The Nintendo 64 is beloved for its heavy hitting 1st party games. Some gamers even hold games developed by the studio Rare in higher regards than the first party games. With that said, I feel like the 3rd party games do not get enough love. Here’s my top 5 N64 third party games.

Megaman 64

Megaman 64 is one of my favorites on the console in general. The adventure is massive. The art is charming. The music is fantastic. The upgrades are cool. The boss battles are epic. This game is hard. I could not beat it as a kid. As an adult I did need a guide as the boss battles as brutal.

Megaman 64 is a dungeon crawling, open world, RPG, action adventure game. The game takes place on the island of Kattelox. There are several sub cities, dungeons to explore and plenty of cool NPCs to interact with. The controls and camera can be a little clunky looking back, but growing up with the N64 means I was fine with it. If you get over that, you’ll find a very addicting and charming game with music that gets stuck in your head for days to come.

Toy Story 2

Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong 64, and Banjo Kazooie get all the 3D Platforming love, but I think Toy Story 2 is just as good.

The game follows the movie’s plot. Al steals Woody. Buzz is thrusted in the adventure to save him. The game follows all the great set piece of the movies as well. You’ll start in Andy’s room but you’ll explore the surrounding neighborhood, the Toy Barn itself, and even the air port. Buzz will need to collect Pizza Planet tokens to explore further.

A lot of the cast of toys make appearances as well. They all need help and offer Buzz something in return. Bo Peep has lost her sheep and will give Buzz a Pizza Planet Credit if he finds them. Slinky Dog needs Buzz to complete his challenges. In return, he will give Buzz a credit. Hamm requires Buzz to collect 50 coins in exchange for a Pizza Planet Credit. Mr. Potatoe Head is where it gets interesting. On several levels, he has lost a body part. If Buzz returns the missing part, Mr. Potatoe Head gives him a Space Ranger upgrade. These include varies power ups like a shield and a grappling hook.

This is one of my favorite 3D platformers on the N64 . It is a great game for platformer fans and Toy Story fans alike.

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon is arguably a top 5 N64 game for me. Its an awesome display of Japanese culture and wonderful game play. Gorgeous set pieces, energetic music, and a cast of playable characters make this an unforgettable experience.

Unfortunately, I did not play this one as a kid. As an adult, I did hear good things about it. Honestly, it lived up to the hype. Its an open world adventure game with dungeons that give it that Zelda vibe. There are several cool platforming sections that seem reminiscent of Mario 64. It even has character swapping like Donkey Kong 64 [though not nearly as intense].

It was so rare for 2D games to make successful leaps into the 3D space, but Goemon really knocked it out of the park. I cannot recommend this game enough. Go check it out if you haven’t.

Chameleon Twist

Sunsoft made a real gem here. Chameleon Twist is a unique experience in the Nintendo 64’s library. I love the platformers of this era, and while Chameleon Twist isnt my favorite, but it stands out. Its got that Sunsoft charm. The soundtrack is great, the character models are cute, and the levels take advantage of the games tongue gimmick.

I am not great at the tongue mechanic, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it. With that in mind, this game can be a real example of easy to learn but hard to master. If you love 3D Platformers like me and want something different, try this one out.

The Bomberman Games

Take your pick. Hudson Soft was a roll with the N64. They made the first three Mario Party games. When it came time to bring their baby, Bomberman, over to the Nintendo 64, they knocked it out of the park. Bomberman was lucky enough to get 3 entries on the N64 in the states.

And honestly, they’re all solid. Bomberman 64 is the one I remember the least [its been the longest since I played it.] But Bomberman Hero and 2nd Attack were great adventures. These games have some of my favorite levels on the console.  If you’re looking for a fun adventure, grab any of the Bomberman games you can get your hands on.

These my recommendations for best 3rd party games. Resident Evil 2, Rayman Legends 2, Turok,  and the Star Wars games all get honorable mentions from me.

What are your favorite 3rd party games on the N64? Let me know below. Thank you for reading. Have a great day.