Back in the â€?0s, diving into a multiplayer game of anything was much more difficult than it is now. Nowadays, you can play against or with people from every corner of the planet with minimal effort, a massive change from the limitations of time?s past. 

When the Nintendo 64 was released in 1996 (I know, I feel old too, I’m sorry), multiplayer console gaming was still a relatively new concept, but that didn’t prevent Nintendo from releasing a very long list of games that could be played with friends or family through split scre??en. 

Here are 10 of the best multiplayer games from the golden era of the N?intendo 64. 

GoldenEye 007 

Starting off with what is widely deemed to be one of the best N64 games of all time, GoldenEye 007. There are multiple different multiplayer deathmatch modes to enjoy, all of which will see y??ou squaring off against other players to try and come out on top. 

Perhaps the most enjoyable mode is “The Man With the Golden Gunâ€? which places a Golden Gun at a fixed point on the map. This gun is capable of one-shotting any other player, and the only way to take it from another player is by killing them. Whoever holds the gun for the most amount of time wins, and things never fail to get highly?? competitive. 

Mario Kart 64

It’s nearly impossible to write any list of N64 bangers without including multiple Mario entries, and this one will be no exception. The first of Mario’s appearances on this list comes in the form of Mario Kart 64, which is an undeniable classic these days and just a small part of the franchise still beloved by Nintendo fans everywhere. 

There’s something absolutely addictive about racing around a track ag??ainst friends, shooting out traps to sabotage their efforts to beat you. There’s a thrill every time you hear another player groan when they slip or get shot from behind, and winning might not get you anything other than bragging rights, but those bragg?ing rights are oh-so sweet.

Mario Party 2

While the first Mario Party is definitely fun, it does have some challenging minigames that can, at times, feel almost impossible to win. It’s widely accepted that Mario Party 2 took the successful concept of t?he first game, and just made it better in every pos?sible way. 

The idea is to purchase the most stars using coins earned through winning various minigames around a virtual board game. Vi?rtual dice rolls dictate where you can go, and the board is filled with traps? that mean even just winning minigames isn’t enough to ensure that you win the game overall. 

Quake II

Admittedly Quake II was released (and has since been re-released) on a multitude of platforms, but it was released on the N64 at some point, and it gets a spot on this list because it’s just so good. 

Like GoldenEye 007, Quake II features a variety of different multiplayer modes. However, while Quake II ha?s all of the competitive modes, such as the 1 vs 1 deathmatch or Capture the Flag, it also has a mode that enables players to team up and take on a multiplayer version of the main game. 

Worms Armageddon

Worms might not be the first franchise that you think of when considering titles for the N64, but it definitely should be considered among the best examples of multiplayer on any platform. Worms Armageddon is not only fun, but it will also get you thin?king tactically and getting competitive with whoever you’re playing against. 

You can create your own custom teams to test out, with each?? worm given a name of your creation. This does end up in tragedy when that worm takes a dive off the map, however. There are endless weapons, resulting in ??endless possibilities for new and hilarious catastrophes to befall enemy teams. 

Super Smash Bros. 

Super Smash Bros. has been causing arguments between friends and family since 1999. It’s the ultimate rage-fueled button-mashing experience, and I’ll never be convinced that anyone actually has a clue what they’re doing. Regardless, Super Mario Bros. might be t?he pinnacle of multiplayer fun on N64. 

You set your own rules in multiplayer, and then regularly live to regret them. Ending a match with two or more players having the same score will result in sudden death, which is always a tense time, even without mentioning the additional 300% damage for all players during that por?tion. 

Donkey Kong 64

Donkey Kong 64 is such a nostalgic game for anyone who was around during its release, and playing through the main story is something to enjoy even now. However, the multiplayer modes are perhaps one of the best features of Donkey Kong 64, and there are multiple to choose from. 

There are six multiplayer minigames, to be precise, and all of them will set you against other players to come out victorious. Whether you want to outright take lives from other players until only one person is left standing in Monkey Smash, or you want to knock each other off the platform in Battle Arena, dragging your friends into Donkey Kong 64 is always worth it.

The New Tetris

Let’s face it, Tetris has strange addictive qualities, likely thanks to its simplistic nature that require??s nothing more than dropping shaped pieces into a space to make lines. It’s eas?y, and that makes it fun. 

The New Tetris takes that beloved concept and adds up to three other play??ers to pl?ay against, all vying for the high score. It also adds the concept of “Blocksâ€?which can be made by creating 4x4 squares rather than lines, which then add additional points when a line within that block is cleared. 

