No matter what backward compatibly awaits gamers for the Xbox Series X or the PS5, companies will still remake games until the end of time. The following ten entries specifically looks at remakes. These are re-releases that changed things up, more so than just launching a game on a new platform.
RELATED:Games We Hope Have Remakes Announced In 2020
The changes made to these games need to be significant and usually accompany graphical overhauls as the big improvements. Most of these entries have three versions, which does not seem like a lot, but others have been around long enough to have even more. Given that video games have not been around that long, at least in the home market, it starts to add up.
Updated on July 10, 2025, by Kristy Ambrose:With the nostalgia train running at full speed as yet another decade draws to a close, there’s room for more on our most-remade games list. Sometimes games go through a revamp for localization purposes or fans put their own stamp on a game that’s universally known and loved. It’s not just a popular and profitable marketing trend, either. As the line between platforms, emulators, and backward compatibility continues to blur, a few more titles appear in the library of remade video games.
12Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.launched with an unspecified date for the NES in North America. Some sources point to 1985, the same year as the Famicom released in Japan, as a launch title for the system, but that isn’t important.
The next big re-release wasSuper Mario All-Starsin 1993 for the Super Nintendo. This game, along with other Mario titles, was redone with 16-Bit graphics. The final re-release wasSuper Mario Bros. Deluxein 1999 for the Game Boy Color. The biggest change was the addition of a world map as well as some more graphical tweaks.
11Mega Man
The firstMega Manwas released in 1987 for the NES. Similar toSuper Mario All-Stars, this would also get a 16-Bit remake collection,Mega Man: The Wily Wars, but on the Sega Genesis.
It launched as a digital exclusive in North America on the Sega Channel but would receive a physical release everywhere else.
The final re-release wasMega Man Powered Upin 2006 for the PSP. It not only completely retooled the graphics but made it more kid-friendly along with adding new bosses. It included the first three games.
10Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
The firstFire Emblemgame was launched in 1990 for the Famicom in Japan.Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblemnot only redid the graphics in 16-Bit, but it expanded upon the story as well. This too was a Japanese exclusive in 1994 for the Super Famicom.
The final re-release was the first time it would be made available in North America.Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragonwas released in 2008 for the DS and like the second game, it also expanded upon the story besides adding some mechanical tweaks.
9Doom
Doomwasn’t just a great game. It started a whole generation of FPS shooters and brought the horror genre into the video game world in a sick and twisted way that every gamer had to love. It was by no means a sophisticated game, and that was part of its charm.
TheDoomfranchise has a long history that starts in 1993. It was one of the first games to get hyped and downloaded over the internet, which is one of the reasons that players were able to develop their own unique WADs for the game in later years. This could change the internal data of the game to make the NPCs look different or to change the setting. Those could also be remakes of a sort, and if fan-remakes countedDoomwould easily be the most remade game in history.
The first remake of the originalDoomwasDoom 64, developed by Midway Games under the close supervision of id Software, which was distracted by the popularQuakeseries at the time.Doom 3, which was released in 2004, was intended to be a remake of the original game despite the title. The rebooted series that started with the simply titledDoomin 2014 used a lot of the classic glory-kill feel along with a multiplayer mode. What’s the gory cherry on this bloody cake? The latest remake of this game is a version ofDoom 64and it’s intended for VR consoles.
8Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy wasreleased in 1990 for the NES, three years after the initial Japanese release. Square Enix infamously loves toremakeits games. This game in particular might be the most re-released game of all time. Every re-release added something to the original from graphical improvements to new dungeons.
RELATED:Game Boy Games That Deserve A Remake
Of said many versions, there are two that stand out that most other versions are based on. The first major update was for the WonderSwan Color in 2000. As that was a Japanese exclusive handheld, Western fans would soon know the glories of the remake for the PS1 version in 2003 viaFinal Fantasy Origins. This is also the first time players would get their hands on the realFinal Fantasy II. The final release we will cover is the PSP remake in 2007.
7Dragon Quest
Dragon Questlaunched in 1986 for the Famicom before its release on the NES in 1989 under the name ofDragon Warriorinstead. The first big re-release was a collection made for the Super Famicom in 1993,Dragon Quest I + II, which redid the graphics as well as add several changes to both games. This was in Japan only.
These two games were also collected for the Game Boy Color in 2000 in North America. LikeSuper Mario Bros. Deluxe, they are kind of like re-makes, but also added a lot to the games. There were many ports after this, but these two collections were the biggest upgrades.
6Seiken Densetsu
Seiken Densetsu, orFinal Fantasy Adventure, was released in 1991 for the Game Boy. This was the start of theManaseries as it is known in the West. The first remake wasSword of Manafor the GBA in 2003. Besides the graphics, the biggest change was adding a female protagonist which could be selected at the start of the game.
The next remake was released for PS Vita and mobile devices in 2016.Adventures of Manawas a 3D remake that adhered more to the original game and took out the other protagonist fromSword of Mana.
5Castlevania
This franchise is one of the longest in video game history, reaching all the way back into the dawn of video game time in the 1980s.Castlevania’s earliest incarnations were intended for a local audience and had to be remade to be marketed to an international audience.
Castlevaniawas first released in 1986 exclusively in Japan, and the version that was released in North America a year later had gone through some changes, the most obvious being the title. In Japan, it was calledDemon Castle Dracula, and the North American version was missing any voice interaction options since the North American controllers didn’t have mics as the Famicom ones did. Every single title in the franchise has gone through a similar process and the timeline makes theFinal Fantasyseries, which somehow defies the laws of physics, look perfectly normal.
Castlevaniawas ported to several different consoles over the next few decades, and the game often used the same storyline, characters, or setting as the original. Today there are 25 titles in the original series alone, not including theLords of Shadowreboots or the spinoff games, with several being remakes or reboots of the original. Side-scrolling games still get a lot of love for the sake of nostalgia, but modern remakes of the game often include 3D animationand role-playing game features.
4Pokemon Red/Blue
Pokemon Red/Bluelaunched in 1998 for the Game Boy. This was two years after the Japanese launch ofPokemon Red/Green. Technically PokémonYellowcould be considered a remake, but let’s go to the GBA remakes instead:Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen.
Besides the graphical overhaul, it allowed Pokémon from the third generation to be imported. It would be years before this was remade again, but 2018’s Switch release ofPokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!Do count. Yes, it is more of a remake specifically toPokemon Yellow, but again, that in itself is a remake technically.
3Resident Evil
Resident Evilwas released in 1996 for the PS1. While it received many ports over the years with varying degrees of enhancements, the biggest actual remake was the GameCube version in 2002. For years this was often cited as being the quintessential blueprint on how to remake a game.
RELATED:Things Final Fantasy Does Better Than Kingdom Hearts (And 5 KH Does Better)
The graphical overhaul was impressive for the GameCube to say the least besides changing nearly every mechanic of the game. After that there was a remake of sorts on the DS, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, and was closer to the original with added touch functionality as the big get. There was a de-make of sorts for the Game Boy Color, but it was canceled. A playable prototype still exists online though.
