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The 20 Most Influential Video Games of All Time, Ranked
Collider has published a ranked list of what it considers the 20 most influential video games of all time, judging titles on originality, industry impact, genre innovation and overall quality. The piece frames the ranking within a brief history of the medium, noting how early experiments such as Tennis for Two and Spacewar! laid the groundwork for modern masterpieces like Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War.
The countdown begins with a handful of landmark titles, each credited with reshaping gaming in a distinct way. The Sims (2000) is praised for popularising the life-simulator genre and broadening gaming's audience, Minecraft (2011) is cited as the best-selling game ever at over 350 million copies and a driver of the open-ended sandbox and survival genres, and Half-Life (1998), from Valve, is highlighted for showing that narrative could matter as much as gameplay. The full article extends this through the remaining entries, though the provided text cuts off partway through the Half-Life description.
In short
- Collider ranks the 20 most influential video games ever.
- The Sims, Minecraft and Half-Life feature among the picks.
- Minecraft leads sales at over 350 million copies.
Explained simply
Video games have been a form of entertainment for roughly five decades, evolving from simple arcade games in the 1970s into a medium that now rivals films and television in cultural importance. Throughout this history, certain landmark titles have fundamentally reshaped what gaming could be, whether by introducing new genres, demonstrating that games could incorporate narrative, or expanding gaming's audience beyond traditional players.
Ranking video games by influence attempts to identify which titles proved most significant in shaping the medium's development. Such lists measure games not just on entertainment value but on how much they changed player expectations, inspired imitation by other developers, or opened new possibilities within the industry.
Collider has published a ranked list of what it judges to be the 20 most influential games of all time, spanning the entire history of the medium from its earliest days through to recent releases. Understanding which games shaped the industry helps explain how gaming evolved into its current form and which innovations proved most enduring.