One of the longest-running TV shows, The Simpsons video games, has run for almost 30 seasons, and its comedic characters have influenced a lot of modern society. Over the years, they’ve also made several forays into video games, as is customary for well-known properties, with games that have received varying degrees of praise.
The Simpsons have several iconic games, starting with the family’s debut title, Bart vs. The Space Mutants, which wasn’t well received at the time, and continuing through the famed Simpsons: The Arcade Game and Simpsons: Hit & Run.
The Simpsons have frequently appeared in video games for almost as long as the show has been on television. There are numerous official Simpsons games available on arcade and home consoles that are not only timeless favourites today but also undiscovered gems from more than ten years ago.
However, the quality of the Simpsons games itself is highly inconsistent, especially on Metacritic. Reviews for these games range from being completely negative to being just as positive as those for high-profile productions. That results in one of the scores for any pop culture series that is the most chaotic.
20 Best Simpsons video games
Over several game series, the beloved Simpsons family has engaged in lots of mischiefs. But which do Metacritic think are the best?
Check out some of the top video games from one of history’s most illustrious families.
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1. The Simpsons: Hit & Run
The Simpsons: Hit & Run, a game that drew significantly from the Grand Theft Auto series, wins the award for the best Simpsons game. Players could accomplish numerous objectives with a variety of cars from The Simpsons show and outfits to customize the family, all with the trademark humour of the series, for the first time in an open-world Springfield.
The majority of the gameplay takes place in a vehicle, whether it be for races, fetch quests, or trying to wreck someone else’s automobile, but it is also possible to exit the vehicle and go exploring. A huge stride back then was realizing Springfield was an open world. While they battle an invasion of mechanical wasps, fans can explore the town and find several interesting points of interest and easter eggs.
Even though some of the other games on our list occasionally have better jokes and visuals, Springfield in Simpsons Hit & Run is the best. Players can spend hours having fun and experiencing a sense of inclusion in the performance in the city since it feels like a living, breathing character in and of itself.
2. The Simpsons Arcade
The multiplayer arcade game by Konami, originally released in 1991 under the title “The Simpsons,” but is now more often known as The Simpsons Arcade for clarity and disambiguation, is one of the best and most adored Simpsons games and may easily contend for the top slot.
The Simpsons cast is on a rescue mission after Mr. Burns kidnaps Maggie in this classic four-player beat’em-up comparable to the company’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade. Each player could participate as a different member of the family, and they could combine their skills to perform unique feats like Bart riding Homer or Bart and Lisa sprinting while holding hands.
The action is entertaining and engaging, even though it is a bit simple and brief, and the voyage is full of cameos from various Springfield residents. For individuals who want to set up an arcade at home, Arcade1Up recently reopened its online store and resumed selling the game. Visit their official website to see it.
3. The Simpsons Game
The Simpsons Game by Electronic Arts launched on consoles about the same time as The Simpsons made their big-screen premiere. With cel-shaded graphics that resembled the cartoon and expansive levels to explore, this game is the family’s technically most advanced title to date.
The gameplay itself is similar to a platformer game where each family member has unique skills. And each stage is similar to an episode with its quirks. One of the game’s finest qualities is scripting. Which hails from a time when the Simpsons were much more self-aware and parodied other games from that era as well as themselves.
With a campaign that lasts about 8 hours, the game is a little on the short side. But what was formerly seen as a serious drawback is now a pleasant experience that doesn’t drag on.
4. The Simpsons: Road Rage
Road Rage, one of the Simpsons’ first major 3D games, was influenced by Crazy Taxi on the Dreamcast. This game required the user to drive the Springfield residents to various locations. And also, it was the first time we got a glimpse of what a 3D Springfield may look like, though with certain limitations.
Characters from the Simpsons universe were available for players to select from, and the longer they played, the more characters and areas of the town they could unlock. Road Rage was lighter, allowing players to gain content as they went along and relying on the series’ charisma to make its point. Whereas Crazy Taxi was more about learning the unique tactics of arcade gameplay.
Even though it wasn’t extremely profound, it was nonetheless enjoyable, especially because of some great character exchanges. So Simpsons Hit & Run could, well, run. Simpsons Road Rage could be said to have walked.
