It’s almost quaint to think of a “hip-hop game” by modern standards; hip-hop is everywhere. You can’t escape its prevalence and influence. But there was a time when it was, at least in some circles, a unique subculture.
That got us thinking: for a genre of music that’s been around since at least the ’70s, what are some of the games that best represent the culture? Like, when you think of a “hip-hop game,” what actually comes to mind?
When putting this list together, we considered the tenets of hip-hop culture—expression and rebellion, activism and history, character and style—and came back with 15 really good examples of games that put on for hip-hop.
Most of the games on this list are aggressively hip-hop, and they absolutely should be. They prominently feature DJing, emceeing, breakdancing, or graffiti, and feature rappers and cultural icons as prominent characters in pivotal roles. While that criteria may yield obvious answers to the question of “What is a hip-hop game,” hip-hop has also taken on a more subliminal role in modern gaming; sometimes, it’s in the music and the vibes. That’s somewhat broad, but we wanted to keep the list tight. So, with that, these are our picks for the 15 best hip-hop games of all time. What do you think?
Let us know in the comments.
Released: October 2010
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
Metacritic: 74 (Critics), 6.3 (Users)
Live out your MC karaoke dreams with Def Jam Rapstar. Released at the tail end of the rhythm game golden age of the aughts, the most shocking thing about this game is that it hadn’t been attempted before.
A game like this rides and dies on its tracklist. Def Jam Rapstar had 54 songs, and it featured most of the heavy hitters. Wu-Tang. Ye. 2Pac. Biggie, Outkast. LL Cool J., and Public Enemy. It had good coverage—not only from a regional perspective, but from an era perspective as well.
Released: February 2006
Platforms: Mobile, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox
Metacritic: 71 (Critics), 7.8 (Users)
We included two graffiti-based games on this list. The first is Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. Ecko (who actually founded Complex Magazine back in 2002) took its development personally, and he strove to make it as true to hip-hop’s graffiti culture as possible. The storyline, about the detrimental effects of gentrification, frames graffiti as a political act—a righteous reclamation of public property.
Ecko got an incredible lineup of rappers to play characters in the game, including RZA, Diddy (in happier times), and Talib Kweli as lead character Trane—all of which helped legitimize the project in the culture even more.
Released: February 2009
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Metacritic: 71 (Critics), 6.2 (Users)
This is actually the second 50 Cent and G-Unit game after 50 Cent: Bulletproof. That first game was more popular; 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand sold very poorly. But guess which one was the better game?
A third-person shooter set in the Middle East, Blood on the Sand featured a storyline about a heist on a diamond-encrusted skull. It also featured a surprising variety of gameplay, including a machine gun and minigun turrets on a Humvee and a helicopter, and “Gangsta Fire,” a decent knock-off of the slo-mo bullet time effect from Max Payne and The Matrix.
Released: August 1999
Platforms: PlayStation, Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64, Windows, Mac
Metacritic: N/A (Critics), N/A (Users)
This is a shout-out to the entire franchise.
The explicit hip-hop connection actually began with Madden 2000, which had Ludacris perform the main theme. Then, Madden NFL 2003 was the first real game in the series to have a fully realized, licensed soundtrack. But it only had one hip-hop song: “Awnaw” by Nappy Roots ft. P.O.D. Odd.
Still, in the two decades since, each Madden game has increasingly recognized hip-hop as a cultural force, and the developers curated the soundtracks accordingly. Everyone who’s anyone has been a part of a Madden soundtrack by this point. Kendrick Lamar. Drake. Beastie Boys. Nas. Lil Wayne. Busta Rhymes. DMX—the list goes on and on.
In Madden NFL 20, the developers doubled down with the Superstar KO mode. Migos, DJ Khaled, Lil Yachty, Joey Bada$$, and Snoop Dogg are all playable characters with special abilities. So, really, with its integration into the culture, this series is pretty hip-hop—when you really think about it.
Released: September 2015
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
Metacritic: 87 (Critics), 6.8 (Users)
Hip-hop and basketball are intertwined, and so of course it’s been a dominant part of the NBA 2K games. Everything—from the emotes to the clothing to the barbershop to the dialogue in the main story campaign to the Streetball mode that debuted in NBA 2K24—oozes the culture.
