The 10 Best Fifth Generation Consoles, Ranked
Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts.
Video games have come a long way since their start, but there is still more to do. Unfortunately, video game consoles are becoming less common, with only three major companies releasing their hardware, including the Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, and the PS5. As these consoles boast the best of the best, such as The Legend of Zelda, Halo, and God of War, the history of video game consoles is even older.
For better or worse, there used to be so many more video game consoles, and one of the most peculiar generations was the fifth. That is why this list will rank the ten greatest fifth-generation video game consoles based on aspects such as influence, popularity, innovation, capabilities, games, and success. It was an era of innovation and excitement, but that just meant there were a lot of great and not-so-great consoles.
10 Apple Bandai Pippin (1996)
Apple is best known for delivering Mac devices and iPhones, but once upon a time their Apple Macintosh was used to create a new gaming console called the Apple Bandai Pippin. Rather than just being a gaming system, it was intended for educational use and internet appliances.
The idea was unique enough, but that doesn’t mean it was practical, much less appealing to the average gaming fan. It is widely considered one of the worst consoles ever released, solidifying its place at the very bottom of the fifth-generation barrel. Not only did it boast an imposing $600 price tag, but the Pippin only contained boring educational video games, solidifying itself as a poor seller and disappointing release.
9 Virtual Boy (1995)
Nintendo is one of the most popular video game providers, and they experimented a lot during this generation. This was both good and bad, with the latter revealing itself to be the Virtual Boy. Attempting to bring virtual reality to the mainstream, it was designed to have players view the game from their own point of view.
As a major company with some of the best video games, Nintendo is known for its consoles, but the Virtual Boy is by far one of their worst blunders. Causing headaches, neck pain, and eye strain, this system promised the future only to deliver a console that hurt to play. Even more, it had barely any games to play and was discontinued after a year on shelves, proving that it was too early for virtual reality.
8 NEC PC-FX (1994)
TurboGrafx-16 was a highly successful PC engine, so NEC decided to follow that up with a successor, the NEC PC-FX. What was supposed to be the next iteration of the console looked like a desktop computer instead of a traditional gaming console that specifically processed 2D animation as opposed to 3D.
The NEC PC-FX was a forgettable console that completely misread the market, delivering something that nobody wanted. It did become somewhat popular in Japan for anime-style visual novels, and that niche fame is why it didn’t place lower than the others. But besides that, the NEC PC-FX is an obscure video game console that has been buried by the reputation of its fellow fifth-gen consoles.
7 Amiga CD32 (1993)
The biggest video game companies are from Japan or the USA, but Europe had its own competitor with Commodore, which released the Amiga CD32 in the fifth generation. Essentially a repackaged version of a previous console, it was Europe's first 32-bit CD-based console.
The Amiga CD32 was an interesting console, to say the least. It found some success in porting popular Amiga computer games to the television, specifically in the United Kingdom. While its success was middling, its parent company, Commodore, went bankrupt before it reached overseas markets, dooming any prospect the Amiga had to reach mainstream recognition.
6 Atari Jaguar (1993)
Atari used to be one of the largest video game companies of all time, specifically in the 1980s, when it was an innovator. Claiming to be the world's first "64-bit" console, the Atari Jaguar was the company’s last attempt to reclaim their throne of old. Long story short, it didn't succeed, but at least fans had a good time with it.
The Atari Jaguar is becoming somewhat of a popular console nowadays with a cult following, mainly because it was the company’s last console and their definitive end. The hardware was difficult to understand with too many buttons, and it notoriously lacked games, except for a handful of good ones. It might not have been a good swan song, but at least it was heard by some.
5 Panasonic 3DO (1993)
The fifth generation was full of innovative classics that failed in some regards and succeeded in others, and the Panasonic 3DO did both. It promoted the ability to play full-motion video and interactive games and created a standardized 32abit hardware system that would forever change the game.
The Panasonic 3DO was a genuine pioneer of the video game landscape, effectively spearheading the 32-bit era. Unfortunately, the main reason it failed was its horrible price tag, sitting at a shocking $700, way above its competitors and making it an outright luxury. The cost outweighed the benefit for many, dooming it to a small audience who did enjoy it. That smaller reach wasn’t enough to make a name for itself, especially with a cheaper console out a year later.
4 Game Boy Color (1998)
As mentioned, Nintendo was all over the place during the fifth generation, and while they have another console later on, they also made the beloved Game Boy Color. This half-step upgrade of the Game Boy kept the original form, but added a color palette and faster processing. It was also backwards compatible with Game Boy games and had a better battery life for more playtime, not to mention a myriad of fun gadgets and physical add-ons that made it a whole experience.
The fifth generation of game consoles didn’t have many good handhelds, largely because nothing in the format could beat the Game Boy Color and its popularity. One of its biggest pluses was launching around the cultural phenomenon of Pokémon during a new generation, making it the go-to handheld gaming console that easily took over the world, overshadowing everything else.
3 Sega Saturn (1994)
Everyone knows Sega for Sonic the Hedgehog, but they used to release consoles back in the day as well, such as the Sega Saturn. With dual-CPU architecture, it was a powerhouse at rendering 2D sprites, even if that meant it was harder for 3D polygons. Successful in Japan, it failed overseas because of a sudden release and a higher price tag than competitors.
Sega isn’t one of the Big Three of video games, but in another world it could have been, especially with a console such as the Sega Saturn. It was an incredible video game console that is famous for its library of arcade ports, making it a bridge between the earlier age of gaming and the newer one. Sadly, the Sega Saturn is more of a what-if, as it didn’t gain fame in the West and was discontinued too early.
2 Nintendo 64 (1996)
Nintendo has not one, not two, but three gaming consoles on this list, with the best being the Nintendo 64. They controversially stuck with expensive ROM cartridges for the system, which would ultimately drive developers away from it and to the competition. Its long game droughts and awkward controller were also pain points for the time, even if most gamers were more than able to look past these flaws.
While it wasn’t the best received on launch, the Nintendo 64 is undoubtedly the second-best console of the generation. While infamous, the controller would later become iconic and beloved, a case of gamers looking back fondly at something despite its overall issues. What’s more, the Nintendo 64 invented the structure of 3D games and was the home of some of the most legendary video games of all time. Indeed, titles that are often in the conversation for the all-time best video games, including Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, are N64 exclusives.
1 Sony PlayStation (1994)
PlayStation is one of the largest video game companies in the world, but the first console, the PS1, started as an add-on to the SNES. It was later refined into a separate console that succeeded early because of its shift to CDs, which were cheaper and more enticing to game developers, ultimately leading to some of the greatest games released on the system.
There may be some bias and nostalgia for the Nintendo 64, especially because of the many acclaimed games, but the PS1 is easily the champion of the fifth generation, and it's not as close as you'd think. PlayStation has incredible video games, not to mention an impressive legacy that survives to this day, and it all started here. The marketing pushed towards an older audience, focusing on more mature titles and a variety of genres, themes, and play styles. It proved to be the right move, as it is one of the best-selling video game consoles of all time. Today, the PS1 remains a groundbreaking icon of modern pop culture that signalled the arrival of a new dawn for the gaming industry.
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