Best TMNT Games

Updated on October 23, 2023 by Mark Sammut: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, and this hot streak looks set to continue in the gaming world. At the moment, two projects are in development, with Mutant Mayhem set to launch in 2024. More excitingly, an adaptation of The Last Ronin has also been announced for modern consoles and PC. While waiting for these games to drop, fans can check out the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games ever.

10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants In Manhattan

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 typical TMNT outing, 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 Manhattan is an obvious budget title, and it does not live up to the idea of a TMNT project developer by the company behind Bayonetta. Still, it is a passable experience.

9 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare

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 Nightmare also includes a hidden version of Turtles 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.

8 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade)

The game that (nearly) started it all and helped launch the Turtles into stardom. This arcade classic allows 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 in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus, so Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles can 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.

7 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Radical Rescue

Originally released by Konami for the first Game Boy in 1993, this platformer action game is reminiscent of the company’s own Castlevania series. 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 try to find a copy on the Game Boy.

6 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up

Somewhat of a clone of Super Smash Bros., Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up combines 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 render Smash-Up somewhat obsolete; however, big-time fans of the Turtles will likely have a good time with this, although they should probably consider getting Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl.

5 TMNT

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, TMNT has similarities to the Prince of Persia games in terms of gameplay but follows the plot of the film for the most part.

While not the most challenging game in the world, TMNT has its moments and harkens back to the classic beat ’em up style 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.

4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist

An often-overlooked entry in the Turtle’s saga, this Sega Genesis exclusive was released in 1992, shortly after Turtles 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 of Turtles 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.

3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters

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.

Related: Top Fighting Games Of The 1990s

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 of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter but naturally involves the humor of the Turtles. Retro-fighting diehards may be able to find copies at a retro game store or online.

2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time

Perhaps the quintessential TMNT game for many die-hard fans, Turtles in Time is one of the best beat’ em up games of the 1990s. The Turtles jump through time to fight Shredder and his army of henchmen one clobbering at a time. The game was released on arcade systems and the SNES as a direct sequel to the previous side-scrolling classic.

Related: Rarest SNES Games (And The Story Behind Them)

The game is available as a bonus in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare. Although a remake was available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 stores, it was not well received and has since been delisted. Fans looking for the original experience should look to find a copy on a cartridge.

1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Shredder’s Revenge is the definitive TMNT game in the modern era. Despite taking plenty of inspiration from the franchise’s ’90s releases, specifically the beat ’em up projects, this 2022 release has its own identity and is not simply a throwback designed to stroke fans’ nostalgia. Featuring seven playable characters and a huge selection of stages that pay tribute to the license’s various eras, Shredder’s Revenge is a celebration of the Turtles‘ long and storied history.

More importantly, the gameplay is rock-solid. Shredder’s Revenge is a hard-as-nail beat ’em up that implements co-op into its combat. Visually, the game looks great, and the music is also top-notch. While some other TMNT games might have left a bigger mark on people’s childhoods or the industry in general, Shredder’s Revenge is the franchise’s most complete package.

More: Retro ’90s Games That Are Utterly Impossible To Beat