1998 in video games
1998 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, ''Crash Bandicoot: Warped, F-Zero X, Fallout 2, Gex: Enter the Gecko, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, Metal Gear Solid, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Resident Evil 2, Return to Krondor, Sonic Adventure, Soulcalibur, Street Fighter Alpha 3, and Tomb Raider III, along with new titles such as Banjo-Kazooie, Dance Dance Revolution, Half-Life, MediEvil, Parasite Eve, Radiant Silvergun, Spyro the Dragon, StarCraft and Xenogears. In Japan, Sega released the Dreamcast which was the first console of the sixth generation and also the company's last major console.
The year has been retrospectively considered one of the best and most influential in video game history due to the release of numerous critically acclaimed, commercially successful and influential titles across all platforms and genres at the time. The year's best-selling video game console was the PlayStation for the third year in a row. The year's most critically acclaimed title was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which remains Metacritic's highest-scoring game of all time. The year's best-selling home video game worldwide was Pokémon Red/Green/Blue/Pikachu for the Game Boy, while the year's highest-grossing arcade game in Japan was Tekken 3''.
Hardware releases
This is a list of all the game-related hardware released in 1998.The Fifth generation of video game consoles started off this year with the launch of Sega's Dreamcast in Japan.
Nintendo released the Game Boy Color, the successor to the original Game Boy.
| Date | System |
| April 14 | Game Boy Light |
| October 21 | Game Boy Color |
| November 18 | Game Boy Color |
| November 23 | Game Boy Color |
| November 27 | Dreamcast |
| November 27 | Game Boy Color |
Top-rated games
Game of the Year awards
The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 1998.Critically acclaimed titles
Metacritic and GameRankings
and GameRankings are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.| Game | Publisher | Release Date | Platform | MC score | GR score |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Nintendo | November 21, 1998 | N64 | 99/100 | 97.54% |
| Tekken 3 | Namco | March 26, 1998 | PS1 | 96/100 | 95.8% |
| Half-Life | Sierra Entertainment | November 19, 1998 | WIN | 96/100 | 94.02% |
| Metal Gear Solid | Konami | September 3, 1998 | PS1 | 94/100 | 93.24% |
| Grim Fandango | LucasArts | October 30, 1998 | WIN | 94/100 | 92.97% |
| Resident Evil 2 | Capcom | January 21, 1998 | PS1 | 89/100 | 93.13% |
| Street Fighter Alpha 3 | Capcom | December 23, 1998 | PS1 | 93/100 | 90.28% |
| StarCraft | Blizzard Entertainment | March 31, 1998 | WIN | 88/100 | 92.85% |
| Panzer Dragoon Saga | Sega | January 29, 1998 | SAT | 92.46% | |
| Banjo-Kazooie | Nintendo | June 29, 1998 | N64 | 92/100 | 92.38% |
| Thief: The Dark Project | Square [Enix Europe|Eidos Interactive] | December 1, 1998 | WIN | 92/100 | 89.41% |
| Baldur's Gate | Interplay Entertainment | December 21, 1998 | WIN | 91/100 | 91.94% |
| The [Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX] | Nintendo | December 12, 1998 | GBC | 91.21% | |
