50 FORGOTTEN Arcade Games 80s Kids Remember (And Why They Disappeared)

Remember blowing a pocket full of quarters on a cabinet you can't even name anymore? These are 50 forgotten arcade games 80s kids remember — and the real reason they vanished. Before the NES took over the living room, the arcade WAS gaming. This countdown digs up 50 forgotten arcade games 80s kids remember but almost never talk about — the quarter-munchers that lived in mall arcades, pizza places, and the corner of every 7-Eleven, then quietly disappeared. We're not just naming cabinets. For each one we get into what actually happened: why so many of these games faded while Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Galaga became legends. You'll see where the 1983 video game crash thinned the herd, how the rise of home consoles pulled kids off the quarter habit, and why the slow death of the shopping mall took thousands of arcades down with it. Expect deep cuts alongside the almost-remembered — the Choplifters, Q*berts, Xevious, Solomon's Keys, and Spy Hunters that deserve a second look. Good news for the nostalgic: a lot of these forgotten arcade games are playable again today, from the Internet Archive's browser-based Internet Arcade to modern re-releases. Stick around to the end for where to find them. Which one did YOU pour your allowance into? Drop it in the comments — there's a decent chance it's on the list. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:23 #50 Kick 01:33 #49 Lady Bug 02:38 #48 Venture 03:44 #47 Wizard of Wor 04:48 #46 Mappy 05:50 #45 Pengo 06:53 #44 Kangaroo 07:53 #43 Tutankham 08:57 #42 Time Pilot 09:54 #41 Gyruss 10:50 #40 Mad Planets 11:49 #39 Satan's Hollow 12:42 #38 Toobin 13:38 #37 Xybots 14:32 #36 Quantum 15:28 #35 Liberator 16:27 #34 Black Widow 17:21 #33 Gravitar 18:14 #32 Krull 19:11 #31 Cloak and Dagger 20:20 #30 Elevator Action 21:23 #29 Moon Patrol 22:19 #28 Mister Do 23:20 #27 Crossbow 24:15 #26 Quarter Horse 25:12 #25 Astron Belt 26:09 #24 Mach Three 27:05 #23 Cube Quest 28:00 #22 Space Ace 28:57 #21 Firefox 29:48 #20 Food Fight 30:42 #19 Crystal Castles 31:38 #18 Marble Madness 32:39 #17 Jungle King 33:37 #16 Qix 34:37 #15 The Empire Strikes Back 35:32 #14 Major Havoc 36:27 #13 Blaster 37:27 #12 Sinistar 38:22 #11 Gorf 39:20 #10 Zaxxon 40:21 #9 Cliff Hanger 41:19 #8 Journey 42:15 #7 Track and Field 43:12 #6 Tapper 44:11 #5 Star Wars 45:12 #4 Tron 46:06 #3 Discs of Tron 47:09 #2 I Robot 48:16 #1 Dragon's Lair 49:45 Myth #1: Q-bert Was Swearing 50:37 Myth #2: Berzerk Killed Its Players 51:45 Myth #3: Polybius 52:48 Final Thoughts 👇 TELL US Subscribe for more retro deep dives every week — this channel is built for people who grew up with a pocket full of quarters. Comment the forgotten game that just unlocked a core memory. 🔗 LINKS ▶ Watch next — 10 Arcade Games Built To Steal Your Money:   • 10 Arcade Games Built To STEAL Your Money   #ArcadeGames #RetroGaming #80sNostalgia Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 Allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. All video clips, images, and music used in this video belong to their respective owners.