15 Best Game Shows, Ranked

Before we learned some contestants were preselected, we had high hopes of hailing this game show’s NYC taxi. On the way to contestants’ destinations, host Ben Bailey gave them the chance to make major money through trivia challenges (with the help of random pedestrians).

Imagine a game of Taboo but with one-word clues, a stricter time limit, and a lot of money on the line, and you have Password. Add in a lot of A-list talent — with Keke Palmer hosting the latest version and Jimmy Fallon executive-producing — and you have great entertainment.

In this game show, three people claim to be the “central character” with an amazing story to tell, and it’s up to celebrity panelists to deduce which two are trying to con their way into a cash prize. Fun for the audience watching at home and fun for the Hollywood stars on set!

Never mind Deal or No Deal — we prefer this long-running format, in which hosts like Monty Hall and Wayne Brady have gotten creatively-costumed audience members to decide between shown prizes and mystery items, some of which turn out to worthless “zonks.”

This game based on survey results has been a TV staple for nearly half a century now, and the latest version has given us many viral moments, especially with Steve Harvey’s shocked reactions. Survey says: Feud is fun.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes embarrassment on national TV as fresh-from-the-altar lovebirds realize just how much they don’t know about each other. Plus, all of host Bob Eubanks’ talk of “making whoopee” makes for great TV.

Show us a ’90s Nickelodeon viewer who didn’t dream of competing on this game show, in which families went head-to-head in trivia competitions and physical challenges. This being Nick, those challenges involved pies to the face, downpours of slime, and other delightful messes.

Whether it’s Anne Robinson or Jane Lynch, we delight in watching this game show’s smarmy host belittle under-performers of this cooperative trivia quiz — and watching the stronger links of each episode roll their eyes whenever the weakest links lost the group’s banked money!

From the Rockapella theme song, to the detective-office aesthetic, to Lynne Thigpen’s performance as The Chief, this children’s game show had us fans hooked on the chase for the titular thief. It was such a blast that we didn’t even realize we were learning geography along the way!

One of many game shows to match laypeople with A-list stars, Pyramid challenges each duo to communicate secret categories via clues. The game gets harder as they work up the “pyramid,” but some pairs reach the peak. And thanks to inflation, Pyramid’s top prize has gone from $10,000 to $100,000 since its debut!

Contestants compete in a game of trivia tic-tac-toe with the help of celebrity panelists in this game show. But with wisecracks from “center squares” like Paul Lynde, Joan Rivers, and Whoopi Goldberg, the competition was almost ancillary to the humor of this show.

The heartbeat-thumping music, the high-contrast lighting, and best of all, the chance to become a millionaire by answering 15 multiple choice questions with a few lifelines — in its heyday, Millionaire was must-see TV and a vanguard for the reality TV genre.

You can be sure TV viewers have paid more attention to manufacturers’ suggested retail prices since the start of this show, which has contestants win big-ticket prizes — sometimes even three cars in one episode — by appraising their value. Surely someday it’ll be our turn to “come on down,” right?

Pat Sajak’s departure is a big moment for this beloved fill-in-the-blanks puzzle game, but big Wheel keeps on turning now that Ryan Seacrest is at the podium and Vanna White is still turning letters. That’s good news for all of us who play from home — and laugh at contestants whose common sense lands on “bankrupt.”

What is: a pop culture institution? The competition billed as America’s favorite quiz show is also our favorite game show, even in the post-Alex Trebek era. As the show’s diehard fans and fan analysts can attest, watching champions like Amy Schneider and James Holzhauer on their trivial pursuits is nothing short of exhilarating.