List of years in video games

This is a chronological list of years in video games that indexes the years in video games pages. Years are annotated with significant events in the history of video games.

1970s

Further information: 1970s in video games and Early history of video games

• 1970 – Initial development begins on the first commercial video game, Computer Space. The first North American Computer Chess Championship is held.
• 1971 – Computer Space and Galaxy Game are released. The Oregon Trail is first demonstrated.^[1][2]
• 1972 – The Magnavox Odyssey, the first home video game console, is released,^[3] along with the arcade machine Pong.^[2]
• 1973 – Pong and similar titles dominate the arcade sector, Gotcha, Space Race and Maze War are also released.
• 1974 – Tank is released, as well as the early first first-person shooter Spasim.^[4]
• 1975 – Speed Race releases internationally, along with the first ever RPG Dungeon.
• 1976 – The Fairchild Channel F releases, the first console to have cartridges. The highest selling arcade game of the year is F-1.
• 1977 – The Atari Video Computer System (later the Atari 2600) is released as the first widely popular home video game console.^[5]
• 1978 – Space Invaders is released, popularizing the medium and beginning the golden age of arcade video games.^[6]
• 1979 – The first handheld console, the Microvision is released. Other key titles that year include Galaxian and Asteroids.

1980s

Further information: 1980s in video games

• 1980 – Pac-Man is released, and Nintendo enters the handheld market with the Game & Watch series. Rogue inspires the Roguelike genre.
• 1981 – Donkey Kong, Frogger, Bosconian, Centipede and 005 are among the notable releases that were introduced. Vanguard pioneers the scrolling shooter genre. Jump Bug further innovates scrolling shooters.
• 1982 – The number of arcades in the United States reaches its peak.^[7] Q*bert, Dig Dug and Ms. Pac-Man are released. In hardware, the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum are also released.
• 1983 – Mario Bros. is released. The industry crashes in the United States, resulting in 20 years of Japanese domination.^[8][9] Nintendo release the Famicom, beginning the 8-bit era.^[10]
• 1984 – The first beat-em-up game Kung-Fu Master is released along with Duck Hunt, Wrecking Crew and Punch-Out!!
• 1985 – Super Mario, Tetris; The Nintendo Entertainment System is released as an international version of the Famicom.^[11]
• 1986 – The Legend of Zelda launches; the Metroidvania genre is sparked by Metroid and Castlevania respectively; in hardware the Sega Master System releases in North America.
• 1987 – Mega Man and Final Fantasy debut. Additionally, Out Run is highly influential in the development of racing games.^[12]
• 1988 – Ninja Gaiden, Super Mario Bros. 3, and the debut of the Sega Mega Drive in Japan.
• 1989 – The 16-bit era begins in North America with the TurboGrafx-16 and Sega Genesis.^[13] The Game Boy is released to great success. Mother is released.

1990s

Further information: 1990s in video games

• 1990 – Nintendo releases the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan.^[14] The Nintendo World Championships begin, an early example of Esports.
• 1991 – Street Fighter II launches; it and its updated variants dominate the arcade sector for several years. Sonic the Hedgehog debuts.
• 1992 – Mortal Kombat, Mario Kart, Ecco the Dolphin, Streets of Rage 2 and Kirby, the arcade version of Virtua Racing is Sega's first 3D title.
• 1993 – Doom launches, greatly influencing and popularizing the first person shooter genre.^[15] NBA Jam is influential in sports.^[16] Star Fox, Ridge Racer, The Lost Vikings, Samurai Shodown and Myst launch.
• 1994 – Sony enters the console market with the PlayStation.^[17] Also released are Super Metroid, EarthBound, Tekken and the debut of the Elder Scrolls franchise with Arena.
• 1995 – The Sega Saturn launch is unsuccessful. E3 is first held. 3dfx release the Voodoo GPU line. Key releases that year include Rayman, Ristar, Chrono Trigger and Time Crisis.
• 1996 – The Nintendo 64 launches; Atari leaves the market.^[18] Pokémon debuts and becomes a global phenomenon. Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Super Mario 64, and Crash Bandicoot launch.
• 1997 – Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and GoldenEye 007. Modern games UX research is first employed for Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back.^[19]
• 1998 – The Game Boy Color and Dreamcast launch. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time releases to critical acclaim. Half-Life is highly influential in immersive storytelling.^[20]
• 1999 – Nvidia enters the GPU market with the GeForce 256. Key titles that year include Super Smash Bros., Heroes of Might and Magic III, Ape Escape and Shenmue.

