Best NES Light Gun Games – Classic NES Zapper Games Worth Playing Again

“CHA-DING! CHA-DING! CHA-DING!”

If you grew up gaming in the 80s, you know that sound. That nostalgic twang of the NES Zapper’s trigger still sparks a surge of childhood memories today.

The Zapper—Nintendo’s iconic light gun peripheral—defined an era of NES gaming. More than just a novelty, it was arguably the coolest video game accessory of its time.

• It turned your living room into a virtual shooting gallery
• It looked like a futuristic blaster straight out of sci-fi
• It made that satisfying mechanical “click-twang” with every shot
• The slight recoil gave it a more immersive, tactile feel
• And unlike the Power Glove, the NES Zapper actually worked

Despite its popularity, most gamers only ever played one NES gun game: Duck Hunt. That’s a shame, because Nintendo released 17 official NES light gun games during the console's lifespan.

The Table of Contents

The Best NES Zapper Games – Remembering Nintendo’s Light Gun Legacy

So, how many NES Zapper games can you name? If you’re drawing a blank, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. This guide lists the best NES gun games ever made, with mini-reviews for each.

We’ll also show you what you need to actually play them today (hint: CRT TVs are involved). Let’s take a shot at rediscovering what your childhood was missing.

Duck Hunt

• Let’s start with the obvious. As most of you know, Duck Hunt is one of the best NES Zapper games. Overall, it’s a great example of the perfect simplicity that made the 8-bit era of gaming so great.

• More specifically, the controls are impeccably responsive. Really, the only variable is the skill of the player.

• Aim correctly and your shots hit their marks. If you miss, it’s because your aim is off or because the duck hid behind an obstacle.

• Also, the ducks get faster after each level you clear. So, the difficulty level is always appropriate, no matter who’s playing. As you get better, the game gets harder in order to match your skills.

• Plus there are three game modes: 1 Duck, 2 Ducks, and an additional game called Clay Shooting. For all these reasons, this game pretty much never gets boring.

• Now, here’s a mindblowing, life-altering fact you may not know about this game. Duck Hunt has a two-player versus mode. Seriously, it does!

• Plug a controller into the first port and a second player can control the Duck with the D-Pad. While this may not be as cool as a dual-Zapper mode, it still allows two players to enjoy Duck Hunt in a whole new way. This excellent two-player party game is also a fun drinking game for over-21 gaming parties.

Wild Gunman

• Wild Gunman was a very popular arcade game in the 1980s. Case in point, it’s the cowboy game played by Marty McFly in Back to the Future II—alongside a very young Elijah Wood, no less. In other words, it’s worth playing for nostalgic value alone.

• But nostalgia isn’t the only reason—or even the main reason—to play Wild Gunman. This game is unique among Zapper games in that it focuses on western-style quick-draw duels.

• In contrast, most games on this list are really just variations of typical shooting galleries. You wait for the target to appear and shoot it before it gets away.

• But you can’t do that in Wild Gunman. Instead of hitting moving targets as quickly as possible, you shoot a stationary target at precisely the proper time.

• You must wait for your enemy to say, “FIRE!” and then shoot him before he shoots you. If you shoot too soon or too slow, you lose.

This concept is so simple and addicting that it’s universally enjoyable—timeless, even. That’s why you’ve probably played some version of it before. Similar “quick-draw” minigames are included in several game franchises, including:

• Kirby’s Adventure
• Kirby Super Star
• Mario Party
• Wario Ware

In fact, the original Wild Gunman arcade game came out in 1974! It featured full motion videos of actors dressed like cowboys. And before that, there were, you know, actual cowboys shooting each other this way.

In any case, most video game incarnations of this concept don’t allow you to play with an actual gun peripheral. If you want an NES Zapper game that’s as fun and addicting as Duck Hunt, add Wild Gunman to your collection. Wild Gunman also features 3 modes of play: 1 Outlaw, 2 Outlaws, and a popup shooting gallery mode called “Gang.”

