60 Iconic Game Shows You Should Know

It probably was a mistake to skeet out “One Like = One Game Show I Love” on Bluesky the other day, but alas and alas, there I went, trying to think about 60 of my actual favorite game shows—not necessarily game shows I thought were the best, but game shows I actually liked, enjoyed, respected or admired. So, in an attempt to get even more engagement from this concept, I present to you: 60 Iconic Game Shows You Should Know, in no particular order.

Jeopardy!

Pretty obvious, Jeopardy! is one of the greatest trivia competitions of all time, and they’re strongest when they’re focused on making really good, engaging trivia (and at their weakest when they do 50 billion tournaments and a bar league).

The Chase

The Chase is one of the best modern trivia formats ever. Its imbalance is what makes it exciting. If this was a daily show in America, 1) i wouldn’t have made as much money but 2) I think it could’ve thrived in daytime or syndication.

The Price is Right

As a concept, The Price is Right is nearly perfect. The games are fun and iconic, it’s modern Americana at its finest. Drew Carey is a great host and the set is pure dopamine.

Press Your Luck

Press Your Luck is SO MUCH FUN. It’s Push The Button, Win A Prize, and it’s so exciting, and fun. I love the Elizabeth Banks version a lot—I think the bonus round is super clever.

Taskmaster

Taskmaster is one of the greatest television programs of all times. As a creative, I idolize Little Alex Horne and am in awe of his ability to continue to create season after season of weird, wonderful and wild moments. It’s what I try to emulate.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Who Wants to be a Millionaire, especially early in ABC’s run, was appointment television. It might have been the last major appointment television event I can think about. I loved it so much, I tried to make a net game version of it, complete with 800-number qualification.

Countdown

Countdown is the most boring television program in the world. At its best, it’s 30 minutes of people solving anagrams and 10 minutes of people solving math problems. Yet the format endures, probably because it’s so easy and fun to play along with.

Game Changer / Make Some Noise

Game Changer/Make Some Noise are two of my favorite Dropout shows and I’m counting them as one show mostly because why I love them are the same: good people, doing good funny things, in clever and well-crafted situations. Go pay for Dropout.

The $25,000 Pyramid

The $25,000/$100,000 Pyramid is possibly a perfect game. Dick Clark is one of the greatest game show hosts of all time. The Strahan version was good, until the judges got a little too bad at their job. But the Dick Clark version still is entertaining to watch to this day.

Hard Quiz

Win Ben Stein’s Money walked so Hard Quiz could run. Part Mastermind, part roast comedy, Hard Quiz is pretty intricate, specialized trivia made wildly amusing and shockingly accessible. Australia really cooked on this one.

Card Sharks

I was fascinated with Card Sharks as a kid. Loved the oversized cards. I understood the game and could play it at home, and Jim Perry was really firmly spoken and commanded the stage well. One of my favorite lockdown projects was making a Card Sharks game with full voice clips like a madman.

Pointless

Pointless is a quintessentially British game show. It’s slow, it’s cheap, and it’s fascinating. Reverse trivia Family Feud has been going on for a billion years and it’ll probably go on for a billion more.

Only Connect

Only Connect is the most pretentious television program I think I’ve ever seen and it’s pitch perfect. Victoria Coren Mitchell is the smarmiest motherfucker. And the game material is so mind-blowing when it clicks. And the New York Times ripped it off.

The Joker’s Wild

Snoop Dogg’s The Joker’s Wild is the best version of the Joker’s Wild. The slot machine fully leans into everything Vegas, the trivia is interesting and sometimes actually difficult, and Snoop is an actual great emcee that I wouldn’t mind seeing hosting more shows.

Russian Roulette

I beg someone, anyone in television, get Mark L Walberg off that damn island and back on the Russian Roulette stage. Miles better than the NBC knockoff Who’s Still Standing, Mark had (and def still has) the perfect attitude and hosting prowess, and the format would work today!

Supermarket Sweep

I’ve always been obsessed with Supermarket Sweep. More game shows should be set in weird liminal studios that are functional supermarkets. For being so iconic, running through the supermarket’s only like, a third of the show.

The Cube

The Cube is Beat the Clock for the 21st Century. It came out in the UK about the same time as Minute to Win It did in the US and The Cube is wildly more entertaining and interesting. The TBS version is vastly underrated—it might be the best translation of a game show from the UK to the US ever.

Person, Place or Thing

Person Place or Thing is probably one of the best new game shows of the last five years. It’s a stupidly simple game on its surface, but the way it’s produced and handled by Melissa Peterman is expert. And they have Wally the bird and that’s so fucking charming.

Now You See It

Now You See It had way too much fucking style for a 70s word search game show. The Quincy Jones theme song kicked ass, all the neon, and the TELESTRATOR‽ absolutely amazing.

Inquizition

When I review game shows on BuzzerBlog, we have three metrics: Game, Show and Game Show. Inquisition is a show that’d be way more show than either game or game show but that’s why I like it. It drips with character, and more game shows should do that.

