World Video Game Hall of Fame Class of 2026 includes Angry Birds after multiple finalist appearances

As it does every year, the National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, announces the new inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. And after more than three attempts and having been named a finalist, Angry Birds has finally made it into this select group of video games.

Which video games have been inducted into Class 2026 of the World Video Game Hall of Fame?

This year, only four video games have been inducted into the Strong National Museum of Play’s Hall of Fame. This year’s inductees are:

• FIFA International Soccer
• Dragon Quest
• Angry Birds
• Silent Hill

These titles beat out other games that were nominated for the finals, including Frogger, Galaga, League of Legends, Mega Man, PaRappa the Rapper, RuneScape, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Tokimeki Memorial.

Although very different from one another, the four titles nominated this year are undeniably recognized for their impact on the world of video games. Dragon Quest is celebrating its 40th anniversary and is considered a major influence on modern RPGs. Angry Birds’ simple mechanics catapulted it (no pun intended) to become one of the first major franchises in the mobile gaming world. Silent Hill, for its part, redefined the horror genre, and although it has had a few stumbles along the way, it has made a strong comeback with Silent Hill f. Finally, the FIFA series has established itself as one of the most popular video games year after year.

Hall of Fame inductees include classics like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Pong, and The Oregon Trail, as well as generation-defining titles like Doom, The Sims, Grand Theft Auto III, Mortal Kombat, StarCraft, and The Last of Us. The list began in 2015 and currently includes more than 40 games in the Hall of Fame. These games are selected based on the criteria of iconic status, longevity, geographic reach, and influence.

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