Summary
With the exciting news that theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesare coming back to the gaming world, many fans are taking a trip down memory lane with their favorite games starring the lovable pizza-chomping Turtles.
The TMNThave been around since 1984 and their video games have fluctuated over the years in terms of quality, but a few titles stand out as particularly great. What are thebestTMNTgames?
Updated on June 26, 2025 by Mark Sammut:The future is bright for TMNT fans as Mutant Mayhem and The Last Ronin are both in development, with the former expected to drop sometime in 2024. While it remains to be seen whether they manage to rank among thebest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles gamesof all time, they are exciting prospects with potential for greatness.
This action hack and slash game from 2016 brings with it new dangers from the Turtles in the familiar territory of the New York home. The Turtles square off against a motley crew of foes as they fight to protect their loved ones from annihilation. It’s a typicalTMNTouting, albeit boosted with PlatinumGames' signature combat. That said, it is certainly not among the developer’s crowning achievements, and the levels get repetitive really quickly.
Mutants in Manhattanis an obvious budget title, and it does not live up to the idea of aTMNTproject developer by the company behindBayonetta. Around this time, Platinum produced three games based on licenses, andMutants in Manhattanwas the worst of the bunch by quite a margin, even failing to meet the low standard set by the developer’sKorragame. Die-hardTMNTfans might still find something to enjoy in this project, although they will need to sit through a fairly repetitive campaign.
The boom of fighting games in the early ’90s was inescapable, and the Turtles were not resistant to jumping to different genres. Developed by Konami and released on the NES, SNES, and Genesis systems, each game was actually different from the others, in an effort to capitalize on the fighting game craze.
The SNES version is largely seen as the superior version, featuring ten characters and two bosses. The game follows a fighting tournament in the vein ofMortal KombatandStreet Fighterbut naturally involves the humor of the Turtles. Retro-fighting diehards may be able to find copies at a retro game store or online.
Originally released by Konami for thefirst Game Boy in 1993, this platformer action game is reminiscent of the company’s ownCastlevaniaseries. Each turtle has their own unique move set, making it one of the more offbeat early games of the franchise.
Many familiar villains return as bosses in this hidden handheld gem that helped branch the Turtles out of arcade territory. Fans can attempt to find a copy on the Game Boy.
Somewhat of aclone ofSuper Smash Bros.,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Upcombines fighting mechanics with arcade-style cooperative playability. Encouraging multiple players to duke it out with each other, the combat is fluid and fun without much hassle. It’s mindless fun to a tee and very fitting for the Turtles' style of humor.
There are better platform fighters out there that renderSmash-Upsomewhat obsolete; however, big-time fans of the Turtles will likely have a good time with this, although they should probably consider gettingNickelodeon All-Star Brawl.
This hack and slash platformer is based on the 2007 film of the same name. Developed by Ubisoft for the sixth and seventh generation of consoles,TMNThas similarities to thePrince of Persiagames in terms of gameplay but follows the plot of the film for the most part.
While not the most challenging game in the world,TMNThas its moments and harkens back to the classic beat ‘em upstyle of the older arcade games. Compared to other releases in the franchise, this 2007 release is one of the more polished and consistent, making it easier to revisit in this day and age.
Konami released several games on the sixth generation consoles, notable for bringing the Turtles into the world of 3D gaming. The third entry follows a few of the story arcs from the animated television show, pitting them against a hodgepodge of classic villains.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmarealso includes a hidden version ofTurtles in Time. While not particularly well received at the time and far from a masterpiece, this release works well enough as a mindless beat ‘em up game based on one of the franchise’s best series. That said, it is too repetitive for its own good.
2003’sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesand its sequel,Battle Nexus, are of similar quality toMutant Nightmare. None of them are great, but they are not awful either.
The game that (nearly) started it all and helped launch the Turtles into stardom.This arcade classicallows for up to four friends to control those pesky pizza-eating Turtles and kick some Shredder butt. The game was an instant success when it hit arcades in 1989, so much so that it was ported to the NES and Famicom systems in 1990.
The game appeared on sixth-generation consoles as a bonus game inTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus, soTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescan be revisited fairly easily in this day and age. While overshadowed by some subsequent beat ‘em up releases, this 1989 release helped set the groundwork that would be expanded upon in sequels.
5TMNT (GBA)
Gamefaqs Score: 3.97
Around the same time as the home console versions, Ubisoft also released versions ofTMNTon the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. While the former is not particularly good, the latter is quite an impressive late-day entry in the handheld console’s lifespan, and it is a solid pick for fans who grew up playing the franchise’s arcade beat ‘em ups during the ’90s.TMNTdoes not try to be anything more than a nostalgia trip created around the 2003 animated series, but it manages to be a throwback that still has an identity.
The game’s visuals look pretty good as well, at least for the GBA. The backgrounds are simple but vibrant, and the character designs are generally great. While far from deep, the combat is responsive and satisfying, and the campaign shakes things up just enough to keep the basic beat ‘em up loop from getting boring. The platforming is quite stiff and frustrating, but it is not a dealbreaker.
An often-overlooked entry in the Turtle’s saga,this Sega Genesis exclusivewas released in 1992, shortly afterTurtles in Time,from which it borrows many of its gameplay elements. After Shredder shrinks Manhattan using the power of the Hyperstone, the Turtles have to jump back into action to stop their foe and save their city.
Although often called a clone ofTurtles in Time, this game still manages to pack in a lot of fun side-scrolling combat into the story and build off the strengths of previous entries. Only released on the Genesis, fans might have luck finding a physical copy online or at used game stores.
Designed as a successor to the console ports of the 1989Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlearcade game,The Mutant Projectwas released exclusively on the NES. Due to being only available on an 8-bit home system, the 1991 game has arguably aged less gracefully than the arcade version of its predecessor in the visual department. However, this title still has a lot to offer fans who appreciate old-school beat ‘em ups, and it improves upon its predecessor’s gameplay.
The Manhattan Projectcame out at a time when the beat ‘em up formula was starting to be perfected, and this shows in this title’s tight and challenging gameplay. While technically not very long, this game is unforgiving, and players will need to master its system if they want to have any hope of completing a playthrough. Also, while not as pretty as arcade games of this era, this release’s graphics are impressive when compared to other NES projects.
