A long time ago, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird sat down and wrote one of the most peculiar ideas for a comic book ever put to paper. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a strange concept, yet almost everyone in the world knows and loves these heroes in a half-shell.
No one could have imagined the success or critical acclaim garnered by the video games that followed the comics, movies, and animated series. These are the best TMNT games that order double cheese, hold the anchovies, and never pay full price for late pizza.
Updated By Cameron Miller on August 15th, 2023: The love for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles isn’t likely to go away anytime soon, and luckily, there are just so many excellent games from the series. It’s hard to get your fill of ninja action on the daily, so you should check out these awesome titles the next time you have a chance. We've added even more of the best TMNT games ranked, so you can find your next adventure with the turtles.
15 TMNT: Fall Of The Foot Clan
It was only a matter of time before Konami would transfer their success in the arcades and on home consoles to the realm of portable gaming, and their first entry was a memorable one. Fall of the Foot Clan took a streamlined approach to the TMNT arcade formula.
Rather than the standard brawler, the Game Boy game focused slightly more on platforming and dodging obstacles. The game featured music from the original '80s TV show and some quality-looking cutscenes in between levels.
14 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants In Manhattan
While this game did receive some rather mixed reviews, fans of TMNT and simple hack-and-slash gameplay are sure to love Mutants In Manhattan. The biggest draw to the game is the unique art style that was meant to mimic the style of the comics at the time of the game’s release.
Mutants In Manhattan is a relatively short experience, and you know what you’re in for after the first few minutes, but it can still be a joy for some. Don’t let negative reviews get your spirits down if you’re a diehard fan, the game is worth experiencing even if you don’t end up loving it.
13 TMNT Tournament Fighters
If you ever look at old Ninja Turtles action figures and think to yourself, 'who the heck is this shark guy?' TMNT: Tournament Fighters is your answer. But the game was not just a soulless cash grab for additional merchandising - it was a fleshed-out and fairly well-rounded fighting game.
Although there are differences between both the SNES and Genesis versions, you are safe with either one - just know you are in for a long playthrough if you choose the tournament mode in the Genesis version.
12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus
There are not a whole lot of games that can turn the beat ‘em up genre into a 3D experience and have it still be worth playing, but TMNT 2: Battle Nexus pulls it off. More than just a standard 3D brawler, the game mixes it up nicely with a lot of platforming and fun collectibles.
Another great feature was the ability to play with up to four players, a perk that the first game based on the 2003 incarnation of the turtles lacked.
11 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up
If you’re ever playing Super Smash Bros and think to yourself that you’d love something like this in the Ninja Turtles universe, then you’ve never played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up. It’s more or less a Smash Bros clone, but for fans of the series, that won’t be a bad thing.
The game may have a bit of a small cast by today’s standards, but that doesn’t mean that it’s any less fun to play with a friend. Trying out all the unique moves from the different characters is a joy even if the familiar formula has been done much better since.
10 TMNT: Mutant Melee
While there is never a shortage of TMNT games, some people may have missed out on this absolute joy of a brawler. It’s not an incredibly complex fighting game, but it is a great way to get your required fix of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action.
Mutant Melee is a great game to throw on to have some simple fun with a few friends. You can all pick from a surprisingly deep roster of characters and enjoy beating the pizza out of each other in a variety of unique levels.
9 TMNT 3: The Manhattan Project
The follow-up to the NES port of the arcade game, The Manhattan Project is an even more challenging outing, yes even more challenging than the previous NES game. On the plus side, the graphics are appealing, and the level design and variety are such that the game provides enough of a unique experience to warrant a playthrough, even if you have played the other games excessively.
Additionally, like many beat 'em ups of the era, you can also choose to play with the option to beat up your friends, for even more challenge.
8 TMNT - GBA
The early to mid-2000s gave us a new adaptation of the ninja teens that reflected a more gritty, action-packed, and dramatic animated show than its '80s predecessor. The series got quite a few games on multiple platforms, including the PS2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance.
The latter version was a throwback to the classic beat 'em ups of the past, with some added bells and whistles such as sewer tunnel skating, hovercraft rail shooting, and a pretty great GBA rendition of the show's edgy, very 2000s theme song played.
7 TMNT 2: The Arcade
Oftentimes, when an arcade game was ported to home consoles, the game ended up being a watered-down, deflated balloon of what it was before. Such was not the case when the Turtles' arcade game made its way to the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Although the four-player option had to be dropped, the game added more levels and provided a much greater challenge than its arcade counterpart. The game served as many players' first exposure to beat 'em ups, and painted the Turtles and Konami as the kings of the genre.
6 TMNT: Hyperstone Heist
Like Castlevania Bloodlines and Super Castlevania 4, Konami developed an entirely new Turtles game for Genesis as a companion to the SNES’ Turtles in Time. As with many Genesis titles, the main difference was speed. Aside from featuring a run button, Hyperstone Heist set a good pace with fewer yet longer levels than Turtles in Time, and much more aggressive enemies.
In comparing Turtles in Time and Hyperstone Heist, the best way to think of Turtles in Time is The Beatles' easy-listening, and feel-good classic Abbey Road, while Hyperstone Heist is Metallica’s heavy-hitting, fast-paced, and in-your-face Black Album. Both are great in their own right but different in their approach and delivery.
5 TMNT - Arcade
The game that has gone down in history and that started a true renaissance for the beat 'em up genre, the original arcade game was a trendsetter. Four-player simultaneous action allows you and your friends to feel like the turtles you play as.
There's no better feeling than walking into a pizza place and finding the holy grail that is a Turtles arcade cabinet. For those who aren’t so fortunate, the game has since seen many ports and re-releases, such as being unlockable in TMNT 2: Battle Nexus. Arcade 1UP is keeping such memories alive with its mini arcade cabinets.
4 TMNT 3: The Radical Rescue
Very few people stop to think about the implications that one little Turtles game on the Game Boy would have on the gaming industry. This is due to the fact that TMNT 3: The Radical Rescue functions as an early Metroidvania-style game, complete with backtracking and abilities to help you access previously blocked. This is done by rescuing each of the four turtles who each have different abilities and various ways they can help the game progress.
Released four years prior to Symphony of The Night, Radical Rescue is not only a game worth playing but a game that helped bring about one of the most important games in gaming history.
3 TMNT (2007)
If you loved the 2007 TMNT movie, you’ll probably love this game. It not only adds an additional story to the movie in some aspects but it also allows for you to play through the events of what you might just view as a seriously underrated movie.
It is about as standard as an action game gets, but sometimes that’s all you need. You can bash your way through the different levels, fighting enemies with the different turtles, but there is also an additional challenge in the form of unique little platforming sections.
2 TMNT: Turtles In Time
Turtles in Time set the standard for all beat ‘em ups to come after it. Beautiful colors and graphics with large, detailed sprites, a large variety of enemies and bosses, and interesting levels to navigate. Turtles in Time featured the ability to not only throw enemies but to throw them into the screen.
It had ten levels, all centered on the theme of time travel. Featuring western, prehistoric, and futuristic settings, Turtles in Time was a truly epic beat ‘em up in the literal definition of the word.
1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
This homage to old school beat ‘em ups came out of nowhere, and just about everyone loved it. You get simple side-scrolling Ninja Turtle action, and that is absolutely not a bad thing here, especially with the lively art style that was implemented.
The plot of the game will feel simple and familiar for anyone who’s played any of the other similar Ninja Turtle games, but that doesn’t keep the game from excelling. Thanks to easy-to-learn moves and plenty of action, you’ll be coming back to Shredder's Revenge time and time again.