Though not a complete history, herein is a list of what many would consider most of the "game" changers that made

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

experiences so powerful and nostalgic. (The list cuts off around the early 2000s, missing another 10+ years of games from the dwindling era of arcade popularity; though some still exist in specific locales.)

Early history (1971–1977)

;1971 :At Stanford University, two students release the PDP-11-based machine ''

Galaxy Game ''Galaxy Game'' is a space combat arcade game developed in 1971 during the early era of video games. ''Galaxy Game'' is an expanded version of the 1962 ''Spacewar!'', potentially the first video game to spread to multiple computer installations ...

''. It is a clone of '' Spacewar!'', one of the earliest video games, developed in 1962. :Syzygy Engineering, a precursor to

Atari, Inc. Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry. Based primarily around the Sunny ...

launches '' Computer Space'', the first commercial video arcade game, also being a ''Spacewar!'' derivative. ;1972 :Atari, Inc. launches ''

Pong ''Pong'' is a table tennis–themed twitch arcade sports video game, featuring simple two-dimensional graphics, manufactured by Atari and originally released in 1972. It was one of the earliest arcade video games; it was created by Allan Al ...

'', the first commercially successful video game. It is also the first arcade

sports video game A sports video game is a video game that simulates the practice of sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, track and field, extreme sports, and combat sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport (s ...

. ;1974 :

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. I ...

releases ''

Speed Race is a 1974 arcade racing video game developed and manufactured by Taito and released under the titles ''Racer'' and ''Wheels'' in North America by distributor Midway Manufacturing in 1975. Designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, the gameplay involves th ...

'', which introduces

scrolling In computer displays, filmmaking, television production, and other kinetic displays, scrolling is sliding text, images or video across a monitor or display, vertically or horizontally. "Scrolling," as such, does not change the layout of the text ...

sprite graphics,Bill Loguidice & Matt Barton (2009), ''Vintage games: an insider look at the history of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the most influential games of all time'', p. 197, Focal Press, and features a

racing wheel A simulator racing steering wheel is a control device for use in racing video games, racing simulators, and driving simulators. They are usually packaged with a large paddle styled as a steering wheel, along with a set of pedals for accelerato ...

controller. Midway releases it as ''Racer'' in the United States. ;1975 : Midway MFG. releases ''

Gun Fight ''Gun Fight'', known as in Japan and Europe, is a 1975 multidirectional shooter arcade game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released by Taito in Japan and Europe and by Midway in North America. Based around two Old West cowboys armed ...

'', an adaptation of Taito's ''Western Gun'' and the first arcade video game to use a

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circ ...

, which the original incarnation did not use, allowing for improved graphics and smoother animation. :Exidy releases ''Destruction Derby''. :Dr. Reiner Foerst releases '' Nürburgring 1'' in Germany. It is recognized as the world's first first-person

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...

or the first

three-dimensional Three-dimensional space (also: 3D space, 3-space or, rarely, tri-dimensional space) is a geometric setting in which three values (called ''parameters'') are required to determine the position of an element (i.e., point). This is the informa ...

racing video game. :Atari, Inc. releases ''

Hi-way ''Hi-way'', also known as ''Highway'', is a 1975 single-player arcade racing game by Atari Inc. Marketed with the slogan “Hi Way — All It Needs Is Wheels,” it was Atari's first game to use a sit-down arcade cabinet. Gameplay This is a game ...

'', which was Atari's first game to use a cockpit cabinet. :Atari, Inc. releases ''

Crash 'N Score ''Crash 'N Score'' is a two-player arcade video game released by Atari, Inc. in 1975. A modified version of the game was released in Europe under the name ''Stock Car''. Gameplay Gameplay is a simulation of a demolition derby Demolition ...

