Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 10 Best Video Games, Ranked (2024)

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has a massive hold over the arcade gaming era, supplying some of the most popular cabinets during this nostalgia wave. Not only did the franchise stand as one of the more popular beat ‘em ups, but it also paved the way for a future Konami IP.

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Releasing over 40 standalone games from 1989 up until the recently announced video game adaptation of The Last Ronin comic book, TMNT is a household name in the gaming industry with a number of titles that are integral to our youth. Here are the 10 best TMNT video games ranked.

10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game

Releasing in 1989 for arcades, this side-scrolling fighting game was later renamed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game after it was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. This change kept continuity with the first TMNT action-adventure game that was released on the system one year prior.

Allowing up to four friends to pilot the Turtles against Shredder and his henchmen, this game was an instant success and made the franchise a staple IP in video games to add to its fame in comic books and animated television. Serving as the game that started it all, this arcade classic deserves a mention.

9 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare

Released on the GameCube, Nintendo DS, Xbox, and PlayStation 2 in 2005, Mutant Nightmare was the third and final game based on the 2003 television series released by Konami and the first TMNT game to be rated E10+.

Players could control the four Turtles simultaneously integrated into a world with story arcs from season 3 of the series and a host of classic villains to defeat. This title also deserves a mention in the low ranks for bringing the video game Turtles into the world of 3D and containing an altered port of Turtles in Time as an unlockable perk.

8 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters

Released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Genesis in 1993, Tournament Fighters was a fighting game released by Konami that adopted many elements present in the popular Street Fighter series from Capcom.

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Advancing from the side-scrolling beat ‘em ups, this game was a clever entry to rival the fighting games of this era, including Mortal Kombat but with less gore, where you could battle a host of villains including Wingnut and Chrome Dome that had previously received minimal coverage in video games. The breakthrough in this genre deserves a place in the low ranks, and Tournament Fighters is worth checking out if you’ve ever dreamed of making your own Leonardo vs. Raphael fight.

7 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project

Released in 1991 as the third TMNT game on the NES, The Manhattan Project not only carried an elusive, conspiracy-theory name, but it gifted each Turtle with a new special attack whilst continuing the side-scrolling beat ‘em up fashion.

Acclaimed for being one of the best TMNT games on the NES, The Manhattan Project offered one or two players to take the Turtles through a series of stages, with one thrilling stage offering a chance to take the Turtles surfing. This solid game is a worthy seventh-place entry and boasts the developer’s creativity when it came to evolving the video game franchise without losing touch with its roots.

6 TMNT

Based on the 2007 CGI movie of the same name, TMNT was released on the Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and PC as a single-player action-adventure game by Ubisoft, after the publisher won the rights from Konami.

Offering co-op between the Turtles alongside a single-player campaign, TMNT was a commendable companion piece for the movie, which even saw the original four voice actors behind the Turtles (Mitchell Whitfield, James Arnold Taylor, Mikey Kelley, and Nolan North) return for the game. Using the Prince of Persia game engine, Ubisoft’s entry is a sound way to conclude the low ranks.

5 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus

The second of Konami’s games based on the 2003 TV series was released in 2004 on the GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PC, which adapted the events that occurred within season 2.

Battle Nexus managed to trump its predecessor by adding a four-player co-op (an integral part of any TMNT game) and including a fifth side character to act as backup, which offered a bit of diversity if you grew tired of being green. Following a beat ‘em up style, Battle Nexus also honed a pleasing visual style akin to the series and is a worthy fifth-place entry.

4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist

Released back in 1992 on the Sega Genesis was The Hyperstone Heist, serving as the first game to be released on the platform with similar animations to Turtles in Time with a Japanese Mega Drive port named Return of the Shredder.

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Despite removing the option to throw Foot Soldiers at the screen, The Hyperstone Heist incorporated the best parts of Turtles in Time into its brand-new plot with a variety of new levels and quickened the pace of progression by introducing a run button. Combining all of these feats made a thoroughly enjoyable game and a worthy fourth-place entry.

3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue

Released by Konami in 1993 for the Game Boy was the third and last game in the handheld series and featured an exciting plot line where Michaelangelo had to rescue the other turtles, Splinter, and April from their holding cells.

Not only did this title see the return of classic villains, propel the IP out of its arcade niche, and supply the Turtles with their own unique move set, but it also paved the way for Konami’s hit Castlevania series by incorporating a Metroidvania-style into the gameplay and proving it could work. That sounds like third-place material to us.

2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

The only modern title on this list is Shredder’s Revenge, which was released in 2022 by Tribute Games and Dotemu on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and PC which boasted a revitalized title inspired by Turtles in Time.

Similar to The Hyperstone Heist, Shredder’s Revenge set itself apart from Turtles in Time whilst retaining the best parts, by enhancing the traditional sprites and animation for pleasing visuals, including six-player co-op, and packing gameplay full of energy that supported ultra-responsive brawler action. As an essential game to play for TMNT fans and a great entry point for newer generations, this is a no-brainer second-place entry.

1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time

Having inspired many entries on this list, first place goes to Turtles in Time, released in 1991 for arcades and in 1992 on the SNES. Serving as the second TMNT arcade game by Konami to hit cabinets, this classic beat ‘em up is the best of the best.

Enhancing group battles with power attacks and creative enemy takedowns, Turtles in Time beat the gameplay of its predecessor and its feat was never replicated in future titles. Even the 2009 Re-Shelled remake couldn’t quite reinvigorate this blast from the past, because the music, tempo, and graphics became the unintentional peak of the video game franchise.

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