On July 26, 2025, Rare officially turns 40 years old, a landmark accomplishment forXbox’s most celebrated game studio. Rare developed some of the most influential andgreatest console games of all time, pushing boundaries for genres like FPS and platformers.
While the studio has experienced some rough spots recently with veteran staff leaving andEverwild’scancellation, hopefully, withRare’s 40th anniversary festivitieskicking off this August, the future is bright for this iconic developer. After 40 years, however, which Rare games are the best? It’s not so cut and dry, as while many of Rare’s best games were in the SNES and N64 eras,they made some incredible titles after the fact.
10Viva Piñata Was An Xbox 360 Standout
Debatably The Best Life Sim Game Of The Era
The standout Xbox 360 exclusive of 2006 wasGears of War, but just two days afterward, Rare releasedViva Piñata. Despite great reviews,Viva Piñatawasn’t very popular among 360 players, likely due to the popularity ofGears of Warand its gameplay.Viva Piñatamight not be for everyone, given its life-sim focus and emphasis on garden management, but it’s definitely worth a try.
In terms of its genre,Viva Piñatais absolutely incredible with easy-to-grasp controls and strategic gameplay, especially later on, whenso many elements are affecting the garden at once. Sadly, it won’t be for everyone’s tastes, which is why it’s at the bottom, compared to the more approachable Rare greats.
9Rare Replay Is A Truly Great Compilation
Set The Standard For How Future Compilations Are Done
It’s unusual to place a compilation among the best games, butRare Replayis a true exception.Everything about this release was A-grade. It had a phenomenal presentation, ran great, with no emulation hiccups, a fantastic selection of games, plus a ton of extra content. Challenges in the form of Snapshots can really test your skills, and behind-the-scenes videos are an appealing bonus.
Behind-the-scenes videos/documentaries are standard now for rereleases, such asAtari 50and Limited Run Games likeClock Tower: RewindandPlumbers Don’t Wear Ties.Rare Replaystarted that trend, and as such, it’s a very important compilation in gaming history, its amazing quality notwithstanding.
8Battletoads Arcade Was The Series Peak
A Great 90s Beat-‘Em-Up
While theNES Battletoadsis the most famous title in the series, the best has to be the arcade game. The lastBattletoadsgame before the 2020 reboot,this 1994 arcade classic fixed the big problem of the prior titles: the gimmicks.
DespiteBattletoadsbeing a beat-‘em-up, the series often changed the gameplay practically every level, especially in the NES original, which felt like a collection of ideas rather than a fully cohesive project.Battletoads Arcadefixed that by simply being a hardcore beat-‘em-up, and it’s awesome.
Since this was an arcade game, the developers felt they could punch up the violence a bit, andit’s satisfying as hell. The graphics and animations are stellar as well, and give the big Japanese developers, who were largely dominating the beat-‘em-up genre at the time, a real run for their money.Battletoads Arcadeis a must-play for any beat-‘em-up fan.
7Diddy Kong Racing Gave Mario Kart A Real Race
A Landmark Racing Game
Mario Kart 64remains thebest racing game on the Nintendo 64, but right in second place would have to beDiddy Kong Racing. It was a phenomenal racing game that, by itself, felt great to play, but it also brought a huge innovation to the genre:a story mode. Instead of just doing single-player cups likeMario Kart,Diddy Kong Racingboasted an entire adventure mode, with a hub world and boss fight races.
The tracks were phenomenally designed as well, so much so thatNaughty Dog used one of the game’s tracksfor testing purposeswhen makingCrash Team Racing. When one of the best developers in gaming history uses one of Rare’s tracks to test game mechanics, you know Rare made an all-time classic.
6Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Deserves A Better Rep
One Of The Most Underrated Games Of All Time
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Boltshad the entire deck stacked against it. As soon as it was revealed to be about vehicle customization instead of a traditional platformer, many fans dismissed the game entirely, and if they did play it, they probably didn’t even get past the second world before quitting.