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5. The Simpsons: Tapped Out
The Simpsons: Tapped Out, a game that uses the typical concepts of building towns from free-to-play games but with a Simpsons theme, is one of the most intriguing games for mobile devices. Players must recreate Springfield uniquely after Homer’s accident at the nuclear power plant erased the entire city off the map.
The Simpson’s characters can live there and do adventures to gain money and experience, allowing you to bring your own Springfield to life. The graphics are excellent and reflect the spirit of the animation. It’s an always-online game, but that’s typically not a problem. You can also visit your friends’ Springfields if you play with more people.
The other significant issue is that it also heavily utilizes free-to-play mechanisms, such as timers and subscription fees. On the other side, that’s probably why it’s still alive and continues to update with seasonal content.
6. The Simpsons Arcade Game
Most Simpsons games have annoying naming practices. The most needless confusion comes from its connection to arcade games. There is just one specific Simpsons arcade game that was released in the 1990s, although there are a ton of other games with the TV family under various names.
The Simpsons Arcade Game, which debuted on Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2012, received a respectable 69 out of 100. Although it’s a fairly straightforward beat ’em up, playing it on home hardware is a welcome change from spending hours inserting quarters into machines.
7. The Simpsons: Bart vs. The World
In the entertaining platformer Bart vs. The World, Bart traverses the globe and engages in combat with Mr. Burns’ relatives in various nations. Depending on the game version you purchased, each nation had a unique action stage and a few minigames where players could gain extra lives.
Similar issues to those of Bart vs. The Space Mutants plagued the NES version, including tedious gameplay primarily brought on by poor hit detection and controls that didn’t feel particularly responsible for a platformer. The Master System and Amiga versions of the game were both significantly superior to this one.
All of the issues from the NES and Master System versions are gone, and the gameplay is a lot better if you were fortunate enough to play Bart vs. The World on the Amiga. Even though not many people played it, the Simpsons game at the time was perhaps the finest.
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8. Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror
Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror, released in 2001 on the Game Boy Color, was a superior, more straightforward adventure. Oddly, fewer Halloween-themed Simpsons episodes have appeared in video games, given their popularity.
Each game’s horror story has each family member experience it, sometimes with varied gameplay. Marge had shoot’em up stages, Lisa had stealth ones, and Maggie had a soaring stage inspired by the movie “The Fly,” while Bart and Homer had the more substantial platformer gameplay.
Even while the game’s gameplay is generally simple run, jump, and shoot with the occasional scavenger hunt, it can sometimes be a touch slow. Large, intricate, colourful character sprites look lovely on the Game Boy Color screen.
9. Bart vs. The Space Mutants
Although the first Simpsons game wasn’t quite the linear platformer that the public would have anticipated, many gamers still hold it in high regard. Bart was the main character, and the game’s objective was to prevent an alien invasion by doing surprising things like getting rid of purple objects and taking off everyone’s hats, which was an unusual idea at the time.
While some things could be sprayed over, others required more of a puzzle-like approach, such as dropping sheets. When facing the level-ending bosses, if you had amassed all the letters in a family member’s name, as Maggie had in the first stage, you would have their assistance.
The game’s Genesis release fixed many of its issues a year after versions for the NES, Master System, and PC. Though it required odd button combinations to operate, it had more excellent graphics and buttons to deal with.
10. The Simpsons Skateboarding
The Simpsons Skateboarding is another utterly terrible game. With this unique twist on the Tony Hawk concept, Bart’s original sporting interest is highlighted. Unfortunately, it plays more like a cheap knockoff than a legitimate game in and of itself, much like many other subpar attempts at skateboarding games.
In light of this, it just manages to surpass The Simpsons Wrestling with a score of 38. Even though the source material is simpler to copy and enjoy, the game is still a failure, but it is a little bit more playable.
11. The Simpsons Wrestling
Some Simpsons games lack ratings on Metacritic because there aren’t any legitimate reviews for them. The Simpsons Wrestling, a really strange Playstation original game, is the lowest one with a specific number connected. The score for this game is a dismal 32. That comes as no surprise given the odd animations and difficult controls.
Despite the cartoon figures fighting across the boxing ring. It is very shallow and slow and not all that different from normal wrestling games in terms of style and control. It fits the bottom rung of the Simpsons brand because it is much more of an experience than a true video game.
