List of years in games

• Games in ancient times – Royal Game of Ur, Senet, Tic-tac-toe, Rock paper scissors
• 6th century in games – Chess
• 15th century in games – Trick-taking game
• 16th century in games – Bingo (UK game)
• 17th century in games – Hangman, Jeu Royal de la Guerre
• 18th century in games – Whist, Pinball
• 19th century in games – Snakes and Ladders, Sudoku, Ouija; Nintendo is launched.
• 1900s in games – Flinch
• 1910s in games
• 1920s in games – Escalado; Henry and Helal Hassenfeld found the Hassenfeld Brothers company (1923), later shortened to the name Hasbro (1968).
• 1930s in games – Monopoly, Scrabble
• 1940s in games – Cluedo
• 1950s in games – Tactics, Risk, Yahtzee, The first ever video games are developed; (Tennis for Two, Nimrod and Bertie the Brain)
• 1960s in games – Twister, Spacewar!, KerPlunk, Trouble, Operation, Battleship; Sega is launched

This decade saw the board wargame gain a level of popularity. It also saw the appearance of the earliest, simple video games, and the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

• 1970 in games – Buckaroo!
• 1971 in games – Uno
• 1972 in games – Pong
• 1973 in games
• 1974 in games – Connect Four, Dungeons & Dragons
• 1975 in games – Pop-Up Pirate
• 1976 in games – Breakout, Sprint 2, Blockade, Whac-A-Mole
• 1977 in games – Space Invaders; Atari 2600 launched
• 1978 in games – Top Trumps, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Simon
• 1979 in games – Asteroids, Lunar Lander, Galaxian, Head On, Star Raiders, Trivial Pursuit, Guess Who?

• 1980 in games – Pac-Man, Missile Command, Battlezone, Rubik's Cube, Phoenix , Rally-X
• 1981 in games – Donkey Kong, Galaga, Centipede, Frogger, Tempest, Castle Wolfenstein, Ultima, Wizardry, Qix, Scramble, Astrosmash, Utopia, Defender, Space Fury, Space Dungeon, Jump Bug, Bosconian, Mouse Trap
• 1982 in games – Pitfall!, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain, Ms. Pac-Man, River Raid, Yars' Revenge, Haunted House, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Atlantis, Jungle Hunt, Q*Bert, Demon Attack, Zaxxon, Robotron: 2084, Tron, Dig Dug, Microsurgeon, Moon Patrol, Xevious, Pole Position, Mr. Do!, Time Pilot, Joust, BurgerTime, Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0, Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom ; Colecovision is launched.
• 1983 in games – Dragon's Lair, Mario Bros., Astron Belt, Jenga, Thunder Force, Bomberman. Jetpac, Lode Runner, I, Robot, Mappy, Congo Bongo
• 1984 in games – Tetris, Duck Hunt, Boulder Dash, Kung-Fu Fighter, H.E.R.O., Marble Madness, Balloon Fight, 1942, Karate Champ, Cobra Command, Hydlide, Ice Climber, Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, Punch-Out!!
• 1985 in games – Super Mario, Gradius, Kung-Fu Master, Hang-On, Space Harrier, Gauntlet, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?; Nintendo Entertainment System launched in North America.
• 1986 in games – Castlevania, The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Quest, Kid Icarus, Out Run, Rampage, Bubble Bobble, Arkanoid, Metroid, Mouse Trap; Master System launched in North America.
• 1987 in games – Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, Mega Man, Double Dragon, Metal Gear, Contra, Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2, R-Type, After Burner, Darius, Operation Wolf
• 1988 in games – Altered Beast, Assault, Splatterhouse, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, R.C. Pro-Am, Snatcher ;Sega Genesis launched.
• 1989 in games – Prince of Persia, Ys I & II, SimCity, Final Fight, Bonk's Adventure; Game Boy and Atari Lynx launched.

Major shake-ups occur in the who's-who of US game publishing and distribution. Wizards of the Coast, which started the decade as a small West Coast publisher, buys veteran Avalon Hill later in the decade, only to be bought up in turn by industry juggernaut Hasbro. TSR and Iron Crown Enterprises both collapse.

The collectible card game (CCG) became a dominant business model, first by Magic: The Gathering then by several rivals. By the mid-nineties, hundreds of CCGs competed for market share, and most of these products were culled for weak sales. Collectible gaming also expanded from cards into dice, tiles, and miniatures.

The Settlers of Catan breaks Eurogaming into the American market, becoming an overnight bestseller and gateway game. Publishers such as Mayfair Games and Rio Grande Games begin meeting the new market demand with titles from Europe.

• 1990 in games – Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, Race Drivin', Alpha Waves; Super Nintendo Entertainment System launched in Japan

Online retailing begins to pose a challenge to "brick and mortar" game stores, though the full effects of e-commerce will not be felt until the following decade.

