Top 10 Most Influential Video Games of All Time

Developed by Rockstar North and released in 2013, GTA V earned over $1 billion in revenue within its first three days — the fastest entertainment product of any kind to reach that milestone at the time. With over 200 million copies sold as of 2023, it remains one of the best-selling games in history and was re-released on three generations of consoles. GTA Online, its multiplayer component, continues to generate hundreds of millions in annual revenue more than a decade after launch.

Nintendo EAD's 1998 masterpiece holds a Metacritic score of 99/100 — the highest ever recorded for any video game — and is the most frequently cited candidate for greatest game ever made by industry publications including IGN, Edge, and Time. Its Z-targeting lock-on combat system became the standard for 3D action-adventure games and remains in use 25 years later. Sold over 7.6 million copies on the Nintendo 64 and has been re-released on GameCube, Wii Virtual Console, and Nintendo 3DS.

Naughty Dog's 2013 post-apocalyptic survival game won over 200 Game of the Year awards — more than any single title had ever received — and is widely regarded as a turning point in cinematic narrative storytelling for video games. Its 2020 sequel, The Last of Us Part II, won the most GOTY awards of any game that year. The franchise was adapted into a critically acclaimed HBO series in 2023 starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, becoming one of the highest-rated debut seasons in HBO history.

Designed by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984, Tetris is the second-best-selling video game franchise of all time with over 520 million copies sold across approximately 220 versions on at least 70 different platforms. The Game Boy version, bundled with Nintendo's handheld in 1989, is credited with driving its commercial success and proving that puzzle games had mass-market appeal beyond dedicated gaming audiences. Its psychological effect — the "Tetris effect" — where players visualise falling blocks after extended play — is a documented cognitive phenomenon studied in sleep research.

Designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and released by Nintendo in 1985, Super Mario Bros. revived the North American video game industry following the catastrophic 1983 market crash and established the side-scrolling platformer as the dominant genre of the 8-bit era. It remains one of the best-selling games ever and established Mario as the most recognised video game character in the world. The Super Mario franchise has sold over 800 million units globally, making it the best-selling video game franchise in history.

id Software's 1993 FPS essentially invented the first-person shooter as a mainstream genre and pioneered networked deathmatch multiplayer — an estimated 10-20 million copies were distributed as shareware, making it one of the most-installed PC games of the 1990s. Its 2.5D pseudo-3D graphics engine was so revolutionary that the term "Doom clone" became industry shorthand for the FPS genre throughout the decade. Director John Carmack's game engine technology influenced every 3D game engine that followed.

Valve Corporation's 2004 sequel holds a Metacritic score of 96/100 and won over 39 individual Game of the Year awards — a record at the time. Its Gravity Gun mechanic and Source engine physics set a new benchmark for environmental gameplay and immersive simulation in first-person shooters, a design philosophy that influenced the Bioshock, Portal, and Dishonored franchises. Half-Life 2 was released as part of the launch strategy for Steam, Valve's digital distribution platform that would go on to control 75% of the PC gaming market.

FromSoftware's 2011 action RPG defined the "Soulslike" subgenre — a category of punishing, atmosphere-driven games that has since been adopted across the industry by studios including Sekiro, Nioh, and The Surge. The Dark Souls series has shipped over 39 million copies worldwide, and FromSoftware's 2022 spiritual successor Elden Ring, co-designed with George R.R. Martin, won virtually every major Game of the Year award and sold 25 million copies in its first year. Dark Souls' design philosophy — environmental storytelling, player self-determination, and earned difficulty — has become a graduate-level subject in game design curricula.

Blizzard Entertainment's 2004 massively multiplayer RPG peaked at 12 million active subscribers in 2010 — the highest ever for any MMORPG — and generated over $9.23 billion in revenue by 2017, making it the highest-grossing video game of all time at that point. It popularised the subscription model, the raid-based endgame loop, and the social guild structure that virtually every online RPG since has replicated. Its cultural footprint extended to a 2006 South Park episode, academic studies on virtual economies, and a 2016 feature film that grossed $433 million worldwide.

