Video Game Hall of Fame adds four titles

The National Museum of Games and Entertainment has announced four video games that will be inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame this year. They are Angry Birds, Silent Hill, FIFA International Soccer and Dragon Quest.

The National Museum of Game and Entertainment in New York City established the Video Game Hall of Fame in 2015 with the aim of recognizing individual video games of all types - arcade, console, computer, mobile and handheld consoles - that have gained great popularity over a long period of time and had a significant impact on the video game industry, as well as on pop culture and society as a whole.

Each year, the museum's expert team makes a shortlist based on four criteria: industry impact, cultural icon status, longevity, and global reach. The public then votes on the games they believe deserve to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"Angry Birds helped launch not only the billion-bird phenomenon, but also an entire mobile gaming revolution. It broke records and changed the way people use the devices they carry in their pockets," said Krist Hisert, director of collections management at the museum.

"The significance of Silent Hill is not just its commercial success, but also its focus on the psychological themes and emotions of the player," added Andrew Borman, director of digital protection.

The shortlist for 2026, in addition to the aforementioned, also included games such as Frogger, Galaga, League of Legends, Mega Man, PaRappa the Rapper, RuneScape, The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim, and Tokimeki Memorial.

The new laureates are now on display with previous winners including: Pac-Man, Tetris, Super Mario Bros, Doom, Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda, Grand Theft Auto III (GTA 3), World of Warcraft, The Sims and Street Fighter II.

These games represent titles that marked different eras of video game development and left a strong mark on the industry, shaping generations of players across different genres and gameplay styles.