# The 19 Best Data East Arcade Games

> Coin-op brawlers, maze chases, run-and-guns and a cult disc-throwing duel, all from one Tokyo studio that rarely played it safe.

*By YPB Team · Published October 29, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-19-best-data-east-arcade-games*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **BurgerTime** — score 1000/1000
   The 1982 maze game where chef Peter Pepper walks over giant burger ingredients while dodging sausages and eggs.
2. **Bad Dudes vs. DragonNinja** — score 943/1000
   The 1988 beat 'em up that sent two street fighters to rescue President Ronnie from ninjas.
3. **Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja** — score 800/1000
   The 1991 prehistoric platformer in which two club-wielding cavemen fight dinosaurs to rescue their tribe's women.
4. **Chelnov** — score 771/1000
   A 1988 auto-scrolling platformer about an atomic runner, known in the West as Atomic Runner.
5. **Windjammers** — score 771/1000
   The 1994 flying-disc sports game whose fast duels made it a cult favourite and later got a sequel.
6. **Fighter's History** — score 692/1000
   Data East's 1993 one-on-one fighting game with weak-point mechanics.
7. **Lock 'n' Chase** — score 692/1000
   A 1981 maze game in which a thief grabs coins and locks doors behind him to trap the police.
8. **Heavy Barrel** — score 600/1000
   A 1987 top-down run-and-gun in which players assemble the pieces of a super weapon.
9. **Sly Spy** — score 600/1000
   A 1989 James Bond-style action game that mixed skydiving, swimming and motorcycle stages.
10. **Tumblepop** — score 600/1000
   A 1991 single-screen action game in which ghostbusting kids suck up monsters with a vacuum.
11. **Two Crude** — score 491/1000
   The 1990 brawler, called Crude Buster in Japan, where two muscle-bound heroes throw cars and enemies around.
12. **Night Slashers** — score 491/1000
   A 1993 horror beat 'em up where three monster hunters fight zombies and vampires.
13. **Gate of Doom** — score 491/1000
   A 1990 fantasy beat 'em up seen from an angled view, with four heroes against a dark sorcerer.
14. **Wolf Fang** — score 360/1000
   A 1991 mech shooter, also known as Rohga, where players build their robot's weapons and legs.
15. **Midnight Resistance** — score 360/1000
   A 1989 run-and-gun with rotary aiming and keys collected to buy weapons between stages.
16. **Karate Champ** — score 360/1000
   The 1984 martial arts game with twin joysticks that helped define the one-on-one fighting genre.
17. **Captain America and the Avengers** — score 360/1000
   The 1991 Marvel beat 'em up with Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye and Vision against the Red Skull.
18. **RoboCop** — score 0/1000
   Data East's 1988 arcade adaptation of the film, a side-scrolling shooter through Detroit's streets.
19. **Karnov** — score 0/1000
   The 1987 side-scroller starring a fire-breathing Russian strongman who later became a Data East mascot.

Tags: games, 80s, 90s, retro, arcade, data east