Few companies have been able to sustain the franchise through the unpredictable changes of the game market over the past five decades. As mediums move from video games to living rooms and tastes shift with technology, only one percent of franchises from the early days of games survive.
Below we’ve rounded up the brands that have stood the test of time longer than any other. These are the 11 longest* video game franchises of all time.
*To be considered for this list, a franchise must have content in development or content released within the last five years. This list only includes game-based franchises; As a result, long-running licensed franchises like Spider-Man, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars are excluded.
11. Microsoft Flight Simulator – 41 years
First release: Microsoft Flight Simulator (1982)
Latest release: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (2024)
20 years before Microsoft started the Xbox business, the company entered the game market as a developer of software for early home computers. Among its first series of games was Microsoft Flight Simulator, the first game in the series of aviation simulation games that is still running.
After dozens of releases, Flight Sim has regained massive popularity in 2020 with Microsoft Flight Simulator, the first game of the series to be released on consoles. IGN reviewer Seth Macy gave it a rating of 10 and called it “the most inspiring simulation ever”. [he’s] experienced.”
Next up is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, which was announced recently Xbox Game Showcase.
10. Wolfenstein – 42 years old
First release: Castle Wolfenstein (1981)
Latest release: Wolfenstein: Electronic Pilot (2019)
Wolfenstein began as an arcade game with a focus on stealth in September 1981 with the release of Castle Wolfenstein. The series has passed through several development teams and publishers during its 42-year existence, including notable stops at id Software (Wolfenstein 3D in 1992) and Activision (Return to Castle Wolfenstein in 2001) to Wolfenstein in 2009).
Over the past decade, audiences have come to know Wolfenstein as a series of World War II first-person shooter games developed by Bethesda’s MachineGames. The studio has created five Wolfenstein games since 2014: The New Order (2014), The Old Blood (2015), The New Colossus (2017), Youngblood (2019), and the VR game Cyberpilot (2019).
See our full guide Wolfenstein Game Timeline.
9. Donkey Kong – 42 years
First release: The Donkey Kong (1981)
Latest release: Donkey Kong Country: Frozen Tropical (2018)
While never reaching the heights of Mario or Zelda, Donkey Kong remains Nintendo’s oldest video game franchise, launching as a video game in July 1981.
Donkey Kong served as the villain in the original video game, throwing crates on the playable character from atop a construction site where he took Lady (Pauline) hostage. The playable character was Jumpman, who later became known as Mario.
The franchise has enjoyed most of its success with Donkey Kong Country, a series of 2D platform games, though it also explores racing (Diddy Kong Racing), rhythm (Donkey Konga) and platforming genres. 3D (Donkey Kong 3D).
8. Frogger – 42 years old
First release: Frogger (1981)
Latest release: Frogger and Ruins Rumbling (2022)
Frogger has transcended four decades of video games, outlasting all but seven franchises in video game history. More than three dozen Frogger games have been released since the franchise launched in June 1981.
Konami created the original Frogger and continues to develop new games in the franchise, most recently the 2022 Apple Arcade exclusive Frogger and the Rumble Ruins.
7. Missile Command – 43 years
First release: Missile Command (1980)
Latest release: Missile Command: Recharged (2022)
From the heyday of arcade games, Missile Command is a missile defense shooter developed by Atari. Like the other arcade games on this list, Missile Command has received numerous re-releases, sequels, and spin-offs over the past four decades.
The latest version, Missile Command: Recharged, adds new powers and enemies, a new soundtrack, and co-op abilities.
6. Pac-Man – 43 years old
First release: Pac Man (1980)
Latest release: Pac-Man World Re-Pac (2022)
Not long before Missile Command, Pac-Man debuted in Japanese video games as Puck Man. (This name is believed to have been changed prior to its release in the United States in the late 1980s due to vandalism opportunities presented by “Puck”.)
The original game’s loop — guiding Pac-Man through the maze of dots while avoiding the Ghost Gang — has been tweaked and expanded in subsequent variations released over the past 43 years. Notable sequels include Ms. Pac-Man and Super Pac-Man in 1982, Pac-Land in 1984, Pac-Man World in 1999, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX in 2010, Pac-Man 256 in 2015 and Pac Man 99 in 2021.
The most recent release of the franchise is Pac-Man World Re-Pac, the 2022 remake of the aforementioned 1999 3D platformer.
5. Asteroids – 44 years
First release: Asteroids (1979)
Latest release: Asteroids: Recharged (2021)
The first of three consecutive space shooters on this list, Asteroids was Atari’s response to Space Invaders, released a year earlier to phenomenal success in Japan. Asteroids also enjoyed near-instant success upon release, particularly in the United States
Atari has since released several sequels, spin-offs, and portals. At most are Asteroids: Recharged, described as a modern reimagining of the original arcade game.
4. Galaxian/Galaga – 44 years
First release: The Galaxy (1979)
Latest release: Galaga+ War (2021)
Namco’s first arcade shooter was Galaxian, the forerunner of its more popular space shooter, Galaga. Galaxian, similar to a response to the popularity of Space Invaders, was released in Japan two months before Asteroids in the US. Its success led to the release of a sequel, Galaga, two years later.
Since then, more than 20 Galaxian/Galaga games have been released on arcades, consoles, and phones. The most recent entry, Galaga Wars+, is due out in 2021 for Apple Arcade.
3. Space Invaders – 45 years
First release: Space Invaders (1978)
Latest release: Space Invaders: World Defense (2023)
Before Asteroids and Galaxian, Tomohiro Nishikado ushered in the era of fixed shooters with the popular shooter Space Invaders. It was an instant success in video games, and its popularity exploded two years later when its console port became the killer app for the Atari 2600.
Space Invaders has inspired countless arcade shooters since then, while Japanese publisher Taito has released more than 30 spinoffs and sequels. The company most recently partnered with Google to create the AR game Space Invaders: World Defense, which is due out later this summer.
2. Pong – 51 years old
First release: Pong (1972)
Latest release: Mission Pong (2020)
Atari’s first video game survives to become the company’s longest-running franchise and one of only two game franchises to remain active for more than 50 years.
This iconic table tennis-inspired game was one of the first arcade games released. It is considered to be the first commercially successful video game and is, therefore, considered a catalyst for the video game industry as a whole.
Atari most recently released Pong Quest, described as a “Pong-themed dungeon crawler RPG”.
1. Oregon Trail – 52 years
First release: Oregon Trail (1971)
Latest release: Oregon Trail: Booming Town (2023)
Gaming’s oldest operating franchise, the Oregon Trail is a series of strategy adventure games originally developed for educational purposes. While later versions integrated graphics, the 1971 original was an entirely text-based game intended to simulate the experience of 19th-century pioneers traveling from Mississippi to Oregon.
Created as a supplement to a middle school history lesson, the Oregon Trail debuted in a single classroom in Minnesota. It was made available to other schools in Minnesota in 1975 and ported to the Apple II computer in 1978, before being updated and released commercially in 1985. The franchise now includes more than one dozens of ports, sequels, reimaginings, and spinoffs.
The latest version is The Oregon Trail: Boom Town, a free-to-play Farmville-like mobile game. However, fans of the original game might be more interested in the 2021 Oregon Trail, which turns the original text adventure into a graphically vivid self-chosen adventure. The reimagining is available on Switch, PC, and Apple Arcade.
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
