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Every game, 1980 to today

Timeline

A year-by-year archive of every main-line release IGDB has on record. Decade by decade, the headline games of each year — the ones the audience rated most highly — sit at the top.

Chapter 1

1970–1979

The year of Pong

1972

25 main releases

The year of Space Race

1973

36 main releases

The year of Tank

1974

28 main releases

The year of Gun Fight

1975

30 main releases

The year of Breakout

1976

63 main releases

The year of Combat

1977

95 main releases

The year of Space Invaders

1978

128 main releases

The year of Galaxian

1979

196 main releases

Chapter 2

1980–1989

The year of Pac-Man

1980

240 main releases

The year of Donkey Kong

1981

423 main releases

The year of Ms. Pac-Man

1982

886 main releases

The year of Mario Bros.

1983

1207 main releases

The year of Duck Hunt

1984

1005 main releases

The year of Super Mario Bros.

1985

843 main releases

The year of The Legend of Zelda

1986

880 main releases

The year of Contra

1987

1095 main releases

The year of Super Mario Bros. 3

1988

1035 main releases

The year of Tetris

1989

1140 main releases

Chapter 3

1990–1999

The year of Super Mario World

1990

1280 main releases

The year of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

1991

1422 main releases

The year of Sonic the Hedgehog 2

1992

1483 main releases

The year of Doom

1993

1563 main releases

The year of Super Metroid

1994

1699 main releases

The year of Chrono Trigger

1995

1843 main releases

The year of Super Mario 64

1996

1731 main releases

The year of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

1997

1648 main releases

The year of Half-Life

1998

1720 main releases

The year of Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

1999

1864 main releases

Chapter 4

2000–2009

The year of Diablo II

2000

1906 main releases

The year of Silent Hill 2

2001

1953 main releases

The year of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

2002

1955 main releases

The year of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

2003

1879 main releases

The year of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

2004

1906 main releases

The year of Resident Evil 4

2005

2121 main releases

The year of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

2006

2293 main releases

The year of Portal

2007

2516 main releases

The year of Grand Theft Auto IV

2008

2729 main releases

The year of Assassin's Creed II

2009

3188 main releases

Chapter 5

2010–2019

The year of Mass Effect 2

2010

3268 main releases

The year of Portal 2

2011

3186 main releases

The year of Far Cry 3

2012

3249 main releases

The year of Grand Theft Auto V

2013

3434 main releases

The year of The Last of Us Remastered

2014

4368 main releases

The year of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

2015

5549 main releases

The year of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

2016

7652 main releases

The year of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

2017

10223 main releases

The year of Red Dead Redemption 2

2018

11292 main releases

The year of Disco Elysium

2019

10685 main releases

Chapter 6

2020–2029

The year of The Last of Us Part II

2020

12131 main releases

The year of It Takes Two

2021

14529 main releases

The year of Elden Ring

2022

14707 main releases

The year of Baldur's Gate III

2023

16415 main releases

The year of Silent Hill 2

2024

20580 main releases

The year of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

2025

21193 main releases

The year of Resident Evil Requiem

2026

10649 main releases


Want the narrative cut? The Golden Age tells the 1972–1994 story.

v1 ships the headliners per year. A deeper crawl is coming.