Up from the depths, over thirty stories high, breathing fire, with his head in the sky, it’s Godzilla! Since 1954, the Godzilla movies have been roaring into theaters for decades. Whether you’re a fan of the Japanese films, the American adaptations, or both, it’s one of the few franchises to bridge the gap between generations with fans of all ages.
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Of course, with every successful franchise, comes video games. Given the various versions of Godzilla over the years, along with the abundance of kaiju to choose from, how could you not make a game around them? There has been more than a plentiful amount released between Japan and North America, but it’s time to decide which ranks up as King of the Monsters.
This list will only cover games based directly on the Godzilla franchise. So, no crossover or homage games, which means no Rampage, unfortunately.
6 Godzilla: Kaijū Daikessen
The One That Got Away
| Released | December 9, 1994 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Alfa System |
| Publisher | Toho |
| Genre | 2D Fighting |
| System | Nintendo |
Sometimes known as Monster War, or Great Monster Battle, Godzilla: Kaijū Daikessen is better known as the video game North America never got. Released for the Super Famicom back in 1994 as a fighting game, it was one of the best-looking Godzilla games at the time. The sprite designs perfectly capture the look of the monsters, and each possesses their own set of moves to execute in combat.
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Sure, the game could be challenging with the difficult AI, but Kaijū Daikessen allowed you to choose whichever monster you wanted in single-player or two-player versus mode. With all these features, the game would have been perfect for the Super Nintendo. Unfortunately, the game was only released in Japan, and there it stayed because the world is unfair.
5 Godzilla: Monster Of Monsters
Godzilla vs. Nintendo
Action
Side-scroller
Systems
- Released
- December 9, 1988
- Developer
- Compile
- Publisher
- Toho
Godzilla: Monster Of Monsters was the first Godzilla game released for Nintendo during the era of the NES. In classic side-scrolling action, you get to play as Godzilla or Mothra in the year 2XXX A. D. when the Earth is attacked by Planet X and its army of monsters. No, those aren’t typos. Godzilla: Monster Of Monsters just loves using X a lot.
Fighting from world to world, you advance Godzilla and Mothra across each stage. You can either tear through levels as Godzilla and his fire breath or fly over as Mothra. Within each world there is a boss battle against a classic kaiju from the films. Well, so long as you can beat it before the time limit runs out. Like with a lot of old NES titles, the game had its difficulty spikes and some buggy level design, but at the time, this was a fun game for Godzilla fans.
4 Godzilla Domination
Portable Destruction
| Released | November 11, 2002 |
|---|---|
| Developer | WayForward Technologies |
| Publisher | Atari |
| Genre | Fighting |
| System | Nintendo |
Made only for the Game Boy Advance, Godzilla Domination remains one of the best portable games to feature the King of the Monsters and his fellow kaiju. With six monsters to pick from, the game supports four players playing simultaneously. So, if you had a link cable, or could figure out how to get internet on the device, you and three friends could tear each other apart with your favorite monster.
As far as the single-player mode goes, the kaiju you pick fights a monster in a different arena until you confront the final boss: Mecha-King Ghidorah. The sprite work and colors were some of the best for the GBA’s software, and even the way the monsters tore apart the city was fun to look at. Even the game’s soundtrack was impressive.
3 Godzilla (2014)
Feeling Large
Fighting
Action RPG
Systems
-
- Top Critic Rating: 39/100 Critics Recommend: 2%
- Released
- December 18, 2014
- Developer(s)
- BNE Entertainment, Natsume Atari
- Publisher(s)
- BNE Entertainment, Namco Bandai
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
There have been some odd Godzilla games over the years, along with some peculiar crossovers too, but what makes Godzilla (2014) stand out is because it’s one of the first to attempt to make a realistic game. Panned by critics upon release, the game’s overall problems stem from how slowly the monsters move, and the repetitive nature of the missions, which boil down to attacking city generators or fighting monsters. However, just because game critics didn’t like it, doesn’t mean all you Godzilla fans won’t.
Featuring a grand total of 22 monsters to play as, the kaiju designs look lifted right out of the films, even their sluggish movements and abilities all feel authentic. They feel heavy and move slowly, yet the city devastation and battles look intense, so long as you’re playing one-on-one. For players looking for a competitive fighting game, look somewhere else. For Godzilla fans who want mindless destruction, check this one out if you can.
2 Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
“Let Them Fight”
Fighting
Systems
- Released
- October 8, 2002
- Developer
- Pipeworks Software
- Publisher(s)
- Infogrames
Destroy All Monsters Melee was one of the first Godzilla games to be released in the early 2000s for the Xbox and Game Cube. When it comes to giant monster combat, this game remains the fan favorite for its gameplay, content, and the sequels it went on to spawn.
Every monster has its own series of moves based on its design and functions from the movies. Some are faster, some can dish out more damage, and some can dig and go under the arena. No matter their differences, all can use a special attack from the Rage Power-up. Similar to the Smash Ball from Smash Bros, it’s an item that drops into the arena, and the first player to pick it up can unleash a unique decimating attack. The game also comes with various modes, including Destruction Mode, where your only objective is to destroy as much of the city as possible.
1 Godzilla: Save the Earth
The King of the Monster Games
Fighting
Systems
- Released
- November 2, 2004
- Developer
- Pipeworks Software
- Publisher(s)
- Atari
Everything that Destroy All Monsters Melee had, Godzilla: Save the Earth took and improved upon it. Sporting over sixteen arenas to fight in, including some that have day or night versions, the game comes with over eighteen playable monsters — nineteen if you count Mothra’s Larva form.
Even better, on top of the story mode and versus combat, Save the Earth includes multiple new challenge modes, some of which feature boss battles against other monsters you don’t normally see in the games, like Ebirah, Millennian, and SpaceGodzilla’s flying form. With the amount of monsters, arenas, content, and bonus unlockables, Save the Earth stands tall as the greatest game in the Godzilla franchise, and one of the best games from the Xbox/PS2 era.
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