On August 4, 2025, Rare officially turns 40 years old, a landmark accomplishment for Xbox‘s most celebrated game studio. Rare developed some of the most influential and greatest 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 and Everwild’s cancellation, hopefully, with Rare’s 40th anniversary festivities kicking 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.
10
Viva Piñata Was An Xbox 360 Standout
Debatably The Best Life Sim Game Of The Era
The standout Xbox 360 exclusive of 2006 was Gears of War, but just two days afterward, Rare released Viva Piñata. Despite great reviews, Viva Piñata wasn’t very popular among 360 players, likely due to the popularity of Gears of War and its gameplay. Viva Piñata might 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 Piñata is absolutely incredible with easy-to-grasp controls and strategic gameplay, especially later on, when so 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.
9
Rare 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, but Rare Replay is 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 as Atari 50 and Limited Run Games like Clock Tower: Rewind and Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties. Rare Replay started that trend, and as such, it’s a very important compilation in gaming history, its amazing quality notwithstanding.
8
Battletoads Arcade Was The Series Peak
A Great 90s Beat-‘Em-Up
While the NES Battletoads is the most famous title in the series, the best has to be the arcade game. The last Battletoads game before the 2020 reboot, this 1994 arcade classic fixed the big problem of the prior titles: the gimmicks.
Despite Battletoads being 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 Arcade fixed 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, and it’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 Arcade is a must-play for any beat-’em-up fan.
7
Diddy Kong Racing Gave Mario Kart A Real Race
A Landmark Racing Game
Mario Kart 64 remains the best racing game on the Nintendo 64, but right in second place would have to be Diddy 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 like Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing boasted an entire adventure mode, with a hub world and boss fight races.
The tracks were phenomenally designed as well, so much so that Naughty Dog used one of the game’s tracks for testing purposes when making Crash 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.
6
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Deserves A Better Rep
One Of The Most Underrated Games Of All Time
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts had 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 played Nuts & Bolts to 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 heart with 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.
5
Sea Of Thieves Has Gotten So Much Better
One Of The Best Pirate Games Of All Time
When Sea of Thieves first 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 the best 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 of Everwild, it’s a bit unfortunate that Rare seems to be relegated to solely working on Sea of Thieves. All the same, it’s a great game, and there’s bound to be tons of additional content for many years to come.
4
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest Is Bigger & Better
Debatably The Best Platformer On The SNES
Rare broke new ground with the original Donkey Kong Country, pushing the envelope for console graphics, but the sequel was even better. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong-Quest was everything you wanted from a sequel and 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, DKC2 had the Lost World, a bonus world filled with some of the hardest levels in Donkey Kong history. It felt so rewarding to finally beat them and achieve the true ending. Some may think that Super Mario World is still the best platformer on the SNES, but there’s definitely an argument for DKC2‘s quality level design and gameplay.
3
GoldenEye 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’s Halo, which rocked the entire gaming world, but before that, there was Rare’s GoldenEye 007.
Playing GoldenEye today 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, but GoldenEye is 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 the best James Bond games ever made, but Rare’s spiritual successor was even better.
2
Perfect Dark Improved On Goldeneye
One Of The Best FPS Games Of All Time
While Perfect Dark never achieved the same popularity or iconic status as GoldenEye 007, it’s ultimately a better game. Perfect Dark had its own original story with surprising twists and turns, improved gunplay, a bigger arsenal with some truly iconic 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 in GoldenEye 007. Plus, the multiplayer returns better than ever, especially on the Xbox version, which runs much more smoothly than the N64 original. Perfect Dark is one of the best FPS games of all time, especially when looking at more single-player-oriented FPS titles.
1
Banjo-Kazooie Is The Perfect 3D Platformer
A Platforming GOAT
Banjo-Kazooie took Mario 64 and made it even better. First off, the graphics and vibrant color palette still hold up to 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 in Banjo-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-Kazooie is in the top echelon of 3D platforming games, and it’s one of the very best available on Xbox.
Source: XCageGame/YouTube
- Brand
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Xbox
- Original Release Date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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Series X priced at US$499 and the Series S priced at US$299
- Weight
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9.8 lb
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