Hall of Fame Adds Dragon Quest, Angry Birds, FIFA, Silent Hill

The Strong National Museum of Play in New York announced four games have been added to the World Video Game Hall of Fame for 2026: Dragon Quest, Angry Birds, FIFA International Soccer and Silent Hill. The museum made the announcement as part of its annual update to the Hall of Fame roster.

The Hall of Fame was established in 2015 to honor electronic games that have maintained popularity over time and influenced the video game industry or popular culture. In its announcement the museum described the Hall as recognizing games “that have enjoyed popularity over a sustained period and have exerted influence on the video game industry or on popular culture and society in general.”

The museum characterized Angry Birds as “the breakout mobile game hit that convinced millions of people worldwide to pay for a game they could download onto their smartphones.” The franchise has recorded more than two billion downloads, and the museum said hundreds of millions of players have spent tens of billions of hours playing the physics-based puzzle games.

FIFA International Soccer was recognized for establishing what became the most popular sports game franchise in terms of global reach. The museum cited sales of roughly 325 million copies across the EA SPORTS FIFA series through 2021.

Silent Hill was cited for its impact on horror games. The original title sold more than two million copies, the franchise has collective sales reported at over 14 million, and a film adaptation of the first game grossed more than $100 million. The museum highlighted the series’ shift toward psychological horror that focused on atmosphere and player emotion.

Dragon Quest, released for the Nintendo Famicom in 1986, was noted for helping shape the Japanese role-playing game. The title was developed by scenario writer Yuji Horii, manga artist Akira Toriyama and composer Koichi Sugiyama. The museum pointed to Sugiyama’s approach to game music, including early use of live orchestral recordings, as influential on later JRPGs.

Other games on the 2026 ballot included Frogger, Galaga, League of Legends, Mega Man, PaRappa the Rapper, RuneScape, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Tokimeki Memorial. The Strong did not provide a date for an induction ceremony in its announcement.