24/7 Insights

• The best video game levels showcase the talent of the developers and incorporate unique and immersive storytelling and game mechanics.
• The most memorable video game levels usually make a big impact upon release and continue to influence future games.
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Did a video game leave you speechless or leave an impression on you long after you put the controller down? You’re not alone. Video games are unique in their ability to draw players into a world and immerse them in a fun and emotional story. But some games have done this better than others, creating some of the best and most memorable levels of all time.

So, what determines the most memorable video game levels? For this list, it’s the author’s personal experience. If your personal favorite level isn’t on this list, it’s probably because the author didn’t play that game or didn’t find that level particularly memorable. Of course, some of the most famous levels are included based on their fame and sheer recognizability. If you disagree, the author is happy to debate the merits of this list with you!

Also, for this list, we played loose with the definition of “level” as not every gave has levels anymore. We expanded the definition to include distinct chapters, sequences, missions, or other similar chunk of gameplay.

Here are the 12 most memorable video game levels.

Why Are We Talking About This?

Video games make up one of the largest industries in the world, and as it continues to grow and mature, its influence will also continue to grow. If you’re looking to get into making, investing, buying, or researching video games, then it pays to know what the high-water mark is for the industry.

#1 Super Mario Bros. World 1-1

Of course, we have to kick off the list with the most memorable level of all time.

World 1-1 is the first level in the first side-scrolling game to feature Mario and functioned as the tutorial for the game, featuring the basic maneuvers and controls that would be used throughout the rest of the game. It implemented a design philosophy known as “learning through play” which taught players how to navigate the game without text or instructions.

It was so good at teaching the basics of the game, and of playing video games in general, that it quickly became the industry standard for tutorial levels. It has since become one of the most iconic levels in the entire industry and has been copied, parodied, imitated, and recreated in various mediums and games.

#2 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: No Russian

Even if you’ve never played a Call of Duty game, or any first-person shooter before, chances are you heard something about this level. In this case, No Russian is just as memorable as it is infamous.

We don’t want to spoil any of the levels on this list, just in case someone hasn’t played them and wants to experience them first-hand, but it is hard to speak about No Russian effectively without spoiling some of the major points of the story. It is the catalyst for the story of the game and includes major plot points and story twists.

In short, No Russian involves the player taking control of an Army Ranger operative undercover in a Russian terrorist organization as they conduct a mass shooting at a Russian airport. Even though the game does not tell the player that they have to participate, or shoot their gun at all, it is still a shocking and memorable moment. It is significantly more graphic and emotionally triggering than any other moment in the entire series.

It caused major controversy around the world. It was censored in some countries and the subject of heated debate for many months. Some reviewers and play testers refused to play the level at all. Players do have the option to skip the level altogether.

#3 Halo CE: The Silent Cartographer

The original Halo trilogy includes more than one of the most memorable levels in video games. Each entry in the series has a few that have stuck with the people who played them when they were released, but above all is The Silent Cartographer.

By this point in the first Halo game, the player has a firm grasp of the controls and has fought the range of enemies available in the game. So far, however, the player has been on the back foot, always on the defensive or at a disadvantage. Now is the first time the player enters a conflict on the stronger team, and it is a blast.

Evoking the images of storming the beaches of Normandy, the player assaults an enemy position on an island alongside a group of marines. It is a fun, memorable, and well-crafted moment that can be played a hundred times with different interactions and results.

Honorable mention: Halo Reach: Lone Wolf

The final level of an emotional roller coaster or a game wraps the Bungie era of Halo on a high note. Everything about this level can be summed up in the objective at the top of the screen that remains until the player dies: Survive.

#4 Mario Kart: Rainbow Road

Your feelings about Rainbow Road are probably inseparably tied to your first experience with this track. Does Rainbow Road count as a level? We think so. Which version of Rainbow Road are we talking about? Whichever one caused you the most pain as a child.

Rainbow Road is just as beautiful as it is infuriating. A racetrack that breaks just as many laws of physics as it does OSHA regulations, mention Rainbow Road, and people will know exactly what you’re talking about.

This level has been included in every Mario Kart game since its debut and continues to be a memorable if divisive track each time. It is always the final race of the Special Cup circuit in each game and the final brand-new track in each lineup.

If require guardrails in your racing games, then steer clear.  

#5 Ocarina of Time: Forest Temple

We had to pick one level out of all the memorable, famous, and masterfully crafted dungeons and levels in all the Legend of Zelda games — we can’t just have a list of all Zelda temples and dungeons, after all, can we?

