Shenmue voted as the most influential game of all time by the public

The BAFTAs are one of the most prestigious award shows across multiple industries – video games included. Ahead of this year’s gaming BAFTA awards, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosted a public vote for the most influential games of all time – with Shenmue taking the top spot.

With the 2025 video game BAFTAs set to go live on the 8th of April, the company has released a list of the top 21 most influential games of all time; celebrating the upcoming 21st annual gaming BAFTAs. As voted by the public, the most influential video games of all time are as follows:

1. Shenmue
2. DOOM
3. Super Mario Bros
4. Half Life
5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
6. Minecraft
7. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
8. Super Mario 64
9. Half Life 2
10. The Sims
11. Tetris
12. Tomb Raider
13. Pong
14. Metal Gear Solid
15. World of Warcraft
16. Baldur's Gate 3
17. Final Fantasy VII
18. Dark Souls
19. GTA 3
20. Skyrim
21. GTA

While it is somewhat hard to argue against a public vote, some of these games (and their placements) do give some pause. There’s no denying that Shenmue is an influential game, however the fact that it managed to take the top spot is surprising given its relative lack of awareness in the public consciousness.

On the other hand, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 literally released just two months ago, and so it is far too early to determine its long-term influence – making its placement at no.7 curious to say the least.

Of course, this is far from a definitive list, and each person’s own rankings will be unique to themselves. Still, there’s no denying that the results are at the very least interesting to read through.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of these rankings? What would be in your top 3? Which games would you take off this list? Let us know down below.

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