List of longest-running video game franchises

This is a list of the longest-running video game franchises. To qualify for this list, a franchise must have seen regular releases for at least twenty years, from a franchise's first title to its most recent release. Only franchises that started out as a video game are listed; therefore, video games based upon other media are not listed. Ports, downloadable content, re-releases, and compilations are not considered new entries. Remakes (i.e., games with significant differences in graphics or gameplay) and expansion sets which received retail releases are considered new entries in a series.

Longest-running video games franchises

Franchise First release Latest/upcoming release Length Franchise owner
The Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail
December 3, 1971
The Oregon Trail
December 6, 2011
40 years The Learning Company
Pong Pong
November 29, 1972
Pong World
November 29, 2012
40 years Atari, Inc.
(Atari, SA)
Space Invaders
(List)
Space Invaders
June 1978
Space Invaders Frenzy
2017
39 years, 6 months Taito
(Square Enix)
Galaxian Galaxian
October 1979
Galaga Assault
2016
37 years, 2 months Namco
(Namco Bandai)
Pac-Man
(List)
Pac-Man
May 1980
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2
September 2016
36 years, 10 months Namco
(Namco Bandai)
Breakout Breakout
April 1976
Breakout Boost Plus
January 24, 2012
35 years, 9 months Atari, Inc.
(Atari, SA)
Mario
(List)
Donkey Kong
July 9, 1981
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
December 3, 2016
35 years, 5 months Nintendo
Asteroids Asteroids
November 1979
Asteroids: Outpost
March 26, 2015
35 years, 4 months Atari, Inc.
(Atari, SA)
Wizardry Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
September 1981
Wizardry: Torawareshi Bourei no Gai
February 5, 2016
34 years, 5 months
Donkey Kong
(List)
Donkey Kong
July 9, 1981
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
March 20, 2015
33 years, 9 months Nintendo
Wolfenstein Castle Wolfenstein
September 1981
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
May 5, 2015
33 years, 8 months id Software
(ZeniMax Media)
King's Quest King's Quest I
July 1983
King's Quest: Once Upon a Climb
April 26, 2016
32 years, 9 months Sierra Entertainment
(Activision Blizzard)
Bomberman
(List)
Bakudan Otoko Bomber Man
July 1983
Taisen! Bomberman
January 27, 2016
32 years, 6 months Hudson Soft
(Konami)
Math Blaster Math Blaster!
1983
Math Blaster Premium
May 15, 2015
32 years, 4 months Knowledge Adventure
Frogger Frogger
June 1981
Frogger's Crackout
September 11, 2013
32 years, 3 months Konami
Zork Zork
1977
Legends of Zork
April 1, 2009
32 years, 3 months Activision
(Activision Blizzard)
Ultima Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness
June 1981
Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar
August 7, 2013
32 years, 2 months Origin Systems
(Electronic Arts)
Lunar Lander Lunar Lander
August 1979
Luner Lander
January 2011
31 years, 5 months Atari, Inc.
