The Angry Birds there, staring at their lack of place in the World Video Game Hall of Fame... UNTIL NOW

Rovio

The World Video Game Hall of Fame is now in its 12th year, and today (May 7), it inducted four more big hitters from gaming’s past and present, bringing its total collection to 53 — and there’s every chance you’ll be surprised at how long it took for some to finally make the grade.

Angry Birds, the first real global smartphone game phenomenon, is joined by FIFA International Soccer (RIP), storied JRPG Dragon Quest, and everyone’s favorite brown-trouser experience Silent Hill, which were added to the annals of history at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, and placed within the museum’s HOF rotunda as part of its ESL Digital Worlds exhibit.

The four-strong selection saw off stiff competition from nominees including The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Frogger, Galaga, League of Legends, Mega Man, PaRappa the Rapper, RuneScape, and Tokimeki Memorial.

Why were the games picked for the 2026 World Video Game Hall of Fame?

Angry Birds

Rovio’s breakout hit in 2009 is probably the biggest surprise addition to this list for more pure-play gamers, but as someone who once sat on that red TKTS stand in Times Square for two hours while on holiday in 2010 and spent about £20 on data just to download and play the latest drop of new levels, I completely understand.

“Angry Birds helped launch not only billions of birds but the entire mobile gaming revolution,” said Kristy Hisert, director of collections management at the Strong. “It shattered records and helped transform people’s relationships with the palm-sized communication and gaming devices they carry in pockets and purses.”

Ben Mattes, creative officer for Angry Birds, added: “Characters, emotion, and story are what keep our fans coming back to our games year after year. The induction to the World Video Game Hall of Fame means we are standing shoulder to shoulder alongside the very greatest of gaming. This is a truly special recognition for us, and we’re deeply honored by it.”

Dragon Quest

Released way back in 1986, Dragon Quest was chosen not only for how it reduced complex Western-style RPGs to more player-friendly console experiences, but also for how it ultimately defined JRPGs, particularly through music, narrative, and controls. The HOF also saluted its eventual influences on Final Fantasy and Pokémon.

Lindsey Kurano, the Strong’s electronic games curator, explained: “It would be difficult to imagine the modern role-playing games without Dragon Quest. While Dragon Quest’s popularity has always been greater in Japan than abroad, its influence on the gaming industry and other iconic RPG games is undeniable.”

FIFA International Soccer

Take me back. Please, really, take me back to the summer of 1994 when my brother brought a Mega Drive back from university with FIFA International Soccer, and we repeatedly played as EA All-Stars vs the lowly Qatar, regularly smashing them 17-0 with wonder goals from Janco Tianno, Hans van Smeiter, Matt Webster, and Brian Plank (who were, if memory serves, adapted from the names of the developers). Then, of course, there were the presumed dulcet tones of Ron Barr before each game:

FIFA as a franchise isn’t a shock entry, but it’s great that it went in under its original 1993 moniker, back when licensing wasn’t a thing. Jeremy Saucier, vice president for interpretation and electronic games at the Strong, said: “FIFA International Soccer was an instant success. Despite launching in December 1993, it was the best-selling game in Europe for that year. Given soccer’s worldwide popularity, FIFA had a larger global imprint than other popular sports titles.”

Silent Hill

Silent Hill took 12 years to get into the World Video Game Hall of Fame, and probably took 12 years off every single one of its players’ lives. Unlike survival-horror stablemate Resident Evil, Konami’s rival went all-in from day one with a dynamic camera, much darker psychological trauma (cheers mate!), and way more confusing obsessions with cultish daftness, like alien encounters (and that dog ending).

Director of digital preservation Andrew Borman said: “More than its clear commercial success, Silent Hill’s significance lay in the ways that it pushed the horror genre in new, psychological directions that engaged players’ emotions as much as their reflexes.”

The wider World Video Game Hall of Fame

This year ends a long wait for both Angry Birds and FIFA International Soccer, which were nominated as finalists in the very first World Video Game Hall of Fame ceremony back in 2015, when the original class ushered in six titles: Doom, Pac-Man, Pong, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and World of Warcraft. Conversely, and very surprisingly, 2026 was the first time that both Dragon Quest and Silent Hill were shortlisted.

Across the wider Hall of Fame, other natural inductees include Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Invaders, Street Fighter II, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Resident Evil, Minecraft, and both Pokémon Red and Green. There are some other more interesting additions, like Tamagotchi, Bejeweled, and Barbie Fashion Designer, as well as Ms Pac-Man, which, let’s be honest, isn’t worlds away from its predecessor (even if it is faster, more difficult, and fundamentally better).

I say these are surprising — they’re all admired, or cultural phenomena in their own right, but bear in mind that alongside this year’s highly celebrated also-rans like Mega Man and RuneScape, other past failed nominees include NBA Jam, Portal, Elite, Guitar Hero, and Nokia Snake. Off the top of my head, the likes of Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, Fallout, Deus Ex, Counter-Strike, and BioShock have never been nominated.

Still, like any other Hall of Fame, these things take time, and you really can’t argue with the cohort that’s currently there, even if you disagree with the order they’ve been selected. Besides, if you’ve got a real problem, anyone may nominate a game to the HOF, with final selections made by a wider team of scholars, experts, and writers.