Lego Racers

As a kid, there was no game that could keep my attention for longer than Lego Racers. Building your own car ??out of Lego pieces, taking on the courses one at a time, and unlocking new parts for your car were all just so enjoyable. 

The multiplayer?? Versus Race mode is simple, allowing two people to play on a split screen with just?? the two of them on the track, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less fun. You can pick from pre-built or custom cars, and test out your skills on any of the tracks from the single-player mode. 

Perfect Dark

If you liked GoldenEye 007 and its multiplayer capabilities, then there’s absolutely no way that you wouldn’t like its spiritual successor Perfect Dark. It takes everything good about GoldenEye 007, ??and imp??roves the mechanics and gameplay by a huge degree, rendering perhaps the best N64 multiplayer game of all time. 

There are various different types of deathmatch modes to play with friends, as to be expected, but th??ere are also other elements. Players can team up to take down bots (or control them, depending on modes), comple??te challenges, and just have endless fun while also trying to get the highest grade at the end of a match. 

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If you’ve been into gaming for a few d??ecades, you’ll have fond memories of Saturday mornings diving into the latest releases on Nintendo 64. While the likelihood of you having a Nintendo 64 still available to play is slim, the Switch offers a limited number of titles fro??m the iconic console. 

It’s been 28 years since the Nintendo 64 first hit TV units across the world, and 22 years since the final game was released for the console in North America (Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, for those interested). That’s a long time to go without playing some of the classics that were available ?during the console’s six-year tenure. 

However, if you’ve got a Nintendo Switch Online+ Expansion Pack membership, there are a few of those classics available to play. While some of them are definitely more niche, here are 10 of the best titles available to pla??y. Apologies in advance if this list reminds yo??u that we're aging up a little too fast...

Super Mario 64

I can’t begin this list without mentioning Super Mario 64. It was one of two games that were released alongside the launch of the N64 in North America (alongside Pilotwings 64), so it’s one of the first games that springs to mind?? when I think back to queuing outside my local video game store to get the console on launc?h day in 1996. 

I don’t feel like I need to explain Super Mario 64 too much, but just in case you’ve been living?? under a rock for the last 39 years, let me give you the TLDR (which goes for most of the games): Mario is invited to visit Princess Peach, only to find Bowser has infiltrated and kidnapped her. Cue a mad dash across the realm to locate and rescue the Princess, and take down Bowser. 

Pokémon Snap

If you want an updated version of this classic 1999 Pokémon title, then you can get New Pokémon Snap, which was released specifically for the Switch back in 2021. However, nothing quite touches the original in terms of nostalgia and classic design. There’s something really special ??about curling up and snapping shots of Pokémon as remembered from childhood. 

What tips the original over the successor, personally, is the lack of pressure to complete tasks. Admittedly there isn’t much in the new one either, but if you face a lot of pressure on a daily basis, being able to simply focus on taking photos rather than n?eeding a reason to is actually really nice. 

Paper Mario

First reaching North America in 2001, Paper Mario is the first in a series of six games (or seven, if you count Paper Jam) to feature Mario and associated characters in their â€?.5Dâ€?forms. Again, the plot is familiar to all Mario fans - Bowser has Princess Peach, and Mario must battle through the Mushroom Kingdom to get her back and kick? some overgrown turtl?e butt. 

What makes the Paper Mario series incredibly special, and especially the first, is not only t??he art style but the? puzzles and cooperation with other characters as well. The RPG elements and turn-based combat moments are tense, but not overly so. 

GoldenEye 007

GoldenEye 007 is an absolutely guaranteed memory for anyone who grew up in the 90s, whether you actually played or simply knew other people who did and desperately wanted to but your parents thought it was too graphic. The idea of the latter is laughable now, considering the current gaming graphics we’ve become so used to, but? the 90s were a different time. 

Regardless, the cover art of GoldenEye 007 is enough to trigger some childhood memories for most, featuring Pierce Brosnan as Bond and Izabella Scorupco as Natalya Simonova. It’s based on the story from 1995’s GoldenEye, and as Bond, it’s up to the player to take down a criminal syndicate and prevent them from using ??a satellite weapon. It also had multiplayer options, which would usually result in an argument or two. 

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Released in 1998, Ocarina of Time was the first of the Zelda game series to feature 3D graphics. It is, arguably, among the best and m?ost iconic video games of all time, and at the time of release, it received far more pre-orders than any other game before it. 

As with most other Zelda titles, you take the role of Link and have all of his usual weapons in your arsenal, including the iconic sword and shield. The story is hard to explain if you’ve never played, but in short, Link must awaken the five Sages, defeat Gano??ndorf, and protect the kingdom of Hyrule. 

