2020 is here! As we leap forward into a new decade with new adventures, let’s take a look at some of the biggest classics. It’s all about the big video game anniversaries of 2020 – with a lot in store! From the devilish 10th anniversary of Bayonetta, to the mammoth 30th birthday of Final Fantasy, there’s a lot to celebrate this year!
So, why not tuck into our big video game anniversaries of 2020 list? Hopefully some of these key dates will help with your gaming content, videos, snaps & streams!
If there are any games, franchises or hardware missing from the list, do let us know!
January
| 05-Jan | Bayonetta (Multi) | 10th |
| 05-Jan | Darksiders (Multi) | 10th |
| 10-Jan | The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA) | 15th |
| 11-Jan | Crazy Taxi (DC) | 20th |
| 11-Jan | Resident Evil 4 (GC) | 15th |
| 13-Jan | Bust-a-Move (SNES) | 25th |
| 19-Jan | HuniePop (PC) | 5th |
| 20-Jan | Saints Row IV: Re-Elected (Multi) | 5th |
| 20-Jan | Saints Row: Gat out of Hell (Multi) | 5th |
| 23-Jan | Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (DC) | 20th |
| 24-Jan | Mario Party 2 (N64) | 20th |
| 26-Jan | No More Heroes 2 (Wii) | 10th |
| 31-Jan | The Sims (PC) | 20th |
February
| 02-Feb | Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (DC) | 20th |
| 02-Feb | Star Trek Online (PC) | 10th |
| 03-Feb | SpongeBob HeroPants (Multi) | 5th |
| 09-Feb | BioShock 2 (Multi) | 10th |
| 10-Feb | Vagrant Story (PS) | 20th |
| 12-Feb | Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) | 30th |
| 13-Feb | NEW Nintendo 3DS console released | 5th |
| 13-Feb | The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (3DS) | 5th |
| 14-Feb | Star Fox Assault (GC) | 15th |
| 16-Feb | Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (DS) | 10th |
| 16-Feb | Ristar (MD/Genesis) | 25th |
| 17-Feb | Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (Multi) | 5th |
| 18-Feb | Pokémon Shuffle (3DS) | 5th |
| 20-Feb | Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U) | 5th |
| 23-Feb | Heavy Rain (PS3) | 10th |
| 23-Feb | Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (Multi) | 10th |
| 24-Feb | Dragon Ball XenoVerse (Multi) | 5th |
| 25-Feb | Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty (Multi) | 5th |
| 27-Feb | Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires | 5th |
| 28-Feb | Fight Night Round 2 (Multi) | 15th |
| 29-Feb | Dead or Alive 2 (DC) | 20th |
| 29-Feb | Pokemon Stadium (N64) | 20th |
March
| 01-Mar | Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (Xbox) | 15th |
| 01-Mar | Mega Man 10 (Wii) | 10th |
| 02-Mar | Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Multi) | 10th |
| 02-Mar | Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 (PC) | 5th |
| 02-Mar | SpongeBob’s Boating Bash (Multi) | 10th |
| 05-Mar | Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars (Multi) | 5th |
| 08-Mar | First Nintendo World Championship | 30th |
| 09-Mar | Final Fantasy XIII (Multi) | 10th |
| 09-Mar | Yakuza 3 (PS3) | 10th |
| 10-Mar | Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (Multi) | 5th |
| 10-Mar | Meteos (DS) | 15th |
| 10-Mar | Panzer Dragoon (SAT) | 25th |
| 11-Mar | Chrono Trigger (SNES) | 25th |
| 13-Mar | Pokémon Dash (DS) | 15th |
| 14-Mar | Mario’s Picross (GB) | 25th |
| 14-Mar | Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver (DS) | 10th |
| 15-Mar | Silent Hunter III (PC) | 15th |
| 16-Mar | Command & Conquer 4 (PC) | 10th |
| 16-Mar | God of War III (PS3) | 10th |
| 16-Mar | Infinite Space (DS) | 10th |
| 16-Mar | Metro 2033 (Multi) | 10th |
| 16-Mar | Resonance of Fate (Multi) | 10th |
| 17-Mar | Battlefield Hardline (Multi) | 5th |
| 17-Mar | Descent (PC) | 25th |
| 17-Mar | Nintendo announces Switch console | 5th |
