List of years in video games
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| Part of a series on: |
| History of video games |
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1940s - 1950s - 1960s -1970s - 1980s - 1990s - 2000s - 2010s
1940s
- 1947 — earliest known interactive electronic game
- 1948 — Alan Turing and D. G. Champernowne write a chess-playing algorithm
1950s
- 1950 — Claude Shannon devises a chess-playing program
- 1951 — Nimrod
- 1952 — OXO
- 1958 — Tennis for Two
1960s
- 1960 —
- 1961 —
- 1962 — Spacewar!
- 1963 —
- 1964 —
- 1965 — John Kemeny writes a baseball simulation
- 1966 —
- 1967 —
- 1968 — The Sumer Game
- 1969 — Space Travel, Lunar Lander, Hamurabi
1970s
- 1970 —
- 1971 — Galaxy Game, Computer Space, Empire, Star Trek, The Oregon Trail
- 1972 — Pong, Hunt the Wumpus, Star Trek ; launch of Magnavox Odyssey
- 1973 — Gotcha; BASIC Computer Games published
- 1974 — Tank, Maze War, Spasim
- 1975 — Colossal Cave Adventure, dnd, Gun Fight, pedit5; launch of Magnavox Odyssey Series
- 1976 — Breakout, Death Race, Moto-Cross ; launch of Coleco Telstar and Fairchild Channel F
- 1977 — Mattel Auto Race, Zork, Space Wars; launch of Color TV Game and Atari 2600
- 1978 — Space Invaders, MUD1
- 1979 — Galaxian, Asteroids, Adventure, FS1 Flight Simulator; launch of Intellivision and Microvision
1980s
- 1980 — Missile Command, Pac-Man; first Game & Watch released
- 1981 — Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Centipede, Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness
- 1982 — Pitfall!, Q*bert, Dig Dug, Choplifter, Spider-Man; launch of the ColecoVision, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum
- 1983 — Mario Bros., Manic Miner, M.U.L.E., Track & Field; launch of Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom) and Sega Master System (SG-1000); North American video game crash occurs
- 1984 — Elite, Paperboy, Spy vs. Spy, Tetris
- 1985 — Commando, Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, Super Mario Bros.
- 1986 — The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Dragon Warrior, Zanac, Castlevania
- 1987 — R-Type, Tecmo Bowl, Sid Meier's Pirates!, Mega Man, Final Fantasy, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, Gradius 2, Street Fighter, Maniac Mansion Zelda II The Adventure of Link
- 1988 — Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Dragon Warrior III, Mega Man 2, King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella; launch of Mega Drive (Sega Genesis); first Game Developers Conference
- 1989 — Tetris (Game Boy), SimCity, Prince of Persia, Final Fight, A Boy and His Blob; launch of Game Boy
1990s
- 1990 — The Secret of Monkey Island, Super Mario World, Wing Commander, James Pond, Red Baron; launch of Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Game Gear
- 1991 — Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, James Pond 2, Lemmings, Street Fighter II, Another World, Civilization, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Adventures of Willy Beamish
- 1992 — Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Streets of Rage 2, Super Mario Kart, Kirby's Dream Land, Virtua Racing, Wolfenstein 3D, Mortal Kombat
- 1993 — Doom, Kirby's Adventure, Myst, Star Fox, Sonic CD, Sonic Spinball, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, James Pond 3
- 1994 — Donkey Kong Country, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Streets of Rage 3, Super Metroid, Sensible World of Soccer, Sonic & Knuckles, Final Fantasy VI, Star Wars: TIE Fighter; launch of Sega Saturn and PlayStation; Entertainment Software Rating Board established
- 1995 — Rayman, Ristar, Chrono Trigger, Descent, Legend of Sword and Fairy, Star Fox 2; first Electronic Entertainment Expo,
- 1996 — Diablo, Super Mario 64, Sonic 3D, Crash Bandicoot, The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall, Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds, Pokémon Red and Green, Tomb Raider, Quake', Mario Kart 64; launch of Nintendo 64; first Tokyo Game Show held
- 1997 — Diddy Kong Racing, Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy VII, Age of Empires, Grand Theft Auto, GoldenEye 007, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Star Fox 64, oddworld
- 1998 — Metal Gear Solid, Grim Fandango, Half-Life, StarCraft, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario Party, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, Sonic Adventure, Dance Dance Revolution, Quest 64; launch of Dreamcast and Game Boy Color
- 1999 — Unreal Tournament, Shenmue, Turok: Rage Wars, Captain Claw, Chicken Invaders, System Shock 2, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Army Men: Sarge's Heroes, Super Smash Bros., Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
2000s
- 2000 — Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards, The Sims, Diablo II, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Shogun: Total War, Perfect Dark, Deus Ex, Flight Simulator 2000, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn; launch of PlayStation 2 and GameCube
- 2001 — Halo: Combat Evolved, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Devil May Cry, Grand Theft Auto III, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses, Shenmue II, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Mario Kart: Super Circuit; launch of Xbox and Game Boy Advance
- 2002 —The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Metroid Prime, Battlefield 1942, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Animal Crossing, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Final Fantasy IX, Kingdom Hearts, Higurashi When They Cry