Developed by Rockstar North and released in 2013, GTA V earned over $1 billion in revenue within its first three days — the fastest entertainment product of any kind to reach that milestone at the time. With over 200 million copies sold as of 2023, it remains one of the best-selling games in history and was re-released on three generations of consoles. GTA Online, its multiplayer component, continues to generate hundreds of millions in annual revenue more than a decade after launch.

Nintendo EAD's 1998 masterpiece holds a Metacritic score of 99/100 — the highest ever recorded for any video game — and is the most frequently cited candidate for greatest game ever made by industry publications including IGN, Edge, and Time. Its Z-targeting lock-on combat system became the standard for 3D action-adventure games and remains in use 25 years later. Sold over 7.6 million copies on the Nintendo 64 and has been re-released on GameCube, Wii Virtual Console, and Nintendo 3DS.

Naughty Dog's 2013 post-apocalyptic survival game won over 200 Game of the Year awards — more than any single title had ever received — and is widely regarded as a turning point in cinematic narrative storytelling for video games. Its 2020 sequel, The Last of Us Part II, won the most GOTY awards of any game that year. The franchise was adapted into a critically acclaimed HBO series in 2023 starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, becoming one of the highest-rated debut seasons in HBO history.

Designed by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984, Tetris is the second-best-selling video game franchise of all time with over 520 million copies sold across approximately 220 versions on at least 70 different platforms. The Game Boy version, bundled with Nintendo's handheld in 1989, is credited with driving its commercial success and proving that puzzle games had mass-market appeal beyond dedicated gaming audiences. Its psychological effect — the "Tetris effect" — where players visualise falling blocks after extended play — is a documented cognitive phenomenon studied in sleep research.

Designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and released by Nintendo in 1985, Super Mario Bros. revived the North American video game industry following the catastrophic 1983 market crash and established the side-scrolling platformer as the dominant genre of the 8-bit era. It remains one of the best-selling games ever and established Mario as the most recognised video game character in the world. The Super Mario franchise has sold over 800 million units globally, making it the best-selling video game franchise in history.

id Software's 1993 FPS essentially invented the first-person shooter as a mainstream genre and pioneered networked deathmatch multiplayer — an estimated 10-20 million copies were distributed as shareware, making it one of the most-installed PC games of the 1990s. Its 2.5D pseudo-3D graphics engine was so revolutionary that the term "Doom clone" became industry shorthand for the FPS genre throughout the decade. Director John Carmack's game engine technology influenced every 3D game engine that followed.

Valve Corporation's 2004 sequel holds a Metacritic score of 96/100 and won over 39 individual Game of the Year awards — a record at the time. Its Gravity Gun mechanic and Source engine physics set a new benchmark for environmental gameplay and immersive simulation in first-person shooters, a design philosophy that influenced the Bioshock, Portal, and Dishonored franchises. Half-Life 2 was released as part of the launch strategy for Steam, Valve's digital distribution platform that would go on to control 75% of the PC gaming market.

FromSoftware's 2011 action RPG defined the "Soulslike" subgenre — a category of punishing, atmosphere-driven games that has since been adopted across the industry by studios including Sekiro, Nioh, and The Surge. The Dark Souls series has shipped over 39 million copies worldwide, and FromSoftware's 2022 spiritual successor Elden Ring, co-designed with George R.R. Martin, won virtually every major Game of the Year award and sold 25 million copies in its first year. Dark Souls' design philosophy — environmental storytelling, player self-determination, and earned difficulty — has become a graduate-level subject in game design curricula.

Blizzard Entertainment's 2004 massively multiplayer RPG peaked at 12 million active subscribers in 2010 — the highest ever for any MMORPG — and generated over $9.23 billion in revenue by 2017, making it the highest-grossing video game of all time at that point. It popularised the subscription model, the raid-based endgame loop, and the social guild structure that virtually every online RPG since has replicated. Its cultural footprint extended to a 2006 South Park episode, academic studies on virtual economies, and a 2016 feature film that grossed $433 million worldwide.