Hogan’s Alley

• As we mentioned above, most NES Zapper games are just video game versions of traditional, midway-style shooting galleries. Of those, Hogan’s Alley is the one you should own.

• Like Wild Gunman, Hogan’s Alley is rich in history and nostalgia. For starters, it was also a hit arcade game of the 80s.

• Also, it’s based on an actual marksmanship training facility that’s been used by the police and military since before World War II. Back then, trainees would shoot mechanized pop-up targets with live fire to hone their skills.

• Likewise, the Hogan’s Alley game features pop-up targets that resemble cardboard cutouts. The fun part is that you have to be careful about which targets you hit.

• There is an innocent lady and a police officer that you must avoid shooting. But you don’t know who’s who until the targets turn around. You have to think fast to avoid making mistakes.

• This is notably less monotonous than a game where you just shoot everything that moves. It really keeps you on your toes!

• There are also 3 game modes. Game A has targets that turn around against a blank background. It’s a more mentally stimulating version of Wild Gunman, but it also feels like “Practice Mode.”

• In Game B, targets appear in various hiding places along a city street. Game C is Trick Shot, wherein the object is to shoot cans to keep them from hitting the ground. You earn points for each can that makes it to the goal.

Gumshoe

• Gumshoe is an extremely unique game that sort of belongs in its own genre. It’s obviously a shooter because you control it with the gun. But it’s primarily a platformer.

• More than anything else, it feels like one of those addicting, modern-day mobile games that eventually get ported into arcades. Think Flappy Bird crossed with Balloon Fight.

• Anyway, the object of Gumshoe is to rescue your kidnapped daughter from gangsters. You do that by keeping your character, Mr. Stevenson, alive long enough to reach the end of the game.

• But Mr. Stevenson is mostly out of your control, automatically running to the right at all times. Without your help, he’ll run right into dangerous obstacles and die.

• So, you shoot him to make him jump and you shoot certain obstacles to destroy them. Shooting anything other than Mr. Stevenson consumes bullets, which you replenish by collecting balloons.

• Granted, the logic of this game makes no sense at all. But it’s a truly unique game experience unlike any other.

🎯 Let's Play Lethal Enforcers – SNES Light Gun Gameplay

Freedom Force

• Freedom Force is a better—or, at least, more exciting—version of Hogan’s Alley. Both games require the same skill set: shooting the bad guys while sparing the innocents.

• But while Hogan’s Alley has cardboard training targets, Freedom Force has all the style and explosive energy of a 1980s action movie.

• In this game, you play as a lone gunman who must destroy, like, a thousand terrorists to save a bunch of hostages. Basically, you singlehandedly take down an entire regime of terrorists in every level.

• The experience is what we imagine it feels like to be John McClane from Die Hard, if John McClane were also a Terminator.

• Oh, we didn’t mention the best part. Freedom Force has a two-player mode.

• Unfortunately, players must take turns instead of playing together co-op-style. So there’s still no game that you can play with two Zappers at once like a dual-gun-wielding super-cop.

Operation Wolf

• Operation Wolf is another explosive shooter that gives off 80s action movie vibes. This one’s got a jungle warfare theme, reminiscent of Rambo or Commando.

• The bad news is, the NES port is a lesser version of the original arcade hit, especially in terms of graphics. But the good news is that you probably never have/will play the arcade game.

• So, lacking that comparison, it’s another decent action shooter for the NES Zapper.

• More importantly, here’s a better comparison to keep in mind. There are only 17 licensed games made for the NES Zapper, only a third of which are guerilla-warfare-style action games.

• Of those, Freedom Force and Operation Wolf are the best. Though, Freedom Force definitely takes the cake.

Bill Barker’s Trick Shooting

• Bill Barker’s Trick Shooting is a cutesy shooting gallery that doesn’t have the same nostalgic impact as Duck Hunt. Although, that damn laughing dog still makes an appearance.

• “You LOSER! HA, HA, HA!”

• The problem is, Trick Shooting was released in 1990, only months before the Super Nintendo came out. By then, it was too late for the game to earn the recognition it truly deserves.

