Highlights

  • Some classic light gun games, like Luigi's Mansion Arcade and Crisis Zone, are only available in arcades and may be difficult to find.
  • The Lost World: Jurassic Park arcade game allows players to relive the movie and fight off deadly dinosaurs on Site B.
  • Duck Hunt, released in 1984, is considered the original light gun game and was a major factor in the popularity of the genre.

Arcades have sadly been on the verge of complete obliteration due to the ever-changing times and evolution of video game hardware since their heyday. One of the shining stars of this scene was the light gun game, which allowed players to use a peripheral to actually aim at the screen.

Some of these games made it into homes along with peripherals. The genre has since left the limelight, though some could argue that traces of it are in many VR titles. The following classics listed below all make us yearn for the fun arcade days. Maybe they will come back in the future but until then, enjoy what is considered some of the best light gun games around.

Updated January 11, 2024, by Jason Wojnar: Though arcades are a thing of the past for most gamers, it seems like every so often a new technology comes along that makes the prospect of light-gun games appealing. In the mid-2000s, it was the Nintendo Wii followed by the PlayStation Move. Now VR is technology making aiming a more organic process related to body movements. Maybe some of the games will be brought back in a new way thanks to this platform. This update ponders that while also adding a few new entries.

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23 Luigi's Mansion Arcade

A Rare Arcade Adaptation Of Luigi's Solo Journey

Aiming at a bunch of ghosts
  • Release: 2015
  • Available Only In Arcades

There are some unique peripherals on this list, but nothing as unique as a vacuum cleaner. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has played Luigi's Mansion on the GameCube, since it is the character's main defense against the ghosts.

In the arcades, players aim it like a gun to suck up the ghosts attacking Luigi. The game was well received, but did not have a large presence in the United States when it initially came out. As such, it will be hard for any fan to track down a cabinet these days.

22 Crisis Zone

Time Crisis, But With An Automatic Weapon

Shooting at enemy in first-person
  • Released in 1999 (PS2 Release: 2004)
  • Available In Arcades, PlayStation 2

Though it is technically a spin-off to Time Crisis, Crisis Zone plays differently enough to warrant its own entry. Players still go in and out of cover with the pedal, but this time they are equipped with an automatic weapon and the arcade title has no cooperative options.

The structure is also a bit different from the Time Crisis series, with more freedom given to players as to how they want to tackle the levels. Though it was released in 1999, the PS2 port did not come out until 2004. This port included a multiplayer mode, a new level, and improved graphics.

21 CarnEvil

Shooting Through A Possessed Carnival

Skeletal enemy coming toward the screen. Bloody kitchen room
  • Release: 1998
  • Available Only In Arcades

If zombies and dinosaurs do not scare the player, then maybe an evil carnival will keep them up at night. The game takes place in a classic horror trope, but at least this time it gives the protagonist a means to fight back. The peripheral here is a shotgun, so it gives players a classic 80s horror movie vibe, like The Evil Dead or Phantasm.

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The game was developed by Midway, with the violence and gore fitting in with the company's reputation. Even if the graphics are primitive by today's standards, it almost elevates the terror.

20 The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Relive The Movie Through A Railshooter

lost world arcade game
  • Release Year: 1997
  • Available on arcades

Jurassic Park was one of the most successful franchises of the '90s, and when the first film was released, the inevitable video game tie-in followed. But it was the second arcade game released by Sega that really impressed fans and critics.

The aim of the game was to find Ian Malcolm and Sarah Harding, so they could get the player off the dreaded island. The gamer plays as two hunters on Site B, which was an interesting angle to take for the game. To escape, the player must fight a bunch of deadly dinosaurs that live on the island. Upon finding Ian and Sarah, the player has to help them get the injured Tyrannosaurus Rex to the trailer to be treated. The next aim of the game is to defeat its parents.

There was talk of a console port in the late 1990s but it never came to fruition, meaning it is only possible to officially play this game in an arcade.

19 Lethal Enforcers

The Closest We Get To A Dirty Harry Light Gun Game

lethal enforcers 90s lightgun game
  • Release Year: 1992
  • Available on SNES, PlayStation, Sega Genesis, and in arcades

These days a game called Lethal Enforcers about cops shooting up residential areas probably would not fly the same it did 30 years ago. However, the '90s were a different time, and it is difficult to ignore this title when talking about 90s nostalgia.

