World Video Game Hall of Fame 2025 Inducts Legendary FPS Trailblazers and Other Classics

The World Video Game Hall of Fame has unveiled its 2025 inductees, celebrating a diverse lineup of classics that have left a lasting mark on gaming history. Among the four games honoured this year are two iconic first-person shooters—Quake and GoldenEye 007—each recognized for their influential roles in shaping the FPS genre.

Earlier in March, the Hall of Fame had revealed its list of finalists, which included titles like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Age of Empires, Angry Birds, and NBA2K. For GoldenEye 007, this was its third time appearing as a finalist, and this year it finally secured a spot among the inductees. The complete list of 2025 honorees includes GoldenEye 007, Quake, Defender, and Tamagotchi.

Quake was recognized for pushing technological boundaries with its fully real-time 3D graphics and its innovative server/client multiplayer architecture, which stood out in an era dominated by peer-to-peer gameplay. The Hall of Fame also credited Quake with laying the foundation for modern esports and influencing a generation of 3D FPS titles, including Team Fortress 2, whose earliest form originated as a Quake mod. Notably, Quake now joins Doom—its genre-defining predecessor—which was inducted in 2015.

GoldenEye 007 video game, developed by Rare, was highlighted for its impact on bringing the FPS experience to home consoles. While PC shooters like Doom and Quake had already made waves, GoldenEye 007 helped popularize the genre on the Nintendo 64, especially with its four-player split-screen mode, which became a staple of multiplayer gaming in the late 1990s.

The handheld digital pet game Tamagotchi was acknowledged as the only standalone portable device among this year’s inductees. According to the Hall of Fame, its launch in Japan was a phenomenon, with 20 million units sold within the first year, and another 20 million added globally shortly thereafter. Though its mainstream popularity has fluctuated since, the brand continues to evolve, spawning new versions and spin-offs over the years.

Finally, the 1980 arcade shooter Defender was recognized for its technical complexity and high difficulty, which made it a standout in the arcade scene. Despite its steep learning curve, the game attracted a large following and topped arcade revenue charts in 1981. Its success led to a wave of home console adaptations, including over 3 million copies sold for the Atari 2600 alone.

These four inductees, each in their own way, have helped redefine how games are played, shared, and remembered across generations.

Also Read: The History of Tamagotchi: How a Digital Pet Took Over the World

—Silviya.Y