2020s in video games

2010s . 2020s in video games . 2030s
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The 2020s is the sixth decade in the industry's history. The industry remains heavily dominated by the actions of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, but it remains unforeseen how their dominance will be affected by cloud gaming and the smartphone and tablet market. Virtual reality headsets are expected to become more popular over the course of the decade.[1] The industry was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ninth generation of video game consoles went on sale, beginning with the Xbox Series X and Series S and the PlayStation 5.[2] Notable games released in the 2020s included Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Doom Eternal, Final Fantasy VII Remake, The Last of Us Part II, Ghost of Tsushima, Fall Guys, Hades, Genshin Impact, It Takes Two, Forza Horizon 5, Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring, Stray, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Cult of the Lamb, God of War Ragnarök, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, Tekken 8, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Grand Theft Auto VI.[3][4] Game development companies have come under increasing criticism for "crunch" practices, forcing workers to work long hours in the build-up to release.[5]

Consoles of the 2020s

Eighth generation consoles (2012–present)

Main article: Eighth generation of video game consoles

The eighth generation of video game consoles, including the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, remain in widespread use. Cloud gaming services like Google Stadia and Amazon Luna are also part of the eighth generation. The Xbox One and Nintendo 3DS were both discontinued in 2020 with the Stadia also shutting down in 2023.[6][7][8]

Ninth generation consoles (2020–present)

Main article: Ninth generation of video game consoles

The ninth generation of video game consoles has begun in the 2020s, with the release of the Xbox Series X and Series S and PlayStation 5 in 2020. The ninth generation offers faster computation and graphics processors, support for real-time ray tracing graphics,[9] output for 4K resolution, and in some cases, 8K resolution, with rendering speeds targeting 60 frames per second (fps) or higher.[10] Internally, both console families introduced new internal solid-state drive (SSD) systems to be used as high-throughput memory and storage systems for games to reduce or eliminate loading times and support in-game streaming. Standalone virtual reality headsets have also emerged with new entries in the Meta Quest line, HTC Vive XR Elite, and Apple Vision Pro all being introduced in the decade.[11][12][13]

History

At the beginning of decade many events were severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 through 2022.[14][15][16][17][18][19] One early example in 2020 was the cancellation of that year's edition of E3.[20] Summer Game Fest would emerge as a successor to E3, as the brand was retired in 2023.[21][22]

Notable video games of the decade

Notable franchises established in the 2020s

Notes:

  • 1Game franchises that also accompany major film or television franchises.
  • 2Game franchises that are considered spin-offs of previously established franchises.

Highest-grossing games

Film

See also: 2020s in film and List of films based on video games

Films based on video games in the decade include:

Television

See also: 2020s in television and List of television series based on video games

Television series based on video games in the decade include:

Hardware timeline

The following gallery highlights hardware used to predominantly play games throughout the 2020s.

Notes

References

  1. ^ "4 trends that could shake up the gaming world in 2023". Digital Trends. January 1, 2023.
  2. ^ "The consoles of our lives. Nine generations of machines". freegametips.com.
  3. ^ Staff, Game Rant (October 26, 2021). "Best Games Of The Decade So Far (2020-)". Game Rant.
  4. ^ "Best of 2022: Elden Ring, and James' other GOTY picks". VG247. December 21, 2022.
  5. ^ Williams, Leah J. (January 9, 2023). "Naughty Dog aims to avoid crunch with later game announcements". GamesHub.
  6. ^ Warren, Tom (2020-07-16). "Microsoft discontinues Xbox One X and Xbox One S digital edition ahead of Series X launch". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  7. ^ "Nintendo 3DS discontinued after almost a decade". 2020-09-17. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  8. ^ Cranz, Alex (2022-09-29). "Google is shutting down Stadia". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  9. ^ "What Is Ray Tracing? Here's What It Means For PS5 And Xbox Scarlett – GameSpot". www.gamespot.com. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  10. ^ Andrew Williams 17 March 2020 (March 17, 2020). "What is frame rate? And how will it change for next-gen consoles?". gamesradar. Retrieved 2021-02-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Martindale, Jon. "Gear Up Your VR Game: The Best Meta Quest 3 Accessories". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  12. ^ Katie Wickens (2023-04-12). "HTC Vive XR Elite". pcgamer. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  13. ^ "Apple Ramps Up Vision Pro Production, Aiming for Launch by February". Bloomberg.com. 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  14. ^ Sprung, Shlomo. "Overwatch League Moves Matches To Live Online Format Because Of Coronavirus". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  15. ^ McWhertor, Michael (2020-09-23). "Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards returns Dec. 10". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  16. ^ "San Francisco's Game Developers Conference canceled over coronavirus fears". Los Angeles Times. 2020-02-29. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  17. ^ Valentine, Rebekah (2022-03-31). "E3 2022 – Digital and Physical – Has Officially Been Canceled". IGN. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  18. ^ Young, Rory (2020-04-16). "Gamescom 2020 Officially Canceled". Game Rant. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
  19. ^ "Pokémon World Championships 2020 Canceled". GameSpot. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
  20. ^ Liao, Shannon (2020-03-11). "E3, America's biggest video game conference, is canceled because of coronavirus | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  21. ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (2020-05-01). "Summer Game Fest, a new digital celebration, promises months of gaming news and events". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  22. ^ "Legendary E3 Gaming Convention Is Over. Here's What That Means for Gamers". CNET. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  23. ^ Grobar, Matt (August 9, 2022). "Paramount Sets 'Sonic The Hedgehog 3' Release, Pushes Date For Smurfs Animated Musical". Deadline. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  24. ^ Jennings, Collier (July 23, 2020). "Tetris Movie Casts Taron Egerton as Its Lead". Comic Book Resources.