| 20-Mar | Game Boy Play It Loud! Series launched | 25th |
| 21-Mar | Kirby’s Dream Land 2 (GB) | 25th |
| 21-Mar | Wario Land 3 (GBC) | 20th |
| 22-Mar | God of War (PS2) | 15th |
| 23-Mar | How to Train Your Dragon (Multi) | 10th |
| 23-Mar | Red Steel 2 (Wii) | 10th |
| 23-Mar | Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (DS) | 10th |
| 23-Mar | Thief II (PC) | 20th |
| 24-Mar | Mega Man 7 (SNES) | 25th |
| 28-Mar | Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Multi) | 15th |
| 30-Mar | Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (DC) | 20th |
| 31-Mar | Tekken 5 (PS2) | 15th |
April
| 01-Apr | Snake’s Revenge: Metal Gear 2 (NES) | 30th |
| 05-Apr | Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (Multi) | 15th |
| 08-Apr | Pokémon Rumble World (3DS) | 5th |
| 13-Apr | Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City (Multi) | 10th |
| 15-Apr | Mortal Kombat 3 (ARC) | 25th |
| 19-Apr | Psychonauts (Multi) | 15th |
| 20-Apr | Fire Emblem – Japan (NES) | 30th |
| 23-Apr | Satellaview released for SNES (Japan) | 25th |
| 26-Apr | Guild Wars (Multi) | 15th |
| 27-Apr | Nier (Multi) | 10th |
| 27-Apr | Samba de Amigo (DC) | 20th |
| 27-Apr | Super Street Fighter IV (Multi) | 10th |
| 27-Apr | The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask – Japan (N64) | 20th |
| 28-Apr | Super Bomberman 3 (SNES) | 25th |
| 30-Apr | Excitebike 64 (N64) | 20th |
May
| 01-May | First E3 Expo held in LA, California | 25th |
| 01-May | Pokémon Emerald (GBA) | 15th |
| 01-May | Sega Saturn released in the US | 25th |
| 05-May | Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (Multi) | 15th |
| 05-May | Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (Multi) | 5th |
| 11-May | Lost Planet 2 (Multi) | 10th |
| 18-May | Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Multi) | 10th |
| 18-May | Red Dead Redemption (Multi) | 10th |
| 19-May | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Multi) | 5th |
| 22-May | Perfect Dark (N64) | 20th |
| 23-May | Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) | 10th |
| 25-May | Blur (Multi) | 10th |
| 28-May | Bomberman 64: The Second Attack (N64) | 20th |
June
| 04-Jun | Space Channel 5 (GC) | 20th |
| 05-Jun | EarthBound / Mother 2 (SNES) | 25th |
| 10-Jun | Xbox 360 S console released | 10th |
| 10-Jun | Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii) | 10th |
| 13-Jun | Kirby: Canvas Curse (DS) | 15th |
| 17-Jun | Deus Ex (PC) | 20th |
| 21-Jun | Battlefield 2 (PC) | 15th |
| 21-Jun | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Multi) | 15th |
| 22-Jun | Transformers: War for Cybertron (Multi) | 10th |
| 23-Jun | Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS) | 15th |
| 23-Jun | Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4) | 5th |
| 25-Jun | Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition – Japan (3DS) | 5th |
| 29-Jun | Diablo II (PC) | 20th |
| 29-Jun | Jet Set Radio (DC) | 20th |
July
| 01-Jul | Virtual Boy released in Japan | 25th |
| 07-Jul | Final Fantasy IX (PS) | 20th |
| 07-Jul | killer7 (Multi) | 15th |
| 11-Jul | Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DS) | 10th |
| 11-Jul | Former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata passes away | 5th |
| 12-Jul | Final Fantasy (NES) | 30th |
| 12-Jul | Virtua Tennis (DC) | 20th |
| 21-Jul | Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES) | 25th |
| 21-Jul | Mario Tennis (N64) | 20th |
| 27-Jul | Dr. Mario (Multi) | 30th |
| 27-Jul | Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty (OC) | 10th |
| 29-Jul | Worms 4 (Multi) | 15th |
August
| 04-Aug | Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (Multi) | 15th |
