The 90s was one of the most impactful decades for video games. Those years saw the rise of video games consoles that surpassed previous generations' 8-bit. Sure, 80s consoles were impressive, but consoles of the 90s are overwhelmingly more popular. In fact, remakes of 90s consoles can be purchased by retro gamers today.
Chances are you've heard of at least one of the consoles below. They have aged, but are still every bit as enjoyable as the day they were launched. Finding a 90s console in working condition is rare, which is why they can be costly. Also, gaming in the 90s was perhaps more impactful than what followed in the next decade — consoles that released in the 2000s wouldn't exist in the forms that they did if it weren't for developments from the 90s.
Updated on May 4, 2022 by Nickolas "Saz" Davis: As we stray further and further from the '90s in time, we're able to appreciate more some of the amazing games and consoles that this decade provided for us. Whether you were a child in the '90s playing these games for the first time, with the type of wonder and enjoyment only a child can have, or a newer gamer just now delving into many of these '90s classics, there's something here for everyone. You'll find the births of a lot of your favorite video game genres and characters in this generation of consoles and games.
12 Virtual Boy (1995)
The Virtual Boy is Nintendo's second-lowest selling console. It was meant to be portable, but with all the gear required to play the Virtual Boy, portability seemed like a pipe dream. Interestingly enough, movie rental store Blockbuster offered a rental option for Virtual Boy. Only 22 games were made for the system, including a game based on the 1995 Waterworld movie and Mario's Tennis.
Virtual Boy played games in 32-bit, and was capable of displaying stereoscopic three-dimensional images in red and black. Years later, Nintendo would take another shot at three-dimensional games when releasing the Nintendo 3DS. The concept of the console sounded interesting, but in practice it didn't impress enough people to be successful.
11 Atari Jaguar (1993)
Atari was a leading force in the video game industry during the 70s and 80s, well-recognized for creating arcade games, computers, and video game consoles. One of their most peculiar and controversial products was the Atari Jaguar.
This was a 32-bit console with a 64-bit object processor. In reality, the games played in 32-bit, which was typical for its time. Due to the fact that they marketed the console as a 64-bit system, the console received bad publicity. The Jaguar proved unsuccessful, with Atari only able to sell about half of its inventory. However, it did give us one of the greatest Doom console ports, as well as the very first Rayman game.
10 Panasonic 3DO (1993)
Before the 2000s consolidated popular consoles into just a handful of companies, many were still trying to break into video games in the '90s. Cue Panasonic's sleek-looking attempt, the 3DO. If you've never heard of this console before, that's because it was a huge commercial flop.
Panasonic wanted to make a more high-end console, hence the incredibly clean and mature design. It didn't take with general audiences, but that doesn't mean games for it aren't worth your time. Try out titles such as Demolition Man, Samurai Showdown, or Road Rash, if you're interested.
9 Sega Game Gear (1990)
There have been significant advances in portable video game consoles, and the Sega Game Gear was once a relevant handheld system. Compared to Nintendo's Game Boy, the Sega Game Gear sold fewer units.
The Game Gear did display games in color, however, which Nintendo's handheld could not, but that didn't make it as successful a handheld console. The Game Boy's much cheaper price, as well as its better adherence to the term 'handheld' — the Game Gear was massive — saw to that. Still, the Game Gear had some fantastic games, including Sonic, Shinobi, and even Shin Megami Tensei.
8 Neo Geo (1990)
The Neo Geo was not as widespread back when it launched, and it had its overly expensive price to thank for that. It sold a million units, which was admirable for the time, but it's still way less than the other leading consoles, such as the Super Nintendo. Also, this console has hands down the largest cartridges of any other system from the 20th century.
It was known for its amazing ports of arcade fighting games, and titles such as Metal Slug, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, The King of Fighters '98, and Blazing Star were some of the console's greatest hits.
7 Sega Dreamcast (1998)
The Sega Dreamcast was a complete commercial failure, but a cult classic with a fanbase that's only made the console more popular with age. The Sega Dreamcast was perhaps ahead of its time, and was the first console to truly embrace online play.
It came with quite a few hits — we remember the Sega Dreamcast for hosting games such as Jet Set Radio, Sonic Adventure, Shenmue, Soul Calibur, The House of the Dead 2, Crazy Taxi, and Dead or Alive 2.
6 Sega Saturn (1994)
The Sega Saturn may be one of the most underrated consoles on this list. Only four years after its release, the Sega Saturn was discontinued in North America and Europe, but was still sold in Japan. Graphically, Saturn's games were impressive, at least for the time.
Ultimately the system just didn't compete with its biggest rivals, the PlayStation and Nintendo 64. The Sega Saturn was a significant upgrade over the Sega Genesis, due to having higher display capabilities and a stronger VDP1 and VDP2 video display processor. We miss the Sega Saturn for games like Panzer Dragoon Saga, Street Fighter Alpha 3, and so many great JRPGs.
5 Super Nintendo (1990)
Many of Nintendo's all-time classics, such as Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Earthbound, Star Fox, and Super Castlevania IV are why the Super Nintendo stands out from the rest.
If the NES saved the games industry, the SNES launched it into the stratosphere. This ranks as many gamers' favorite console of all time. Not only did the console transition in the 16-bit era in a way that resulted in some of the most beautiful looking games of all time, but the catalog here is just undeniably iconic.
4 Game Boy Color (1998)
Nintendo's Game Boy Color is one of the most revolutionary and meaningful handheld systems in video game history. Being able to play a video game console in your hands was never fully realized until the release of the original Game Boy.
Years after the release of the first iteration of the Game Boy, a smaller version of the system that displayed color was released, named the Game Boy Color. This handheld saw classics such as the original Pokemon games, as well as The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
3 Nintendo 64 (1996)
The number of exclusives and hits on Nintendo 64 make it a top-tier console. Sure, newer consoles, such as the Nintendo Switch, have more bells and whistles, but in the end quality games are important for the success of a console.
The Nintendo 64 was the platform for games such as GoldenEye 007, Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Donkey Kong 64, Mario Kart 64, Banjo Kazooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Pokemon Snap, and more. Nowadays, it's obvious that the N64 is from that 'awkward phase' transition from 2D gaming into 3D, but many of the classics are still amazing nonetheless.
2 Turbografx-16 (1989)
Yes, the Turbografx did technically release in the '80s, but it was holiday season 1989, meaning the vast majority of the Turbografx-16's lifespan happened within the '90s. For that, it deserves a shoutout on this list. If you're a fan of 2D space shooters, then the Turbografx-16 might be your favorite console of all time.
The catalog for this console was great, and it makes you wonder why the system never sold better back in the day. Kanye West almost named an album after the Turbografx-16, so there must be something this console did right.
1 Sony PlayStation (1994)
The PlayStation may just be the best console of the 90s. Sony was able to capitalize on the gaming market by developing a video game console that surpassed its competition in quality peripherals and games. The DualShock controllers were a revolutionary invention that inspire many modern video game controller designs to this day.
The PlayStation is the best representation of 90s gaming for so many out there. It was the platform for games such as Metal Gear Solid, Parappa The Rapper, Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night, and Crash Bandicoot.