• 1991 in games – Sonic the Hedgehog, Battletoads, Puyo Puyo, Street Fighter II, Duke Nukem, Lemmings, Another World, Alien Breed
• 1992 in games – Mortal Kombat, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Alone in the Dark, Kirby, Mario Kart, Fatal Fury 2
• 1993 in games – Doom, Virtua Fighter, Magic: The Gathering, FIFA, Gunstar Heroes, Star Fox, Elefun, Star Wars: Rebel Assault
• 1994 in games – Donkey Kong Country, Tekken, Daytona USA, Ridge Racer, Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, The Need for Speed, EarthBound, The Elder Scrolls, Earthworm Jim, Virtua Cop, Point Blank, Theme Park, The King of Fighters, Puzzle Bobble, King's Field, Killer Instinct, Gator Golf, Raptor: Call of the Shadows; PlayStation launched; The National Lottery launches in the UK.
• 1995 in games – Yoshi's Island, The Settlers of Catan, Jumanji, Rayman, Battle Arena Toshinden, Panzer Dragoon, Wipeout, Bug!, Ristar, Air Combat, Time Crisis
• 1996 in games – Pokémon, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Bop It, Quake, Metal Slug, PaRappa the Rapper, Crash Bandicoot, Nights into Dreams
• 1997 in games – Gran Turismo, Touhou Project, Fallout, Grand Theft Auto, Diablo, Snake (first phone game), Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, Beatmania, GoldenEye 007; Nintendo 64 launched
• 1998 in games – Dance Dance Revolution, Half-Life, Radiant Silvergun, Spyro the Dragon, Puzz Loop, Banjo-Kazooie; Game Boy Color and Dreamcast launched
• 1999 in games – Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, Team Fortress, Super Smash Bros., Ape Escape, Soulcalibur, Unreal Tournament, Vib-Ribbon, Seaman, Shenmue, RollerCoaster Tycoon

The internet continues to shake up the publishing and distribution of games. Online retailing becomes a serious threat to "brick and mortar" retailers. Desktop publishing proves to be a boon for hobby game designers, and the door is opened for many small publishers producing their own game designs. Z-Man Games and Fantasy Flight Games become major players in the US hobby game industry. Miniatures games dominate the collectible games market.

• 2000 in games – The Sims, Deus Ex, Hitman: Codename 47, Phantasy Star Online; PlayStation 2 launched
• 2001 in games – Grand Theft Auto III, Halo, Gothic, Animal Crossing, Max Payne, Devil May Cry, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Super Monkey Ball, Ico, Ikaruga, Rez, Bejeweled, Max Payne, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Zone of the Enders, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Advance Wars, Pikmin, Luigi's Mansion, Burnout, IL-2 Sturmovik, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney; Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance launched
• 2002 in games – Battlefield 1942, Ratchet & Clank, Metroid Prime, Kingdom Hearts, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Alien Hominid, Mafia
• 2003 in games – Call of Duty, Beyond Good and Evil, Geometry Wars, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Beyond Good & Evil, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, The Simpsons: Hit & Run, SSX 3, Viewtiful Joe, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell; Steam launched
• 2004 in games – Fable, Far Cry, Monster Hunter, Half-Life 2, Fate/stay night, Lumines: Puzzle Fusion, Cave Story; Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable launched
• 2005 in games – Guitar Hero, Nintendogs, God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, Psychonauts, Club Penguin; Xbox 360 launched
• 2006 in games – Wii Sports, Bully, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Viva Piñata, Gears of War, LocoRoco, Just Cause, Ōkami, Prey, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Garry's Mod, Rhythm Tengoku, Touch! Generations; PlayStation 3 and Wii launched
• 2007 in games – Assassin's Creed, BioShock, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Uncharted, Mass Effect, Portal, Rock Band, Team Fortress 2, The Witcher
• 2008 in games – LittleBigPlanet, N+, Moshi Monsters, Spore, World of Goo, Braid, Dead Space, Spelunky, Valkyria Chronicles, Left 4 Dead
• 2009 in games – Angry Birds, Borderlands, Plants vs. Zombies, Bayonetta, Batman: Arkham, Words with Friends, Infamous, Just Dance, Left 4 Dead 2

• 2010 in games – Fruit Ninja, Talking Tom, Alan Wake, Limbo, Xenoblade Chronicles, Cut the Rope, Red Dead Redemption, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Art of Balance, Blur; Kinect and PlayStation Move launched
• 2011 in games – Minecraft, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Portal 2, Temple Run, Skylanders, Where's My Water?, Dark Souls, Rayman Origins, Pushmo; Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita launched
• 2012 in games – Puzzle & Dragons, Candy Crush Saga, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Subway Surfers, Fez, Dishonored, Clash of Clans, Draw Something; Wii U launched
• 2013 in games – The Last of Us, Kahoot!, Monster Strike, Yo-kai Watch; PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launched
• 2014 in games – Five Nights at Freddy's, Watch Dogs, Destiny, Shovel Knight, Crossy Road, 2048, Smash Hit, Alien: Isolation, Destiny, Velocity 2X, Monument Valley, OlliOlli
• 2015 in games – Bloodborne, Splatoon, BoxBoy!, Undertale
• 2016 in games – Pokémon Go, Overwatch, Inside, Super Meat Boy, Watch Dogs 2, The Last Guardian; Oculus Rift and HTC Vive launched
• 2017 in games – Fortnite, Nioh, Cuphead, Detention, Opus Magnum, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Snipperclips, Nier: Automata, Bendy and the Ink Machine, Horizon Zero Dawn, Hollow Knight, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Arms, Little Nightmares; Nintendo Switch launched
• 2018 in games – Dead Cells, Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Among Us, Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Deltarune
• 2019 in games – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, Death Stranding, Control, Untitled Goose Game, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order; Stadia launched

• 2020 in games - Fall Guys, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Gears Tactics, Watch Dogs: Legion, Ghost of Tsushima, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Trials of Mana, Empire of Sin Game, Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, Ghostrunner, Annapurna Interactive The Pathless, Wasteland 3 Game, Twin Mirror, Microsoft Bleeding Edge, Friday Night Funkin'; PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X launched
• 2021 in games - 12 Minutes, Back 4 Blood, Life Is Strange: True Colors, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, Metroid Dread, Lemnis Gate, Death Loop, Humankind, The Medium, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine

• List of years in video games