List of years in video games explained

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

• 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.
• 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

• 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 is also released.
• 1983 – 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 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.

1990s

• 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 – Star Fox, Ridge Racer, The Lost Vikings, Samurai Shodown and Myst are among the notable releases that were introduced. Doom launches, greatly influencing and popularizing the first person shooter genre.^[15] NBA Jam is influential in sports.^[16]
• 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 leave the market.^[18] Pokémon debuts and becomes a global phenomenon. Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, and Crash Bandicoot launch.
• 1997 – Final Fantasy VII, and GoldenEye 007. Modern games UX research is first employed for .^[19]
• 1998 – The Game Boy Color and Dreamcast launch. 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

• 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 – Pikmin, , Animal Crossing, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Luigi's Mansion, , Devil May Cry, Ico and are among the notable releases that were introduced. Sega leaves the console market while Microsoft enters it with the Xbox. The GameCube and Game Boy Advance are also released.^[21]
• 2002 – is successful and influences many open world games.^[22] Metroid Prime and are critically acclaimed.
• 2003 – Steam launches and later dominates PC game sales. Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, , 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 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, , and Infamous.

2010s

• 2010 – The Kinect sells well but is later regarded as a gimmick.^[23] Red Dead Redemption, , Mass Effect 2, God of War III are acclaimed.
• 2011 – Nintendo launches the 3DS. is considered among the greatest games of all time.^[24] Other key launches include 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 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 , 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, , Tetris Effect and Disco Elysium. Some regulation of loot boxes begins in Belgium and the Netherlands.

2020s

• 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic causes a global increase in gaming. Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 launch; 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 – Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled for release.