| 05-Aug | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (SNES) | 25th |
| 11-Aug | Paper Mario (N64) | 20th |
| 17-Aug | Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (Multi) | 10th |
| 22-Aug | Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS) | 15th |
| 22-Aug | Nintendogs (DS) | 15th |
| 25-Aug | Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS) | 15th |
| 29-Aug | Mario Superstar Baseball (GC) | 15th |
| 30-Aug | Spider-Man (Multi) | 20th |
| 31-Aug | Castle Crashers (PS3) | 10th |
| 31-Aug | Metroid: Other M (Wii) | 10th |
September
| 01-Sep | Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Multi) | 5th |
| 01-Sep | PS1 console released in the US | 25th |
| 01-Sep | Rayman (Multi) | 25th |
| 07-Sep | Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (PSP) | 10th |
| 07-Sep | Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (Multi) | 10th |
| 10-Sep | Super Mario Maker (Wii U) | 5th |
| 12-Sep | Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (DS) | 10th |
| 13-Sep | Burnout Revenge (Multi) | 15th |
| 14-Sep | Halo: Reach (X360) | 10th |
| 14-Sep | The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest (Multi) | 10th |
| 15-Sep | PlayStation Move launched | 10th |
| 18-Sep | Pokémon Black and White – Japan (DS) | 10th |
| 19-Sep | Game Boy Mico console launched (US) | 15th |
| 20-Sep | Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (PS) | 20th |
| 21-Sep | Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (PC) | 20th |
| 21-Sep | Pokémon Puzzle Challenge (GBC) | 20th |
| 22-Sep | Ultimate Spider-Man (Multi) | 15th |
| 26-Sep | Another Code: Two Memories (DS) | 15th |
| 26-Sep | Wing Commander (PC) | 30th |
| 28-Sep | Mega Man 3 (NES) | 30th |
| 29-Sep | PS1 console released in Europe | 25th |
October
| 01-Oct | Game Gear Colour console released in Japan | 30th |
| 01-Oct | Time Crisis (Arcade) | 25th |
| 03-Oct | Wii Party (Wii) | 10th |
| 04-Oct | Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (DS) | 10th |
| 04-Oct | Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs (DS) | 10th |
| 04-Oct | Shantae: Risky’s Revenge (Multi) | 10th |
| 05-Oct | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (Multi) | 10th |
| 05-Oct | Skies of Arcadia (DC) | 20th |
| 11-Oct | Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (Multi) | 10th |
| 12-Oct | Medal of Honor Reboot (Multi) | 10th |
| 15-Oct | The Secret of Monkey Island (PC) | 30th |
| 17-Oct | Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Wii) | 10th |
| 18-Oct | F.E.A.R. (PC) | 15th |
| 18-Oct | Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) | 15th |
| 19-Oct | Fallout: New Vegas (Multi) | 10th |
| 23-Oct | TimeSplitters (PS2) | 20th |
| 24-Oct | Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix (GC) | 15th |
| 24-Oct | Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PSP) | 15th |
| 24-Oct | Mega Man Legends 2 (PS1) | 20th |
| 24-Oct | Spyro: Year of the Dragon (PS) | 20th |
| 25-Oct | Call of Duty 2 (Multi) | 15th |
| 25-Oct | Civilization IV (PC) | 15th |
| 25-Oct | Soul Calibur III (PS3) | 15th |
| 26-Oct | Fable III (X360) | 10th |
| 26-Oct | Rock Band 3 (Multi) | 10th |
| 26-Oct | Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (Multi) | 10th |
| 26-Oct | Tekken Tag Tournament (PS2) | 20th |
| 30-Oct | SSX (PS2) | 20th |
November
| 01-Nov | Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (Multi) | 15th |
| 02-Nov | James Bond 007: Blood Stone (Multi) | 10th |
| 04-Nov | Microsoft Kinect launched | 10th |
| 05-Nov | GameFAQs website launched | 25th |
| 07-Nov | Guitar Hero (Multi) | 15th |
| 07-Nov | Mario Party 7 (GC) | 15th |
| 08-Nov | Fatal Frame III: The Tormented (PS2) | 15th |
| 09-Nov | Call of Duty: Black Ops (Multi) | 10th |