Those who playedNuts & Boltsto the very end, however, might instead propose that this game rocks. The vehicle customization is extremely well-executed, and as someone who was brand-new to this genre when I first played, it felt so satisfying and rewarding to make just the right vehicle for these tough-as-nail missions, especially the final boss fight.
While the game doesn’t have the platforming the series is known for,it still has the heartwith that same trademark Rare humor, writing, and incredible music. It really is the third game in the series, and it’s a must-play in Rare’s catalog.
5Sea Of Thieves Has Gotten So Much Better
One Of The Best Pirate Games Of All Time
WhenSea of Thievesfirst launched in 2018, it was quite a bare-bones experience. Over time, however, the game significantly improved, and I’d now say it’s one of thebest live service games on the market today.
Going on pirate adventures with your friends is great fun, the game has a solid art style that screams Rare, and the prices in the storefront aren’t that bad compared to most other live-service titles. With the recent cancellation ofEverwild, it’s a bit unfortunate that Rare seems to be relegated to solely working onSea of Thieves. All the same, it’s a great game, andthere’s bound to be tons of additional contentfor many years to come.
4Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest Is Bigger & Better
Debatably The Best Platformer On The SNES
Rare broke new ground with the originalDonkey Kong Country, pushing the envelope for console graphics, but the sequel was even better.Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong-Questwas everything you wanted from a sequeland then some. It was bigger and better, featuring improved gameplay for levels, enhanced movement with the introduction of Dixie Kong, and a far larger campaign.
Unlike the original,DKC2had the Lost World, a bonus world filled with some of the hardest levels inDonkey Konghistory. It felt so rewarding to finally beat them and achieve the true ending. Some may think thatSuper Mario Worldis still the best platformer on the SNES, but there’s definitely an argument forDKC2’s quality level design and gameplay.
3GoldenEye 007 Changed Shooters Forever
The True Start Of Console FPS Gaming
It’s phenomenal that Xbox has two of the biggest console FPS games in history under its catalog. Of course, there’sHalo, which rocked the entire gaming world, but before that, there was Rare’sGoldenEye 007.
PlayingGoldenEyetoday is still so much fun, thanks to its awesome gunplay and destructible environments. That is, if you’re playing the Xbox version, which supports traditional dual-stick FPS controls, which massively improves the game.
The story mode remains incredibly fun, butGoldenEyeis most remembered for its multiplayer, which was a fantastic last-minute addition by a single developer at Rare. It’s a classic that’s one of thebestJames Bondgames ever made, but Rare’s spiritual successor was even better.
2Perfect Dark Improved On Goldeneye
One Of The Best FPS Games Of All Time
WhilePerfect Darknever achieved the same popularity or iconic status asGoldenEye 007, it’s ultimately a better game.Perfect Darkhad its own original story with surprising twists and turns, improved gunplay, a bigger arsenal with some trulyiconic weapons like the wallhacking FarSight XR-20, and more consistent level design.
Playing on Perfect Agent is an entirely different experience from playing on the easier difficulties, and a much bigger gap than the difficulty modes inGoldenEye 007. Plus,the multiplayer returns better than ever,especially on the Xbox version, which runs much more smoothly than the N64 original.Perfect Darkis one of the best FPS games of all time, especially when looking at more single-player-oriented FPS titles.
1Banjo-Kazooie Is The Perfect 3D Platformer
A Platforming GOAT
Banjo-KazooietookMario 64and made it even better. First off,the graphics and vibrant color palette still hold upto this day, especially when playing the Xbox version on an HDR10 screen. Then there are the levels, which are some of the best in the genre.
Treasure Trove Cove, Freezeezy Peak, and Mad Monster Mansion are top-tier levels in platforming games, and, to be frank, there’s not one bad world inBanjo-Kazooie. The platforming gameplay itself is phenomenal, but the cherry on top has to be the characters and world. Each area and character has so much personality that you can’t help but love.Banjo-Kazooieis in the top echelon of 3D platforming games, and it’s one of the very best available onXbox.
