The BAFTA Game Awards 2025 Have Announced The Most Influential Games of All Time, And The First Place Is a Bit of a Shocker

The BAFTA is holding the Game Awards 2025 right now, and they have just announced the most influential games of all time. As for the first place, the results may surprise you.

Each year, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Game Awards hold an annual awards ceremony, where they honor the achievements in the video game industry. For example, we all remember the time BAFTA ignored The Shadow of Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring, considered one of the best titles of 2024, since it is a DLC, and does not meet the qualifications for the Best Game category, which really divided the gaming community. Well, the BAFTA Game Awards are live right now (without Shadow of the Erdtree, apparently), and various rewards are being handed out as we speak. The first one is not a reward per se, but a list of the most influential games of all time.

The Most Influential Game of All Time Is Not Something You’d Expect

Let’s get straight to the point: according to the BAFTA Game Awards, the most influential game of all time is Shenmue. This 1999 game (with sequels released in 2001 and 2019) is considered the precursor to the “live and open world” phenomenon in the world of gaming. It had it all: role-playing, life simulation, social simulation, day-and-night system, variable weather effects, non-player characters with daily schedules, and even some interactive elements, such as vending machines, arcades, and minigames. According to BAFTA:

“…Non-player characters were granted lives of their own, and so Ryo would have to fit into their routines and rituals. In both its embrace of a slower-paced lifestyle and its use of an in-game clock to dictate the player’s activities, it could be seen as a precursor to Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley. The quieter moments in otherwise noisy blockbusters such as Uncharted 4, The Last Of Us Part II and God of War surely took their cues from Suzuki’s game. And its spirit lives on through the increasingly popular Yakuza/Like A Dragon series, which similarly encourage you to slow down every now and again.”

It is easy to see why they consider Shenmue a pioneer of open-world games. But players expected to see titles like Baldur’s Gate, Assassin’s Creed, Silent Hill, and other immensely popular titles. How many of them actually made it to the list? Let’s see.