The 10 Longest Running Game Franchises

Though people had been tinkering with video game technology dating back to 1947, it wasn’t until 1972 when Atari released Pong, changing the video game landscape forever. Since the history of video games, there have always been some that are forgotten, but some end up becoming the longest running game franchises. Both consoles and games have come and gone but these 10 games continue to stand. Here’s a list of the top 10 longest running game franchises.
Rank |
Franchise |
First release |
Latest/upcoming release |
Length |
Franchise owner |
1 |
Star Trek |
Star Trek1971 |
Star Trek Trexels2014 |
43 years |
Taito (Square Enix) |
2 |
Space Invaders |
Space InvadersJune 1978 |
Space Invaders Infinity GeneSeptember 20, 2013 |
35 years |
Taito (Square Enix) |
3 |
Superman |
Superman1979 |
Infinite CrisisSeptember 24, 2014 |
34 years |
DC Comics |
4 |
Pac-Man |
Pac-ManMay 1980 |
Super Smash Bros. for Wii UDecember 6, 2014 |
34 years |
Namco (Namco Bandai) |
5 |
Donkey Kong |
Donkey KongJuly 9, 1981 |
Super Smash Bros. for Wii UDecember 6, 2014 |
33 years |
Nintendo |
6 |
Mario |
Donkey KongJuly 9, 1981 |
Super Smash Bros. for Wii UDecember 6, 2014 |
33 years |
Nintendo |
7 |
Galaxian |
GalaxianOctober 1979 |
Galaga Legions DXAugust 28, 2012 |
32 years |
Namco (Namco Bandai) |
8 |
Wolfenstein |
Castle WolfensteinSeptember 1981 |
Wolfenstein: The New OrderMay 20, 2014 |
32 years |
Id Software |
9 |
Ultima |
Ultima I: The First Age of DarknessJune 1981 |
Ultima Forever: Quest for the AvatarAugust 7, 2013 |
32 years |
Electronic Arts |
10 |
Frogger |
FroggerJune 1981 |
Frogger’s Crackout2013 |
32 years |
Konami |