Steven Spielberg’sRaiders of the LostArk wasreleased in 1981 to huge critical and commercial success, makinga corresponding game inevitable. The tie-in game hit the Atari 2600 a year later, and the whip-cracking archeology teacher has had over 20 gaming adventures since.
TheIndiana Jonesgames have been spread over an impressive array of consoles, from tie-in games on the Atari 2600 and Commodore CDTV to newer adventures on modern systems. The release of the divisiveKingdom of the Crystal Skullin 2008 inspired a new wave of games, as three titles were released in 2009, including a second LEGO game for the franchise, turning Lucasfilm MVP Harrison Ford into brick form once more.
Updated Jun 16, 2025, by Gerardo Molina:The Indiana Jones franchise has been around for more than four decades, spanning various generations and giving players of all ages different titles to enjoy. While some have not been well received by critics or players, others are timeless classics that are still beloved by many.
One of the greatest things about the Indiana Jones video game universe is that it doesn’t always rely on the movies, and occasionally dares to explore new, untold stories for players to unravel. With the release of IndianaJones and the Great Circle, this proud tradition of video games continues, and hopefully, this will be the case for years to come.
Being the latest installment of theIndiana Jonesgaming franchise, fans have had high hopes for this title from the moment it was announced, and thus far, it has delivered wonderfully.Indiana Jones and the Great Circleis played mostly from a first-person perspective, although some puzzles allow players to have a third-person view to solve them.
Throughout the game, players will have to solve the various puzzles they’ll encounter in order to progress through the story. While it’s only been out for a day at the time of writing this article,Indiana Jones and the Great Circlelooks and plays great so far, and many players worldwide agree.
10Raiders of the Lost Ark
The First Indiana Jones Game, And A Fine Addition To The Atari Catalog
TheRaiders of the Lost Arktie-in game was released in 1982, making it the firstIndiana Jonesgame. The graphics were far from the Atari 2600’s best, but developers Atari impressively managed to implement action, adventure, and puzzle-solving despite the console’s limitations.
Unfortunately,Raiders of the Lost Arkwas released on the Atari 2600 just a few weeks after the disastrousE.T.game. Backlash overE.T.soured people on not just movie tie-in games but the home console industry altogether, subsequently hurtingRaiders of the Lost Ark’s sales.
9Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
A Great Game That Suffered From Its Short Duration
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doomwas the secondIndiana Jonesmovie and game. It was first released as an Atari arcade machine before being ported to the NES, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and other home consoles shortly after.
The action game required players to fight enemies with Indy’s whip while completing other objectives, like freeing imprisoned children or riding a minecart to safety.Temple of Doomwas praised for its excellent soundtrack and impressive console port, but criticized for being too short.
Enter The Heart Of The Dragon
As Indiana Jones, you’ll travel to 1935 China to prevent a powerful artifact from falling into evil hands. This globe-spanning adventure pits you against evil Nazi’s and the Asian underworld. It’ll take more than just a trusty whip and pistol to avoid the perils of the Emperor’s Tomb.
• Shotguns, submachine guns, improvised weapons – and of course, Indy’s trusty whip and pistol.
• Original storyline with new villains, wicked enemies and an alluring partner.
• Explore levels across the globe from Ceylon and Istanbul to Hong Kong and beyond.
• Fierce fighting action and hand-to-hand combat.
• Leap, swim, climb and punch your way through exotic locales.
Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tombwas released on PC, PS2, and Xbox in 2003. The game was ambitious, with numerous changes in its environment across historical and fantasy settings. The game also boasts countless enemy types and memorable boss fights that all contribute to making players feel like they have been on a true adventure when the final credits roll.
Emperor’s Tombis the best modernIndiana Jonesgame that isn’t LEGO, though it had the potential to be far better. The game had abuggy port to consolesfrom PC and featured odd jumping physics. Seemingly simple jumps could end up with Indy leaping off buildings, forcing players to restart levels from scratch, as there are no checkpoints and no mid-level save feature.
7LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues
A Great Sequel To The Massive LEGO Hit
FollowingLego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure’s impressive sales figures of over 10 million, it was only a matter of time before a second game was released.
LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continueshit shelves just over a year after the first game and introduced numerous new gameplay mechanics and features, such as characters having special abilities - something that went on to become a mainstay in the series, as well as open hub worlds, and even a level creator.
6Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures
A Fun Side-scroller Featuring The Best Moments From The Original Trilogy
As the name suggests,Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventuresreplicates the original trilogy’s most iconic scenes. The SNES side-scroller is similar toInfernal Machinein the sense that it’s one of the fewIndiana Jonesgames to focus on platforming.
Commendably for a SNES game, the platformer featured several impressive vehicle sections. Players could ride down snowy mountains on a raft and shoot down Nazis in a plane. The game’s platforming sections were also separated by solid sequences, with players being able to use Indy’s whip and fists, as well as guns and grenades.
5Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
The Story Revolves Around The Cold War And World War 2 Nazis
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machinewas released on PC in 1999 before coming to the N64 the following year as a Blockbuster Video rental exclusive, making it difficult to come by these days. The game differentiates itself from others in the series by supplementing the standard combat and puzzle-solving gameplay with numerous platforming sections.
The game’s original story took place over an impressive 17 levels. It focused on the Cold War, a significant change from the majority ofIndiana Jonesadventures that pit the archaeologist against WWI-era Nazis.
One Of The Best LEGO Games Of All Time
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures takes the fun and creative construction of LEGO and combines it with the wits, daring and non-stop action from the original cinematic adventures that enthralled audiences everywhere (Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).With a unique tongue-in-cheek take on the original adventures, LEGO Indiana Jones follows the escapades of Dr. Jones through the jungles of South America to the mountaintops of India. Fans can build, battle and brawl their way through their favourite cinematic moments, from Indy’s entanglements with snakes to his dashing boulder run. Additionally, players can also mix and match the body parts of more than 60 playable characters to create new heroes in more than 18 different levels that mirror the classic films.
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventureswas scrutinized when it was announced,as theLEGOStar Warsgamesare beloved for their huge collection of playable characters while Indiana Jones is the only iconic character from the franchise, so many people questioned whether it was the right choice to adapt to LEGO next. Thankfully, the game surpassed expectations, andThe Original Adventuresis still considered one of the best LEGO games of all time.
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventuresdidn’t bring much new to the table, but re-visitingiconic scenes from the first three moviesin LEGO form is an undeniably fun time, and it featured some of the most well-designed stages in LEGO history.
3Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
Tons Of Replay Value
Lucasfilm Games had the difficult task of releasingIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade:The Graphic Adventurejust two months after its corresponding film was released. This was a major red flag for fans, as movie tie-in games with tight schedules are known for producing poor products, best exemplified by the aforementionedE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
However,The Graphic Adventurewas released with some of the most well-designed and rewarding puzzles available in gaming at the time. Furthermore,Last Crusadewas revolutionary for its replay value, as puzzles could be solved in multiple ways, earning players various point scores. These points were an ingenious way of tempting players to boot the game back up and find alternative solutions.
2Indiana Jones in the Lost Kingdom
A Game Packed With Puzzles That Can Only Be Solved By Thinking Like Indy
Indiana Jones in the Lost Kingdomwas released on the Commodore 64 home computer in 1985. UnlikeTemple of Doom,Lost Kingdomwas a puzzle game intent on making players think like Dr. Jones. The idea was driven home by the wording on the front of the box: “The ultimate challenge. Nobody told Indiana Jones the rules. And no one will tell you.”
Consequently, players are given no guidance on how to complete any ofthe game’s tricky puzzles. Given that players couldn’t just hop onto YouTube for a guide at the time,Lost Kingdomwas one of the toughest adventures of the mid-80s.
