Home page hero image

World Video Game Hall of Fame

Explore some of the most influential video games of all time!

View Inductees FAQs

The World Video Game Hall of Fame is housed in ESL Digital Worlds: High Score exhibit at The Strong Museum in Rochester, NY.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong, established in 2015, recognizes electronic games of all types that have enjoyed popularity over a sustained period and have exerted influence on the video game industry or on popular culture and society in general. To learn more, see Frequently Asked Questions page.

2026 Finalists

Angry Bird plushie

Angry Birds

Launched by Rovio in 2009, Angry Birds became a breakout hit and introduced millions of people to mobile gaming. The conceptually simple game—hurling birds from a slingshot to knock over precariously balanced pigs—becomes increasingly difficult […]

View Details
Dragon Quest figure and game box

Dragon Quest

Released in 1986, Dragon Quest transformed more complicated Western-style computer roleplaying games into a player-friendly console version, setting the foundation for Japanese-style roleplaying games. The game combined beautiful music (despite limited technology), compelling narrative structures, […]

View Details
FIFA International Soccer game box

FIFA International Soccer

FIFA International Soccer was not the first sports simulation video game—nor even the first one about soccer—but it is the most popular sports game franchise of all time, with sales continually bolstered by annual releases […]

View Details
Frogger arcade game depicted in advertisement

Frogger

Originally developed by Konami and later licensed by Sega/Gremlin, Frogger jumped into the arcade in 1981. The simple but increasingly challenging gameplay—navigating frogs across a five-lane highway—provided widespread appeal to players of all ages. The […]

View Details
image decoration top leftimage decoration bottom right

Player’s Choice Ballot

Which video games do you think are most worthy of joining icons such as Pong, Super Mario Bros., and Legend of Zelda in the World Video Game Hall of Fame? Vote March 5–12, 2026 for the one you think best meets the criteria of icon-status, longevity, discovery, and innovation.

Inducted Games

Inductees to the World Video Game Hall of Fame are on permanent display in the ESL Digital Worlds: High Score exhibit located on the second floor in The Strong’s new expansion.

Atari Defender artifacts and magazines

Defender

Inducted: 2025 The conventional game design wisdom of the early 1980s suggested that many of the best video games were “easy to learn, but difficult to master.” This seemed like sound advice then and […]

View Details
GoldenEye 007 artifacts

Goldeneye 007

Inducted: 2025 In 1994, Rare and Nintendo began development of a video game inspired by the upcoming James Bond Film GoldenEye(1995). Based on the popular MI6 intelligence agent created by author Ian Fleming, GoldenEye 007 is a […]

View Details
Quake artifacts and PC magazine

Quake

Inducted: 2025 A dark, medieval world filled with peculiar technology and Lovecraftian creatures. Quake was a first-person shooter built with the mouse in mind, making use completely of its 3D space. Unlike its predecessor Doom, Quake’s engine […]

View Details
Tamagotchi artifacts

Tamagotchi

Inducted: 2025 Considered a popular gaming fad of the 1990s, the handheld game Tamagotchi began with two fanciful childhood wishes: having a toy come alive and bringing a pet wherever you go. In 1995, […]

View Details

Explore the History of Video Games

Discover the historical and cultural significance of video games and other electronic games through online exhibits produced by The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games.

View Online Exhibits

Online Exhibit

Video Game History Timeline

Explore the history of video games, understand how the industry began and evolved, and discover the impact that electronic games have had on how people play, learn, and connect with each other.

Bloomberg Connects App

Women in Games Artifact Tour

For decades, women have created video games and shaped our play, but their contributions have often been overlooked or obscured. Explore the work of female game industry innovators through artifacts in The Strong’s High Score exhibit.

Game boy artifactsimage decoration top leftimage decoration bottom right

Nominate Your Favorite Game

Is your favorite video game missing from the World Video Game Hall of Fame? Nominate it now!

Explore More Exhibits


Visit a highly interactive, collections-based museum devoted to the history and exploration of play.