If you grew up blasting aliens at the arcade, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with at least one of this year’s Video Game Hall of Fame inductees. The World Video Game Hall of Fame announced its 2025 class this week, celebrating four games that helped define an era: GoldenEye 007, Tamagotchi, Quake and Defender. These titles were selected for their cultural influence, staying power and contributions to the evolution of gaming.
From a pioneering multiplayer shooter (GoldenEye 007) to the game that sparked the virtual pet craze (Tamagotchi), these titles have an influence that reaches beyond the gaming industry. The Hall of Fame, which is housed at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, recognizes games that shaped the gaming industry and permeated pop culture.
This year’s inductees join a roster of classics, including Tetris, Pac-Man, Minecraft and The Legend of Zelda, cementing their place in gaming history.
“This quartet of games represent leaps in technology and how people played when they arrived in the 1980s and 1990s,” senior reporter and video games expert David Lumb said. “With respect to the other nominees, these four earned their spots in the Hall of Fame, each being so popular that they were practically inescapable in their day. First-person shooters, side-scrollers, couch co-op shooters and digital pocket pals — all of these are iconic entries in video gaming history.”
GoldenEye 007 (1997)
GoldenEye 007 revolutionized first-person shooters on consoles. First-person shooters were largely seen as a PC genre, dominated by games like Doom and Quake. GoldenEye 007’s use of four-player split-screen multiplayer mode was legendary, cementing local multiplayer as a staple of console gaming. The video game, based on the James Bond film, became the third best-selling title for the Nintendo 64, trailing only Super Mario 64 and Mario.
Tamagotchi (1996)
Tamagotchi introduced the world to virtual pet care, blurring the line between gaming and real life. The keychain-size device let players feed, clean and care for a digital pet, turning everyday moments into interactive gameplay. It became a global craze, especially among girls and younger kids, a demographic often overlooked by game developers in the ’90s.
Defender (1981)
Defender challenged players with its intense gameplay and complex controls, setting a new standard for arcade difficulty. It pioneered the side-scrolling shooter while introducing complex, multibutton controls, including thrust, reverse, fire, smart bomb and hyperspace, making it one of the most demanding and skill-based arcade games of its era. It really helped separate casual players from hardcore gamers.
Quake (1996)
Quake raised the bar for 3D gaming with its fully real-time 3D graphics and gritty, atmospheric design. It didn’t just change how games looked, it changed how we played, thanks to its groundbreaking online multiplayer. On top of that, its modding tools helped kick-start a vibrant community, letting players create everything from new levels to entirely new games.
These four titles were selected from a list of 12 finalists, which included notable games like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Frogger and NBA 2K. Since its inception in 2015, the Hall of Fame has recognized nearly 50 games that have shaped the gaming landscape.
