BAFTA poll reveals most influential video game of all time

This year’s BAFTA Games Awards are almost upon us.

The 21st annual ceremony is to be held on Tuesday 8 April and, of course, we’ll be at the event bringing you the latest scoops from the night’s incredible nominees.

In case you missed it, it was recently unveiled that legendary composer Yoko Shimumura of Kingdom Hearts, Mana, and Live A Live fame, will be awarded this year’s Fellowship, BAFTA’s highest honour.

In the lead-up to the ceremony, BAFTA has run a community-voted poll, seeking to discover which video game fans believe to be the most influential of all time and I must say, the winner may surprise you.

I can reveal that SEGA’s 1999 open world action-adventure title Shenmue has taken the top spot, amassing the biggest number of public votes.

This is BAFTA’s second poll, with Lara Croft voted the most iconic video game character of all time last year.

She was an incredibly deserving winner.

If you haven’t played the 1999 classic Shenmue, I’d urge you to go about changing that.

Shenmue was a major pioneer in terms of open world gameplay, with the game introducing various systems that have become blueprints for developers across the industry.

It popularised quick-time events and cinematic storytelling, as well as weather cycles, and NPC routines.

Its fully realised world was groundbreaking, shaping many games that have been released in the many years since.

BAFTA has revealed the 20 most-voted games that followed Shenmue.

Doom (1993) came in second place, followed by Super Mario Bros. (1985) in third, Half-Life (1998) in fourth, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) in fifth.

Here is the full list:

1. Shenmue (1999)
2. Doom (1993)
3. Super Mario Bros. (1985)
4. Half-Life (1998)
5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
6. Minecraft (2011)
7. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (2025)
8. Super Mario 64 (1996)
9. Half-Life 2 (2004)
10. The Sims (2000)
11. Tetris (1984)
12. Tomb Raider (1996)
13. Pong (1972)
14. Metal Gear Solid (1998)
15. World of Warcraft (2004)
16. Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023)
17. Final Fantasy VII (1997)
18. Dark Souls (2011)
19. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
20. Skyrim (2011)
21. Grand Theft Auto (1997)

With the greatest of respect to Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, which is a great game, I’ll admit that I’m surprised to see it occupy the seventh slot.

As I said, it offers a great time, but to place it that high above games which I think have been monumentally more influential is quite something.

Still, the people have spoken.

Yu Suzuki, the creator of Shenmue, had this to say on the game’s win: “I am deeply honoured and grateful that Shenmue has been selected as the Most Influential Video Game of All Time. At its inception, we set out to explore the question, ‘How real can a game become?’, aiming to portray a world and story unprecedented in scale and detail. This distinction serves as a powerful reminder that the challenge we embraced continues to resonate with and inspire so many people even today. It is truly the greatest of encouragement.”

He continued, “Above all, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the fans around the world who have continued to love and support Shenmue. Your passion and encouragement have guided this journey every step of the way. And the story is not over yet, there is more to come! Thank you very much!”

The 21st BAFTA Games Awards take place on Tuesday 8 April 2025.The awards will be hosted by comedian Phil Wang and streamed live on BAFTA’s YouTube and Twitch from 7pm BST / 11am PT / 2pm ET.