Summary
- Early 90s games set the foundation for modern visuals despite hardware limitations.
- Iconic games like Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid, and Half-Life showcase lasting visual appeal.
- Strong art direction can transcend graphical limitations, as seen in Banjo-Kazooie and DOOM.
In the early days of gaming, graphical fidelity was still in its infancy, and many titles struggled to faithfully execute their artistic direction with the available hardware. As time went on, a push for 3D titles emerged, and a new wave of games was born on consoles like the PlayStation 1 and the N64.
Best Square Or Enix Game From Every Year In The '90s
It's time to take a look at all the best Square and Enix games that came from the 90s.
Since then, numerous iconic titles have received multiple sequels or been remade with updated graphics to revive beloved stories with improved visuals. However, even three decades later, there are plenty of games from the 90s era that still hold up and can still be appreciated for their visuals after all this time.
8 Tomb Raider
Defining The Action-Adventure Genre
Tomb Raider
- Released
- November 14, 1996
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Animated Blood, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
The original Tomb Raider introduced fully 3D environments and character models at a time when most games still relied on 2D sprites or pre-rendered assets to get by. Lara Croft’s angular design became iconic, while the game’s cavernous temples and vertical levels showcased the possibilities of third-person exploration in three dimensions.
Despite technological limitations, the game's aesthetic choices, such as ambient lighting and cinematic camera angles, gave its world an elevated atmosphere and sense of scale. Its graphics have aged as a stylistic snapshot of early 3D gaming, and its influence on modern adventure game visuals remains significant.
7 Metal Gear Solid
Realistic Environments And Cinematic Sequences
Metal Gear Solid
- Released
- October 20, 1998
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Stealth
Metal Gear Solid really pushed the technology of the time, using limited polygons to render characters and environments while maintaining an emphasis on cinematic presentation. Through expert camera work, lighting, and narrative integration, the game created a cohesive visual identity that transcended the PS1’s graphical limitations.
The graphics themselves still bring a certain level of charm, and the game’s visual storytelling remains a benchmark for cinematic game design. Its graphics are notable not for their realism, but for how effectively they support the narrative and tone. The game itself served to kickstart one of the most iconic video game series of all time.
6 Half-Life
Fine Details Far Ahead Of The Curve
Half-Life
- Released
- November 19, 1998
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
Half-Life is the definition of a PC gaming icon, introducing the world to numerous beloved characters and models that remain household names nearly 30 years later. The interactive environments and dynamic lighting made every area feel alive, combined with a long list of enemies that are just as menacing now as they were when the game first released.
8 ‘90s Konami Games That Have Aged The Best, Ranked
These Konami games that debuted in the 90s have managed to remain relevant to date.
Many of the weapon and enemy models are still used today in other Valve titles, demonstrating how certain designs can transcend the barriers of time and remain iconic for a long time. The gory combat and the immersive first-person view allowed every aspect of the world to feel real with a level of visual clarity that was far ahead of the competition.
5 Banjo-Kazooie
Vibrant Colors That Stand The Test Of Time
Banjo-Kazooie
- Released
- June 28, 1998
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone
- Genre(s)
- 3D Platformer
Banjo-Kazooie maximized the Nintendo 64’s hardware with colorful, detailed worlds that remain beautiful even by modern standards. Its cartoon-inspired art style avoided the uncanny valley of early realism, making its visuals more timeless than other titles in the genre.
Each level was crafted with vibrant palettes, exaggerated shapes, and smooth transitions, helping the game retain its visual appeal even without modern effects or cheap tricks. The stylized 3D graphics and expressive animations bring the characters to life, proving that strong art direction can outlast graphical limitations.
4 Doom
A Timeless Shooter Classic
Doom (1993)
- Released
- December 10, 1993
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
Doom has been, and always will be, one of the most recognizable and widely known video games of all time, and a large part of that recognition comes from the game's signature look. Every enemy and every environment drips from the screen, and despite being one of the oldest first-person shooters out there, the visuals never feel outdated.
The core gameplay has remained the same in almost every single game in the series, with the only major difference being the updated visuals with each iteration. However, the early games demonstrate that good concepts and a strong visual direction can easily carry a game through several decades of innovation and keep it relevant for years to come.
3 Resident Evil
Era-Defining Survival Horror
Resident Evil
- Released
- March 22, 1996
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Resident Evil’s use of pre-rendered backgrounds was a practical and stylistic masterstroke. Fixed camera angles, combined with detailed and static environments, gave the game cinematic tension while masking hardware limitations behind visually stunning backdrops.
8 Best Video Game Protagonists From The 90s, Ranked
The 90s weren't as expansive as it is now for gaming, but it's still a decade responsible for the creation of some of gaming's greatest protagonists.
Even though the character models were relatively simple, the static backgrounds delivered high-fidelity visuals that remain atmospheric today. Their composition and lighting helped define survival horror aesthetics, making the game’s visuals feel deliberate and enduring rather than dated.
2 The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Fluid Animations In An Immersive 3D Environment
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Released
- November 21, 1998
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time set new standards for 3D game design, with Hyrule rendered in an expansive, explorable 3D space that was greatly enhanced by soft lighting and environmental variety, making its world feel alive in a revolutionary way.
While the textures are low-resolution by modern standards, the clean art direction, intuitive visual cues, and expressive character design have helped the game’s visuals age gracefully. It remains one of the best examples of early 3D graphics executed with clarity and intention, and is still one of the best games in the series.
1 Super Mario 64
Revolutionary Graphics With Fully Fleshed Out Worlds
Super Mario 64
- Released
- September 26, 1996
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone
- Genre(s)
- 3D Platformer
Super Mario 64 is a Nintendo classic that continues to bring joy to players and fans of Mario, both for its iconic world designs and visual charm. Every stage is a perfect balance of gameplay complexity and graphical beauty, utilizing simplistic polygons to deliver a title in the signature N64 style that is still appreciated today.
From 1000s of speedruns to constant replays of the game, Mario 64 is a titan in the medium that demonstrates that hyperrealistic graphics aren't needed to create an amazing game that can be loved both visually and in terms of gameplay by fans of all ages and all generations.
The Best Arcade Games From The 1990s
The '90s were the golden era for arcade games, and its classics are still masterpieces all these decades later.