Apr 03, 2025 20:00:00

Top 21 most influential games of all time, which one comes out on top?

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) conducted a survey asking the general public, ' What is the most influential game of all time? ' and announced the results. The winner was a Japanese game.

The most influential video game of all time - Bafta
https://www.bafta.org/stories/the-most-influential-video-game-of-all-time

◆1st place: Shenmue

Paperghost

'Shenmue,' released by Sega in 1999, took the top spot. Directed by Yu Suzuki , Shenmue is also known as the originator of open-world games.

Bafta said of Shenmue, 'Shenmue's dynamic and detailed setting has set the standard for major games in the industry, such as Grand Theft Auto and Assassin's Creed series.'

The NPCs were given their own lives, and the protagonist, Ryo Hazuki, had to follow their daily routines and rituals. Bafta also noted that Shenmue could be considered a precursor to Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley in that it used an in-game clock to direct the player's activities.

He added, 'Shenmue may have struggled commercially when it first launched, but the reason it felt out of step with other games was simply because it was moving at its own leisurely pace. And as we all know, the talent of true pioneers is often only appreciated after the fact.'

2nd Place: DOOM

DOOM, released by id Software in 1993, is known as a representative first-person shooter (FPS) game. Since the appearance of DOOM, the FPS game genre has grown significantly, and has branched out into various genres such as the battle royale game

Apex Legends and the 5-on-5 tactical shooter VALORANT . Bafta also points out that cultures such as MOD and speedrun (RTA) are also fields that have grown from the original DOOM.

Those who voted DOOM as the best game of all time in the survey included comments such as, 'DOOM truly brought the FPS to gaming,' and 'Every FPS we play today was born from DOOM.'

◆3rd place: Super Mario Bros.

'Super Mario Bros.', released in 1985, is a side-scrolling action game in which a plumber hero rescues Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser. After the infamous recession of 1983, the American games industry needed a hit, and 'Super Mario Bros.' delivered that, according to Bafta.

Bafta said, 'Super Mario Bros.

World 1-1 is perhaps the most famous first level of all time and a fine example of level design.'

◆4th place: Half-Life

'Half-Life,' an FPS released by Sierra Studios in 1998, is a game developed by Valve, the developer and operator of the game distribution platform Steam. Comments from people who highly praised Half-Life include 'excellence not only in its wide range of visual and physical achievements, but also in its storytelling and world-building.'

◆5th place: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Regarding 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,' released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998, Bafta said, 'It laid the foundations for 3D action adventure and in the process set a new high standard for the genre. Consistently ranked among the best games of all time, 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time' pioneered ideas that are now commonplace, such as situational action, and its aiming system has been adopted by countless games with combat systems, including From Software's

Soul series . Every aspect of it, from its brilliant soundtrack to its dark, melancholic story, tells of a developer at the height of his creativity.'

◆6th place: Minecraft

Regarding Minecraft, which has sold over 176 million copies and become the '

world's best-selling game ,' Bafta said, 'The dynamic world of Minecraft, built with blocks, embodies the spirit of adventure and the essence of play.' Bafta pointed out that Minecraft's creative mode is like a digital Lego block, and 'the only limit is the player's imagination.'

◆7th place: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is an open-world action RPG set in 15th-century medieval Europe, just released in February 2025. Bafta wrote, 'The game's commitment to authenticity, with its beautifully rendered, open-ended sandbox setting and the ability to shape the ordinary apprentice Henry into whatever you want, was very well received by respondents.'

In addition, people who nominated Kingdom Come: Deliverance II as the best game of all time mentioned the word 'immersive' more than any other game.

◆8th place:

Super Mario 64

Nintendo, which created the template for side-scrolling action games with Super Mario Bros., created Super Mario 64 for the NINTENDO 64 in 1996, which would become the template for 3D action games. Bafta commented that Super Mario 64 'was not the first game to replace

sprites with polygons, but the DNA of Super Mario 64 has been incorporated into almost every 3D game released since. It established a new standard for three-dimensional movement and camera control in one fell swoop.'

In addition, a person who recommended Super Mario 64 as the best game of all time commented, 'Even now, almost 30 years later, anyone can pick up a controller and immediately figure out how to play Super Mario 64.'

◆9th place: Half-Life 2

Regarding Half-Life 2, which was released in 2004, Bafta praised it, saying, 'Released 11 years after DOOM established the principles of the FPS, Half-Life 2 redefined the FPS genre and showed how to tell a compelling story by seeing the world through the eyes of another character. By combining intense combat with exploration and puzzles, it set a new standard for FPS and simulation.'

◆10th place:

The Sims

Developed by Will Wright of Maxis in 2000, The Sim is an evolution of the city management simulation SimCity. In The Sims, you can set your own goals for each character, making it a game that simulates the life of each character.

Bafta said The Sims 'attracted more casual and female players and gave LGBTQ+ players a safe space to express themselves.' One person who recommended The Sims as the best game of all time said, 'It was a godlike game that became a social phenomenon. It brought joy and made us all feel a little more in control of our lives, even if our babies were burning on the kitchen floor.'

The games ranked 11th and below are as follows:

◆11th place:

Tetris