World Video – Misryoum reports The Strong has inducted Angry Birds, Silent Hill, Dragon Quest and FIFA International Soccer into the 2026 Hall of Fame.
A pair of gaming icons are heading into the World Video Game Hall of Fame, and the picks say a lot about how far entertainment has come.
Misryoum reports that The Strong National Museum of Play has announced the 2026 inductees. with Angry Birds and FIFA International Soccer among the headline titles.. Alongside them are Silent Hill and Dragon Quest. a lineup that spans slingshots. psychological horror. classic role-playing roots. and the rise of sports games as a global phenomenon.
The Hall of Fame spotlights games that have shaped how people play and what developers build next.. Angry Birds. which arrived in 2009. turned a simple premise into a widely recognizable puzzle-flinging style. while Silent Hill helped define a darker. more psychological approach to horror that went on to leave a lasting mark on the genre.
A notable part of this announcement is the mix: one franchise built on rapid, casual play, another centered on narrative tension, and two entries that reflect major shifts in game design across decades.
Dragon Quest. originally released in 1986. is credited with helping establish a blueprint for modern RPGs. influencing how progression and world-building show up in countless games today.. FIFA International Soccer. released in 1993. is recognized as an early cornerstone of what would become EA’s long-running FIFA series. even as licensing dynamics have changed over time.
Misryoum also notes that the 2026 shortlist included several other influential names such as Frogger, Galaga, League of Legends, Mega Man, PaRappa the Rapper, RuneScape, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Tokimeki Memorial.
In this context, the Hall of Fame isn’t just a nostalgia wall. It’s a reminder that today’s popular genres and mechanics often trace back to a handful of landmark ideas that resonated beyond their original release windows.
The newest inductees join a growing list of past honorees, including last year’s additions of GoldenEye 007, Quake, Defender, and Tamagotchi, reinforcing the museum’s goal of documenting games as cultural history, not just entertainment.