Split Second

Split Second, but especially the Tom Kennedy version, is an excellent game show. It’s clever, it’s fast paced, and I love playing it every year at the Game Show Marathon. It’s very unique and surprisingly I respect the way GSN revised the bonus round to feel more thematic.

Classic Concentration

Classic Concentration is so much fun, and it’s really nice to see Alex Trebek at his most leisurely. The game is engaging and fun to watch and play along with, and the sound effects and music are boopy boppy fun.

Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me

Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me has been on the radio for over 25 years at this point and it’s still going strong. It’s probably America’s best and most consistent comedy panel show—it was America’s Have I Got News For You until CNN decided to give that a go.

You Don’t Know Jack

You Don’t Know Jack was so fucking WEIRD and I love going back and watching it to watch how fucking WEIRD it was. Paul Reubens was not good at hosting a game show but he was very good at playing Troy Stevens. I wish they stuck closer to the format, but I appreciate the moxie.

Baggage

Baggage. It’s so trashy. It’s so silly. Half the time, it’s “Kink Shaming: The Game Show” and the other half, it’s showing its age in the worst way. But watching it as an artifact of the trashiest age of reality TV? It’s incredible. Jerry Springer was PERFECT casting for host.

Let’s Ask America

Let’s Ask America was so far ahead of its time. If it aired in 2020, I reckon it’d still be airing today. A game show with no in-person contestants? Making sure all you needed was a webcam? Very pandemic chic.

Paranoia

In the same vein, Paranoia was way too ahead of its time. Aired for only 10 episodes in the year 2000, it sounds like it was pitched last week: a virtual green-screen set and contestants on the phone, via satellite, and online, all LIVE? Points for the sheer audacity.

Deal or No Deal (Australia)

The best version of Deal or No Deal is the current Australian version because it’s a full game of Deal or No Deal with a good distribution of values, and it’s FAST AS HELL. They get rid of all the gubbins and just play the fucking game.

Cash Cab

Cash Cab was one of those shows that kinda came out of nowhere and was such a unique experience, a unique production, a decent format played for low, silly stakes but the situation contestants found themselves in (yea yea it was mostly staged whatever) made the low stakes make sense.

Password

Password is another perfect game show at its very core—the Keke Palmer showcases that even with modern production sensibilities and personalities the game is still good. My favorite version is Password Plus, mostly for the disco vibes.

Moneybags

Moneybags was such a good show, it’s a shame it didn’t last longer. In different categories, bags of money labeled with potential answers moved down a conveyer belt. Grab correct answers for cash, wrong answers have penalties. The format was a little convoluted but the game is awesome.

Golden Balls

Golden Balls is peak mid-2000s in so many ways. Lots of yelling, lots of money that no one wins, and THE PRISONER’S DILEMMA. But it’s fascinating to watch, it’s super duper stylish, and the board game is adorable and I’m glad I own it.

Tipping Point

Tipping Point answers the question: How can we turn an arcade coin pusher into a tense and exciting trivia game show? It would never work in America, and it gets old after a while, but as a special treat it’s really a fun time. Another one I’m glad I own the board game.

The Exit List

The Exit List should not be forgotten. It’s dystopian, it’s engaging, and it’s a very fun balance of trivia skill (answer as much as you can), memory (remember all the answers) and a weird dystopian vibe. Anyone I show it to is immediately fascinated. It deserved an American run.

Richard Osman’s House of Games

Richard Osman’s House of Games is such a fun show, and the pitch is “Price is Right but Trivia, with the same celebrity contestants all week playing for silly stupid prizes” and it works so well, even if you don’t know the celebrities, the trivia formats are bite size and classic.

5 Gold Rings

5 Gold Rings is such a simple game show, but it’s delivered with such big bold technology that I think it’s one of the few game shows where the tech really make the show happen. On a giant video floor, contestants have to place one of 5 gold rings on where the answer is. Simple but engaging.

1000 Heartbeats

I really value character and style in a game show, and 1000 Heartbeats has both in droves. The game timer is your ever-tattling heart rate, and the live string quartet playing the game’s music while you’re playing doesn’t help. This deserved way more love than it got.

The Crystal Maze

This might border on Hot Take, but there is absolutely no bad version of The Crystal Maze. The original with Richard O’Brien is good. Ed Tudor-Pole’s stint was good. Stephen Merchant did good, Richard Ayoade did good. Adam Conover was the perfect American host for kids too. All amazing.

Figure It Out

Figure it Out is really just What’s My Line, but with the Nickelodeon style guide making every possible decision. It’s silly fun, and more I’ve Got A Secret than people realize. Summer Sanders was to kids as John Daly was to adults, and Lori Beth Denberg is our generation’s Arlene Francis.

The Genius

The Genius from South Korea is your favorite game show blogger’s favorite game show. Clever games, amazing editing to showcase the key trick to the games, and genuine tension. I really wish more shows would be unapologetic about how intelligent contestants need to be.

Nick Arcade

Nick Arcade was, I’m fairly sure, created just for me. A trivia game show with video games, and then you got to go into a video game to play it? It’s still cool to go back and see the old Sonic 2 beta builds.

