Polygon identifies 13 games that it argues permanently changed video games, often by creating or defining genres, mechanics and cultural expectations that later developers adopted. The list treats influence as broader than sales or prestige: some titles changed popular culture, while others established design ideas that became standard across role-playing games, adventures and repeatable procedural games.

– Pac-Man (1980): demonstrated the commercial and cultural power of a game mascot, popularised accessible maze-and-score gameplay, and inspired numerous imitators.
– Rogue (1980): established the single-life, procedurally changing structure that later defined roguelike and roguelite games.
– Zork (1980): expanded the freedom, vocabulary and personality of text adventures, helping lay foundations for later adventure games.
– Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (1981): introduced party-based, class-driven dungeon RPG systems that influenced Japanese role-playing games.
– Tetris (1984): is presented as one of the era’s foundational puzzle games, built around an immediately understandable but enduringly demanding core mechanic.