| International Superstar Soccer 98 | Konami | June 4, 1998 | N64 | 91/100 | 89.15% |
| Crash Bandicoot: Warped | Sony Computer Entertainment | October 31, 1998 | PS1 | 91/100 | 89.07% |
| Xenogears | Square | February 11, 1998 | PS1 | 84/100 | 90.99% |
| Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus | GT Interactive | November 17, 1998 | PS1 | 88/100 | 90.42% |
| NFL Blitz | Midway Games | September 12, 1998 | PS1 | 90.13% | |
| NFL Blitz | Midway Games | September 9, 1998 | N64 | 90.02% | |
| 1080° Snowboarding | Nintendo | February 28, 1998 | N64 | 89.60% | |
| Battlezone | Activision | March 11, 1998 | WIN | 89.03% | |
| Railroad Tycoon II | Gathering of Developers | November 2, 1998 | WIN | 89/100 | 83.15% |
| Turok 2: Seeds of Evil | Acclaim Entertainment | December 10, 1998 | N64 | 86/100 | 88.96% |
| FIFA 99 | EA Sports | October 31, 1998 | WIN | 88.87% | |
| Caesar III | Sierra Entertainment | September 30, 1998 | WIN | 88.6% | |
| Unreal | GT Interactive | May 22, 1998 | WIN | 88.58% | |
| NBA Live 99 | EA Sports | November 10, 1998 | PS1 | 88.39% | |
| R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 | Namco | December 3, 1998 | PS1 | 88/100 | 88.16% |
| NHL 99 | EA Sports | September 30, 1998 | WIN | 88.11% | |
| Wario Land II | Nintendo | March 7, 1998 | GBC | 88.04% | |
| Myth II: Soulblighter | Bungie | December 28, 1998 | WIN | 88/100 | 86.39% |
| Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit | Electronic Arts | March 25, 1998 | PS1 | 88/100 | 85.63% |
| Starsiege: Tribes | Sierra Entertainment | December 23, 1998 | WIN | 88/100 | 84.77% |
| Shogo: Mobile Armor Division | Monolith Productions | October 15, 1998 | WIN | 88/100 | 81.6% |
| FIFA 99 | EA Sports | October 31, 1998 | PS1 | 87.95% | |
| F-Zero X | Nintendo | July 14, 1998 | N64 | 85/100 | 87.61% |
| Madden NFL 99 | EA Sports | September 23, 1998 | N64 | 87.59% |
''Famitsu'' Platinum Hall of Fame
The following video game releases in 1998 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.| Title | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Score |
| The Legend of Zelda: Toki no Ocarina | N64 | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 40 |
| Tekken 3 | PS1 | Namco | Fighting | 39 |
| Sonic Adventure | DC | Sega | Platformer | 38 |
| Biohazard 2 | PS1 | Capcom | Survival horror | 37 |
| Metal Gear Solid | PS1 | Konami | Stealth | 37 |
| Virtua Fighter 3tb | DC | Sega | Fighting | 36 |
| Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG | SAT | Sega | RPG | 35 |
| Neo Atlas | PS1 | Artdink | Strategy | 35 |
| Shiritsu Justice Gakuen: Legion of Heroes | PS1 | Capcom | Fighting | 35 |
| Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry no Wonderland | GBC | Enix | RPG | 35 |
| Beatmania | PS1 | Konami | Rhythm | 35 |
| R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 | PS1 | Namco | Racing | 35 |
| Crash Bandicoot 3 | PS1 | Sony | Platformer | 35 |
| Street Fighter Zero 3 | PS1 | Capcom | Fighting | 35 |
Financial performance
Best-selling home video games
The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1998 in Japan, the United States, and Germany.The following titles were the top ten highest-grossing home video games of 1998 in the United States and Europe.