12. The Simpsons: Bart’s Nightmare
In Bart’s Nightmare, one of the Simpsons franchise’s most bizarrely type games, the titular rebellious child must battle his way past odd foes like flying TVs and live post boxes.
Bart’s missing homework is spread throughout the game, which was created by Sculptured Software.
You’ll play a number of minigames, including one where you transform into Bartzilla and battle Homer Kong while navigating through perilous stages.
13. The Simpsons: Virtual Springfield
Similar to The Simpsons Cartoon Studio, it might be a stretch to refer to Virtual Springfield as a “game,” but it’s certainly a fantastic pleasure for any loyal Simpsons fan.
Users can explore a realistic virtual recreation of Springfield created by Digital Evolution. Interact with its residents, and enjoy their comedic voiceovers as they do so.
The game’s object is to gather as many character cards as possible, primarily as a pretext to parade you around the entire town. Additionally, there are a few mini-games that keep things interesting.
14. The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror
The bizarre Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons, which may be shockingly unpleasant, are among the audience’s favourites.
A good platformer from Software Creations features seven side-scrolling stages where players control various Simpsons family members.
The first few stages are incredibly original, even though the game can become a little repetitive later on.
Each of them almost has the sense of a standalone mini-game. And playing them all is a blast.
15. The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Space Mutants
The tough platformer Bart vs. The Space Mutants from Imagineering is unquestionably the best Simpsons game from the 8-bit era.
Following a mystery alien invasion of Springfield. It is up to Bart and his X-Ray glasses to spot the fakes and persuade the rest of the family to aid him in preventing the completion of the aliens’ “Ultimate Weapon.”
In addition to the difficult platforming, the bosses and mini-games were also quite enjoyable.
Given that this is the first Simpsons video game on a home console, the quality and level of enjoyment are astounding.
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16. Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge
Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge. The 7th season episode inspired this amusing little effort. “Marge Not Be Proud,” in which Bart is given this uninteresting game to play instead of the extremely violent Bonestorm since he is too young to play it.
You can play this highly complex prank in your browser for free with your Simpsons-obsessed buddies.
17. The Simpsons Cartoon Studio
Computer programs that blurred the distinction between games and technical software abounded in the mid-1990s.
One of these was The Simpsons Cartoon Studio by Fox Interactive. This allows users to make simple cartoons with voiceovers, music, sound effects, and backgrounds from their preferred animated sitcom.
For kids that had a lot of latent imagination, this was fantastic.
And if you can get it working, it’s an intriguing game to check out today.
18. The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Juggernauts
Backtracking a few years, we get Imagineering’s Bart vs. the Juggernauts, in which Bart is once more the main character.
In a parody of “American Gladiator,” he competes in some physical tests for money. These include a wrestling match in Moe’s Tavern and a maze through Apu’s Kwik-E-Mart.
The game’s charming sprites and clever gameplay will keep things entertaining throughout the campaign despite the technical constraints of this early portable platform.
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19. The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man
For almost 30 years, The Simpsons have been active in the gaming world.
Bartman Meets Radioactive Man, a video game created by Imagineering, follows Bart after Fallout Boy. Radioactive Man’s sidekick, summons him into the realm of comic books.
To save his heroic idol, Bartman will follow his instructions and navigate several platforming stages (including boss encounters).
20. The Simpsons Bowling
A 3-D trackball arcade game called The Simpsons Bowling incorporates Simpsons characters. Konami created and released this game, which went on sale on October 16, 2000. The Simpsons Arcade Game and this game will both be included in a 30th-anniversary edition home arcade cabinet that Arcade1Up will release in 2021.
The Springfield Nuclear Power Plant’s Sector 7G is shown in the game’s beginning, with a placard reading “Gone Bowling” on Homer’s chair as alarms blare informing of a core breach.
FAQs
The simple explanation is that they are simply too pricey. One of the most popular television series ever is The Simpsons.
The Simpsons Game lasts roughly 8 hours if you concentrate on the primary goals. If you’re a gamer that tries to complete every part of the game, it will probably take you about 16 and half hours.
The Simpsons Arcade Game, currently accessible for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, was created by Konami Digital Entertainment in collaboration with Gracie Films and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products.
Eight levels
The Bonus Game is a minigame that lets players compete against one another on various maps while playing with up to three friends.
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