The Most Important Video Games in History
Publication Region: North America
Published: July 22, 2026 / August 8, 2026 (Most Recent Update)
Cut-Off: August 8, 2006
Giant Bomb’s “The Most Important Video Games in History” was first published in 2026 with 151 games presented chronologically and a rolling eligibility of 20 years. Periodic updates will add additional titles to the list.
Original List
- February 1962 – Spacewar!
- 1971 – Star Trek
- December 1971 – The Oregon Trail
- November 1972 – Pong
- January 1973 – Hamurabi
- 1975 – pedit5
- April 1976 – Colossal Cave Adventure
- April 1976 – Death Race
- May 1976 – Breakout
- October 1976 – Night Driver
- June 1977 – Zork
- 1978 – MUD1
- June 1978 – Space Invaders
- August 1979 – Lunar Lander
- November 1979 – Asteroids
- 1980 – Rogue
- 1980 – Star Raiders
- January 1980 – FS1 Flight Simulator
- March 1980 – Adventure
- May 1980 – Mystery House
- May 1980 – Pac-Man
- November 1980 – Battlezone
- February 1981 – Defender
- June 1981 – Ultima
- July 1981 – Centipede
- July 1981 – Donkey Kong
- September 1981 – Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
- December 1981 – Utopia
- December 1981 – Zaxxon
- 1982 – Pinball Construction Set
- 1982 – Robotron: 2084
- September 1982 – Pitfall!
- October 1982 – Qbert
- December 1982 – ET: The Extra-Terrestrial
- March 1983 – Nobunaga’s Ambition
- April 1983 – Attack of the Mutant Camels
- June 1983 – The Portopia Serial Murder Case
- July 1983 – Dragon’s Lair
- September 1983 – Track & Field
- November 1983 – MULE
- 1984 – King’s Quest
- March 1984 – The Black Onyx
- June 1984 – I Robot
- June 1984 – Tetris
- July 1984 – Karate Champ
- September 1984 – Dragon Slayer
- September 1984 – Elite
- November 1984 – Knight Lore
- September 1985 – Super Mario Bros.
- September 1985 – Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
- October 1985 – Gauntlet
- October 1985 – Little Computer People
- October 1985 – Space Harrier
- February 1986 – The Legend of Zelda
- May 1986 – Dragon Warrior / Dragon Quest
- August 1986 – Metroid
- September 1986 – OutRun
- April 1987 – Double Dragon
- July 1987 – Metal Gear
- July 1987 – NetHack
- October 1987 – Maniac Mansion
- November 1987 – Méwilo
- December 1987 – Dungeon Master
- December 1987 – Final Fantasy
- March 1988 – Wasteland
- February 1989 – SimCity
- March 1989 – Populous
- October 1987 – Prince of Persia
- December 1989 – Herzog Zwei
- December 1989 – Sweet Home
- September 1990 – Sid Meier’s Railroad Tycoon
- September 1990 – Wing Commander
- November 1990 – John Madden Football
Ranked As: Madden NFL Football (Series) - 1991 – Out of This World / Another World
- January 1991 – Sid Meier’s Civilization
- February 1991 – Lemmings
- February 1991 – Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
- June 1991 – Sonic the Hedgehog
- March 1992 – Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
- May 1992 – Wolfenstein 3D
- June 1992 – Night Trap
- July 1992 – Alone in the Dark
- August 1992 – Mortal Kombat
- August 1992 – Super Mario Kart
- December 1992 – Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
- February 1993 – NBA Jam
Ranked As: NBA Jam (Series) - February 1993 – Star Fox
- April 1993 – The 7th Guest
- September 1993 – Myst
- December 1993 – Doom
- December 1993 – Virtua Fighter
- March 1994 – Daytona USA
- March 1994 – X-COM: UFO Defense / UFO: Enemy Unknown
- November 1994 – Donkey Kong Country
- May 1995 – DonPachi
- August 1995 –Phantasmagoria
- February 199 – Pokemon Red/Green
Ranked As: Pokemon Blue/Red/Yellow (1998) / Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen (2004) - March 1996 –Resident Evil
Ranked As: Resident Evil (1996) / Resident Evil (2002) - June 1996 – Super Mario 64
- July 1996 – Quake
- November 1996 – Tomb Raider
Ranked As: Tomb Raider (1996) / Tomb Raider Anniversary (2007) - December 1996 – PaRappa the Rapper
- January 1997 – Diablo
- January 1997 – Final Fantasy VII
- March 1997 – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- August 1997 – GoldenEye 007
- September 1997 – Ultima Online
- September 1997 – Fallout
- November 1997 – Grand Theft Auto
- December 1997 – Gran Turismo
- April 1998 – StarCraft
- May 1998 – Unreal
- September 1998 – Dance Dance Revolution
Ranked As: Dance Dance Revolution (Series) - September 1998 – Lineage
- September 1998 – Metal Gear Solid
- October 1998 – Grim Fandango
- October 1998 – Jurassic Park: Trespasser
- November 1998 – Half-Life
- November 1998 – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- December 1998 – Thief: The Dark Project
- January 1999 – Super Smash Bros.
- March 1999 – EverQuest
- September 1999 – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
Ranked As: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series) - December 1999 – Crazy Taxi
- December 1999 – Shenmue
- February 2000 – The Sims
- June 2000 – Deus Ex
- October 2000 – Alien Resurrection
- November 2000 – Bejeweled
- November 2000 – Counter-Strike
- November 2000 – Hitman: Codename 47
- December 2000 – Phantasy Star Online
- March 2001 – RuneScape
- June 2001 – Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis
- August 2001 – Devil May Cry
- October 2001 – Grand Theft Auto III
- November 2001 – Halo: Combat Evolved
- January 2002 – Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
- May 2002 – The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- July 2002 – Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
- September 2002 – Battlefield 1942
- May 2003 – EVE Online
- July 2003 – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- March 2004 – Far Cry
- November 2004 – Half-Life 2
- November 2004 – World of Warcraft
- January 2005 – Resident Evil 4
- May 2005 – Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day
- October 2005 – Shadow of the Colossus
- November 2005 – Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
- November 2005 – Guitar Hero
Updates
- August 2006 – Dwarf Fortress