Q*bert Q*bert
October 1982
Q*bert Rebooted
July 7, 2014
31 years, 9 months Sony Pictures Entertainment
Rally-X Rally-X
1980
Rally-X Rumble
August 17, 2011
31 years, 3 months Namco
(Namco Bandai)
Dragon Slayer Dragon Slayer
September 10, 1984
Tokyo Xanadu
September 30, 2015
31 years Nihon Falcom
Nobunaga's Ambition Nobunaga no Yabō
March 1983
Nobunaga no Yabō: Sōzō
December 12, 2013
30 years, 9 months Koei
(Koei Tecmo)
The Legend of Zelda The Legend of Zelda
February 21, 1986
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
March 2017
30 years, 9 months Nintendo
Carmen Sandiego Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
1985
Carmen Sandiego Returns
May 14, 2015
30 years, 4 months The Learning Company
Romance of the Three Kingdoms Romance of the Three Kingdoms
December 1985
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII
January 28, 2016
30 years, 1 month Koei
(Koei Tecmo)
Dragon Quest
(List)
Dragon Warrior
May 27, 1986
Dragon Quest XI
2016
30 years, 5 months Enix
(Square Enix)
Bubble Bobble Bubble Bobble
August 1986
Bubble Bobble for Kakao
June 15, 2015
28 years, 10 months Taito
(Square Enix)
Spy Hunter Spy Hunter
1983
Spy Hunter
9 October 2012
29 years, 9 months
Darius Darius
February 1987
Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours
November 30, 2015
28 years, 9 months Taito
(Square Enix)
Family Stadium Pro Yakyū Family Stadium
December 10, 1986
Pro Yakyū Famista Returns
October 8, 2015
28 years, 9 months Namco
(Namco Bandai)
Metroid Metroid
August 6, 1986
Metroid Prime: Federation Force
August 19, 2016
30 years, 3 months Nintendo
Tetris Tetris
June 6, 1984
Puyo Puyo Tetris
February 6, 2014
29 years, 8 months The Tetris Company
Megami Tensei Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei
September 11, 1987
Persona 5
September 15, 2016
29 years, 2 months Atlus
(Sega Sammy)
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy
December 18, 1987
Final Fantasy XV
November 29, 2016
28 years, 11 months Squaresoft
(Square Enix)
The Great Giana Sisters The Great Giana Sisters
1987
Giana Sisters: Dream Runners
August 2015
28 years, 7 months
Dizzy (series) Dizzy – The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure
June 1987
Wonderland Dizzy
October 2015
28 years, 4 months
Maniac Mansion Maniac Mansion
October 1987
Day of the Tentacle Remastered
March 22, 2016
28 years, 5 months LucasArts
(Double Fine Productions)
Street Fighter Street Fighter
August 30, 1987
Street Fighter V
February 16, 2016
28 years, 5 months Capcom
R.B.I. Baseball R.B.I. Baseball
1988
R.B.I. Baseball 16
March 29, 2016
28 years, 2 months Tengen
(MLB Advanced Media)
Twinbee TwinBee
March 5, 1985
Line GoGo! TwinBee
May 20, 2013
28 years, 2 months Konami
Metal Gear Metal Gear
July 7, 1987
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
September 1, 2015
28 years, 1 month Konami
Fantasy Zone Fantasy Zone
March 20, 1986
3D Fantasy Zone: Opa Opa Brothers
March 19, 2014
27 years, 11 months Sega
(Sega Sammy)
Wasteland Wasteland
1988
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut
October 13, 2015
27 years, 9 months Interplay / inXile
Mega Man Mega Man
December 17, 1987
Mega Man Legacy Collection
August 25, 2015
27 years, 8 months Capcom
Ninja JaJaMaru-kun Ninja JaJaMaru-kun
November 15, 1985
Ninja JaJaMaru-kun Sakura-hime to Karyu no Himitsu
June 20, 2013
27 years, 7 months Jaleco
Reader Rabbit Reader Rabbit
1986
Reader Rabbit Kart Racing
July 3, 2013
27 years, 6 months The Learning Company
Castlevania Castlevania
September 26, 1986
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
February 25, 2014
27 years, 4 months Konami
Madden NFL John Madden Football
June 1, 1988
Madden NFL 17
August 23, 2016
28 years, 2 months EA Tiburon
(Electronic Arts)
Star Soldier Star Soldier
June 13, 1986
Star Soldier for GREE
June 20, 2013
27 years Hudson Soft
(Konami)
Phantasy Star Phantasy Star
December 20, 1987
Phantasy Star Nova
November 27, 2014
26 years, 11 months Sega
(Sega Sammy)
Sonic the Hedgehog
(List)
Sonic the Hedgehog
June 23, 1991
Project Sonic 2017
Q4 2017
26 years, 6 months Sega
(Sega Sammy)
Punch-Out!! Punch-Out!!
1983
Punch-Out!!