'', Gameplay is an early example of a simulation of a demolition derby. :Atari, Inc. releases '' Indy 800'', Gameplay is a simulation of an

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

style race, the cabinet also features overhead mirrors to allow spectators to watch the game while it's being played. :Atari, Inc. releases ''Steeplechase''. ;1976 : Sega releases '' Moto-Cross'', which features haptic feedback, causing the handlebars to vibrate during collisions. Sega-Gremlin re-brands it as '' Fonz''. :Sega releases ''

Heavyweight Champ is a series of List of boxing video games, boxing video games released by Sega. The original arcade game was released in 1976. The game featured black-and-white graphics and critics have since identified it as the first Fighting game, video gam ...

'', which is the first video game to feature hand-to-hand fighting. :Atari Inc. releases '' Night Driver'', an early example of a first-person perspective racing video game. :Atari releases '' Breakout'', which inspires a number of ''Breakout'' clones. :Exidy releases '' Death Race.'' It was the first video game to inspire protest and cause panic. :Gremlin releases ''

Blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are leg ...

'', the first of what become known as snake games. :Taito releases ''Speed Race Twin'', a sequel to ''Speed Race'' that allows simultaneous

two-player A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

competitive gameplay. ;1977 : Cinematronics releases ''

Space Wars ''Space Wars'' is a shooter video game released in arcades by Cinematronics in 1977. Like the PDP-1 program ''Spacewar!'' (1962) it is based on, it uses black and white vector graphics for the visuals. The hardware developed for ''Space Wars' ...

'', the first vector graphics arcade game. :

Kee Games Kee Games was an American arcade game manufacturer that released arcade and video games from 1973 to 1978. History Kee was formed by Joe Keenan, a friend and neighbor of Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell, in September 1973. In reality, Bushnell h ...

releases ''Drag Race'', which was later adapted in 1980 into a

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocesso ...

video game by

Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one ...

called Dragster. :Atari, Inc. releases '' Canyon Bomber''. :Atari, Inc releases ''Super Bug'', which was designed by Howard Delman who also designed Canyon Bomber. :Midway releases ''Boot Hill'', which is a sequel to the 1975 video game ''Gun Fight.''

Golden age (1978–1986)

;1978 :

releases ''

Space Invaders is a 1978 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed to the Midway division of Bally for overseas distribution. ''Space Invaders'' was the first fixed shooter an ...

'', the first

blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...

arcade video game, responsible for starting the

golden age of video arcade games The golden age of arcade video games was the period of rapid growth, technological development and cultural influence of arcade video games, from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. The period began with the release of ''Space Invaders'' in 1978, ...

. It also sets the template for the

shoot 'em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of charac ...

genre, and influences nearly every

shooter game Shooter video games or shooters are a subgenre of action video games where the focus is almost entirely on the defeat of the character's enemies using the weapons given to the player. Usually these weapons are firearms or some other long-range ...

released since then. ;1979 : Atari releases '' Lunar Lander'' and ''

Asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

'', a major hit in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and Atari's best selling game of all time. :

Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiung, ...

releases ''

Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, wh ...

'', which is in

RGB The RGB color model is an additive color model in which the red, green and blue primary colors of light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three addi ...

colour. ;1980 : Sun Electronics releases ''Speak & Rescue'' (スピーク&レスキュー) in May 1980, released in North America as ''Stratovox'' and released in North America by

. It is the first video game with

voice synthesis Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal langua ...

. :Atari releases '' Battlezone'', a

first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the p ...

tank combat game. :Namco releases '' Pac-Man'', its biggest-selling game. One of the most influential games, it had the first gaming

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

, established the maze chase genre, opened gaming to female audiences, and introduced power-ups and

cutscene A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward th ...

s. :

Data East , also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles. Its main headquarters were located in Suginami, Tokyo. The A ...

releases

DECO Cassette System 240px, DECO Cassette System loading screen The DECO Cassette System was introduced by Data East in October 1980. It was the first standardised arcade system that allowed arcade owners to change games. Developed in 1979, it was released in Japan in ...

