Here Are The 18 Best Yu-Gi-Oh! Video Games - The first knowledge sharing application in Vietnam

The Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise has accumulated an assortment of video games under its belt, and here is a look at the best of the lot.

Konami has made no shortage of Yu-Gi-Oh! games over the last two decades. In fact, it seemed like the only franchise it cared to make video games about until Silent Hill recently came back. Though the game has gone through countless changes to the way it’s played, Konami has been there every step of the way to give players as many Yu-Gi-Oh! games as anyone might ever want.

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But what are the very best Yu-Gi-Oh! games, both including the built-in nostalgia fans have for the older titles as well as which ones are the most fun to play these days? Here’s a look at Yu-Gi-Oh! games that most fans would agree were must-plays, either now or on release.

Updated December 10, 2022 by Dominic Allen:There are so many Yu-Gi-Oh video games that there were definitely more than 15 greatest among them. This year alone brought Master Duel, the definitive official Yu-Gi-Oh TCG simulator. Most Yu-Gi-Oh titles are focused on the card game, but some early on have different rules, and some offer completely different games to play. What’s cool about a lot of these games is that they’re a time capsule of the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG at the time of release. By playing them, you get a sense you’re playing a completely unique experience to the modern-day TCG. Cards that have been banned for years, or cards that have been neutered by erratas, can be played in their original glory through these games.

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Yu-Gi-Oh! Power Of Chaos Trilogy

If you were growing up in the early 2000s, the Yu-Gi-Oh game you played on PC was likely one of the Power of Chaos titles. These three Yu-Gi-Oh games are very interchangeable, but each has a unique character. What makes these titles stand out is the heavy amount of voice acting. Dan Green as Yugi, Eric Stuart as Kaiba, and Wayne Grayson as Joey have so many lines that it’s enjoyable to play just to hear what’s new.

Even the duel fields match the characters. Yugi’s field has an Egyptian motif, Kaiba’s is tech-based, and Joey has a street look. These games are quite fun to play but can get old due to the small card pool. After you’ve heard everything from the characters, you’ll feel like you’re essentially done, but it’s still fun while it lasts.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Decade Duels (Xbox Live Arcade Game)

In the whole lineup of Yu-Gi-Oh games, there is a clear evolution. You can trace Master Duel all the way to Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds Decade Duels, the series’ first downloadable game for Xbox 360 and later PS3. The game offers a campaign in the style of a tournament, with each match being a best of three. The opponents have wild decks, but that’s a part of the fun. It feels great to conquer these overpowered decks.

Even when the game launched, the card pool and banlist were outdated. Cards like Royal Oppression and Dark Strike Fighter, which were already banned, are playable. You won’t know just how broken Royal Oppression is until you’ve used it for yourself. This Yu-Gi-Oh game is a fun time capsule of what the TCG was around 2009 and offers a unique experience.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds World Championship 2011: Over The Nexus

The final game in the “World Championship” lineage, Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds World Championship 2011: Over The Nexus somewhat adapts the storyline World Racing Grand Prix arc of the anime but also tells an original story prior to that to build your own character.

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The game is loaded with cards for players to collect, and the Speed Duels introduced in earlier titles never played better than here. For Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds fans, this game is the one to play.

Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2005

The swan song of the original Yu-Gi-Oh anime games on the Game Boy Advance, Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2005 plays a bit clunkier than later titles in its card battling and deck-building, but it makes up for that with charm. Players take control of a custom character who is looking to become the King Of Games by winning in major tournaments.

Players can explore an overworld populated with all their favorite characters from the anime and buy cards from Grandpa Muto’s game shop. Little touches like Joey challenging you to a duel of Time Wizards and Kaiba trying to stump you with duel puzzles go a long way in making this Yu-Gi-Oh game one of the best.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Duel Academy

If you ever watched Yu-Gi-Oh GX and wished you could enroll in the school, Yu-Gi-Oh GX: Duel Academy is the game for you. This GBA title puts players in the role of a new student at Seto Kaiba’s Duel Academy making their way through the ranks of Slifer Red, Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue.

The game truly immerses players in the setting by answering quizzes, climbing up the dorm ranks, and even playing through some storylines of the anime. Its card pool isn’t as deep as other Yu-Gi-Oh games, but it makes up for it with a unique premise.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Monsters

Yu-Gi-Oh video games have experimented with several spin-offs in their history, but few did it better than Dungeon Dice Monsters.

Taking familiar monsters like Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes White Dragon but making dice their home instead of cards, Dungeon Dice Monsters is a fun side game based on the game created by Duke Devlin in the anime. The title isn’t too deep on features and the A.I isn’t spectacular, but this is a solid change of pace from the Yu-Gi-Oh card game.

Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008

As the final game on the Nintendo DS to focus on Yu-Gi-Oh GX, Yu-Gi-Oh World Championship 2008 had to go out on a high note, and thankfully it does.

