Top 10 Retro Video Game Boxart

Back in the day, these were the covers that made us want to save our lunch money. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 retro video game box-arts. Just so we’re clear, we’re classing “retro” games as games from the 5th generation of consoles and earlier, so titles for systems like N64 and PS 1, as well as PC Games up until 2000 are the latest ones we considered. What we’re looking for are the most eye-catching boxart designs that can tell you what the game is about just by looking at the artwork, or have a nice art style worthy of hanging up as a poster, rather than … whatever this is supposed to be. (Show Phalanx boxart)

We couldn’t wait to play as the legendary archaeologist in an original story, and the cover for this point-and-click adventure game, complete with the film franchise’s famous title design and Harrison Ford’s face, was perfect for fuelling our excitement. With a cover that makes the game feel like it’s a lost Indiana Jones film, the tiny details give us everything on what to expect, A temple-head figure spewing lava, an underwater adventure, and a Camel Chase, not bad.

One of the best local multiplayer games ever made also had one of the coolest box-arts. Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael are looking like the badass dudes that they are, and the image of the Statue of Liberty hints towards super-villain Krang’s evil deeds, Oh and there’s a foot soldier riding a T-Rex, yep those guys are in the game too. Given how popular the Ninja Turtles were in the 90’s seeing a box art where they’ve never looked so awesome, was certainly all the more appealing.

We wished that the cover had told us about how challenging this beat-em-up would be, but we’re glad it got us to play, regardless of the difficulty. The art features the toads looking threatening and kicking ass, with the one in the foreground that looks like he’s holding up the logo with one hand and an enemy with another. It’s actually a boulder he’s holding up, but it’s a clever trick on the eyes that when you see it you go “Oh that’s awesome”

Up for a medieval quest to take down Dracula? Well the box-art showed us what we’d be in for. Protagonist Simon Belmont menacingly holds out his whip, preparing to strike, while the famous vampire Dracula laughs menacingly in the background with blood dripping from his mouth. The cover also features his castle in a nice waterpaint art style and looking sinister on the edge of a cliff.

Next up is another game that drove us insane with its difficulty, This one features a classic 80’s action movie vibe with 2 muscly men who may or may not look like Schwarzenegger and Stallone, along with what looks like Xenomorph from Alien in the background. Still considering these were some of the biggest action movies at the time, the idea of being able to mow down loads of enemies is far too tempting.

This point and click graphic adventure went on to spawn one of the most beloved series of all time, and the cover was the perfect introduction to its world. Lead Character Guybrush Threepword brandishes a sword along with his love interest Elaine Marley, while a giant skull lurks terrifyingly in the background. Oh and there’s also that eye catching glowing Ghost Ship. Cannibals and the 2nd Biggest Monkey head you’ll ever see, what’s not to like?

Despite looking more like the cover for a romance novel than a video game, thanks to model work by none other than supermodel Fabio Lanzoni himself, this action platformer made us ready to go on an epic adventure. It’s not like we just chose this boxart just because it has Fabio on the cover … well actually yes it is the main reason. But damned if you’ve ever felt like brooding Barbarian fighting through a volcano field. Even though in the game, the main character is covered head to toe in armor.

The boxart alone promises that this is “The biggest most exciting Mario Bros adventure yet” It features the plumber who just so happens to be flying in the air with a Raccoon Tail and Ears, You didn’t understand it but looking at the biggest name in gaming doing this you know one thing: You needed it. The cover has become so iconic that in more recent years the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels parodied the cover. And the flying Mario became the trademark image of later rereleases to follow.

Next up is a title from yet another classic Nintendo franchise. This time, we see the legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran firing away at Ridley. And Ridley shaking it off like it was nothing. But that’s not all, for when you start looking at it closer, you’ll notice another large monster coming at Samus with only his feet in view. Who was this green monster and what did he look like? You had to play the game to find out.

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

“Gradius” (1985)

“Crystalis” (1990)

“Starwing” (1993) (Eurpoean Version)

“Saboteur II” (1987)

“Secret of Evermore” (1995)

The game that arguably popularized the FPS genre, and its hard not to appreciate how sweet the cover looks. The iconic image features the legendary Doomguy firing away at an oncoming hoard of space demons. With one of them about to grab the hero from behind, one throwing a fireball at him, and another photo-bombing the camera. This Boxart is everything you need to know about the game: It’s you verses many demons and the odds are against you, yet still coming out on top.