| 09-Nov | Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (Multi) | 10th |
| 10-Nov | Fallout 4 (Multi) | 5th |
| 10-Nov | Steam Machine released | 5th |
| 14-Nov | Mario Kart DS (DS) | 15th |
| 16-Nov | 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (Multi) | 10th |
| 16-Nov | Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Multi) | 10th |
| 16-Nov | Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (Multi) | 10th |
| 16-Nov | Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Multi) | 15th |
| 16-Nov | Sonic Colors (Multi) | 10th |
| 17-Nov | Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (X360) | 10th |
| 17-Nov | Tomb Raider Chronicles (Multi) | 20th |
| 20-Nov | Banjo-Tooie (N64) | 20th |
| 20-Nov | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest (SNES) | 25th |
| 21-Nov | Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) | 10th |
| 21-Nov | F-Zero – Japan (SNES) | 30th |
| 21-Nov | SNES console launched in Japan | 30th |
| 21-Nov | Super Mario World – Japan (SNES) | 30th |
| 22-Nov | Dragon Quest VIII (PS2) | 15th |
| 22-Nov | Xbox 360 console launched (US) | 15th |
| 24-Nov | Gran Turismo 5 (PS3) | 10th |
| 24-Nov | Nintendo reveals N64 at Spaceworld, Japan | 25th |
| 29-Nov | Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (DS) | 10th |
| 30-Nov | Epic Mickey (Wii) | 10th |
| 30-Nov | Sega Mega Drive released in Europe | 30th |
| 30-Nov | Super Meat Boy (PC) | 10th |
December
| 01-Dec | Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation (SNES) | 25th |
| 01-Dec | Final Fight 3 (SNES) | 25th |
| 01-Dec | Worms (Amiga) | 25th |
| 05-Dec | Mario Tennis: Power Tour (DS) | 15th |
| 05-Dec | Super Mario Strikers (GC) | 15th |
| 05-Dec | Xbox 360 console launched (EU) | 15th |
| 07-Dec | Mario Party 3 – Japan (N64) | 20th |
| 07-Dec | World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (PC) | 10th |
| 09-Dec | Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC) | 25th |
| 14-Dec | Commander Keen (PC) | 30th |
| 14-Dec | Pokémon Crystal – Japan (GBC) | 20th |
| 15-Dec | Tales of Phantasia (SNES) | 25th |
| 21-Dec | Phantasy Star Online (DC) | 20th |
| 22-Dec | Kingdom Hearts II (PS2) | 15th |
| 22-Dec | Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2) | 15th |
| 29-Dec | Dead or Alive 4 (X360) | 15th |
Big video game anniversaries of 2020 – Game Highlights
I feel old! Some games feel as if they came out yesterday, but these iconic gems were released over a decade ago. Nintendo greats like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Donkey Kong Country Returns and even Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver turn 10 this year.
Some of the other big video game anniversaries of 2020 include the 25th anniversary of iconic SNES RPGs EarthBound and Chrono Trigger – two adventures that cemented their place in turn-based history. Enjoy destroying friendships with multiplayer party games? Pokemon Stadium turns 20 this year. That’s right, we lept over hurdles with rattata two decades ago.
This year we’re also celebrating franchises that started something new. Year 2000 was all about the simulation. Two greats – Virtua Tennis and Mario Tennis made their debut 20 years ago, joined by the life simulator – The Sims.
Of course, it’s great to dive right back through the years, but what about more-recent hits? The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Super Mario Maker and Fallout 4 turn 5. Awww, so young!
Big video game anniversaries of 2020 – Console Releases
Of course, gaming is all about the games! But 2020 will also be a year for celebrating big console birthdays! The Mega Drive and SNES hit big milestones, as well as the Virtua Boy and PS1 console!
Sources: imdb, wikipedia, funstockretro