Japan
In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1998.| Rank | Title | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Sales | |
| 1 | Pocket Monsters: Red / Green / Blue / Pikachu | GB | Nintendo | RPG | 3,288,391 | |
| 2 | Biohazard 2 | PS1 | Capcom | Survival horror | 2,298,814+ | |
| 3 | Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry no Wonderland | GBC | Enix | RPG | 1,660,000 | |
| 4 | Gran Turismo | PS1 | Sony | Racing | 1,495,761 | |
| 5 | Tekken 3 | PS1 | Namco | Fighting | 1,266,000 | |
| 6 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters | PS1 | Konami | DCCG | 1,175,000 | |
| 7 | Parasite Eve | PS1 | Squaresoft | Horror | 1,049,000 | |
| 8 | Tales of Destiny | PS1 | Namco | Action RPG | 965,280+ | |
| 9 | The Legend of Zelda: Toki no Ocarina | N64 | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 920,000 | |
| 10 | Xenogears | PS1 | Squaresoft | RPG | 892,015 |
United States
In the United States, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1998.| Rank | Title | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Sales | Revenue | Inflation |
| 1 | Pokémon Red / Blue | GB | Nintendo | RPG | 4,000,000 | $70,000,000+ | $+ |
| 2 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | N64 | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 2,500,000 | $150,000,000 | $ |
| 3 | GoldenEye 007 | N64 | Nintendo | FPS | 2,300,000 | $70,377,973+ | $+ |
| 4 | Gran Turismo | PS1 | Sony | Racing | 1,431,483 | $58,568,520 | $ |
| 5 | Resident Evil 2 | PS1 | Capcom | Survival horror | 1,194,840 | $58,597,202 | $ |
| 6 | Tekken 3 | PS1 | Namco | Fighting | 1,113,749 | $48,554,550 | $ |
| 7 | Madden NFL 99 | PS1 | EA Sports | Sports | 1,073,777 | $44,130,798 | $ |
| 8 | Metal Gear Solid | PS1 | Konami | Stealth | 1,064,909 | $51,834,077 | $ |
| 9 | Banjo-Kazooie | N64 | Nintendo | Platformer | 1,054,349 | $51,790,624 | $ |
| 10 | Super Mario 64 | N64 | Nintendo | Platformer | 946,411 | $39,184,953 | $ |
Europe
In Europe, the following titles were the top ten highest-grossing home video games of 1998.Australia
In Australia, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home console games of 1998.| Rank | Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre |
| 1 | GoldenEye 007 | N64 | Rare | Nintendo | FPS |
| 2 | Gran Turismo | PS1 | Polys Entertainment | Sony | Racing |
| 3 | Banjo-Kazooie | N64 | Rare | Nintendo | Platformer |
| 4 | Crash Bandicoot | PS1 | Naughty Dog | Sony | Platformer |
| 5 | Mario Kart 64 | N64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Racing |
| 6 | Super Mario 64 | N64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Platformer |
| 7 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | N64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Action-adventure |
| 8 | Croc: Legend of the Gobbos | PS1 | Argonaut Software | Fox Interactive | Platformer |
| 9 | Yoshi's Story | N64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Platformer |
| 10 | Tekken 2 | PS1 | Namco | Sony | Fighting |
Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan
In Japan, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1998.Events
- Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts its first annual Interactive Achievement Awards. Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo is inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame.
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the first annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards.
- January 1 – The ESRB changes the "K-A" rating to "E".
- March 14 – Sega announces the discontinuation of the Sega Saturn in North America to prepare for the launch of its successor, the Dreamcast.
- May:
- * 28 – Bill Williams, designer of Alley Cat, Necromancer, and Mind Walker, dies.
- * 28–30 – The fourth annual E3 is held in Atlanta, Georgia. Following the show, the inaugural Game Critics Awards was held with winners being titled Best of E3.
- July 3 – Danielle Bunten Berry, designer of M.U.L.E. and Seven Cities of Gold (video game)|Seven Cities of Gold], dies.
- September 6 – Infogrames Entertainment, SA and Canal+ launch the Game One television channel.
- November 28 – Video game retailer FuncoLand opens its 300th location in Nashville, Tennessee.
- December – Take-Two Interactive forms the Rockstar Games publishing label.
- December 11 - The final Sega Saturn game is released in North America, Magic Knight Rayearth.
Business
- Activision acquires CD Contact Data and Head Games Publishing.
- Eidos Interactive acquires Crystal Dynamics.
- Electronic Arts Inc. acquires Westwood Studios, and with so they also acquire the North American operations of Virgin Interactive.
- JTS Corp. files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
- Hasbro Interactive acquires the Atari brand and property from JTS in May. They also acquire MicroProse in August.