Say When!!

Say When is such a quaint but fascinating game, where players are presented items and have to keep buying items blind until they get close to a target price. I know, it sounds stupid, but it’s such a cute little game and it’s fascinating to watch. How can I buy the rights?

Double Dare

Double Dare is the kids game show that defined kids game shows forever, and it’s such silly fun joy. Marc Summers was everyone’s fun crazy uncle, and every kid wanted to run that incredible obstacle course. I don’t think it fits in Nick’s stable today but it’s so fun still.

Million Dollar Mind Game

Million Dollar Mind Game was a victim of the world’s worst scheduling, and I still don’t understand why ABC didn’t give it an honest go. Anti-intellectualism? Idk. Imagine the board game MindTrap as a team-based game show, and you’ve got the idea. ABC scheduled it against the NFL, killing it.

Wowowee

Wowowee is the quintessential Asian variety game show. There’s singing, dancing, special guests and everyone stops and watches it. It was a spectacle I was obsessed with when I went on vacation to the Philippines in college, to the point I snuck on the show and won $200.

Who Dares Wins

There’s a lot of game shows where the goal is to name as many things in a list as possible, and one of my favorites is Who Dares Wins. Notable in America for being a single-episode failure, I think Who Dares Wins in the UK was well produced and engaging.

25 Words or Less

25 Words or Less might be one of the better game shows based on a board game. TBH the early seasons, before lockdown, were great, fantastic gameplay and Meredith Vieira is a fantastic host. during and after lockdown, some of the magic was lost but the gameplay is still engaging.

The Mad Dash

The Mad Dash is a fucking fever dream, a show that looks 10 years older than it is and for contestants 20 years older than it looks. Married couples play stupid trivia questions and run around a giant board game. Great to watch when you’re high as hell.

Pass the Buck

Pass the Buck is a game that should be played for laughs—which is why I adapted it during lockdown as a comedy game show. Bill Cullen carries this game show, a race to give valid answers to sometimes-too open ended categories. Pretty fascinating stuff!

Sale of the Century

More love to Jim Perry as host of Sale of the Century. They need to bring this back as is. It’s fast paced, interesting, and perfect for syndication or daytime. It’s a mix of Jeopardy and Let’s Make a Deal, in a way, and I love a fast paced quiz.

Where In The World of Carmen San Diego?

Where in The World is Carmen Sandiego is still iconic, but boy is it a fever dream when you watch it today. You could say it’s the kids’ geography version of Remote Control, with the recurring skits and characters. And no, no one broke their arm during the bonus round.

The Answer Trap

The Answer Trap didn’t get enough love. Provided categories and a bunch of answers, players need to figure out what answers go into what categories, but some are wrong and are TRAPS. Similar to the 80s game Wipeout, the added answer trappers on stage waiting to trip up contestants was neat.

Smush

Smush is a very silly word game with a clever game format from the Jellyvision/Jackbox people, a great host in Ken Ober, and a wild staging and environment. It never got enough love when it was on the air but it ran long enough tbh, I’m not craving for more but I love seeing people discover it.

Flavor of Love

It’s my fucking list, so Flavor of Love goes on it. Flavor Flav inadvertently ushered in the next wave of reality TV, marking the end of The Real World era and bringing in this personally-enhanced, alcohol fueled, asshole fest whose greatest product is the QUEEN Tiffany Pollard.

Family Feud Nigeria

special shoutout specifically to Family Feud Nigeria who use my software to run their board and sorry for ghosting you guys I didn’t have the spoons to do what you asked when you asked

Celebrity Name Game

Have I not given Celebrity Name Game a shoutout yet? A fresh take on games like Pyramid, with Craig Ferguson picking up this show on his shoulders and running full-speed with it. He’s at the top of his hosting game on CNG, and it should’ve lasted longer than it did.

Wogan’s Perfect Recall

This one might be super obscure, but Wogan’s Perfect Recall is a game show I think I need to try for the Marathon. Three players are asked 20 questions and have to get them right. Round 2? 20 new questions, but with the same answers. Round 3? 20 more new questions with the same answers.

Popmaster TV

Popmaster TV is for people who think Name That Tune is too fucking easy. From a simple radio show to a full-featured, engaging and varied music quiz, which goes well past “name this song”, but a proper test of musical knowledge, the show is quaint, low-pressure, and fun.

Take Me Out

One of my favorite dating shows is Take Me Out. It’s definitely very 2010s, but it was such a spectacle, from the bright fun music (that I co opt often) to the intricate and silly set, to the overdosing on catchphrases, Take Me Out was really fun and took itself as seriously as required.

Blockbusters

Damn how did I miss Blockbusters? Blockbusters is personally probably one of my favorite trivia formats ever. It’s so many quirks: a grid of hexagons as a game board! a team of 2 vs a solo! initials! Woefully underappreciated in America, but thrived in the UK. Look up the story of John Hatton.

And that’s all 60! Follow me on Bluesky for more very silly content like this!