š® Top 10 First Levels in Video Game History š®
10. Medal of Honor: Frontline ā D-Day Beach
You begin on a landing craft, waves crashing and chaos erupting, before storming the beach under relentless fire. This opening doesnāt just teach you the basicsāit thrusts you straight into the terror and heroism of Normandy. Itās cinematic, intense, and sets the tone for the entire campaign. Few shooter intros have matched its sheer adrenaline since.
9. GoldenEye 007 ā Dam
From sneaking along snowy ridges to storming the dam and bungee jumping off the edge, this level makes you feel like James Bond from the first second. It mixes stealth, action, and set-piece spectacle flawlessly. The Dam became an instant benchmark for how to start a shooter with style.
8. The Last of Us ā Prologue
What begins as a quiet night turns into chaos, heartbreak, and loss. This prologue hooks you emotionally before the gameplay even truly begins, grounding the entire journey in human stakes. Itās gripping, cinematic storytelling at its most powerful.
7. Portal ā Test Chamber 00
A single room, a portal gun, and a mysterious voice with a dark sense of humorāthatās all it takes to captivate you. This intro teaches you mechanics organically while hinting at something much stranger going on. Minimalist, clever, and instantly iconic.
6. Halo: Combat Evolved ā The Pillar of Autumn
From the moment you wake up from cryosleep, youāre fighting for your life aboard a doomed starship. The Covenant are boarding, alarms are blaring, and youāre learning to fight on the fly. This intro nails pacingāmixing tutorial moments with full-blown firefightsāand sets the stage for one of the most influential shooters ever made.
5. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves ā Train Car Cliffhanger
Nathan Drake wakes up bloodied and dangling from a derailed train teetering over a cliff. Youāre thrown into climbing, shooting, and scrambling for survival in one of gamingās most cinematic openings. Itās pure blockbuster energy from frame one.
4. Sonic Adventure 2 ā City Escape
Sonic grabs a piece of debris like a skateboard and launches into a high-speed dash through the city streets. Grinding rails, outrunning G.U.N. trucks, and jamming to āEscape from the Cityā set the tone for the entire game. Itās Sonic at his most stylish.
3. Bioshock ā Welcome to Rapture
A plane crash in the ocean, a mysterious lighthouse, and then a descent into an underwater dystopia unlike anything youāve seen. This level is pure atmosphereāequal parts beauty and menaceāand it hooks you instantly. A masterclass in world-building.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ā Kokiri Forest & Inside the Deku Tree
The game begins in the charming Kokiri Forest, letting you meet quirky villagers, explore freely, and learn the basics. Soon, you venture into the Deku Treeāyour first taste of a Zelda dungeonāwhere puzzles, enemies, and treasures await. This gradual build from peaceful exploration to heroic action set the template for 3D adventure game openings for decades.
1. Super Mario Bros. ā World 1-1
The most famous opening level in gaming history. Without a single text box, it teaches you how to run, jump, dodge enemies, and collect power-upsāpure game design genius. Every block and Goomba is perfectly placed to encourage learning through play. Decades later, itās still the gold standard for first levels.
šÆ Honorable Mentions
Mega Man X ā Intro Highway A masterclass in teaching mechanics without wordsāplus, the music shreds.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare ā Crew Expendable Rain, stealth, and sudden chaos aboard a cargo shipācinematic FPS gold.
Cuphead ā Tutorial Island Short, sweet, and charmingly old-school while prepping you for pure boss battle madness.
Red Dead Redemption 2 ā Colter Snow-covered mountains, a tense outlaw hideout, and early glimpses of Arthurās world.
Metroid Prime ā Frigate Orpheon A haunting sci-fi tone-setter that perfectly blends exploration and foreshadowing.
Final Fantasy VII ā Mako Reactor 1 An explosive start to one of gamingās most beloved RPGsāliterally and figuratively.
Whatās the first level youāll never forget? Drop your pick in the notes and letās see how many people agree with you!