- Square Co. and Electronic Arts form Square Electronic Arts LLC to publish a wealth of Square Co. titles in the U.S.
- Havas, a subsidiary of Vivendi, acquires Cendant Software, which includes Sierra On-Line and Blizzard Entertainment.
- Lego Media established by Lego Group
- New companies: BreakAway, Elixir, Metro3D, Rockstar, Sunrise, Troika, WildTangent, Loki, Retro Studios
- Defunct: DWANGO
Games released in 1998
| Release date | Title | Platforms | Genres | |
| January 5 | Robotron 64 | N64 | Shoot 'em up | |
| January 8 | No One Can Stop Mr. Domino! | PS1 | Puzzle | |
| January 12 | Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes | Arcade | Fighting | |
| January 21 | Resident Evil 2 | PS1 | Survival horror | |
| January 22 | Machi | SAT | Visual novel | |
| January 29 | Bomberman World | PS1 | Action, maze video games|maze] | |
| January 29 | Bust a Groove | PS1 | Music, Fighting | |
| January 29 | Panzer Dragoon Saga | SAT | Action-adventure, RPG | |
| February 6 | Skullmonkeys | PS1 | Platformer | |
| February 9 | James Bond 007 | GB | Action-adventure | |
| February 11 | Xenogears | PS1 | RPG | |
| February 23 | Metal Slug 2 | Arcade | Run and gun | |
| February 24 | Gex: Enter the Gecko | PS1 | Platformer | |
| February 26 | Burning Rangers | SAT | Action, TPS | |
| February 26 | Tenchu: Stealth Assassins | PS1 | Action-adventure, Stealth | |
| February 26 | X-Men vs. Street Fighter: EX Edition | PS1 | Fighting | |
| February 28 | 1080° Snowboarding | N64 | Racing | |
| February 28 | Battlezone | WIN | FPS, RTS | |
| February 28 | ReBoot | PS1 | Action | |
| February 28 | Star Wars: Rebellion | WIN | RTS | |
| March 9 | Wario Land II | GB | Platformer | |
| March 20 | Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers | Arcade | Fighting | |
| March 25 | Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit | PS1, WIN | Racing | |
| March 26 | Dungeon Master Nexus | SAT | RPG | |
| March 26 | The [House of the Dead (video game)|The House of the Dead] | SAT | Rail shooter | |
| March 26 | The [King of Fighters '97] | SAT | Fighting | |
| March 26 | Tekken 3 | PS1 | Fighting | |
| March 29 | Parasite Eve | PS1 | Action RPG | |
| March 31 | Blasto | PS1 | TPS | |
| March 31 | StarCraft | WIN | RTS | |
| March 31 | Warhammer: Dark Omen | WIN | RTT | |
| April 4 | Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die | SAT | Tactical RPG, Dating sim, Visual novel | |
| April 7 | Warhammer: Dark Omen | PS1 | RTT | |
| April 9 | G-Darius | PS1 | Shoot 'em up | |
| April 14 | GT 64: Championship Edition | N64 | Racing | |
| April 17 | Puyo Puyo Sun | WIN | Puzzle | |
| April 29 | Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers | NEO | Fighting | |
| April 29 | Shining Force III Scenario 2 – Target: Child of God | SAT | Tactical RPG | |
| April 29 | Super Tempo | SAT | Platformer | |
| April 30 | Bomberman Hero | N64 | Platformer | |
| April 30 | Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven | WIN | RPG | |
| May 7 | Jazz Jackrabbit 2 | WIN | Platformer | |
| May 13 | Redneck Rampage Rides Again | WIN | FPS | |
| May 19 | World Cup 98 | PS1, WIN, N64 | Sports | |
| May 21 | Baroque | SAT | RPG | |
| May 22 | Unreal | WIN | FPS | |
| May 28 | Radiant Silvergun | Arcade | Shoot 'em up | |
| May 28 | The King of Fighters '97 | PS1 | Fighting | |