, the first standardized arcade platform, for which many games were made. ;1981 :Sega/Gremlin releases '' Space Fury'', the first color vector arcade game. : Nintendo releases ''

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

'', which was one of the first

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...

s. It was also the game that introduced

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...

(named simply "Jumpman" at the time) to the video game world. :

releases ''

Galaga is a 1981 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. In North America, it was released by Midway Manufacturing. It is the sequel to '' Galaxian'' (1979), Namco's first major video game hit in arcades. Controlling a star ...

'', sequel to Galaxian. :

Konami , is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machines, slot machines, and arcade cabinets. Konami has casino ...

releases ''

Scramble Scramble, Scrambled, or Scrambling may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Scramble'' (video game), a 1981 arcade game Music Albums * ''Scramble'' (album), an album by Atlanta-based band the Coathangers * ''Scrambles'' (album) ...

'', the first side-scrolling shooter with forced scrolling and multiple distinct levels.Game Genres: Shmups
Professor Jim Whitehead, January 29, 2007, Accessed June 17, 2008 :Konami releases ''

Frogger is a 1981 arcade action game developed by Konami and manufactured by Sega. In North America, it was released by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct a series of frogs to their homes by crossing a busy road and a hazardous rive ...

'', a popular arcade action game. :

Williams Electronics WMS Industries, Inc. was an American electronic gaming and amusement manufacturer in Enterprise, Nevada. It was merged into Scientific Games in 2016. WMS's predecessor was the Williams Manufacturing Company, founded in 1943 by Harry E. Williams ...

release '' Defender'', a more challenging shoot-em-up space game with control configuration of five buttons and a joystick. ;1982 :

releases ''

Joust Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two horse riders wielding lances with blunted tips, often as part of a tournament. The primary aim was to replicate a clash of heavy cavalry, with each participant trying to strike the opponen ...

''. :Namco releases '' Pole Position'', one of the most popular racing games of all time. This is also Namco's first game to feature a 16-bit CPU making it the first 16-bit video game. ;1983 : Bally Midway releases ''

Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

'', the first game with digitized sprites. :'' Astron Belt'', the first

laserdisc video game An interactive film is a video game or other interactive media that has characteristics of a cinematic film. In the video game industry, the term refers to a movie game, a video game that presents its gameplay in a cinematic, scripted manner, ...

, is released by Sega. :''

Dragon's Lair ''Dragon's Lair'' is a video game franchise created by Rick Dyer and Don Bluth. The series is famous for its Western animation-style graphics and complex decades-long history of being ported to many platforms and being remade into television a ...

'', the first video game to use cel-animated video instead of computer-generated graphics was advertised as the first truly 3D video game and as the meeting point of video games and animated films. :Atari brings '' Star Wars'' to the arcades in the form of a 3D vector graphics simulation of the movie's attack on the

Death Star The Death Star is a fictional space station and superweapon featured in the '' Star Wars'' space-opera franchise. Constructed by the autocratic Galactic Empire, the Death Star is capable of annihilating entire planets into rubble, and serves t ...

sequence and featuring digitized samples of voices from the movie. : Nintendo releases “

Mario Bros. is a 1983 arcade game developed and published for arcades by Nintendo. It was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, Nintendo's chief engineer. Italian twin brother plumbers Mario and Luigi exterminate creatures emerging from the ...

” ;1984 :''

Marble Madness ''Marble Madness'' is an arcade game, arcade video game designed by Mark Cerny and published by Atari Games in 1984. It is a platform game in which the player must guide a marble through six courses, populated with obstacles and enemies, within ...

'' is released by Atari Games. ;1985 :'' Gauntlet'' is released by Atari Games :''

Gradius is a series of shooter video games, introduced in 1985, developed and published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper. Games *''Scra ...

'' (''Nemesis'' in some countries) is released by

. :''

Space Harrier is a third-person arcade rail shooter game developed by Sega and released in 1985. It was originally conceived as a realistic military-themed game played in the third-person perspective and featuring a player-controlled fighter jet, but tec ...