The primitive digital sprites only add to the game's charm. Home console versions also had a peripheral to use that was pretty advanced for its time.

18 Alien 3: The Gun

More Action-Packed Than The Movie

Alien 3: The Gun Gameplay
  • Release Year: 1993
  • Only available in arcades

The Alien franchise constantly switches between spine-tingling horror and bombastic action. Where the Alien 3 film is more in line with the debut entry than the first sequel because the protagonists face off against just one monster, the game is a light-gun title released exclusively in arcades.

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While it may not follow the movie closely, it received high critical praise. The quality of games based on the franchise is hit or miss, so every solid entry needs to be recognized and celebrated.

17 Duck Hunt

The Original Light Gun Peripheral

Duck Hunt Dog
  • Release date: 1984
  • Available on: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

First-person shooter games in the 80s didn't get better than Duck Hunt. Like most games from that era, it is dated now but was great fun to play back in the day. It sold 28 million copies and is largely responsible for the popularity of light gun games.

The aim of the game is to shoot ducks and clay pigeons and hit a minimum amount of targets to progress to the next level. The game gets harder with each level with faster targets and an increase in the minimum number to hit.

Because of the way the NES Zapper works, it does not function on modern televisions. Anyone hoping to play it has to find an old-fashioned CRT Television.

16 Revolution X

Save Aerosmith With Giant Miniguns

revolution x startup
  • Release Year: 1994
  • Available on SNES, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, MS-DOS, PlayStation, and in arcades

It is hard to imagine the gaming demographic of the 1990s being enticed to play one game over the other in the arcades because Aerosmith was predominantly featured.

Whether the story about the protagonists rescuing the members of the popular rock band boosted sales or not, the game was massively successful and is considered a classic of the light-gun arcade shooter. The sturdy light-gun peripheral mounted to the cabinet also made playing the title just feel so good. Console versions also exist, but they are of poor quality compared to the arcade original.

A Shockingly Good Use Of The Wii's Motion Sensors

Link from Link's Crossbow Training
  • Release Year: 2007
  • Available on Wii

Link's Crossbow Training was a great light gun game published by Nintendo and released on the Wii video game console. It was released in 2007 and became an instant hit with fans and critics alike.

It is set in the style of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and the player takes on the role of Link from the series. After completing each level, the player gets a medal based on their score. The aim of the game is to shoot down targets and enemies. There were 9 playable levels and each level was an exciting, adrenaline-fueled activity that made the player long for the next one. They don't make games like this anymore.

14 Die Hard Trilogy

Part Third-Person Shooter, Part Driving Game, Part Light-Gun Game

die hard trilogy lightgun mode
  • Release Year: 1996
  • Available on PS1, Sega Saturn, and Windows

This is not exclusively a light gun title. The game covers the three movies and divides them into separate genres. The second movie is turned into a light gun game while the first is a third-person shooter and the closer is a driving game.

Even though it is only one part of the package, players could use a peripheral to play the section in a more immersive way. The game received a sequel that told its original story while utilizing the same format. Die Hard has been pretty dormant for years, and it never had a lot of great games, so Die Hard Trilogy remains one of the best based on the franchise.

13 Star Wars Trilogy Arcade

Lightsaber Duels, Dogfights, And On-Foot Segments All In One Package

star wars trilogy arcade
  • Release Year: 1998
  • Available only in arcades

Yet another game covering a whole trilogy, this arcade title goes through the events of the classic Star Wars films. Levels vary between dog fights and on-foot segments. Several boss fights also see players control a lightsaber.

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To be fair, this is not exactly a light gun game since players aim using a joystick, but it works better when considering a chunk of the game has players shooting from a ship. As much as fans would appreciate a home version of this game, it would be hard to translate the feel of the arcade into the living room.

12 Terminator 2: The Arcade Game

Change The Future One Light-Gun Level At A Time

T2 the arcade game first level
  • Release Year: 1991
  • Available on the SNES, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, and in arcades

Initially released in arcades, this adaptation of the legendary film is generally considered the best adaptation. There were several other games also covering the events of the movie, but they were side-scrollers or different genres.

The genre lends itself to exciting levels directly based on the movie's set pieces. During a time when video game adaptations were looked down upon, it was quite impressive to see this game receive such praise.