Of all the entries, NBA 2K16 stands out for two features: its Spike Lee joint single-player campaign “Livin’ Da Dream,” and its soundtrack, which was curated by DJ Khaled, DJ Premier, and DJ Mustard. That playlist featured bangers from Nas, Gang Starr, Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, J. Cole, M.I.A., and more, which got you hyped when shooting three and slamming dunks.
Released: November 2004
Platforms: Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Mobile, Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox
Metacritic: 82 (Critics), 8.7 (Users)
It takes place at night, which is one way that Need for Speed Underground 2 made its 2004-era graphics look so modern. Everything glows,
Featuring an explorable open-world city in Bayview (which is based on a combination of Los Angeles and San Francisco) and fully customizable tuner cars from Japan, this game felt exciting, exclusive, and illicit.
Soundtrack-wise, Need For Speed Underground 2 valued quality over quantity. Highlight tracks include “Lean Back” by Terror Squad, “LAX” by Xzibit, and “Riders on the Storm” by Snoop Dogg and The Doors, which is so much cooler and better than it has any right to be.
Released: December 1996
Platforms: PlayStation, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Portable
Metacritic: 67 (Critics), 6.4 (Users)
In 1996, a full decade before the Guitar/DJ/Band Hero craze swept the world, game designer and Japanese musician Masaya Matsuura innovated the rhythm game formula with PaRappa the Rapper.
The core gameplay mechanic—a scrolling line of button commands timed to a beat—was captivating.Rather than the “Star Power” that would define its successors, PaRappa the Rapper rewarded “Cool” players with a freestyle mode that let you improvise your button inputs, so long as you kept to the track’s rhythm. Combine that with a surprisingly catchy soundtrack, and you have an oddball classic game that repped the culture.
Released: June 2000
Platforms: Android, Dreamcast, iOS, Java ME, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360
Metacritic: 70 (Critics), 7.8 (Users)
The second graffiti game on our list took a looser, more laid-back approach to its subject matter, combining ’90s inline skating culture with ’80s graffiti culture and setting it all in Tokyo. You play as an over-the-top graffiti skating gang, warring for turf with other skating gangs.
The soundtrack is fantastic, and the whole game has an appealing, cel-shaded appearance. It actually has a lot in common with Crazy Taxi; just as in that game, every citizen in Jet Set Radio knows how to perform a running dive to get the hell out of your way.
It’s fascinating to see hip-hop remixed through the lens of Japanese youth culture, and Jet Set Radio reminds us that hip-hop, and its underlying principles of self-expression and rebellion, are universal.
Released: January 2004
Platforms: GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
Metacritic: 81 (Critics), 6.8 (Users)
It didn’t work out quite as well as the NBA Street franchise did, to be fair. That said, spin-off NFL Street maintained the casual, braggadocious ambiance of a playground pick-up game but with licensed NFL players instead of sh*t talkers from around the way.
To succeed at NFL Street, it’s not only about winning; it’s about how you win. You collect style points to earn a Gamebreaker, which turns you and your teammates into gods on offense and defense. That’s stuntin’ on ’em.
Released: November 2001
Platforms: Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
Metacritic: 92 (Critics), 8.6 (Users)
SSX Tricky was breakdancing on ice—a snowboarding game that encompassed hip-hop’s spirit of daring, malleable self-expression.
The breakbeat/electronica soundtrack drew inspiration from funk and remix culture, and for a generation of kids born long after “Walk This Way,” this game was an introduction to rap legends Run-DMC, whose track “It’s Tricky” gave the game its title.
Released: September 2000
Platforms: Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, iOS, macOS, Nintendo 64, PC, PlayStation, Pocket PC,
Metacritic: 91 (Critics), 8.3 (Users)
Tony Hawk might be the coolest man alive. And the reason why everyone from three separate generations looks up to him is the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series. Who among us doesn’t remember the first time we pulled off a 900 in the Warehouse? Or spelled out S-K-A-T-E in the School?
