Rare
🇬🇧 UKRare Limited is a British video game developer and a studio of Xbox Game Studios based in Twycross, Leicestershire. Rare's games span the platform, first-person shooter, action-adventure, fighting, and racing genres. Its most popular games include the Battletoads, Donkey Kong, and Banjo-Kazooie series, as well as games like GoldenEye 007 (1997), Perfect Dark (2000), Conker's Bad Fur Day (2001), Viva Piñata (2006), and Sea of Thieves (2018). Tim and Chris Stamper, who also founded Ultimate Play the Game, established Rare in 1985. During its early years, Rare was backed by a generous budget from Nintendo, primarily concentrated on Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games. During this time, Rare created successful games such as Wizards & Warriors (1987), R.C. Pro-Am (1988), and Battletoads (1991). Rare became a prominent second-party developer for Nintendo, which came to own a large minority stake in the company, with the release of Donkey Kong Country (1994). Throughout the 1990s, Rare started selling their games under the trademark name "Rareware" and received international recognition and critical acclaim for games such as the Donkey Kong Country series, Killer Instinct (1994), GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie (1998), Perfect Dark (2000), and Conker's Bad Fur Day (2001). In 2002, Microsoft acquired Rare, which retained its original brand, logo, and most intellectual properties. Rare has since focused on developing games exclusively for Microsoft's video game consoles, including Grabbed by the Ghoulies (2003), Kameo (2005), Perfect Dark Zero (2005), and Viva Piñata (2006). In 2007, the Stampers left Rare to pursue other opportunities and, in 2010, the company's focus shifted to the Xbox Live Avatar and Kinect, releasing three Kinect Sports games. In 2015, Rare developed Rare Replay, an Xbox One-exclusive compilation containing 30 of its games to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Rare's most recent game, Sea of Thieves, was released in 2018. Several former Rare employees have formed their own companies, such as Free Radical Design, best known for producing the TimeSplitters series, and Playtonic Games, best known for Yooka-Laylee (2017). Rare is widely acknowledged in the video game industry and has received numerous accolades from critics and journalists. Rare is also known as a secretive and seclusive studio. Several Rare games, such as Donkey Kong Country and GoldenEye 007, have been cited as among the greatest and most influential games of all time, though some fans and former employees have been critical of the company's output under Microsoft.
Developed Games
157
Rare Collection 1
2025
Sea of Thieves: Season 14
2024
Sea of Thieves: Season 13
2024
Sea of Thieves: Season 12
2024
Sea of Thieves: 2024 Premium Edition
2024
Sea of Thieves: Season 11
2024
Sea of Thieves: Season 10
2023
Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island
2023
Sea of Thieves: Season 9
2023
Sea of Thieves: Deluxe Edition
2023
GoldenEye 007
2023
Sea of Thieves: Season 8
2022
Sea of Thieves: Season 7
2022
Sea of Thieves: Season 6
2022
Sea of Thieves: Season 5
2021
Sea of Thieves: Season 4
2021
Sea of Thieves: Season 3
2021
Sea of Thieves: Season 2
2021
Battletoads
2020
Sea of Thieves: Festival of the Damned
2018
Sea of Thieves: Forsaken Shores
2018
Sea of Thieves: Cursed Sails
2018
Sea of Thieves: The Hungering Deep
2018
Sea of Thieves
2018
Rare Replay
2015
Grabbed by the Ghoulies
2015
Kinect Sports Rivals
2014
Boxing Fight
2013
Kinect Sports Gems: Ping Pong
2013
Kinect Sports: Season Two
2011
Kinect Sports
2010
Perfect Dark
2010
Banjo-Tooie
2009
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts - L.O.G.'s Lost Challenges
2009
Banjo-Kazooie
2008
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
2008
Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise
2008
Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
2008
Jetpac Refuelled
2007
Diddy Kong Racing DS
2007
Viva Piñata
2006
Kameo: Elements of Power
2005
Perfect Dark Zero
2005
Donkey Kong Country 3
2005
Conker: Live & Reloaded
2005
Banjo-Pilot
2005
It's Mr. Pants
2004
Donkey Kong Country 2
2004
Sabre Wulf
2004
Grabbed by the Ghoulies
2003
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge
2003
Donkey Kong Country
2003
Star Fox Adventures
2002
Mickey's Speedway USA
2001
Conker's Bad Fur Day
2001
Banjo-Tooie
2000
Donkey Kong Country
2000
Mickey's Speedway USA
2000
Perfect Dark
2000
Perfect Dark
2000
Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong
2000
Mickey's Speedway USA: Huey
2000
Donkey Kong 64 Lore Quiz
1999
Mickey's Racing Adventure
1999
Donkey Kong 64
1999
Jet Force Gemini
1999
Conker's Pocket Tales
1999
Banjo-Kazooie
1998
Diddy Kong Racing
1997
Donkey Kong Land III
1997
GoldenEye 007
1997
Blast Corps
1997
Kazoo
1997
Killer Instinct Gold
1996
Donkey Kong Land 2
1996
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
1996
Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run
1996
Killer Instinct 2
1996
Killer Instinct
1995
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
1995
Killer Instinct
1995
Donkey Kong Land
1995
Monster Max
1994
Donkey Kong Country: Competition Cartridge
1994
Donkey Kong Country
1994
Killer Instinct
1994
Battletoads
1994
Snake Rattle 'n' Roll
1993
Battletoads / Double Dragon
1993
Battletoads
1993
Battletoads In Battlemaniacs
1993
Battletoads in Ragnarok's World
1993
Battletoads / Double Dragon
1993
Battletoads
1993
Beetlejuice: Horrific Hijinx from the Neitherworld!
1993
R.C. Pro-Am II
1992
Wizards & Warriors III: Kuros - Visions of Power
1992
Super R.C. Pro-Am
1991
WWF Superstars
1991
Battletoads
1991
Sneaky Snakes
1991
High Speed
1991
Battletoads
1991
Beetlejuice
1991
The Amazing Spider-Man
1990
Captain Skyhawk
1990
Digger T. Rock: The Legend of the Lost City
1990
Super Glove Ball
1990
A Nightmare on Elm Street
1990
Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship
1990
Time Lord
1990
Snake Rattle 'n' Roll
1990
Pin-Bot
1990
Wheel of Fortune: Family Edition
1990
Sesame Street: 1-2-3
1989
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
1989
Jordan vs. Bird: One on One
1989
Cobra Triangle
1989
Taboo: The Sixth Sense
1989
Double Dare
1988
WWF Wrestlemania
1988
Jeopardy!
1988
Anticipation
1988
R.C. Pro-Am
1988
Wizards & Warriors
1987
Slalom
1987
Vs. Slalom
1986
Banjo X
Donkey Kong: Coconut Crackers
Dinosaur Planet
Everwild
Donkey Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Pilot
Twelve Tales: Conker 64
Conker's Other Bad Fur Day
Velvet Dark
Sabreman Stampede
GoldenEye 007: Xbox Live Arcade
Dream 64
Donkey Kong Country
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Kameo 2
Conker: Gettin' Medieval
Super Battletoads
Killer Instinct 2
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Curse
Pro-Am 64
Dream: Land of Giants
The Fast And The Furriest
Kameo: Elements of Power
Jet Force Gemini
Battletoads
Perfect Dark Zero
D.K.R. DMG
Amazing Garden
GoldenEye 007
Wrestlerage