| June 4 | Atelier Marie Plus | PS1 | RPG | |
| June 4 | International Superstar Soccer 98 | N64 | Sports | |
| June 4 | Vigilante 8 | PS1 | Vehicular combat | |
| June 5 | Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War | WIN | Space combat simulation | |
| June 11 | Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix | PS1 | Fighting | |
| June 12 | Wetrix | N64 | Puzzle | |
| June 24 | Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines | WIN | RTT | |
| June 25 | Castlevania: Symphony of the Night | SAT | Action-adventure | |
| June 29 | Banjo-Kazooie | N64 | Platformer | |
| June 29 | Street Fighter Alpha 3 | Arcade | Fighting | |
| June 30 | Deathtrap Dungeon | WIN | Action-adventure | |
| June 30 | Deep Fear | SAT | Survival horror | |
| June 30 | N2O: Nitrous Oxide | PS1 | Shoot 'em up | |
| July 4 | Heart of Darkness | PS1 | Platformer | |
| July 9 | Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix | SAT | Fighting | |
| July 14 | F-Zero X | N64 | Racing | |
| July 14 | WWF War Zone | PS1 | Sports | |
| July 16 | Brave Fencer Musashi | PS1 | Action RPG | |
| July 16 | Hopkins FBI | WIN | Adventure | |
| July 23 | The King of Fighters '98 | Arcade | Fighting | |
| July 23 | Radiant Silvergun | SAT | Shoot 'em up | |
| July 23 | Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers | NEOCD | Fighting | |
| July 30 | Soulcalibur | Arcade | Fighting | |
| July 30 | Star Ocean: The Second Story | PS1 | Action RPG | |
| July 31 | Urban Assault | WIN | FPS, RTS | |
| July 31 | F-1 World Grand Prix | N64 | Racing | |
| July 31 | Heart of Darkness | WIN | Platformer | |
| July 31 | Iggy's Reckin' Balls | N64 | Racing | |
| August 1 | Gex: Enter the Gecko | N64 | Platformer | |
| August 1 | Pokémon Stadium | N64 | RPG | |
| August 6 | Resident Evil: Director's Cut – Dual Shock Version | PS1 | Survival horror | |
| August 6 | Wachenröder | SAT | Tactical RPG | |
| August 11 | WWF War Zone | N64 | Sports | |
| August 21 | Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six | WIN | Tactical shooter | |
| August 25 | Madden NFL 99 | PS1 | Sports | |
| August 27 | Black/Matrix | SAT | Tactical RPG | |
| September 3 | Metal Gear Solid | PS1 | Action-adventure, Stealth | |
| September 9 | NASCAR 99 | N64 | Racing | |
| September 9 | NFL Blitz | N64 | Sports | |
| September 10 | NFL Blitz | PS1 | Sports | |
| September 10 | Spyro the Dragon | PS1 | Platformer | |
| September 12 | Pokémon Yellow | GB | RPG | |
| September 17 | Suikoden | SAT | RPG | |
| September 23 | Digital Monster Version S: Digimon Tamers | SAT | Virtual pet | |
| September 23 | Madden NFL 99 | N64 | Sports | |
| September 23 | Shining Force III Scenario 3 – Bulzome Rising | SAT | Tactical RPG | |
| September 25 | Dragon Warrior Monsters | GBC | RPG | |
| September 26 | Dance Dance Revolution | Arcade | Music | |
| September 30 | Body Harvest | N64 | Action-adventure | |
| September 30 | Caesar III | WIN | City builder | |
| September 30 | Delta Force | WIN | Tactical shooter | |
| September 30 | Gex: Enter the Gecko | WIN | Platformer | |
| September 30 | NHL 99 | PS1, WIN | Sports | |
| September 30 | Rogue Trip: Vacation 2012 | PS1 | Vehicular combat | |
| September 30 | Shogo: Mobile Armor Division | WIN | FPS | |
| October 1 | MediEvil | PS1 | Action-adventure | |
