A Fistful Of Quarters

While arcades were entertaining, they thrived on depleting you of every last quarter in your piggy bank. Unlike console gaming, these glowing cabinets were intent on making things as hard (and costly) as humanly possible. Some games pulled you in harder than others, and over time, patterns formed. Here's a look at the games that drained wallets in arcades across the country. 

The Simpsons (1991) Arcade - 4 Players [TAS] by GameplayUploaded

1. Pac-Man (1980)

Pac-Man devoured attention and coins like no game before it. Released in 1980 by Namco, it introduced hyper-addictive gameplay that appealed to everyone. Players chased pellets through neon mazes while avoiding ghosts. It became the highest-grossing arcade game ever, earning over $2.5 billion by the 1990s.

Pac-Man | 1980 | Arcade | Gameplay | HD 720p 60FPS by RedSevenNine

2. Ms. Pac-Man (1981)

Modders improved on the legend, and the result was Ms. Pac-Man. Midway's 1981 release added smarter ghosts and shifting maze patterns in this sequel that outshone the original. Arcades loved it for keeping players on longer, especially with randomized fruit bonuses.

Arcade Longplay - Ms. Pac-Man (1981) Midway by hirudov2d

3. Donkey Kong (1981)

Launched in 1981, this was Nintendo's breakout hit. It involved climbing barrels and saving Pauline. The world first saw Jumpman—later known as Mario—here, and its four unique stages set a new standard. Most players never saw the infamous kill screen that freezes the final level.

Donkey Kong 1981 - Arcade Gameplay by Game Archive - No Commentary Gameplay

4. Street Fighter II (1991)

Capcom's 1991 fighter defined the genre with tight controls and global character matchups. Punches flew hard enough to end friendships in this game, and local champions formed around cabinets. Machines earned over $1 billion in revenue from coin drops within just two years.

Street Fighter II - Guile (Arcade / 1991) 4K 60FPS by Retro Fighters

5. Mortal Kombat (1992)

Mortal Kombat brought violence and digitized realism together and made history. Midway's 1992 release delighted teens and birthed the ESRB. Fighters bled and exploded in pixelated glory. The game's unique fatalities became selling points, and secret characters like Reptile fueled endless speculation between competitive players.

Mortal Kombat (1992) - Full Scorpion Playthrough (1080p 60fps) by Mitsuownes

6. NBA Jam (1993)

Two-on-two basketball never looked as absurd or as addictive as it did in this 1993 game. There were flaming dunks and hidden characters, but no fouls. NBA Jam's revenue topped $1 billion and proved that goofy gameplay could fuel one of the arcade's top earners.

NBA JAM: Legends On Fire Edition - 1993 NBA Finals - Bulls vs. Suns by NLSC

7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989)

You'll find chaos and co-op magic here. This Konami brawler allowed four players to bash Foot Soldiers across New York City. It mirrored the cartoon's spirit perfectly, and each turtle had a different reach and speed. Group play meant four players feeding coins in nearly every session.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989) Arcade - 4 Players (Very Hard Mode) [TAS] by GameplayUploaded

8. Galaga (1981)

This 1981 shooter was fast and elegant, with aliens swooping and snatching ships with tractor beams. Strategic firing and double-ship upgrades gave it serious depth. Today, it is still a tournament staple, and world records are regularly tracked by Twin Galaxies.

Galaga | 1981 | Arcade | Longplay | HD 720p 60FPS by RedSevenNine

9. Space Invaders (1978)

Space Invaders launched a global arcade craze. Players defended Earth from descending aliens using a single cannon. Its release in Japan reportedly caused a coin shortage, and its looping soundtrack intensified with each kill. Players learned that pattern memory mattered more than raw reaction time.

Space Invaders 1978 - Arcade Gameplay by Game Archive - No Commentary Gameplay

10. Asteroids (1979)

Triangles firing at rocks shouldn't have been this stressful, but Atari's Asteroids made it so. Using vector graphics and physics-inspired motion, it addicted players in 1979. Asteroid fragments multiplied the danger, and it looped infinitely and tested stamina until your reflexes finally gave out.