See also

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

Notes and References

1. Web site: Carl Creators of Oregon Trail Celebrate 50th Anniversary - Carleton College. 2023-02-09. 2023-01-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20230124045228/https://www.carleton.edu/news/stories/carl-creators-of-oregon-trail-celebrate-50th-anniversary/. live.
2. Lowood . Henry . 2009 . Videogames in Computer Space: The Complex History of Pong . IEEE Annals of the History of Computing . 31 . 3 . 5–19 . 10.1109/MAHC.2009.53 . 7653073 . 1058-6180 . 2023-04-27 . 2023-03-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230310154703/https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5223982/ . live .
3. Web site: Magnavox Odyssey Video Game Unit, 1972 . 2022-11-23 . National Museum of American History . en . 2022-11-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221123020915/https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1302004 . live .
4. Book: Wolf, Mark J. P. . Guns, Grenades, and Grunts: First-Person Shooter Games . Bloomsbury Publishing . 2012 . 9781441146267 . Voorhees . Gerald A. . 32–33 . BattleZone and the Origins of First-Person Shooting Games . Whitlock . Katie . Call . Joshua.
5. Book: Wolf, Mark J. P. . Encyclopedia of Video Games: M-Z . Greenwood . 2012 . 52–53.
6. Northfield . R. . 2018-08-01 . Gaming's golden age . Engineering & Technology . en . 13 . 7 . 30–33 . 10.1049/et.2018.0702 . 117377706 . 1750-9637 . 2022-11-23 . 2022-11-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221123020913/https://digital-library.theiet.org/content/journals/10.1049/et.2018.0702 . live .
7. Web site: June . Laura . For Amusement Only: the life and death of the American arcade . The Verge . 16 January 2013 . 6 February 2024 . 6 October 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141006081005/http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/16/3740422/the-life-and-death-of-the-american-arcade-for-amusement-only . live .
8. News: Is Japanese gaming in crisis? . 4 November 2010 . 7 February 2024 . 25 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220525193250/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9159905.stm . live .
9. Down Many Times, but Still Playing the Game: Creative Destruction and Industry Crashes in the Early Video Game Industry 1971-1986 . Ernkvist . Mirko . 2008 . 2022-11-23.
10. Book: Wolf . Mark J. P. . Video Games Around the World . 1 May 2015 . . 978-0-262-52716-3 . 322.
11. Kohler . Chris . Oct. 18, 1985: Nintendo Entertainment System Launches . en-US . Wired . 2022-12-28 . 1059-1028 . 2020-11-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201126134701/https://www.wired.com/2010/10/1018nintendo-nes-launches/ . live .
12. How Out Run changed video games forever . Wired UK . 2024-02-06 . 2021-11-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211104120401/https://www.wired.co.uk/article/out-run-video-game-design . live .
13. Schilling . Melissa A. . 2003 . Technological Leapfrogging: Lessons from the U.S. Video Game Console Industry . California Management Review . en . 45 . 3 . 6–32 . 10.2307/41166174 . 41166174 . 114838931 . 0008-1256 . 2022-11-23 . 2022-11-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221123033241/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.2307/41166174 . live .
14. Book: Byrne, Brian . History of the Super Nintendo (SNES): Ultimate Guide to the SNES Games & Hardware . Console Gamer Magazine . 2017 . 978-1549899560 . 4.
15. Web site: The Greatest Games of All Time: Doom - GameSpot.com . 11 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121011173849/http://uk.gamespot.com/features/the-greatest-games-of-all-time-doom-6143094/ . 2012-10-11 .
16. Web site: Breaking into the Industry: Tim Kitzrow . IGN . en . 16 February 2000 . 6 February 2024 . 28 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230828011554/https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/02/16/breaking-into-the-industry-tim-kitzrow . live .
17. The First Sony PlayStation Changed Everything About Gaming . 2022-12-28 . Time . 3 December 2014 . en . 2022-12-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221228203028/https://time.com/3613610/sony-playstation/ . live .
18. Kohler . Chris . Nintendo 64 Came Out 20 Years Ago—Here's How I Felt About It Then . en-US . Wired . 2022-12-28 . 1059-1028 . 2016-09-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160929205936/https://www.wired.com/2016/09/nintendo-64-20th-anniversary/ . live .
19. Web site: What is GUR/UX?. 2024-02-06. 2023-06-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20230613030534/https://grux.org/what-is-gurux/. live.
20. Web site: James . Matt . The Enduring Legacy of 'Half-Life,' 20 Years After Its Release . The Ringer . en . 29 November 2018 . 6 February 2024 . 30 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240430122911/https://www.theringer.com/2018/11/29/18116704/half-life-20th-anniversary-valve-fps-black-mesa-xen . live .
21. Web site: Ackerman . Dan . Microsoft Xbox at 20: Looking back at the original 2001 review . 2022-12-28 . CNET . en . 2022-12-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221228203028/https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/microsoft-xbox-at-20-looking-back-at-the-original-2001-review/ . live .
22. Web site: Exploring the Evolution of Computer Games: A Deep Dive into GTA Vice City . Ask.com . 27 November 2023.
23. Web site: Stuart . Keith . Xbox One: Kinect will be different this time, says Rare . The Guardian . 8 October 2013 . 6 February 2024 . 6 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240206140931/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/oct/08/xbox-one-kinect-rare . live .
24. Edge Special List: The 100 Greatest Video Games. Edge. September 2015.
25. Web site: Yang . George . 'The little handheld that could': examining the Vita's impact a decade later . The Verge . en . 24 June 2021 . 6 February 2024 . 24 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624180125/https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/24/22545198/playstation-vita-10-year-anniversary-sony-handheld . live .
26. Web site: Stuart . Keith . RIP Wii U: Nintendo's glorious, quirky failure . The Guardian . 3 February 2017 . 6 February 2024 . 5 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170205030444/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/03/rip-wii-u-nintendos-glorious-quirky-failure . live .
27. Web site: Warren . Tom . Microsoft finally admits Xbox One sales were less than half of the PS4 . The Verge . en . 15 August 2022 . 6 February 2024 . 17 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231117075504/https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/15/23306068/microsoft-xbox-one-sales-lifetime-versus-ps4-sales . live .
28. Web site: How 'GamerGate' led the gaming industry to embrace more diverse and caring values . University of Portsmouth . en . 23 February 2023 . 6 February 2024 . 6 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240206151155/https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/popular-culture/how-gamergate-led-the-gaming-industry-to-embrace-more-diverse-and-caring-values . live .
29. News: Twitch's Viewers Reach 100 Million a Month . https://web.archive.org/web/20170809175422/https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/01/29/twitchs-viewers-reach-100-million-a-month/ . 2017-08-09 . WSJ . Needleman . Sarah E. .
30. Web site: Are loot boxes gambling? . Eurogamer.net . en . 12 October 2017 . 6 February 2024 . 6 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240206160657/https://www.eurogamer.net/are-loot-boxes-gambling . live .
31. Web site: It's estimated that 9,000 games industry jobs have been lost this year . VGC . 11 December 2023 . 6 February 2024 . 6 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240206061801/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/its-estimated-that-9000-games-industry-jobs-have-been-lost-this-year/ . live .