May 18, 2009
26 years, 4 months Nintendo
Contra Contra
February 21, 1987
Contra: Evolution
May 31, 2013
26 years, 3 months Konami
Gradius Gradius
May 29, 1985
Gradius the Slot
July 2011
26 years, 1 month Konami
Leisure Suit Larry Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards
July 5, 1987
Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded
June 27, 2013
25 years, 11 months Sierra Entertainment
(Activision Blizzard)
Earthbound Mother
July 27, 1989
EarthBound Beginnings
June 14, 2015
25 years, 10 months Nintendo
Black Bass The Black Bass
1986
Super Black Bass 3D
October 6, 2011
25 years, 9 months Hot B / Starfish SD
Test Drive Test Drive
1987
Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends
July 3, 2012
25 years, 6 months Atari, Inc.
(Atari, SA)
Ninja Gaiden Ninja Gaiden
October 1988
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z
March 27, 2014
25 years, 5 months Tecmo
(Koei Tecmo)
Goemon Mr. Goemon
May 1986
Ganbare Goemon Pachisuro 2
September 2011
25 years, 4 months Konami
Tex Murphy Mean Streets
1989
Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure
May 7, 2014
25 years, 4 months Konami
Kid Icarus Kid Icarus
December 19, 1986
Kid Icarus: Uprising
March 22, 2012
25 years, 3 months Nintendo
Ys Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished
June 21, 1987
Ys: Memories of Celceta
September 27, 2012
25 years, 3 months Nihon Falcom
Super Robot Wars
(List)
Super Robot Taisen
April 20, 1991
Super Robot Wars V
2017
25 years, 7 months Banpresto
(Namco Bandai)
Fire Emblem Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
April 20, 1990
Fire Emblem Fates
June 24, 2015
25 years, 2 months Nintendo
Jake Hunter Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken
April 27, 1987
Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Fukushū no Rondo
June 28, 2012
25 years, 2 months Data East
(Work Jam)
SimCity SimCity
October 3, 1989
SimCity BuildIt
December 15, 2014
25 years, 2 months Maxis
(Electronic Arts)
Civilization Civilization
September 1991
Civilization VI
October 21, 2016
25 years, 2 months Firaxis Games
(Take-Two Interactive)
The Legend of Heroes Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes
December 10, 1989
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II
September 25, 2014
24 years, 9 months Nihon Falcom
NHL NHL Hockey
1991
NHL 16
September 9, 2015
24 years, 8 months EA Sports
(Electronic Arts)
Mana Final Fantasy Adventure
June 28, 1991
Adventures of Mana
February 4, 2016
24 years, 7 months Squaresoft
Square Enix
Shining Shining in the Darkness
March 28, 1991
Blade Arcus from Shining EX
November 26, 2015
24 years, 7 months Sega
(Sega Sammy)
Metal Max
(List)
Metal Max
May 24, 1991
Metal Saga: The Ark of Wastes
December 7, 2015
24 years, 6 months Crea-Tech
Xuan-Yuan Sword Xuan-Yuan Sword
October 13, 1990
Xuan-Yuan Sword EX: The Gate of Firmament
March 26, 2015
24 years, 5 months Softstar
Daytona USA Daytona USA
August 1993
Daytona 3 Championship USA
2017
24 years, 4 months Sega
(Sega Sammy)
Langrisser Warsong
April 26, 1991
Langrisser Re:Incarnation Tensei
July 23, 2015
24 years, 2 months Nippon Computer Systems
Kirby
(List)
Kirby's Dream Land
April 27, 1992
Kirby: Planet Robobot
April 28, 2016
24 years Nintendo
Shinobi Shinobi
November 1987
Shinobi 3D
November 16, 2011
24 years Sega
(Sega Sammy)
Adventure Island Adventure Island