'' is released by Sega :'' Vs. Super Mario Bros.'', the arcade version of

Super Mario Bros. is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game '' Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for ...

originally on the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom in Japan), is released into arcades. :''

Tehkan World Cup originally released as in Japan, is an association football video game released to arcades in 1985 by Tehkan, the former name of Tecmo. It features multiplayer gameplay and trackball controllers. It was released in both upright and table arca ...

'', the father of soccer games with an above view of the field, is released by

Tehkan , was a Japanese video game corporation founded in 1967. It had its headquarters in Kudankita, Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its subsidiary, Tecmo Inc, was located in Torrance, California. Tecmo was formerly known as Tehkan. Tecmo is known for the ''Captain ...

, who also release its stablemate, ''

Gridiron Fight is an List of American football video games, American football video game developed and released by Tehkan (later known as Tecmo) for Arcade game, arcades in 1985. It is a one or two player game based on gridiron football (American football), and ...

''. :''Air Race'' was also planned to be released by Atari in 1985. Due to the high cost of the hardware, the game also was cancelled. If released, it would have been the first arcade racing game to use 3D polygon graphics. :''

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a stor ...

'' is released and became Atari's last major vector-based arcade game. :''

Paperboy A paperboy is someoneoften an older child or adolescentwho distributes printed newspapers to homes or offices on a regular route, usually by bicycle or automobile. In Western nations during the heyday of print newspapers during the early 20th ce ...

'' was also released by Atari Games. ;1986 :Taito releases ''

Bubble Bobble is a 1986 platform arcade game developed and published by Taito. It was distributed in the United States by Romstar, and in Europe by Electrocoin. Players control Bub and Bob, two dragons that set out to save their girlfriends from a world know ...

''. :Sega releases ''

Out Run (also stylized as ''OutRun'') is an arcade driving video game released by Sega in September 1986. It is known for its pioneering hardware and graphics, nonlinear gameplay, a selectable soundtrack with music composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi (comp ...

''. :''

Chiller A chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid coolant via a vapor-compression, adsorption refrigeration, or absorption refrigeration cycles. This liquid can then be circulated through a heat exchanger to cool equipment, or another p ...

'' by Exidy is released and is an early example of blood and gore. :Top Gunner by Exidy is released and is the last commercial arcade video game to use vector-based(wireframe) graphics. :Turbo Kourier is released by the Vivid Group and is the first coin-operated Virtual Reality arcade video game to use 3D Polygon Graphics.

Post-golden age (1987–present)

;1987 :

Technōs Japan was a Japanese video game developer, best known for the ''Double Dragon'' and ''Kunio-kun'' franchises (the latter including ''Renegade'', '' Super Dodge Ball'' and '' River City Ransom'') as well as ''Karate Champ'', '' The Combatribes'' and ''V ...

releases ''

Double Dragon is a beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technōs Japan and released as an arcade game in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight against various adversaries and rivals. The origina ...

''. It became a huge hit, paving the way for

beat 'em up The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, ...

games. ;1988 :'' NARC'', by Williams is released and is the first commercially released game to use a 32-bit processor. :

releases '' Assault'', which was the first game to make use of massive sprite rotation as well as sprite scaling. It also released '' Splatterhouse'', which was the first game to get a parental advisory disclaimer. :Namco introduces the Namco System 21 "Polygonizer", the first arcade system board designed for 3D polygonal graphics. The first game to use it is the

Winning Run is a first-person arcade racing simulation game developed and published by Namco in late December 1988 in Japan, before releasing internationally the following year. The player pilots a Formula One racer, with the objective being to complete eac ...

''. :'' Top Landing'' by

is released and is the first coin-operated flight simulation to use 3D polygon graphics and runs on

's Air System board. :''

Tetris ''Tetris'' (russian: link=no, Тетрис) is a puzzle video game created by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. It has been published by several companies for multiple platforms, most prominently during a dispute over the appro ...

