city.

8. Godzilla: Dominance! (2002)

Platform: Game Boy Advance

A fun if limited experience on one of the earliest handheld devices, Domination even allowed players to play in up to 4 player mode. It has fun and colorful graphics that really make the list of giant monsters pop on the screen.

7. Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact (1999)

Platform: Sega Dreamcast

This game was everything that its predecessor, Godzilla Generations, wasn’t. It built on everything that was wrong in the first title, adding a linear story and tighter controls. The main problem is that the game was only available in Japan, so it might be difficult to find translated ROMs.

6. Godzilla: Kaiju Daikessen (1994)

Platform: SNES

The game’s title roughly translates to “Monster War,” and in the true spirit of that name, the game is an old-style 2D brawler with a large roster of monsters to fight.

5. Godzilla: Legends of Battle (1993)

Platform: turbo duo

The predecessor of Kaiju Daikessen, this game looks amazing for its age. It contains at least 10 variants of the titular monster, with appearances changing depending on the era. Even Toho, the original creators of Godzilla, were involved in this game.

4. Godzilla (2014)

Platforms: Sony Playstation 3, Sony Playstation 4

This is the latest game featuring Godzilla developed by Natsume in line with the franchise reboot. Fans are divided on the title, but it certainly does a lot of things right, especially in the destructive aspect of the gameplay. And Godzilla himself looks better than ever.

3. Godzilla: Unleashed (2007)

Platforms: Nintendo Wii, Sony Playstation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS

This game was another beat ’em up title featuring kaiju monsters. It had a campaign focused on an alien threat and had one of the largest lists of monsters ever published in gaming. Fans especially loved the game’s adherence to Kaiju Media’s lore and monsters.

2. Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters in Melee (2002)

Platforms: GameCube, Game Boy Advance, XBox

This is a game that does exactly what it says on the tin – all-monster melee combat and destruction. Even with a somewhat limited list compared to some of the other games on this list, each fighter is very well fleshed out and the graphics are amazing for their age.

1. Godzilla: Save the Earth (2004)

Platforms: Sony Playstation 2, Xbox

Coming from the same studio as Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee, this game builds on and expands on everything that made the previous game good. Better graphics, more monsters, better controls, more cutscenes; everything has been upgraded with an already great kaiju game. It truly represents the best version of Godzilla in gaming.