September 12, 1986
Adventure Island Quest by Takahashi Meijin
August 18, 2010
23 years, 11 months Hudson Soft
(Konami)
Jetpac Jetpac
May 1983
Jetpac Refuelled
March 28, 2007
23 years, 10 months Ultimate / Rare
(Microsoft)
Alone in the Dark Alone in the Dark
1992
Alone in the Dark: Illumination
June 11, 2015
23 years, 5 months Atari Interactive
(Atari, SA)
Yoshi Yoshi
December 14, 1991
Yoshi's Woolly World
June 26, 2015
23 years, 6 months Nintendo
Momotarō Densetsu Momotarō Densetsu
October 26, 1987
Momotarō Densetsu Mobile
April 18, 2011
23 years, 5 months Hudson Soft
(Konami)
Star Fox
(List)
Star Fox
February 21, 1993
Star Fox Zero
April 21, 2016
23 years, 2 months Nintendo
Championship Manager Championship Manager
September 1, 1992
Champ Man 16
September 23, 2015
23 years Eidos Interactive
(Square Enix)
Derby Stallion Derby Stallion: Best Race
December 21, 1991
Derby Stallion Gold
December 4, 2014
22 years, 11 months ASCII
(Kadokawa Dwango)
SaGa Makai Tōshi SaGa
December 15, 1989
Emperors SaGa
September 18, 2012
22 years, 9 months Squaresoft
(Square Enix)
The Elder Scrolls The Elder Scrolls: Arena
March 25, 1994
The Elder Scrolls: Legends
2016
22 years, 7 months Bethesda
(ZeniMax Media)
Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat
August 22, 1992
Mortal Kombat X
April 14, 2015
22 years, 7 months Midway / NetherRealm
(Warner Bros.)
Parodius Parodius: The Octopus that Saves the Earth
April 28, 1988
Gokuraku Parodius A
November 2010
22 years, 7 months Konami
NBA Live NBA Live 95
September 29, 1994
NBA Live
Q1 2017
22 years, 1 month EA Sports
(Electronic Arts)
Out Run Out Run
September 20, 1986
OutRun Online Arcade
April 15, 2009
22 years, 6 months Sega
(Sega Sammy)
Doom Doom
December 10, 1993
Doom
May 13, 2016
22 years, 5 months id Software
Need for Speed The Need for Speed
August 31, 1994
Need for Speed: Edge
2016
22 years, 2 months Electronic Arts
Tecmo Bowl Tecmo Bowl
December 1987
Tecmo Bowl Throwback
April 28, 2010
22 years, 4 months Tecmo
(Koei Tecmo)
Puyo Puyo Puyo Puyo
October 25, 1991
Puyo Puyo Tetris
February 6, 2014
22 years, 3 months Sega
(Sega Sammy)
FIFA FIFA International Soccer
July 15, 1993
FIFA 16
September 22, 2015
22 years, 2 months EA Sports
(Electronic Arts)
Rainbow Islands Rainbow Islands
1987
Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure!
March 3, 2009
21 years, 2 months Taito
(Square Enix)
Ace Combat Air Combat
December 1992
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy Plus
January 29, 2015
22 years, 1 month Namco
(Namco Bandai)
Power Pro Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū '94
March 11, 1994
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 2016
April 28, 2016
22 years, 1 month Konami
Far East of Eden Tengai Makyō
June 30, 1989
Tengai Makyō for GREE
July 6, 2011
22 years Hudson Soft / RED
(Konami)
Momotarō Dentetsu Momotarō Dentetsu
December 2, 1988
Momotarō Dentetsu World
December 2, 2010
22 years Hudson Soft
(Konami)
The King of Fighters The King of Fighters '94
August 25, 1994
The King of Fighters XIV
August 23, 2016
22 years, 2 months SNK Playmore
Chessmaster The Chessmaster 2000
1986
Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition
October 30, 2007
21 years, 10 months Ubisoft
X-COM UFO: Enemy Unknown
March 1994
XCOM 2
February 5, 2016
21 years, 10 months Firaxis Games
(Take-Two Interactive)
Pitfall! Pitfall!
