Top 10 Light Gun Video Games

Script written by Max Bledstein

Top 10 Light Gun Games

Time to hit the arcades or dig out your old Zappers. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 light gun games.

For this list, we ranked our favorite games that use a light gun peripheral and we’re also loosening the criteria to include games where the gun was fastened to the cabinet. We’re also sticking to one per franchise.

#10: “Lethal Enforcers” (1992)

This title was controversial for having graphics consisting of digitized photographs, making it hyper-realistic for the time, though it’s level of fun was never up for debate. The premise is fairly simple—you play as a cop, and your mission is to shoot enemies, all wearing sunglasses, ski masks, or gas masks, while avoiding bystanders and your fellow cops. Simple premise aside, the frantic gameplay made for a good time, unless you showed up to the arcade late and got stuck playing with the pink gun.

#9: “Terminator 2: The Arcade Game” (1991)

It’s not surprising that a game based off one of the greatest action flicks of all time made for an awesome shooter. Split into 2 scenario’s across 7 stages, the first half of the game sets you in the Post Apocalyptic future in order to destroy the Robotic Army of Skynet, while the last 3 stages are adapted from the climax of the film where you destroy Cyberdyne and protect John and Sarah from the T-1000, complete with the film’s one liners.

#8: “Point Blank” (1994)

Unsurprisingly, our list is filled with some pretty violent games, but this title lets you blast at paper cutouts and hot air balloons. It’s a minigame collection populated by timed missions and challenges which ask you to take aim at a variety of targets. One minute you could be taking on Criminals Lethal Enforcers style, next you could be shooting colored ducks, or shooting a keyboard to type out 3 letter words, just to name a few of the challenges.

#7: “Galaxian³ - Project Dragoon” (1994)

Next is a game with a Massive walk in cabinet that just screams immersion: I mean look at the size of this thing, It was like playing a game in a Cinema. Up to 6 players take on the role of stationary gunners aiming to defend their ship from a terrifying enemy. The auto-piloted ship allowed you to forget about flying and simply enjoy taking aim at your opponents. Also worth mentioning the game’s sequel Attack of the Zolgear, which utilized the same Cabinet.

#6: “Duck Hunt” (1985)

This one’s an oldie but a goodie. On the NES, it was sold as a package with the original “Super Mario Bros.,” and the hunting simulator went on to have a legacy nearly equal to that of the platformer it came bundled with. Its success is no surprise, given the simple but fun gameplay it has whether you’re shooting at ducks or clay pigeons . Just don’t screw up, or else you’ll have to face the scorn of that stupid dog laughing in your face.

#5: “Virtua Cop 2” (1995)

One of the games released in Arcades to promote the Sega Saturn, the sequel of arcade shooter features high speed car chases, a heist on a luxury yacht and a shootout on a train, as you take on terrifying E.V.I.L. gang threatening Virtua City. In the context of this game, that means firing away at as many enemies as possible, and the lightning fast gameplay makes it a manic good time, even if all those civilians clearly have a death wish.

#4: “Police 911” (2000)

Known as Police 24/7 in Europe, this shooters coolest aspects is motion sensing aspect where, you actually dodge bullets and stay in cover by moving your body. The innovative system for its time captures your body’s motion and the screen’s position reflects what you would see if you really were on the scene. I know these slow moving bullets look easy to dodge, but believe us: It’s harder than it looks

#3: “Silent Scope” (1999)

This game also added realism to the light gun experience, but here it was through the peripheral itself. This game cabinet featured a large Sniper Rifle you could hold, with a second screen located inside the scope of the rifle, replicating the experience of shooting with a long-range weapon. There were console versions released where the scope was added as an overlay, but it could honestly not replicate that sweet “using a sniper rifle” Arcade feel.

#2: “The House of the Dead” (1996)

A Light gun shooter with Zombies? It’s actually a bit more complex than that. Compared to all the other games on our list, here enemies take multiple precise hits to take down, and you only get 6 shots per magazine, but thankfully a reload is always just an offscreen shot away. Also the game features a branching paths, which are determined based on if you saved a bunch of civilians from these terrifying monsters. It may not look like a lot now, but those damage effects looked pretty gnarly in 1996.


Before we get to our number one, let’s take a look at some honorable mentions:

“Area 51” (1995)


“Mad Dog McCree” (1990)


“The Lost World: Jurassic Park” (1997)


“Lucky & Wild” (1993)


“Gunblade NY” (1995)


“Ghost Squad” (2004)

#1: “Time Crisis II” (1998)

Taking the top spot is this instalment in the legendary series. We went with the first sequel for its perfectly implemented introduction of co-op play to the series, though the 3rd game with the switching weapons mechanic came close. You had the independence of being able to go on different paths from your partner, thanks to the dual cabinet setup, and releasing the foot pedal allowed you to take cover quickly. As the franchise that popularized Cover based shooters, and with its fast pace action, this series was a no brainer for the best Arcade Shooter ever.


Do you agree with our list? Which light gun game do you think hit its target? For more spot-on top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.