The best coin-op conversion games
Arcades experienced immense popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, serving as social hubs where people gathered to enjoy video games. Before the rise of poker machines, individuals frequented pubs or dedicated arcades to play video games known as coin-operated machines or coin-ops. These machines required players to insert coins to start playing, creating a pay-to-play model that was both thrilling and addictive.
As home video game consoles and computers advanced, many popular arcade games were adapted for these platforms. The transition allowed players to enjoy their favorite games in the comfort of their own homes. Systems like the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sega Genesis, and various home computers saw ports of arcade hits, often with slight modifications due to hardware limitations.
Coin-operated machines not only provided entertainment but also influenced game design, community building, and the overall trajectory of the gaming industry.
Most popular coin-op conversion games
shooterWindows XP/98/95
racingWindows XP/98/95
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Joust VGA
DOS1990remake
Mortal Kombat
DOS1993protected Midway Manufacturing Company
Mortal Kombat is one of the most popular one-on-one fighting games, and it's no surprise that it has spawned numerous sequels. Players choose from seven digitized characters and battle their way to the top, facing all other opponents. One of the game's most distinctive features is the "Fatality", a special finishing move that allows players to defe...
Bomb Jack remake
DOS2002remake
Bomb Jack is a classic arcade platform game developed and published by Tecmo in 1984. The goal of the game is to collect bombs while avoiding enemies; the entire game takes place on a fixed screen. This version of Bomb Jack for DOS is a faithful remake of the original arcade version.
Volfied
DOS1991 Taito
Volfied is an arcade game developed and released by Taito Corporation in 1989. It's a puzzle game that gained popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The game is named after the fictional planet "Volfied", where the gameplay is set.In Volfied, players control a small spaceship called "Challenger" and must eliminate 80% or more of the playfiel...
Street Fighter 2
DOS1992 Capcom
Street Fighter II is a classic arcade fighting game developed and published by Capcom. It was first released in 1991 as a sequel to the original Street Fighter. Street Fighter II is widely regarded as one of the most influential and iconic video games of all time, credited with popularizing the fighting game genre and shaping the arcade scene of th...
Super Street Fighter 2
DOS1996 Capcom
Super Street Fighter II is an enhanced version of the iconic arcade fighting game Street Fighter II, developed and published by Capcom. It was released in 1993 as an upgrade to Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting and introduced several new features, characters, and gameplay mechanics to the series.Super Street Fighter II expanded the roster wit...
Operation Wolf
DOS1989 Taito
Joe and Mac Cavemen Ninja
DOS1991 Data East
Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja is a side-scrolling platformer video game developed and released by Data East in 1991. Known as "Joe & Mac" in North America and "Caveman Ninja" in other regions, the game gained popularity for its humorous take on prehistoric themes, cooperative gameplay, and challenging levels.The game is set in a colorful and car...
X-Men: Children of the Atom
DOS1997demo Capcom
X-Men: Children of the Atom is a fighting video game developed by Capcom and released in arcades in 1994. The game features characters from Marvel Comics' X-Men series, including popular mutants like Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and Magneto, among others.The gameplay follows traditional fighting game mechanics, with players selecting a character and ...
Jackal
DOS1989 Konami
Virtua Cop 2
Windows XP/98/951997 Sega
Virtua Cop 2 is an abandoned light gun first-person rail shooter game designed by Yu Suzuki, developed and released by Sega in 1997 for Windows, and also published for Saturn, Dreamcast and PlayStation 2. Virtua Cop 2 is the second title in the Virtua Cop series that became much popular in the arcades at the time.
Battlezone
DOS1983 Atari
Cisco Heat
DOS1991 Jaleco
Cisco Heat is an abandoned racing game set in North America developed by Jaleco and released by Image Works in 1991 for DOS and other platforms. Cisco Heat was converted from the original arcade version. The difference between other similar racing games of the time is that the player drives a police car.
Puzznic
DOS1990 Taito
Puzznic is a tile-matching puzzle video game originally developed and published by Taito in 1989 for arcade systems. The goal of Puzznic is to clear a series of levels by aligning matching tiles (blocks) to make them disappear. When two or more identical tiles touch, they vanish. Puzznic was ported to various platforms, including:NES, Gam...
Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone
DOS1992 East Technology Corp.
Rampage
DOS1988 Midway Manufacturing Company
Bubble Bobble
DOS1989 Taito
Bubble Bobble is widely regarded as one of the most beloved and charming platform arcade games of all time. The gameplay objective in Bubble Bobble is straightforward: players must clear each screen of various monsters and advance through numerous stages to ultimately reach the final level. Players control two adorable dinosaurs, Bub and Bob. ...
Alien Syndrome
DOS1989 Sega
Ivan 'Iron Man' Stewart's Super Off Road
DOS1990 Leland
Ivan 'Iron Man' Stewart's Super Off Road is an abandoned diagonal-down off-road racing game developed by Leland and released by Virgin Interactive in 1990 for DOS, but also published for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, C64, ZX Spectrum and a lot of 8-bit and 16-bit consoles. Super Off Road is a classic fixed-screen track-racing similar to S...
Race Drivin'
DOS1992 Atari
Golden Axe
DOS1991 Sega
Golden Axe is a classic arcade game developed by Sega and released in 1989. It's a side-scrolling beat 'em up game set in a fantasy world where players choose one of three characters: a barbarian, a dwarf, or an amazon, each with their own strengths and abilities.The game follows the quest of these heroes to rescue the King and Princess of Yuria fr...
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
DOS1988 Technos Japan
Space Ace
DOS1989 ReadySoft
Taito's Super Space Invaders
DOS1991 Taito
Super Space Invaders is a video game developed and published by Taito Corporation, released in 1991. It's a sequel to the classic arcade game Space Invaders, which was originally released in 1978 and is one of the most iconic video games of all time.In Super Space Invaders, the core gameplay mechanics remain similar to the original Space Invaders, ...
OutRun
DOS1989 Sega
Invaders 78
DOS2000freewareremake
Star Wars
DOS1988 Atari
Paperboy
DOS1988 Atari
Paperboy was one of (if not THE) arcade hit of 1985. It was developed by Atari for the arcades and later published by Mindscape for DOS in 1988. More conversion were made for quite a few other platforms. Paperboy gameplay is peculiar: you control a boy riding a bicycle and your goal is to deliver as many newspapers as you can to a number of ho...
House of the Dead
Windows XP/98/951998 Sega
House of the Dead is an old horror-themed rail shooter game, developed and released by Sega in 1998. The whole gameplay can be summarized in a single sentence "a first-person 3D shooting gallery with zombies". House of the Dead runs on older version of Windows, so you may need a virtual machine to play it properly.
Virtua Cop
Windows XP/98/951997 Sega
Virtua Cop is a light-gun arcade game released by Sega in 1994, developed by the Sega AM2 division (also known for games like Virtua Fighter). It was a pioneering title in the genre, offering a fully 3D shooter experience with polygonal graphics. In Virtua Cop, players assume the roles of detectives James Cools and Michael Hardy, part of a spe...