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was released in 2000, and as with the previous Ocarina of Time, The Crystal Shards was the first Kirby title to have 3D graphics. For most people of a certain age, Kirby is one of those?? games that invokes a huge amount of nostalgia and has come to many platforms in the time since it was first released, including the Wii, Wii U, and now the Nintendo ??Switch. 

The story of The Crystal Shards involves Kirby having to reassemble a sacred crystal that has been shattered by Dark Matter. If you’ve ever played a Kirby game, you’ll know what to expect - explore 2.5D levels and devour your enemies to gain their powers. However, The Crystal Shards also introduced Power Combos, allowing you to mix and match powers to create new and much more ?powerful ones. 

Banjo-Kazooie

As far as platformers go, Banjo-Kazooie borders on being wildly underappreciated. The first in a line of five titles, Banjo-Kazooie was released back in 1998. Banjo, the honey bear in fetching yellow shorts and always in possession of his trusty backpack, was first introduced in 1997 as part of the cast of Diddy Kong Racing. Kazooie, the Breegull who can be found sheltering inside the aforementioned b?ackpack, was introduced in this game and the pair became a beloved duo. 

Together, Banjo and Kazooie must track down Banjo’s kidnapped sister, Tooty, who has bee??n kidnapped by the evil witch Gruntilda. Gameplay is a mix of delightful (although often frustrating) platform levels, puzzles, and boss fights. There’s something incredibly satisfying about collecting music notes and Jiggies that open doors to new worlds. 

Yoshi’s Story

Yoshi’s Story was released in North America in 1998, and is a fruit-eating joy to play regardless of age. While most of the other titles on this list are adventuring games with someone to rescue, Yoshi’s Story provides something differen?t: the endless frustration of trying to be better than you were before. There is an element of ??adventure and storytelling, but it arguably takes a back seat to beating your own high score.

There are two modes in Yoshi’s Story: ?Story Mode and Trial Mode. To unlock new levels in Trial Mode, you must first complete the levels in Story Mode, and completing them requires the apparently simple task of eating 30 fruits. But of course, it’s not that simple. Each type of fruit is worth a different amount of points, with Melons giving the most, and there are also Lucky Fruits that offer a bonus. 

Perfect Dark

Perfect Dark is described as a “spiritual successor�to GoldenEye 007, runs on an upgraded version of the same game engine, and was developed and released three years later in 2000. Perfect Dark came not only with a solo campaign mode but also multiplayer options such as co-operative and deathmatch modes. It's making a comeback as well, b?ut it remains to be seen whether?? a remake can touch the nostalgia of the original.

As Joanna Dark, you must complete objectives while avoiding or eliminating opponents? to eventually stop an extraterrestrial conspiracy by a corporation kn??own as dataDyne. As with GoldenEye, there are many weapons to choose from, but now these weapons all have additional useful features. The K7 Avenger, for instance, will detect threats such as nearby explosives. 

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Released two years after Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask hit shelves and TV screens in 2000 and features the same 3D graphics that premiered in the previous title. Majora’s Mask is�Confusing, to say the least. The gameplay involves a 3-day cycle that must be replayed, using knowledge learned from previous ?cycles to perform better during subsequent ones. 

One of the best features of Majora’s Mask is the transformations provided by the core ??masks that Link can use - a Deku Scrub, a Goron, and a Zora. Each transformation provides Link with different, incredibly useful abilities, and you’ll need to think carefully about which form you take to complete puzzles and quests throughout the story. And did I mention that Link can control time and the moon is enough to give any kid nightmares for weeks?

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I’m as shocked as you are. As part of the Xbox Games Showcase, we’ve finally been given a new look at the Initiative and Crystal Dynamics' Perfect Dark. It's been a while. This ??one is the first trailer to include actual gam?eplay.

The trailer shows off what I’d expect from a sequel to the N64 classic. There’s actual stealth and gadgets, and the levels look somewhat non-linear, maybe. I did?? not, however, se??e a large-headed alien or a presidential clone, but there’s still time. We do see the series�protagonist, Joanna Dark, and mention of Daniel Carrington, though he seems to be the target of the mission.

Actually, a lot of the trailer reminds me of marketing material from around the Xbox 360 release. Parkour, gunfights behind fruit, and first-person tricks. Not that I expected it to look like an N64 game. This just looks a little generic. If it borrows the objective-based gameplay of Goldeneye and the original Perfect Dark, that would be a pretty good hook.

A release date hasn’t been stated, and neither have its target platforms. X??box Series X|S and PC would be a good bet.

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