After thorough debate and self-reflection, we decided to give the title of most memorable dungeon/level to the Forest Temple from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Why? The Forest Temple is Zelda gameplay at its finest. It includes fantastic music and atmosphere, memorable enemies, clever puzzles, mind-bending level layout, spooky and scary moments, and much more. It is often among the first temples players will visit when playing Ocarina of Time, and sets the bar and the mood for the remainder of the game. All the following temples will always be compared to the Forest Temple, and with one of the best bosses of the series, the Forest Temple always leaves an impression.

#6 The Last of Us: Opening

How can we pick just one level or chapter from one of the best video games ever made, and which has been adapted into one of the best television series of all time? Between the opening scene, the final level, and the winter sequence, it was a difficult decision.

We decided to go with the opening chapter. And while some readers might argue that the chapter has players watching more than they are playing, they can’t argue that it leaves an impression on all who experience it and sets the tone for the rest of the game. This level is a gut punch to every parent who played it and shows the storytelling potential in video games.

#7 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: All Ghillied Up

The thirteenth level in Modern Warfare was also created by the same developer who created No Russian, so you know it’s going to be good. At the time of the game’s release, it was hailed as the best mission in the game and one of the best stealth missions in the entire industry, even though Modern Warfare is not a stealth game.

Even long after its release, it is still hailed as one of the best levels or sequences in video games. It is the first level in the series in which NPC enemies will react differently to the players based on how they choose to negotiate a situation or encounter.

All Ghillied Up involves the player sneaking through irradiated Pripyat and dodging, evading, or eliminating Russian soldiers while wearing a ghillie suit along with Captain MacMillan. It is the first part of a two-chapter flashback, the second being One Shot, One Kill which is equally well-crafted and memorable, but faster-paced, frantic, and features more classic first-person shooter elements.  

We can’t move on from the Call of Duty franchise without including our honorable mention. In this case: Shock and Awe. What begins as a typical military simulation level, evoking themes of previous games and letting players live their dreams of playing with the unbeatable U.S. military quickly devolves into an unforgettable level that left players dumbstruck and, quite literally, shocked and awed.

#8 Outer Wilds: Ending

Again, Outer Wilds doesn’t have levels or chapters, similar to other modern games, but players know when they’ve started the ending sequence, and they won’t soon forget it. Just take a look at the memes and stories online of players who experienced it and you’ll begin to see why, but we recommend you don’t.

The best way to experience Outer Wilds is to go in blind and refrain from looking up tips, tricks, or story spoilers online. Trust us, it’s better this way. Your temporary frustration will be rewarded.

That being said, and with as few spoilers as possible, if you want to have a mind-bending, reality-shaking, and faith-altering video game experience, play through the Outer Wilds and experience the ending in all its glory. You’ll be glad you did.

#9 Dark Souls: Undead Burg

Dark Souls is a masterclass of level design. The entire game can be described as one level that ties, twists, and returns back on itself. You think you’re lost until you open a door and realize you’ve found yourself back at the beginning hub area, all without loading screens or tricks.

Players can explore any area from the main hub area whenever they want, but level design and enemies usually funnel players toward the Undead Burg, which is seen as the first real level or dungeon of the game. Therefore, it had to set the pace and expectations for the rest of the game and does so marvelously.

#10 Portal: Test Chamber 17

Portal was a work of genius as a whole, and any level can be taken as an example of its creative and memorable game design, but Test Chamber 17 probably stands high above the rest.

Spoilers ahead: throughout the game, the narrator/helper/main villain GLaDOS influences the player as they progress through the testing facility. At one point, they give the player a companion cube and encourage the player to form an attachment to the cube. It is in Test Chamber 17 that GLaDOS tells the player to incinerate the cube.

You’ll be surprised how attached you get to a fake cube.

#11 Control: Ashtray Maze

What makes the Ashtray Maze so fantastic? Is the experience of finally feeling powerful and obliterating your enemies with ease? Yes. Is it the mind-bending level design and rapid progression set to music? Also, yes.

But, we argue, the main reason it is so memorable is because it breaks the rhythm of the game so far, removing the fear and stress that plagued us so far and letting us relax and unleash mayhem for a few minutes. It is an exhilarating and refreshing sequence that is executed well.

#12 Farcry 3: Vaas Confrontation

Vaas Montenegro is widely regarded as one of the best villains of all time, gaining fame even before the game came out and remaining a fan favorite long after the game’s conclusion. And he wasn’t even the main villain of the game!

In a game that features some of the best sequences and moments of the entire series, serious questions about violence and mental health, and many other memorable moments, Vaas steals the show in every scene in which he appears. The chapter/mission in which the player confronts Vaas for the final time is not just memorable because it is a fun and trippy experience, but because it is the culmination of a fantastic villain’s journey that many players didn’t want to do, but had to in order to complete the game.

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