World Video Game Hall of Fame inducts Angry Birds, FIFA for 2026 class

Angry Birds, Dragon Quest, FIFA International Soccer, and Silent Hill have been inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The 2026 inductees beat out a group of beloved finalists, including Frogger, Galaga, League of Legends, Mega Man, PaRappa the Rapper, RuneScape, Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, and Tokimeki Memorial.

The Dragon Quest series marks its 40th anniversary this year, and is widely considered to be the foundation for Japanese role-playing games, with its compelling narratives, unforgettable music, and mood of epic adventure.

“It would be difficult to imagine 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,” said Lindsey Kurano, electronic games curator at The Strong.

Launched in 2009, Angry Birds introduced tens of millions of players to touch-based mobile gaming in the early days of smartphones. “What started as a game with incredibly simple mechanics and instantly recognizable designs has conquered transmedia categories far beyond its origins,” said Angry Birds creative officer Ben Mattes. “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.”

Konami’s Silent Hill redefined the horror genre in 1999 with its 3D graphics, dynamic camera, and psychological narrative. The series has seen a revival in recent years, given the success of Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 remake and Konami’s 2025 hit Silent Hill f. The Strong’s 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.”

EA Sports’ FIFA series is far and away the most popular sports game franchise of all time, selling more than 325 million units worldwide from 1993 — when FIFA International Soccer launched — until 2023. “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,” said Jeremy Saucier, The Strong’s vice president for interpretation and electronic games.

Last year’s inductees were the Williams arcade classic Defender, id Software’s Quake, Bandai’s Tamagotchi, and the iconic Nintendo 64 game GoldenEye 007. The World Video Game Hall of Fame was established in 2015 to recognize games of all types that have enjoyed enduring popularity and have had a significant impact on popular culture and society. Anyone may nominate a game to the World Video Game Hall of Fame, though final selections are made on the advice of journalists, scholars, and other individuals familiar with the history of the medium. You can learn more about the Hall of Fame on The Strong’s website.