April 20, 1982
Pitfall: The Lost Expedition
February 18, 2004
21 years, 9 months Activision
(Activision Blizzard)
Warcraft Warcraft: Orcs & Humans
November 23, 1994
World of Warcraft: Legion
August 30, 2016
22 years Blizzard
(Activision Blizzard)
Duke Nukem Duke Nukem
July 1, 1991
Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition
March 20, 2013
21 years, 8 months Apogee Software
(3D Realms)
Worms Worms
June 1, 1995
Worms WMD
2016
21 years, 5 months Team17
Monkey Island The Secret of Monkey Island
October 1990
Monkey Island: Special Edition Collection
September 9, 2011
20 years, 11 months LucasArts
Athena Athena
July 1986
Athena: Full Throttle Winning Majō Gakuen Sōdōki
March 1, 2007
20 years, 8 months SNK Playmore
Pokémon Pocket Monsters: Red & Green
February 27, 1996
Pokémon Sun and Moon
November 18, 2016
20 years, 8 months Nintendo
Resident Evil/Biohazard Biohazard
March 22nd, 1996
Resident Evil 7:Biohazard
January 24th, 2017
20 years, 8 months Capcom
Tales (of) Tales of Phantasia
December 15, 1995
Tales of Berseria
August 18, 2016
20 years, 11 months Namco
(Namco Bandai)
Bust-A-Move Puzzle Bobble
June 1994
Bust-A-Move Islands
January 14, 2015
20 years, 7 months Taito
(Square Enix)
Prince of Persia Prince of Persia
October 3, 1989
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
May 18, 2010
20 years, 7 months Ubisoft
Virtua Fighter Virtua Fighter
October 1993
Virtua Fighter: Fever Combo
April 22, 2014
20 years, 6 months Sega
(Sega Sammy)
Lunar Lunar: The Silver Star
June 16, 1992
Lunar: Silver Star Story Touch
September 20, 2012
20 years, 3 months Game Arts
Rayman Rayman
September 1, 1995
Rayman Adventures
December 3, 2015
20 years, 3 months Ubisoft
Tekken Tekken
December 9, 1994
Tekken 7
March 18, 2015
20 years, 3 months Namco
(Namco Bandai)
Ridge Racer Ridge Racer
October 7, 1993
Ridge Racer Slipstream
December 19, 2013
20 years, 2 months Namco
(Namco Bandai)
Winning Eleven J-League Jikkyō Winning Eleven
July 21, 1995
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2016
September 15, 2015
20 years, 1 month Konami
The Legend of Sword and Fairy The Legend of Sword and Fairy
July 7, 1995
The Legend of Sword and Fairy 6
July 8, 2015
20 years Softstar
Adventure Island Adventure Island (video game)
September 12, 1986
Adventure Island: The Beginning
April 7, 2009
22 years, 6 months
Valis (series) Valis: The Fantasm Soldier
1986
Mugen Senshi Valis Complete Plus – Legend of a Fantasm Soldier
November 24, 2011
25 years
Fortune Street Itadaki Street: Watashi no Omise ni Yottette
March 21, 1991
Fortune Street Smart
January 23, 2012
21 years
Microsoft Flight Simulator Microsoft Flight Simulator
November 1982
Flight Simulator X: Acceleration
10 October 2007
25 years
Championship Manager series Championship Manager
1992
Championship Manager 2016
2015
23 years
Chessmaster The Chessmaster 2000
1986
Chessmaster XI
30 October 2007
21 years
Ghosts 'n Goblins (series) Ghosts 'n Goblins
1985
Ghosts 'n Goblins: Gold Knights II
2010
25 years
Boulder Dash Boulder Dash
1984
Boulder Dash: 30th Anniversary
2014
30 years
Xevious Xevious
1982
Xevious Resurrection
2009
27 years
After Burner After Burner
1987
After Burner: Black Falcon
2007
20 years
Battle Chess Battle Chess
1988
Battle Chess: Game of Kings
2014
26 years
Gabriel Knight Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
December 17, 1993
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition
October 15, 2014