Asteroids 1979 - Arcade Gameplay by Game Archive - No Commentary Gameplay

11. Time Crisis (1995)

Namco's Time Crisis innovated with its foot pedal system that allowed players to hide and pop out. That simple mechanic created urgency and rhythm while gun controllers added tactile feedback. Arcades favored the cabinet's design, which let multiple players crowd around during time-based showdowns.

Time Crisis (1995) PS1 - Arcade Story Mode [TAS] by GameplayUploaded

12. Defender (1981)

Chaos ruled every pixel of this Williams classic. Defender launched in 1981 with horizontal scrolling and relentless alien swarms. Saving civilians mid-battle added complexity. Plus, you had five buttons to manage. In one survey, arcade owners ranked it among the hardest games ever built for players and techs.

Defender | 1981 | Arcade | Gameplay | HD 720p 60FPS by RedSevenNine

13. Centipede (1981)

Released in 1981, Centipede challenged players with twitch reflexes and rapid-fire swarms. Mushrooms and trackballs defined the game. Women gravitated toward it, partly due to its aesthetics and pacing. Its trackball also influenced cabinet design across future titles that required precision targeting.

Centipede - (1981) Arcade - VGG by vghchannel

14. Frogger (1981)

Konami and Sega's 1981 creation sent you across roads and rivers filled with danger. Logs floated, and cars sped, and one misstep could lead to a squish. Frogger cabinets featured upright CRTs, and the game later became one of the earliest cross-platform arcade ports.

Arcade Game: Frogger (1981 Konami) by Old Classic Retro Gaming

15. Golden Axe (1989)

Fantasy met fury in this 1989 Sega beat-'em-up. Choose from its magic and melee-wielding characters and face Death Adder's army standing between you and revenge. It was among the first brawlers to feature rideable creatures, which added mobility mechanics and strategic spacing to the genre.

How Much did it Cost to Beat Golden Axe in 1989? | Arcade Economy by Cool Nerd Show

16. Q*bert (1982)

Swearing in symbols and hopping in diagonals, Q*bert was weird—in the best way. Gottlieb ditched straight movement for pyramid puzzles. Enemies dropped from above, and you had to shift every tile's color under pressure. A unique joystick was mounted diagonally to match gameplay movement.

Arcade Game: Q*bert (1982 Gottlieb) by Old Classic Retro Gaming

17. Robotron: 2084 (1982)

Twin-stick shooting became legendary here. With the release, players dropped into chaotic swarms of robots and civilians. Your left hand moved while your right hand fired, and every second counted. The game overwhelmed you by design. Survival beyond level 10 was rare and usually required multiple continues.

Robotron: 2084 (ARC, 1982) | The Jeff Gerstmann Hall of Fame 013 by The Jeff Gerstmann Show

18. Dig Dug (1982)

This title turned dirt into danger and forced players to dig strategic paths while luring enemies into squashing zones or popping them with an air pump. Dig Dug ranked among the top-grossing arcade games of 1982 and popularized underground gameplay in arcades.

Internet Arcade : Dig Dug (1982) by Namco (Atari license) by STUGTECH

19. X-Men (1992)

The 1992 X-Men brawler packed colossal appeal with mutant powers and simultaneous multiplayer. Besides Wolverine and Storm, you could pick four others and then smash your way through Sentinels. U.S. arcades used double-wide screens to fit everyone, which doubled player count and coin intake.

X-Men: The Arcade Game (1992) Full Game Longplay HD 60FPS by GusKill Games #GO20KSUBS

20. The Simpsons Arcade Game (1991)

Featuring flying donuts and swinging vacuum cleaners, this hit allowed four players to brawl through Springfield to rescue Maggie. Each character had unique attacks, from Marge's purse to Homer's fists. Bonus levels involved rapid button-mashing contests. To this day, it still remains one of the most beloved video games based on the long-running animated series.

The Simpsons (1991) Arcade - 4 Players [TAS] by GameplayUploaded