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For those looking for just a simulator of the card game, this is your best bet as its interface is among the smoothest in the franchise and has the biggest card pool of any game prior to Synchro Summoning being introduced. If you’re here for the story and nods to the anime, this has all you could want. With tag duels, anime opponents from GX and the original series being unlockable and a story mode that sees you going up against Duel Spirits.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway To The Destined Duel

A game released during the early days of Yu-Gi-Oh, Worldwide Edition took everyone through a trip of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime.

Players could travel through Battle City, running into different challengers both from the anime and random other opponents. After defeating a number of Ghouls, the player has to run the gauntlet in a pyramid to earn the opportunity to defeat Marik.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories

This game is fun purely for the fact that at the time we barely knew what the rules of Yu-Gi-Oh were, so this title didn’t follow any of those rules at all. There were a mess of different rules instead, like the player losing their trap cards if they aren’t used during their opponent’s turn, and only being able to have five cards in the hand at the start of the turn.

Though it worked off some of the wackiest rules, it’s still an incredibly fun game for anyone who was around to play back then. DDS is also notable for the incredibly expensive promo cards that originally came with it. You could have either two sets of cards, one of which had a Secret Rare Exodia, Dark Magician, and Blue-Eyes. Sealed copies of this version can go over $1,000.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monster Coliseum

Releasing for the PS2 in 2004, Capsule Monster Coliseum allowed Yu-Gi-Oh! to become a bit more experimental. The game played a bit more like chess than actual Yu-Gi-Oh, and the goal was to destroy all of an opponent’s monsters or make it, so their symbol was destroyed.

The game put players in the position of Yugi as he entered a tournament for Capsule Monsters, which allowed him to battle against his friends and former opponents from the anime until he finally battled against the Millennium Item holders, including rival Seto Kaiba.

Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007

After so many years on the GameBoy Advance, World Championship 2007 finally allowed players to take the next step in dueling. This game gave players access to the new protagonist of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series, Jaden.

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This game made it possible to duel online via Wi-Fi, and even allowed players to edit the look of their characters. Featuring leaderboards and the ability to voice chat before the duel started, this Yu-Gi-Oh game felt like the future of dueling.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist Of The Roses

A PlayStation 2 game that released in 2003, this title took the Yu-Gi-Oh! series in a completely different direction. Yami Yugi became the head of the Tudor dynasty, going at it with his rival Seto Kaiba who became Christian Rosenkreuz.

The player was meant to duel on either the side of the Yorks or the Lancasters, and had its own unique dueling mechanics because the rules weren’t enshrined like they are now.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories

Forbidden Memories wasn’t a good Yu-Gi-Oh! game. We love it because of its nostalgia, but they kind of threw some rules together for the title. The game had no concept of Tribute Summoning, and no such thing as Effect monsters.

Even Polymerization wasn’t a thing yet, which is fascinating because fusions made up some of the most powerful cards in the game. What was fun about it though is the player got to be transported back to ancient Egypt to duel all of Atem’s old opponents.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Tag Force 5

Tag Force 5 was the last version of Tag Force that was available in the States in English. By this point, the Tag Force games had taken the place of the World Championship titles in terms of sleek interface and interaction.

These games were able to do solo duels or tag duels either online or in person, and incorporated cards all the way up to the end of the synchro era. This is probably the purest Yu-Gi-Oh! game available on the PlayStation Portable.

Yu Gi Oh Duel Links screenshot

Whether long time fans like it or not, Duel Links is one of the most popular Yu-Gi-Oh games ever released. It’s been worked on for the last five years, and at this point has content all the way up to the Link era.

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The rules have been significantly changed to slow the game down and make it easier to understand, and thus far over one hundred million people have tried the game. If nothing else, it provides a great way for people to enjoy Yu-Gi-Oh without spending too much money.

EDOPRO

This fan version of the Yu-Gi-Oh! game is easily the absolute best in the series. Every card is available for players completely free, allowing them to test decks without spending hundreds on expensive cards.

At the same time, it allows for a wide variety of versus modes, including using custom banlists, custom cards, and the ability to face actual players online. Everything is automated, which means players will have to study rulings themselves, but this is easily the best version of Yu-Gi-Oh available.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy Of The Duelist – Link Evolution

This is the legal way to play the game as it actually exists in the TCG these days. Link Evolution is an upgrade to Legacy of the Duelist, adding cards from the Link Era of Yu-Gi-Oh! and the new Master Rules which alter the way Pendulum monsters can be summoned.

This game is about as packed with content as possible, with the ability to battle against the major character of all the series from Yu-Gi-Oh! up until Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS. The only reason not to get it is if players already purchased Legacy of the Duelist when it released, as this game is only an update of that.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

In 2022 was when a full-on official Yu-Gi-Oh TCG simulator was released. Master Duel is the most refined game yet in terms of simulation. It’s one of the best-looking card video games around with 4K visuals. It is a free-to-play game, but if you’re only looking to play one deck, you can probably craft it with the available resources the title gives out for free early on.

The banlist is strangely a combination of both the TCG and OCG banlists. This could be frustrating for some who just want to play the format they know, but it also allows you to play cards banned normally, like Maxx C. While the title is slow to catch up to the TCG, it’s still the best official Yu-Gi-Oh game to play right now.

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