• Nostalgia aside, this game is great—possibly the best shooting gallery for the NES. And yes, that comparison even includes Duck Hunt.

• The game has a loveable, bubbly personality and a bit more variety than Duck Hunt. There are 3 individual modes of play in which you shoot ascending balloons, tossed plates, or falling objects.

• In addition, there’s a fourth mode that includes all of these games, plus two bonus games.

• Trick Shooting has loads of replay value as you can compete with friends or try to beat your own score. If you like Duck Hunt, you’ll love Bill Barker’s Trick Shooting.

Gotcha! The Sport!

• Confused by the title? You should be.

• Basically, Gotcha! The Sport! is the result of a poorly-conceived marketing ploy by several now-defunct companies.

• It’s a tie-in based on a spy comedy movie no one’s ever heard of to sell paintball guns to kids. Oh, and “Gotcha” is apparently what 1985 thought paintball was called.

• Against all expectations, the result of this mess is a decent shooter game for the NES Zapper. It’s meant to simulate a typical, real-life game of paintball.

• And it does so surprisingly well from a time when few people had even heard of the sport.

• Put simply, you try to shoot the opponents before they shoot you and capture their flag for the win.

• You also use the D-pad on the controller to scroll the screen left or right. As in Duck Hunt, the opponents become faster after each level you clear.

• Compared to the other amazing games on this list, Gotcha! The Sport! isn’t exactly the best. But it’s different enough to warrant your consideration.

To the Earth

• The last game worth mentioning is To the Earth. As you may have guessed, the game is set in space.

• Normally, that would make it the most common type of shooter game there is. But when it comes to the NES Zapper, space shooters are surprisingly rare.

• And we want to be excited about this refreshing change of scenery. But, unfortunately, the game is rather repetitive and unfairly difficult.

• It does, however, have a couple of innovative features. Missing your shot depletes your life bar while hitting your mark fills it back up. And if you shoot enough enemies when your life bar’s full, it destroys all enemies on the screen.

• If you want the only space shooter in the NES Zapper lineup (besides the Japan-only Space Shadow), buy To the Earth. Otherwise, don’t.

Chiller

• Chiller might not be one of the first nes zapper games that come to mind. This game may lack in overall popularity, but it pushed the NES hardware to the limit. However this game is no where near what the arcade game was.

• As the nes version has some censorship that wasn't prevalant in the arcade version. For example in the arcade you start off in the torture chamber, where your supposed to shot the skin off the bodies.

• In the NES version the torture chamber is much more toned down, and it's now the 3rd level in the game.

• The idea of the torture chamber is to shoot the flesh of the bodies and also shoot the torture devices, to inflict more torture on the bodies. Let's think about that for a second.. hmm that's a little messed up.

Nontheless this a cool horror type zapper game. The game is still a challenge to play as most 3rd party titles weren't know for the fluid control movements.

Every scene has a monster meter on the top of the screen, which means that's the number of monsters you have to shoot to advance to the next scene. This is a cool game that should be played around Halloween. Enjoy...

The Retro Wrap-Up – How to Play NES Light Gun Games Today

Before you dive into these classic NES Zapper games, there's one important detail to remember: the NES Light Gun doesn't work on modern TVs. The Zapper relies on the scanlines of old CRT televisions, which means it’s incompatible with today’s HD flatscreens, LCDs, or plasma screens. It simply can’t detect where you’re aiming.

The good news? You can still relive the magic. CRT TVs are often found at thrift stores, flea markets, or Facebook Marketplace for just a few bucks. Once you’ve got a working picture tube TV, all you need is:

• A Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
• An original NES Zapper gun (either gray or orange model)
• A copy of your favorite NES gun games (like Duck Hunt or Hogan’s Alley)
• Standard NES AV cables or RF switch and power adapter

With just a little setup, you’ll be blasting ducks, outlaws, and cardboard cutouts like it's 1988 again. Whether you're a nostalgic collector or a curious newcomer, NES light gun games are still a blast—literally.

Ready to reload your collection? Check out our NES trade-in service to buy, sell, or complete your Zapper-compatible library.

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