'' makes the jump from home to arcade as an Atari coin-op. ;1989 :'' Exterminator'' by

Gottlieb Gottlieb (formerly D. Gottlieb & Co.) was an American arcade game corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. History The main office and plant was located at 1140-50 N. Kostner Avenue until the early 1970s when a new modern plant and office was lo ...

is released and is the first video game to use fully digitized graphics in every element of the game. This was

's last video game. :''

Hard Drivin' ''Hard Drivin'' is a driving simulation video game developed by Atari Games in 1989. It invites players to test drive a sports car on courses that emphasize stunts and speed. The game features one of the first 3D polygon driving environments v ...

'', by Atari Games is released and is the second arcade driving game to have 3D polygonal graphics. :''

S.T.U.N. Runner ''S.T.U.N. Runner'' (Spread Tunnel Underground Network Runner) is 3D racing/shooter game released in arcades by Atari Games in 1989. The player pilots a futuristic vehicle which can exceed 900 mph, through various tunnels and courses with ...

'' is released by '' Atari Games'' and is known for early use of high-speed 3-D Polygonal Graphics. ;1990 :''

Pit-Fighter ''Pit-Fighter'' is a 1990 arcade fighting game by Atari Games which uses digitized live actors. It was Atari's first fighting game. The Japanese arcade release was published by Konami. Home versions were published by Tengen. The graphical an ...

'' is released by Atari Games and is the first-ever fighting game to use fully digitized graphics. Released two years before Midway's Mortal Kombat. :''

Galaxian³ is a 3D rail shooter video game developed and published by Namco. It was originally a theme park attraction designed for the Expo '90, International Garden and Greenery Exposition (Expo '90) in Japan, and was later released as an arcade game in 1 ...

'' is released by

as a video game Theme Park Attraction and is the first to feature 8-players. This game is a sequel to the Galaxian series and is known for combining pre-laserdisc background images and 3D Polygonal graphics. It was later released as an arcade cabinet to the public in 1994. :'' NAM-1975'' is released by ''

SNK is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...

'' and is the first game running on a Neo Geo hardware and became the standardized arcade platform throughout the 90s to the early 2000s. Many 2D fighting games like Fatal Fury, World Heroes, and Samurai Showdown ran on this hardware and was very popular in the arcades for its time. ;1991 : Capcom releases '' Street Fighter II'', revolutionizing competitive play in the arcade setting and setting the template for fighting games. ;1992 : Midway Games releases '' Mortal Kombat'', which features blood and fatalities. : Sega releases ''

Virtua Racing ''Virtua Racing'', or ''V.R.'' for short, is a Formula One racing video game developed by Sega AM2 and released for arcades in 1992. ''Virtua Racing'' was initially a proof-of-concept application for exercising a new 3D graphics platform under ...

'', Sega's first 3D racer as well as Sega's first polygonal 3D game. ;1993 : ''

Mortal Kombat II ''Mortal Kombat II'' is a 1993 arcade fighting game originally produced by Midway for the arcades in 1993. It was later ported to multiple home systems, including MS-DOS, Amiga, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Genesis, 32X, Sega Saturn, Super Nint ...

'' is released, featuring high quality digitized graphics, and the most advanced sound system in arcades at the time, the DCS sound system which allowed for

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

style compression to all sounds. : Sega releases ''

Virtua Fighter is a series of fighting games created by Sega-AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki. The original '' Virtua Fighter'' was released in October 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential first ''Virtua Fighter'' ga ...

'', the first 3D fighting game. ;1994 : ''

Killer Instinct ''Killer Instinct'' is a series of fighting video games originally created by Rare and published by Midway, Nintendo, and Microsoft Studios. The original ''Killer Instinct'' was released for arcades in 1994; the game was then released for ...