- 2003 — Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Beyond Good & Evil, SSX 3, Warcraft 3, Trackmania, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!; launch of Steam
- 2004 — Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Fable, Battlefield Vietnam, Half-Life 2, Cave Story, Katamari Damacy, World of Warcraft, Jak 3, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Halo 2, Mortal Kombat Deception, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent; launch of Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable
- 2005 — Shadow of the Colossus, Battlefield 2, Nintendogs, Resident Evil 4, Psychonauts, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, God of War, Guitar Hero, Star Fox Assault, Shadow the Hedgehog, Ratchet: Deadlocked, Mario Kart DS; launch of Xbox 360
- 2006 — Gears of War, Wii Sports, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Final Fantasy XII, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, New Super Mario Bros.; launch of PlayStation 3 and Wii
- 2007 — Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Portal, Mass Effect, God of War II, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, BioShock, Super Mario Galaxy, Halo 3, Crysis, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
- 2008 — LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation 3), Race Driver: Grid, Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Street Fighter IV, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Grand Theft Auto IV, Tomb Raider: Underworld, World of Goo, Call of Duty: World at War, Mario Kart Wii; launch of Rockstar Games Social Club
- 2009 — Angry Birds, Assassin's Creed II, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Bayonetta, Borderlands, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Demon's Souls, Forza Motorsport 3, Halo 3: ODST, Killzone 2, Infamous, League of Legends, Left 4 Dead 2, Little Big Planet (PSP), New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Resident Evil 5, The Sims 3, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2010s
- 2010 — Alan Wake, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, BioShock 2, Darksiders, Civilization V, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Fallout: New Vegas, God of War III, Gran Turismo 5, Halo: Reach, Heavy Rain, Just Cause 2, Limbo, Mafia II, Mass Effect 2, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Plants vs. Zombies, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Red Dead Redemption; launch of Kinect and PlayStation Move
- 2011 — Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Batman: Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Dark Souls, Dead Island, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Forza Motorsport 4, Gears of War 3, Homefront, Infamous 2, Killzone 3, L.A. Noire, LittleBigPlanet 2, Minecraft (full version), Portal 2, Saints Row: The Third, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Mario Kart 7; launch of Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita
- 2012 — Assassin's Creed III, Bad Piggies, Borderlands 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Diablo III, Dishonored, Far Cry 3, Forza Horizon, Halo 4, Hitman: Absolution, Hotline Miami, Journey, LittleBigPlanet Karting, LittleBigPlanet PS Vita, Mass Effect 3, Max Payne 3, Nintendo Land, Spec Ops: The Line, Sleeping Dogs, The Walking Dead, Little Inferno, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, XCOM: Enemy Unknown; launch of Wii U
- 2013 — Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Batman: Arkham Origins, Battlefield 4, Beyond: Two Souls, BioShock Infinite, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Crysis 3, Dead Space 3, Dead Rising 3, DmC: Devil May Cry, Dota 2, Forza Motorsport 5, Gran Turismo 6, Need for Speed Rivals, Gears of War: Judgement, God of War: Ascension, Grand Theft Auto V, Grand Theft Auto Online, Killzone: Shadow Fall, Knack, Metro: Last Light, Ryse: Son of Rome, Saints Row IV, Super Mario 3D World, The Last of Us, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Tomb Raider, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Total War: Rome II, Pokémon X and Y; launch of Nintendo 2DS, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
- 2014 — Alien: Isolation, Assassin's Creed Rogue, Assassin's Creed Unity, Bayonetta 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Civilization: Beyond Earth, Dark Souls II, Destiny, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Driveclub, Far Cry 4, World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor , Forza Horizon 2, Hyrule Warriors, Infamous: Second Son, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, LittleBigPlanet 3, Mario Kart 8, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Sunset Overdrive, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Amiibo, The Crew, The Evil Within, Thief, Titanfall, The Sims 4, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Watch Dogs, Yoshi's New Island
- 2015 — Atelier Shallie, Batman: Arkham Knight, Battlefield Hardline, Bloodbourne, Dead Island 2, Dying Light, Evolve, Fortnite, Halo 5: Guardians, Homefront: The Revolution, , Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Mad Max, Mario Maker, Mario Party 10, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Mortal Kombat X, Ori and the Blind Forest, Project CARS, Quantum Break, Resident Evil: Revelations 2, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow Realms, Splatoon, Star Fox, Star Wars: Battlefront, The Legend of Zelda, The Order: 1886, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege, Tom Clancy's The Division, Total War: Attila, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Yoshi's Woolly World