Considering the Terminator movies are about time-traveling killer robots and a scrappy human Resistance battling against a rogue AI in a nuclear post-apocalypse, you'd think making a great Terminator video game would be a slam dunk.
It's about as video-gamey a premise as you could ask for, and yet most of the cybernetic organism's gaming exploits have been disgraceful. Fortunately, not all of them are a disaster, and to prove it, we've put together a list of five Terminator games that are actually good.
Maybe it shouldn't be a huge surprise that most Terminator games suck, given that — if we're honest — most of the Terminator movies suck these days too. But plenty of movie franchises have nose-dived into mediocrity while still kicking out great games. If Star Wars can give us The Rise of Skywalker and Jedi: Fallen Order in the same year, the T-800 should be able to manage to replicate that success.
In the meantime, there have been some gaming wins in the distant and recent past. So, come with us if you want to… learn more about them as we look at five Terminator games that are actually good
5. RoboCop vs. The Terminator
Release date: December 12, 1993 | Platforms: SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis/Game Gear/Master System, Super NES, Game Boy | Developer: Virgin Games USA, Interplay Team Rivet
RoboCop vs. The Terminator was no Contra, but as far as early 1990s run-and-gun games for home consoles went, it was a pleasant surprise.
More than 30 years later, we'd still recommend Terminator fans play through it at least once, assuming you have the retro hardware to play it on. Compared to most movie tie-in games of the era, it's shockingly well-made, offering stylish visuals and slick gameplay. It's also a breezy affair that should only keep veteran gamers occupied for a couple of hours.
Though Virgin Games originally planned to adapt the comic book series of the same name, they weren't allowed to use its specific plot elements. Regardless, the premise — which serves as the excuse to pit RoboCop against hordes of Terminators — is more complex than you'd expect. No spoilers, but that final stretch is quite creative and sets a different stage for the final confrontation between Detroit's finest and Skynet's legions.
There are actually quite a few differences between the SNES and Sega Genesis* versions of the game, but we're big fans of the latter, which is generally considered to be the better gameplay experience.
*thankfully not spelled weirdly here, take notes, Terminator Genisys.
4. SkyNET
Release date: November 16, 1996 | Platforms: MS-DOS | Developer: Bethesda Softworks, MediaTech West
Yeah, you read that right; Bethesda Softworks. The developer behind The Elder Scrolls and the modern Fallout games actually worked on several Terminator adaptations back in the day, with The Terminator: Future Shock becoming the first 3D PC game to use the 'mouse look' interface that later became a standard for first-person shooters.
The follow-up game, SkyNET (The Terminator: Skynet in Europe), took things to the next level with advanced 3D graphics – some of the most striking at the time – and a multiplayer mode.
Not heard of this one? We don't blame you; it's practically buried media these days. Still, if you can find it, it's a blast to play through. As a sequel to Future Shock, it transports players to the series' desolate future, tasking you with infiltrating Skynet bases and taking the fight to the machines before humanity is gone forever.
It's far more complex than most popular shooters of the era, and it even has some decent vehicle sections. Round that out with FMV cutscenes for some extra production value, and it's easy to see why we keep coming back to this one.
3. Terminator 3: The Redemption
Release date: September 9, 2004 | Platforms: PS2, Xbox, GameCube | Developer: Paradigm Entertainment
Despite its fantastic ending twist, it's fair to say that Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was a disappointment, and the lackluster tie-in game was playing from the same call sheet. But, just one year later, a second game — again loosely based on the third Terminator movie — descended in 2004.
The name might be a bit on the nose, but Terminator 3: The Redemption was certainly the better game, playing to the franchise's bombastic strengths with linear, action-heavy gameplay. Like the other tie-in game, it bounced between the dark future and the movie's present-day events, though it's overall a shorter, more focused title.
In the end, 'Redemption' did indeed redeem Terminator 3 video game adaptations, and many fans would argue it's the best thing to come out of that movie. The action is explosive, punchy, and never slows down; the plot is kept to a bare minimum, giving it a retro feel; and the targeting system perfectly suits a gamepad for some casual bot-blasting action.
It's tough, but the difficulty never feels unfair. Instead, it pushes players to memorize its busy levels and fast chase sequences. Plus, the Terminator taking visible damage throughout missions was a rad thing to see back in the day.
2. Terminator: Resistance
Release date: November 15, 2019 | Platforms: PC (Windows), PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S | Developer: Teyon
After a truly dreadful Rambo game and several low-profile releases, most fans weren't too excited about Teyon getting to make a Terminator game, but first-person shooter Terminator: Resistance had us lining up to formally apologize.
Better than any other adaptation, Terminator: Resistance nailed the atmosphere and the marked feeling of despair from the original movies' future war sections. It might've lacked the polish and AAA budget needed to make the most of its larger levels, but it got the essentials spot on.
Despite middling critical reviews at the time, diehard Terminator fans rapidly flocked to the game, often calling it "the Terminator franchise's Rogue One". It offers classic FPS action, a gritty aesthetic that nails the assignment, and a surprisingly good story with some twists and turns. We had more fun with this than with most recent big-budget AAA shooters, and the also-excellent RoboCop video game Teyon cracked right after this proved it wasn't a fluke.
1. Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance
Release date: February 21, 2024 | Platforms: PC (Windows) | Developer: Slitherine
Slitherine's take on the Terminator franchise was tied into the Terminator: Dark Fate timeline, which means out with Skynet, and in with the alternate-timeline Legion AI threat. A turn off for OG movie fans, to be sure, but don't let that put you off.
The future war presented in Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance is every bit as moody and brutal as the one seen in the pre-Dark Fate installments. Large armies of humanoid robots and giant AI-driven vehicles roam the wasteland, and it's up to brave resistance fighters to ensure humanity's survival… but not as you might expect. In a hall-of-fame-worthy plot twist, the best Terminator game isn't a shooter or an arcade side-scroller; it's a traditional real-time strategy game.
Ever dreamed of a large-scale Terminator RTS with deep tactical options and a meaty story campaign? No? Us neither, but it's here, and it kinda rules.
The Dark Fate timeline means no Skynet or classic T-800s in this one, but crucially, it nails the vibes, with plenty of plasma weaponry and vehicles for each of the three playable factions (two for the human survivors). Moreover, it supports both offline skirmishes and competitive online multiplayer, and continues to receive additional content and substantial patches to this day, too.
Terminator 2D: NO FATE will be released on December 12, 2025, for PC (Steam).
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