15 Video Game Records That Will Never Be Broken

Some gaming feats are out of reach not because players lack skill, but because the games themselves set hard limits. Score caps, kill screens, retired servers, and one-time competitive eras have frozen certain accomplishments where they stand. Below are records that are effectively sealed by design or circumstance, with the key facts that explain why no one can push them any higher. Each entry starts with the game name and the specific record it locks in.

‘Pac-Man’

The record is the maximum possible score of 3,333,360 points. The arcade code produces a split-screen on level 256 that corrupts half the maze and prevents further point collection. All dots, fruits, and ghost bonuses across the first 255 levels have fixed values and counts, so the total can be computed exactly. Because no additional point sources exist after the split-screen, the number cannot be raised.

‘Donkey Kong’

The record is the highest score reachable before the level 22 kill screen ends the run. A timer bug drains the life meter almost instantly on that board, which caps the number of stages and scoring opportunities. Players optimize by grabbing safe points and extending barrels and fireball patterns, but the stage count is finite. The kill screen fixes a maximum ceiling that no strategy can surpass.

‘Tetris’ Game Boy

The record is the hard cap of 999 lines shown by the in-game counter. The counter is stored in limited memory and stops increasing once it reaches its display maximum, even if a player keeps clearing. Speed and gravity can continue to rise, but the official line total will not. That storage limit makes the highest displayed line count an unbreakable top.

‘Super Mario Bros.’

The record is the theoretical minimum any% in-game time allowed by the engine’s frame rules. Level transitions only occur on certain frames, so even perfect inputs must wait for those gates to open. This creates a floor that tool-assisted precision cannot go under and human play can only match. The frame rule logic turns the best possible time into a hard stop.

‘Galaga’

The record is the highest stable score before counter limits and late-level instability make continuation impossible on certain boards. Early revisions can exhibit behavior that crashes or corrupts after extended play, and the score display itself is constrained by digit capacity. Advanced techniques like the no-fire exploit still run into those limits eventually. The combination of overflow risk and platform quirks fixes a ceiling.

‘Wii Sports’ Bowling

The record is a perfect game of 300. Scoring mirrors real bowling, so twelve strikes already consume every available scoring event in a game. There are no extra frames or hidden multipliers beyond that. Any flawless round ties the same 300 result rather than exceeding it.

‘Burnout 3: Takedown’

The record is the maximum possible Crash Mode payout on each junction. Every level contains a finite number of vehicles, preset multipliers, and fixed bonus tokens in fixed locations. Once the optimal chain is solved, the payout cannot go higher because no new value can spawn. Those authored layouts turn top scores into exact caps.

‘Super Mario 64’

The record is the full 120-star completion on a legitimate cartridge file. The game ships with a fixed inventory of Power Stars distributed across worlds and the castle hub. Glitches and sequence breaks change routing but do not create new stars. Because the star count is finite, no save can exceed the maximum.

‘Halo 2’ Xbox Live

The record is the legacy top rank of 50 on the original matchmaking service. That rating was tied to a specific implementation and database that closed with the end of the platform. With the servers retired, no new matches can adjust those numbers. The highest ranks from that system are frozen where they ended.

‘Red Dead Redemption’ Multiplayer

The record is the maximum reputation and prestige status achievable on the original online progression that later shut down on legacy platforms. The mode awarded finite experience toward defined thresholds, and those databases no longer advance. Accounts that reached the cap remain there, while new players cannot join that ladder. The sunset of tracking locks the top completion in place.

‘The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’

The record is true 100 percent completion on the original N64 release. The cartridge contains a fixed set of heart pieces, upgrades, quest items, and collectibles that define a complete file. Sequence breaks may alter when items are obtained but not the total checklist. With no post-credits or randomized add-ons, the completion percentage cannot exceed full.

‘Fortnite’ Battle Royale

The record is the longest win streaks and placement peaks recorded in specific early seasons that are now archived. Each season ran on distinct maps, loot pools, and balance that reset with new chapters. Leaderboards from those eras were closed and preserved rather than extended. Because later seasons track separately, those season-top streaks cannot be pushed farther.

‘Overwatch’ (2016)

The record is the highest visible skill ratings from the pre–role queue competitive system. That ranking formula and its public display belonged to a retired ruleset and database. After role queue arrived and the sequel launched, legacy ratings were no longer changeable. The peak values from that era remain permanent.

‘Tetris Effect’ Journey Mode

The record is the fixed S rank and score cap per stage as defined by each stage’s maximum tile clears and bonuses. Stages provide a predetermined number of line opportunities within their tempo and duration, and the scoring table tops out at a known value. Once the optimal clear pattern is achieved, no extra lines or multipliers appear to add points. Those authored limits make the best stage scores capped.

‘Pokémon GO’

The record is the first global clears and finishes from inaugural raid events tracked at launch. Those logs credited specific groups and teams for firsts that were unique to that event format. Later raids and seasons record separately, so no one can retroactively claim those initial milestones. With the original entries closed, the earliest firsts are immutable.

Share the wild game feats you think are truly untouchable in the comments and tell us which records we should add next.