'' is released, the first arcade game with a hard disk, up to that point the game with the highest quality graphics pre-rendered by a rendering program, featuring to this day the highest quality use of the movie background technique. :

releases '' Tekken'', another fighting game. ;1995 : Midway Games releases ''

Mortal Kombat 3 ''Mortal Kombat 3'' is a 1995 arcade fighting game developed by Midway Games and first released into arcades in 1995. It is the third main installment in the '' Mortal Kombat'' franchise and a sequel to 1993's ''Mortal Kombat II''. As in the p ...

'', which was part of the Mortal Kombat series. ;1996 :SNK releases ''

Metal Slug is a Japanese run and gun video game series originally created by Nazca Corporation before merging with SNK in 1996 after the completion of the first game in the series. Spin-off games include a third-person shooter to commemorate the 10th ...

'', a run and gun game widely known for its sense of humor, fluid hand-drawn animation, and fast-paced two-player action. ;1998 :Konami releases ''

Dance Dance Revolution (''DDR'') is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, ''Dance Dance Revolution'' is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance ...

'', an arcade game with four arrow pads that the players used to "dance." This game would create many sequels and spin-offs. :'' Gauntlet Legends'' is released by Atari Games and it is the first game in the Gauntlet series to be produced in 3D and is the last Gauntlet game released by Atari Games. ;1999 :'' Rush 2049'' is released, the last arcade game to bear the Atari Games logo. Atari Games in Milpitas is renamed Midway Games West, and closes its coin-op product development division. :''

Hydro Thunder ''Hydro Thunder'' is an inshore powerboat racing video game, originally an arcade game in February 1999 and later released for the Sega Dreamcast as a launch title later that year. It was also released for PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in early 200 ...

'' is released by Midway Games. It is a 3D speedboat racing game and was one of the first to run on QuickSilver II hardware, a windows-based hardware setup that was less expensive to use. The game was one of Midway Games most successful arcade games to date. :''

Derby Owners Club ' is a horse racing arcade game developed by Sega AM3 and published by Sega. Players are put into the roles of breeder, trainer, jockey, and owner of a thoroughbred racehorse. Statistics are saved on a IC card that can be put into any machine. The ...

'' which was the first large-scale satellite arcade machine with

smartcard A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card) is a physical electronic authentication device, used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) c ...

s, which have become a staple in Japanese game centers since. ;2000 :'' Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes'' is released by Capcom and runs on Sega's NAOMI hardware. This game combines 2D character sprites, background arenas and special effects are 3D polygon based. ;2001 :Namco releases ''

Tekken 4 is a fighting video game developed and published by Namco as the fourth main and fifth installment in the ''Tekken'' series, following the release of the non-canon crossover titled '' Tekken Tag Tournament'' in 1999. It was released as an arcade ...

'', the first talking game to feature almost all characters talking to one another. :Sega releases ''

Virtua Fighter 4 is a fighting game by Sega. It is the fourth game in the ''Virtua Fighter'' series. The game was first released in arcades on the NAOMI 2 board in 2001. A console port of ''Virtua Fighter 4'', as well as that of '' Virtua Fighter 4: Evoluti ...

'', the first arcade game with

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" o ...

features in Japan. ;2002 :'' Arctic Thunder'' Special Edition is released and is the last arcade game by Midway Games and runs on a PC based Hardware Midway Graphite. Its arcade division was later shut down. :Sega launched ''

World Club Champion Football ' is a Japanese collectible card game and football/soccer sports arcade video game released by Sega. The game is officially abbreviated as WCCF. It is the first arcade game to combine trading cards with a video game, establishing a new genre of ...

'', which introduced

trading cards A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other ...

, which have become a staple in Japanese game centers. ;2020 :The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 caused many Japanese arcades to close down

References

External links

Arcade Games history
{{History of video games ! Arcade History History of video games

Early history (1971–1977)

Golden age (1978–1986)

Post-golden age (1987–present)

See also

References

External links