11 Point Blank

The Family Friendly Entry

point blank logo
  • Release Year: 1994
  • Available on PS1, Nintendo DS, and in arcades

Where most of the games on this list involve shooting humans or machines, this game is more family-friendly. It came out in arcades before being ported to the PlayStation.

There was a whole trilogy on the console, though few releases happened afterward. The first title was re-released on the Nintendo DS where players used the stylus to shoot the weapons. A fourth game in the series came out in the arcades in 2016 but never made its way to consoles.

10 Time Crisis

Duck In And Out Of Cover With A Pedal

time crisis gameplay
  • Release Year: 1995
  • Available on PS1 and in acades

Perhaps the most popular light gun series, Time Crisis added an extra dynamic of letting players duck behind cover. This added an extra layer of intensity and engagement.

The series had several spin-offs and numerous sequels, all the way up to Time Crisis 5 in 2015. Time Crisis 4 on the PlayStation 3 even had support for the PlayStation Move controller, eliminating the need to buy another peripheral.

9 Silent Scope

Live The Game Through A Sniper's Scope

Silent Scope 2
  • Release Year: 2002
  • Available on PS2, Xbox, and in arcades
  • Metacritic Score: 63

In the arcade, Silent Scope utilized a unique sniper rifle peripheral. Players looked into the scope to simulate looking through a real scope within the game.

Translating this unique mechanic to a home console was certainly a challenge, and some argue the home versions never quite captured the same feeling. All the same, the older Silent Scope games are classics. Since Konami published these titles, it is unlikely we'll ever see a continuation unless it is in the form of a pachinko machine.

There is a peripheral available for the Xbox release, which is definitely necessary to an authentic Silent Scope experience.

8 Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles

Relive The Classic Resident Evil Titles In A New Way

jill and carlos
  • Release Year: 2007
  • Available on Nintendo Wii and PS3
  • Metacritic Score: 75

Umbrella Chronicles was not the series' first foray into the light gun game. Resident Evil: Survivor is a game most would like to forget about, however. Umbrella Chronicles takes players through the classic Resident Evil games from a new perspective.

It is also playable cooperatively. The Wii version uses the Wiimote, while the PS3 version supports the Move controller in addition to the Sixaxis and DualShock 3.

7 Ghost Squad

Use The Peripheral To Adjust Your Weapon And Firing Mode

Ghost squad video game gameplay
  • Release Year: 2004
  • Available on Nintendo Wii and in arcades
  • Metacritic Score: 69

Ghost Squad also featured a wholly unique controller in its arcade form. Players clicked different switches on the peripheral, which was shaped like an assault rifle.

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Certain arcade versions even had purchasable cards to save character data and unlock new upgrades and character skins. While there are only three levels, they have several non-linear moments, encouraging replayability. In 2012 the game came to the Nintendo Wii.

6 Dino Stalker

A Hidden Sequel To Dino Crisis 2

Dino Stalker video game
  • Release Year: 2002
  • Available on PS2
  • Metacritic Score: 50

Add dinosaurs into any mix and the product immediately becomes cooler. The story follows a World War II pilot who is transported to a dangerous land filled with dinosaurs.

After a little while, the game turns out to be a backdoor sequel to Dino Crisis 2, directly following up on the PS1 game's events. This is great news for people who were disappointed by Dino Crisis 3, which barely resembles a Dino Crisis game.

5 Police 911

The Game Tracks Player Movement

Police 911 video game
  • Release Year: 2000
  • Available on PS2 (only in Japan and Europe) and in arcades

This arcade game was unique for its motion-sensing mechanics. Instead of going into cover with the use of a pedal, Police 911 actually tracked players' movements, making them duck and shift their bodies in real life to go into cover in the game.

With VR, games like Super Hot have taken this mechanic even further, with players moving out of the way of moving bullets. As previously mentioned, traces of the genre are evident in VR.

4 Area 51

Shooting Some Aliens

Area 51 (1995)
  • Release Year: 1995
  • Available on PS1, Sega Saturn, Windows, and in arcades

As the name implies, Area 51 had players defend themselves against an alien menace. Released in 1995 in the arcades, the environments are in 3D while enemies and other NPCs are 2D digitized sprites.

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The arcade version was well-received, but console conversions were not nearly as beloved. After a direct sequel, two first-person shooters bearing the series' name were made for the PS2 and Xbox and then the subsequent generation. Most fans just want another light gun game, though.