3 Power Rangers Games That Are 10/10 Masterpieces

The Power Rangers franchise has seen numerous video game adaptations over the years from a variety of different genres, from traditional beat-em-ups to combat racing games like Power Rangers Zeo: Battle Racers for the SNES to Dinozords classics like Power Rangers Dino Thunder and beyond. That said, not very many of these games have been what we'd classify as "masterpieces" by any stretch of the imagination.

In what may be one of modern gaming’s biggest missed opportunities, the Power Rangers IP has still never been adapted into a proper RPG. Fans have spent decades imagining a full-scale 3D action RPG that captures the complete Ranger fantasy, i.e., building a team, morphing in battle, upgrading weapons and abilities, piloting Zords, and eventually combining them into a Megazord.

That said, while they may not be the ideal Power Rangers experience fans have been dreaming of, there are some absolute must-play games across the franchise with 10/10 gameplay that captures the nostalgia and excitement fans are looking for.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (SNES)

Natsume — 1995

For a Power Rangers-obsessed kid in 1995, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie on SNES was the definitive Power Rangers experience. Natsume’s side-scrolling beat-'em-up let two players fight through Angel Grove as all six Rangers, starting each stage unmorphed before filling a meter and triggering an elaborate transformation sequence.

It did a great job at capturing the rhythm and vibe of the TV show, which arguably is still the high point of comparison for most of us in terms of peak Power Rangers. Released at the absolute height of the "Mighty Morphin mania" period, its colorful animations, Putty Patrollers, signature weapons, and Ivan Ooze made it pure '90s gold.

That said, critics may not have felt the same way when it first released. It was criticized heavily for having repetitive combat and limited move-sets, and for being an obvious cash grab based on the film's success. Over time, nostalgia has made it an unskippable entry in the franchise's catalog of game adaptations. Fans on social media now single it out as one of the best Power Rangers games of its era.

Unfortunately, SNES' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie has not received an official modern re-release, so playing it (legally) today means dusting off the old hardware and cartridge, and while it is not currently part of Nintendo’s Switch Online SNES catalog, that could definitely change in the future.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind

Digital Eclipse — 2024

Released just two years ago now in 2024, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind was developed and published by retro specialist Digital Eclipse as part of Hasbro’s Retro Arcade initiative. The project was deliberately conceived as the kind of Power Rangers arcade game that could have existed during the franchise’s 1990s peak.

Rita's Rewind is a colorful side-scrolling beat-'em-up, but with vehicle chases, shooting sequences, and Megazord battles that break up the Putty-punching action in a relatively satisfying gameplay loop. The pixel art, original MMPR crew, familiar villains, head-banging theme-song riffs, and classic arcade feel make it an unapologetic nostalgia trip for anyone raised on Mighty Morphin.

The game suffered a rough launch, with online multiplayer being limited or unavailable on some platforms, while combat balance and certain gameplay elements drew major criticism among players. However, Digital Eclipse quickly responded with patches and later updates that refined combat and expanded the game's features substantially.

Despite those rough edges, Rita’s Rewind remains one of the top Power Rangers games out there, with some reviewers even calling it the best they've ever played (via Nintendo Life).

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid

nWay — 2019

2019's Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is a top-tier fighting game developed and published by nWay that, rather than settling for a simple license cash grab, delivers a surprisingly technical 3v3 tag-team fighter experience inspired by games like Marvel vs. Capcom. The game features assists, character switching, lengthy combos, and a roster spanning multiple generations of Rangers and villains, not just tapping into the MMPR 90s nostalgia for cheap likes.

Technically speaking, it arguably remains the franchise’s most ambitious competitive game to date. Its rollback-style online experience and eventual full cross-play across PlayStation, XBOX, Switch, and PC were somewhat groundbreaking, with nWay calling it the first fighting game to achieve that level of cross-platform support.

Sadly, Battle for the Grid may have alienated a large portion of its audience with its seasonal content model, with the initial roster being extremely small and numerous desirable characters only becoming available through paid season passes. Still, the game's various content updates over the years have made Battle for the Grid one of the most highly regarded Power Rangers games ever made, particularly among fighting-game fans.