2000s

Further information: 2000s in video games

• 2000 – The PlayStation 2 launches and becomes the highest selling console of all time. Pokémon Gold & Silver releases internationally along with Dragon Quest VII.
• 2001 – Sega leaves the console market while Microsoft enters it with the Xbox. The GameCube and Game Boy Advance are also released.^[21] Pikmin, Halo, Animal Crossing, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Luigi's Mansion, Jak and Daxter, Devil May Cry, Ico and Phoenix Wright launch.
• 2002 – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is successful and influences many open world games.^[22] Metroid Prime and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker are critically acclaimed.
• 2003 – Steam launches and later dominates PC game sales. Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Knights of the Old Republic and Call of Duty also see success.
• 2004 – The Nintendo DS is launched and World of Warcraft redefines MMORPGs. San Andreas, Fable, Far Cry, Katamari Damacy, Half-Life 2 and Halo 2 all debut.
• 2005 – The Xbox 360 is released, along with God of War, Guild Wars and Shadow of the Colossus. Guitar Hero triggers a wave of musical rhythm games. E3 attendance peaks.
• 2006 – The Nintendo Wii is released with Wii Sports and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The PlayStation 3 launches. The Elder Scrolls IV is highly acclaimed.
• 2007 – Numerous high profile releases including Halo 3, God of War II, Team Fortress 2, Assassin's Creed, BioShock, Crysis, Mass Effect, Portal, The Witcher, and Uncharted.
• 2008 – The Nintendo DSi launches. Key releases: Grand Theft Auto IV, Fallout 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, Fable II, Dead Space, Left 4 Dead, LittleBigPlanet, Mirror's Edge and Spore.
• 2009 – Minecraft launches and eventually becomes the best selling game of all time. Also that year are Angry Birds, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age: Origins and Infamous.

2010s

Further information: 2010s in video games

• 2010 – The Kinect sells well but is later regarded as a gimmick.^[23] Red Dead Redemption, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Mass Effect 2, God of War III are acclaimed.
• 2011 – Nintendo launches the 3DS. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is considered among the greatest games of all time.^[24] Other key launches include Batman: Arkham City and Portal 2.
• 2012 – The PlayStation Vita and Wii U launch internationally and are both considered failures.^[25][26] Also launching are Far Cry 3, Journey, Dishonored, The Walking Dead and XCOM.
• 2013 – The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launch, with the former becoming dominant.^[27] Outlast, The Wonderful 101, Gone Home and Remember Me are introduced. Grand Theft Auto V, The Last of Us, The Stanley Parable and BioShock Infinite are warmly received.
• 2014 – Gamergate leads to changes in the industry's attitude to diversity.^[28] Key releases include Five Nights at Freddy's, Shovel Knight, Mario Kart 8, Hearthstone, Destiny and Monument Valley.
• 2015 – Twitch becomes influential in speedrunning and Lets Play.^[29] Launch of the New Nintendo 3DS, along with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Bloodborne, Undertale, and Fallout 4.
• 2016 – Interest in virtual reality technologies increase after the wider release of the Oculus Rift. Also released are Uncharted 4, Overwatch, Forza Horizon 3, and a rebooted Doom.
• 2017 – The Nintendo Switch launches with Breath of the Wild. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds establishes the battle royale genre. Loot box proliferation leads to regulation debate.^[30]
• 2018 – Fortnite is a runaway success and the Epic Games Store launches. Also launching are Spider-Man, Red Dead Redemption 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and God of War.
• 2019 – Launch of Google Stadia, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Tetris Effect and Disco Elysium. Some regulation of loot boxes begins in Belgium and the Netherlands.

2020s

Further information: 2020s in video games

• 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic causes a global increase in gaming. Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 launch; Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Among Us see high popularity.
• 2021 – A pandemic related chip shortage leads to supply issues of game hardware. Industry event cancellations continue, while Hades and Forza Horizon 5 see critical success.
• 2022 – Microsoft acquires Activision. The Steam Deck launch starts a wave of handheld gaming PCs such as the ROG Ally. Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West and Tunic launch.
• 2023 – Major layoffs due to pandemic-era overexpansion;^[31] Stadia and E3 are discontinued. Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3, Dave the Diver and Spider-Man 2 launch.
• 2024 – Layoffs continue. Nintendo Network is discontinued. Willis Gibson becomes the first person to beat the Tetris killscreen. Palworld and Helldivers 2 are highly successful.
• 2025 – Release of Nintendo Switch 2. Layoffs continue.
• 2026 – Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled for release.

See also

• Lists of years by topic
• List of years in games