For those readers under the age of 30, when asked about the longest-running game franchises, the answers are likely to be along the lines of Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed, which many consider modern classics.
The fact is though, these games don’t even break into the top 100 of the longest-running videogame franchises. This list looks at long-running series that have been produced continuously, with no more than a 10-year break in between releases. There are some familiar franchises, including everyone’s favourite Italian plumber, and some names that may just surprise you.
Flight Simulator
It isn’t the most thrilling game out there for most people, but Microsoft’s Flight Simulator has been cruising along for over 37 years, 11th in the list overall, and despite a quiet period in the 2010s following the closing of developers Ace Studios, it’s once again going strong now with third-party content coming out for the latest edition.
There are well over a dozen entries in the series to date, although in reality not much has changed in the aim of each game. Despite constant graphics and realism upgrades, to the point that the game is used as a basis for real flight trainers, the purpose has always been getting from A to B.
Super Mario
Every entertainment industry has that one franchise that seems to be on an endless stream of releases. For movies, it’s the Marvel films that land multiple times a year, and for the online casino industry, it’s Play’n Go’s “Dead” franchise, often featuring leading protagonist Rich Wilde. The latest edition in the series, the Pilgrim of Dead slot game, adds a new take on the tomb-raider narrative, as we follow a pilgrim’s search for the ‘secrets to an eternity in paradise’.
For gaming, despite efforts from FIFA and Madden, no series has managed to keep the streak going more than Mario. Between the main series games which get longer titles every time and the Mario Kart, Smash Bros. and various sports titles, the plumber has been going for over 40 years, although that’s still only enough to warrant a fourth place on the list.
Following on from the eternal rival Sonic, the franchise is also getting a modern animated movie adaptation, despite long-term fans cringing at the thought of the disaster that was the original movie attempt.
The Oregon Trail
For anyone outside of Europe, this might seem baffling, but The Oregon Trail, a learning game about the pilgrims of North America with a reputation for brutal realism in events, is officially the longest-running gaming series of all time, starting out a full year before Mario.
The most incredible thing is, apart from a visual makeover, the game is basically identical to the original, just being hopped from console to console and now available on the Switch. The game even earned admission into the Strong Museum of Play back in 2016 as an icon of gaming history.
Considering the brutal difficulty and endless replayability, it could be seen as preparing millions of young players for what would become the Dark Souls mindset, and it deserves to be in a museum for that alone really.
The 10 longest-running game franchises
| Rank | Franchises | First release | Latest release | Owner | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Oregon Trail | The Oregon Trail May 1978 | The Oregon Trail April 2, 2021 | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | 42 years, 11 months |
| 2 | Pac-Man | Pac-Man July 1980 | Pac-Man World Re-Pac August 25, 2022 | Bandai Namco Entertainment | 42 years, 1 month |
| 3 | Space Invaders | Space Invaders June 1978 | Space Invaders Counter Attack June 2020 | Taito (Square Enix) | 42 years |
| 4 | Mario | Donkey Kong July 9, 1981 | Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope October 20, 2022 | Nintendo | 41 years, 3 months |
| 5 | Nobunaga’s Ambition | Nobunaga no Yabō March 1983 | Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rebirth July 21, 2022 | Koei Tecmo | 39 years, 4 months |
| 6 | Galaxian | Galaxian October 1979 | Galaga Revenge January 8, 2019 | Bandai Namco Entertainment | 39 years, 3 months |
| 7 | Bomberman | Bomber Man July 1983 | Amazing Bomberman August 5, 2022 | Konami | 39 years, 1 month |
| 8 | Dragon Slayer | Dragon Slayer September 10, 1984 | The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki II – Crimson Sin September 29, 2022 | Nihon Falcom | 38 years |
| 9 | Wolfenstein | Castle Wolfenstein September 1981 | Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot and Wolfenstein: Youngblood July 25, 2019 | id Software | 37 years, 10 months |
| 10 | Microsoft Flight Simulator | Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0 November 1982 | Microsoft Flight Simulator August 10, 2020 | Microsoft | 37 years, 9 months |
And there you have it, a list of the 10 longest-running game franchises. Will any of them still be around in another 40 years? We’ll have to wait and see. Until then, check out more of our feature articles by clicking here.