Every Video Game Generation Ranked

While not necessarily bad, the first generation of gaming was essentially “Pong” and “Pong Clones”. This was the beginning of what we know as gaming today. Being able to play games on your black and white floor model Magnavox with a friend was the start of gamers' love of couch co-op. While most of the consoles were a one trick pony, however, the Magnavox Odyssey had interchangeable games and was bundled with goodies to make these games playable. The first generation of gaming may look archaic, but without these games who knows where we would be today.

With the success of its predecessor of gaming it was no surprise that generation 2 blew up. In fact this generation could have been the downfall of gaming as we know it. It brought interchangeable cartridges to every console and games actually had graphics. While the big hitter here is the Atari 2600, this means some consoles were left in the dust. This generation started with the Fairchild Channel F which gave us unique games on cartridges. We also got the cult classic in the Vectrex, not only a home console, but also a display unit as well. The Vectrex was a commercial failure, even with a great library of games and decent reviews. Sadly this generation would come to a screeching halt due to the video game crash of 1983.

Super Nintendo, Gameboy, and the Sega Genesis are the three consoles that shined during this period in gaming. They gave us great games like “Super Mario World '', “Sonic the Hedgehog '', and “Pokemon”. So with such great games, why is this generation ranked so low? Well, it's got a lot of consoles under its banner that are considered underwhelming. We had some that just didn’t make it big in North America like the TurboGrafx and the AES. Then we had some stinkers, such as the CD-i, LaserActive, and the Neo Geo CD. A shining beacon in a sea of gaming mediocrity.

The jump to 3D was nigh - with this generation giving us the N64 and our beloved PlayStation 1. Though it wasn’t without a few disasters. We got Nintendo’s first flop with the Virtual Boy which tried to bring VR to the masses all while burning our retinas with a blinding red and black screen. The Sega Saturn was released, putting Sega in third place when it comes to the console wars with their strange launch - basically stealth dropping a console with little to no games. Then the super flops such as the Game.com, 3DO, and Atari Jaguar. This was the generation where we started to thin the herd when it comes to console manufacturers. And what remained was amazing. “Super Mario 64” showed us how a 3D platformer should feel and “Final Fantasy VII” showed the masses that a turn-based RPG can make gamers weep.

Let’s take a moment to talk about where things currently stand. The tech has been extraordinary, but it's still too early to declare this generation the best that gaming has ever been. Plus, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. With the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S being so rocky with all the supply chain issues, we really haven’t been able to see what these machines can do in the grand scope of things. With most games being released and previous gen consoles. it’s clear to see that the new virtual blood is being held back by its weaker counterparts. Not all is bad though, we have seen some great games emerge that are only for these consoles like “Returnal” showing off how fast the PS5 can load and show amazing particle effects. This generation is just beginning, we just hope it ends on a high note.

Gaming is back! After the crash of 1983, video games were no longer in the zeitgeist, but Nintendo would bring it back in spectacular fashion. This generation is one of the most important, and also put Nintendo on the map. While there were other competitors like the Atari 7800, Action Max, and Master System, nothing quite hit like the NES. The NES defined this generation by giving consumers games that were vastly unique. We got the likes of “Super Mario Bros.”, “The Legend of Zelda”, and “Kirby”. These series are still alive and kicking today, in many regards, still the best in their genre.

Gaming, now in high definition… unless you’re playing on the Wii. Generation 7 gave us the divide in gaming we see today. While Nintendo was off giving us games to get our waggle on, Xbox and PlayStation were going head to head to give games immersive stories and worlds at a highest fidelity. We got iconic series from both Xbox and PlayStation with “Gears of War”, “Forza Horizon”, “Infamous”, and “The Last of Us” just to name a few. Open worlds became more common, hence the seemingly never-ending slew of “Assassin’s Creed” titles year after year. Generation 7 laid the groundwork for modern gaming, normalizing online multiplayer, a digital store, and for better or for worse…DLC.

Other than the WiiU, every console in this generation eventually found its foothold. The PS4 came out of the gate surprisingly well due to Xbox fumbling the announcement of the Xbox One, and the Switch brought Nintendo back into the limelight with the console style games on the go. Games from this generation started to actually look like movies with “The Order: 1886” and "The Last of Us Part II”, and gave us worlds that felt fully lived in with games like “Red Dead Redemption 2”. While the start of this generation was a bit rocky, when it came to the big two battling for supremacy, Xbox was able to regain the trust they lost with the introduction of Game Pass. Generation 8 may just be one of, if not the best generation for consumers to date.

Now this may be the nostalgia talking, but can you blame us? Sure, this was the end of Sega as a console manufacturer, but the games we got on the Dreamcast were amazing! This was also the last generation where we had all the big three going head to head in the console wars. Gamecube brought all the beloved Nintendo classics to true 3D, Xbox was the new kid in town and brought their best friend Master Chief along for the ride, and PS2 dominated by not only being a cheap DVD player, but by giving us great first party games and tons of classic RPGs. It was the last generation where games just worked, no need for updates and patches, and was willing to take far more risks!