| October 1 | NHL 99 | N64 | Sports | |
| October 2 | NFL Blitz | WIN | Sports | |
| October 12 | Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit | WIN | Racing | |
| October 14 | Star Trek: The Next Generation: Klingon Honor Guard | WIN, MAC | FPS | |
| October 21 | Turok 2: Seeds of Evil | N64 | FPS | |
| October 21 | Tetris DX | GBC | Puzzle | |
| October 21 | Wario Land II | GBC | Platformer | |
| October 22 | Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter | SAT | Fighting | |
| October 28 | Grim Fandango | WIN | Adventure | |
| October 28 | Trespasser | WIN | Action-adventure | |
| October 29 | Fallout 2 | WIN | RPG | |
| October 30 | The Fifth Element | WIN, PS1 | Action-adventure | |
| October 31 | Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome | WIN | RTS | |
| October 31 | Apocalypse | PS1 | TPS | |
| October 31 | Centipede | WIN | Shoot 'em up | |
| October 31 | Crash Bandicoot: Warped | PS1 | Platformer | |
| October 31 | FIFA 99 | WIN | Sports | |
| October 31 | Glover | N64, WIN | Platformer | |
| October 31 | Heretic II | WIN | Action-adventure | |
| October 31 | NBA Live 99 | PS1, WIN | Sports | |
| October 31 | Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus | PS1, WIN | Platformer | |
| October 31 | Railroad Tycoon II | WIN | Business Sim | |
| November 1 | Red Comrades Save the Galaxy | WIN | Adventure | |
| November 4 | NBA Live 99 | N64 | Sports | |
| November 5 | Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill | WIN | Adventure | |
| November 9 | SiN | WIN | FPS | |
| November 10 | Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA | N64 | Racing | |
| November 11 | Sonic R | WIN | Racing | |
| November 14 | The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard | WIN | Action-adventure | |
| November 19 | Half-Life | WIN | FPS | |
| November 20 | The Settlers III | WIN | RTS, City builder | |
| November 20 | Tomb Raider III | PS1, WIN | Action-adventure | |
| November 21 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | N64 | Action-adventure | |
| November 25 | Blood II: The Chosen | WIN | FPS | |
| November 27 | Puyo Puyo Sun | GBC | Puzzle | |
| November 30 | FIFA 99 | PS1, N64 | Sports | |
| December 1 | Gex: Enter the Gecko | GBC | Platformer | |
| December 1 | Thief: The Dark Project | WIN | Stealth | |
| December 3 | Star Wars: Rogue Squadron | WIN | Action | |
| December 4 | Magic and Mayhem | WIN | RTS | |
| December 7 | Star Wars: Rogue Squadron | N64 | Action | |
| December 12 | Falcon 4.0 | WIN | Air combat simulation | |
| December 12 | Hey You, Pikachu! | N64 | Virtual pet | |
| December 12 | The Legend of [Zelda: Link's Awakening DX] | GBC | Action-adventure | |
| December 17 | Suikoden II | PS1 | RPG | |
| December 18 | Party (video game)|Mario Party] | N64 | Party | |
| December 18 | Pokémon Trading Card Game | GBC | DCCG | |
| December 18 | StarCraft: Brood War | WIN | RTS | |
| December 21 | Baldur's Gate | WIN | RPG | |
| December 21 | South Park | N64 | FPS | |
| December 23 | Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon 2 | PS1 | Roguelike | |
| December 23 | Sonic Adventure | DC | Platformer | |
| December 23 | Starsiege: Tribes | WIN | FPS | |
| December 28 | Myth II: Soulblighter | WIN | RTT | |
| December 31 | Akuji the Heartless | PS1 | Action-adventure |