21 years
Gauntlet (series) Gauntlet (1985 video game)
October 1985
Gauntlet (2014 video game)
September 23, 2014
24 years
Game & Watch Ball
April 28, 1980
Ball (reissue)
April 30, 2010
30 years
Glory of Heracles (series) Tōjin Makyō Den: Heracles no Eikō
June 12, 1987
Glory of Heracles
May 22, 2008
21 years
Heroes of Might and Magic Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest
1995
Might & Magic Heroes VII
2015
20 years
Track & Field Track & Field (video game)
1983
Hyper Sports Track & Field
2010
27 years
Tokimeki Memorial (series) Tokimeki Memorial
1994
Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side Batterīu~ijetto
2014
20 years
The Tower of Druaga The Tower of Druaga
June 1984
The Tower of Druaga: The Recovery of BABYLIM
2007
23 years
Thunder Force (series) Thunder Force
1983
Thunder Force VI
2008
25 years
Time Crisis (series) Time Crisis
1995
Time Crisis 5: True Mastermind
2015
20 years
Star Ocean Star Ocean
1996
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness
2016
20 years
Putt-Putt (series) Putt-Putt Joins the Parade
1992
Putt-Putt's Fun House
2013
21 years
Lode Runner Lode Runner
1983
Lode Runner X
2012
29 years
Choplifter Choplifter
1982
Choplifter HD
2012
30 years
BurgerTime BurgerTime
1982
BurgerTime World Tour
2011
29 years
Elevator Action Elevator Action
1983
Elevator Action Episode-ZERO
2009
26 years
Blaster Master Blaster Master
1988
Blaster Master: Overdrive,
2010
22 years
Bomberman Bomberman
1983
VS! Bomberman
2016
33 years
Snake (video game) Blockade (video game)
1976
Snake Rewind
2015
30 years
Breath of Fire Breath of Fire
April 3, 1993
Breath of Fire 6
February 23, 2016
23 years
Clock Tower (series) Clock Tower (1995 video game)
1995
NightCry
2016
21 years
Columns Columns (video game)
1989
Magic Jewelry 3
2015
26 years
Defender Defender (1981 video game)
1981
Defender
2002
21 years
Monopoly Monopoly
1985
Monopoly
2008
23 years
Clue Clue VCR Mystery Game
1985
Clue
2011
26 years
Scrabble Computer Scrabble
1983
Scrabble for iPad
2010
27 years
Checkers Video Checkers
1980
Checkers (iOS)
2009
29 years
Risk The Computer Edition of Risk: The World Conquest Game
1989
Risk: The Official Game
2010
21 years
Othello Othello
1986
Othello ++
2015
29 years
Trivial Pursuit Trivial Pursuit
1986
Trivial Pursuit & Friends for Android
2015
29 years
Double Dragon (series) Double Dragon
1987
Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons
2013
26 years
Master of Orion Master of Orion
1993
Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars
2016
23 years
Descent Descent
1994
Descent: Underground
2015
21 years
Dark Castle Dark Castle
1986
Return to Dark Castle
2008
22 years
Thunder Force (series) Thunder Force (video game)
1983
Thunder Force VI
2008
25 years
Shaq Fu Shaq Fu
1994
Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn
2017
23 years
Police Quest and SWAT Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel
1987
SWAT Elite Troops
2008
21 years
Wars (series) Famicom Wars
1988
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
2008
20 years
Spelunker Spelunker
1983
Spelunker World
2015
32 years
Gauntlet Gauntlet
1985
Gauntlet: Slayer Edition
2014
29 years
The Fool's Errand The Fool's Errand
1987
The Fool and His Money
2012
25 years
Darius (series) Darius (video game)
1987
Darius Burst
2009
22 years
Repton Repton
1985
Repton: The Lost Realms
2010
25 years

See also

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