Arcade games first appeared in 1971 with the release of Computer Space by Nutting Associates. Over the following decades, these games became much more sophisticated, letting players control diverse characters and vehicles in pursuit of high scores and world domination. From the 1980s through the 1990s, arcades were the most popular place to play games, and people spent billions of dollars in quarters on them. Here are ten arcade games that took in more quarters than any others.
10) Donkey Kong
When Donkey Kong came out, it was a groundbreaking game that helped define the platformer genre. It was a huge hit for Nintendo, rescuing the company from financial difficulties and launching the career of legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. By 1982, Nintendo had sold approximately 132,000 arcade cabinets, mostly in North America, generating around $280 million in revenue. That’s equivalent to about $942.4 million today—or over 235 million individual quarters! Nintendo didn’t stop there, though; Donkey Kong has grown into a multi-billion dollar franchise.
9) Mortal Kombat
It’s hard to overstate how influential Mortal Kombat was for video games. It helped shift the industry’s focus from games aimed at children to more mature entertainment. This sparked controversy with parents concerned about the violence, though the original game seems relatively mild by today’s standards. The uproar actually made the game even more popular, with kids flocking to arcades to try it out and perform finishing moves against their friends. While around 24,000 arcade cabinets were sold—fewer than Nintendo’s Donkey Kong—Mortal Kombat generated significantly more revenue, roughly $570 million. That equates to $1.03 billion when adjusted for inflation, or a staggering 257,276,264 quarters!
8) Mortal Kombat II
As expected, Mortal Kombat II, released in arcades in 1993, quickly became even more popular than the original game. Players flocked to the machines, spending countless quarters to keep playing. Like its predecessor, it sparked considerable controversy and left a lasting mark on popular culture. While some of the initial outrage had lessened, it still drew criticism from parent groups and politicians. Despite this, Mortal Kombat II proved to be a massive financial success, selling over 3,000 more arcade cabinets than the first game and earning Midway an additional $600 million by 2002 – equivalent to $1.08 billion, or a staggering 270,817,120 quarters!
7) Asteroids
Though it seems basic today, Asteroids was a huge success when it came out in 1979. It was one of the first arcade games sold as a stand-up cabinet and stayed popular for over a decade, well into the early 1990s. Asteroids also inspired many games that followed, and Atari sold around 100,000 units in both standard and cocktail versions. By 1991, the game had earned Atari an estimated $800 million – which is equivalent to $1.9 billion today, or a staggering 476 million quarters!
6) Defender
Released in 1981, Defender was a smash hit during the early days of scrolling shooter games. It quickly became a staple in arcades, drawing players in and emptying their pockets. As one of the most significant games from the Golden Age of Arcade Games, Defender sold over 60,000 units, making it Williams Electronics’ top-selling game and a major source of revenue. Arcades continued to feature Defender for years, generating an incredible $1 billion in sales for Williams by 1993. That’s equivalent to $2.25 billion today (in 2025), which translates to roughly 562 million quarters!
5) NBA Jam
Released in 1993, NBA Jam revolutionized the sports gaming world. While many basketball games existed before it, NBA Jam stood out with its dramatically improved graphics, controls, and sound. It made basketball games incredibly popular, inspiring a wave of similar titles and leaving a lasting impact on the gaming industry. The game was so addictive that arcades often had lines of players waiting for their turn. Within just one year, Midway sold approximately 20,000 arcade cabinets, earning an estimated $1.1 billion (equivalent to $2.4 billion today, or over 602 million quarters!).
4) Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man started as a way to update existing Pac-Man arcade games, and the two games share a lot of similarities. Released in 1982, two years after the original, Ms. Pac-Man included several technical improvements that made it more difficult – and players enjoyed the added challenge. Although often thought of as a game for girls, it was incredibly popular with boys and men too. Ms. Pac-Man is considered a landmark game from that time, with Bally Midway selling over 125,000 machines. By 1987, this generated an amazing $1.2 billion (equivalent to $3.43 billion today), which translates to a staggering 857,746,478 quarters played!
3) Street Fighter II: Champion Edition
It’s hard to overstate how influential Street Fighter II: Champion Edition was when it came out in 1992. It really laid the foundation for modern fighting games, offering a more balanced experience with four powerful playable characters and many features that are standard in the genre today. This game was a huge hit in the 90s, sparking worldwide tournaments where players competed to become the best. By 1995, Capcom had sold approximately 140,000 arcade cabinets, generating around $2.3 billion in revenue – which translates to over $4.9 billion today, or a staggering 1.2 billion quarters!
2) Space Invaders
Released in 1978, Space Invaders is a true arcade classic and one of the oldest games on this list. It’s known for its simple but challenging gameplay: players shoot at descending aliens that speed up as they approach the bottom of the screen. This game essentially created the entire genre of fixed shooters – many games like Galaga wouldn’t exist without it. Space Invaders remains popular almost 50 years later, and by 1982, Taito had sold around 360,000 arcade cabinets, earning approximately $2.7 billion (which is about $9.09 billion today, or 2.27 billion quarters!).
1) Pac-Man
As a huge arcade fan, it’s no surprise to me that Pac-Man is the highest-grossing coin-op game of all time! When Namco released it back in 1980, it was an instant sensation. It wasn’t just the game itself that took off, though – it led to sequels, a cartoon show, even its own breakfast cereal! They estimate around 400,000 Pac-Man arcade cabinets were sold, which earned Namco about $3.5 billion. When you adjust for inflation and bring it up to 2025 dollars, that number jumps to a whopping $10.57 billion! Can you believe people pumped in over 2.6 billion quarters to play? That’s a lot of coins – if you weighed them all, they’d come out to over 16,500 tons! Seriously, that’s mind-blowing.
Ever spend a bunch of quarters playing these arcade games? Share your memories in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!
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2026-01-04 18:43