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 took everything in the first game and refined it, including a massive Loop of Death in the final Bullring. But it’s mainly on this list for the crossover tunes on its soundtrack: “Guerilla Radio” by Rage Against the Machine and “Bring The Noise” by Public Enemy and Anthrax, in particular. For millions of suburban punks, this was a gateway to hip-hop. Anger at being held down by The Man unites class and crosses cultural lines.
Released: December 1999
Platforms: PlayStation
Metacritic: N/A (Critics), N/A (Users)
In 1997, the Wu-Tang Clan released Wu-Tang Forever, a double album that reached the top of the Billboard charts. They were the biggest rap group in the world with the wind at their backs, and two of their solo albums—Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Liquid Swords—demonstrated that they were just as formidable as individuals as they were as Voltron.
But then, RZA let go of the reins, and the Clan spun off into numerous affiliates and business ventures. The Wu brand’s oversaturation resulted in more than a few mediocre projects. But the video game— Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style—was not one of them.
There were better fighting games with better gameplay, but Shaolin Style made up for it with character and style: RZA had razor-sharp swords, U-God had golden arm bracelets, and ODB was the drunken boxer. Hip-hop is about character and style, and Shaolin Style had both in spades.
Released: April 2003
Platforms: GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
Metacritic: 90 (Critics), 8.7 (Users)
Let’s start, as we all did, with the loading music: Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth’s “T.R.O.Y.” What an incredible, brassy start to the best game in the NBA Street franchise.
You build your baller and take him on a journey from one legendary streetball court to the next—from the Cage on West 4th in Manhattan to The Rucker in Harlem. Every bit of this game is filled with the culture: the graffiti stylings of the menus and art, the endless variety of crossover moves, the running color commentary by Bobbito Garcia—it’s all hip-hop.
This is basketball as an art form. No matter how realistic the NBA 2K gets, there’s an intangible legitimacy to NBA Street Vol.2 that’s impossible to touch.
Released: October 2004
Platforms: PlayStation 2
Metacritic: 95 (Critics), 9.2 (Users)
GTA: San Andreas was a period piece, capturing the West Coast at the height of the G-Funk era, and the game’s soundtrack reflected that with an entire radio station dedicated to ’90s hip-hop featuring 2Pac, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, The D.O.C., and NWA. The soundtrack was stacked.
At the time of its release, San Andreas was the biggest GTA game ever, with a cinematic narrative that took you from Grove Street to the outskirts of Flint County. CJ Johnson was a sympathetic character, and the story, while keeping with the darkly satirical tone of its predecessors, added genuine pathos. CJ wasn’t a good guy, to be sure, but he wasn’t a silent psycho like GTA III‘s Claude or a sociopath like GTA: Vice City‘s Tommy Vercetti. He had legitimate issues in addition to his hunger for power.
The gritty story put San Andreas on par with Boyz n the Hood, Menace II Society, and many other movies about escaping the struggle. To paraphrase Paul Mooney, this wasn’t Hollywood; this was neighborhood.
Released: September 2004
Platforms: GameCube, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox
Metacritic: 83 (Critics), 8.9 (Users)
In Def Jam: Fight for NY, battle rapping has become just straight-up squabbling as rappers settle scores with unsanctioned battles. The fighting mechanics are simple but extremely fun, with Blazin’ finishers that turn your opponent into a pogo stick or a jump rope,or a punching bag.
The game is a distilled portrait of early-aughts hip-hop; Lil’ Flip, Memphis Bleek, Bubba Sparxxx, and Sean Paul all make appearances to whoop ass or get their asses whooped. Jacob Arabo sells you jewelry to buff your stats. You can make Lil’ Kim or Kimora Lee Simmons your girl.
But most impressive is the list of rappers that lent their names and voices to this game. What a roll call: Method Man, Fat Joe, Snoop Dogg, Redman, Ghostface Killah, Slick Rick, and Scarface, just to name a few. And the soundtrack kills. The most underrated track is Outkast’s “Bust,” which sounds both haunted and aggressive. It’s music to beat wholesale ass to.
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