Shenmue Recognized As The Most Influential Video Game of All Time At BAFTAs

A public vote organized by the U.K.’s screen arts academy BAFTA to identify the most influential video game of all time has yielded an unexpected — though not entirely undeserved — result: Shenmue, the visionary 1999 Sega Dreamcast title created by Yu Suzuki, centered on a young man’s quest for justice (and collectible capsule toys).

Shenmue managed to outpace widely recognized hallmarks of the medium such as Doom, Super Mario Bros., Half-Life, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, all of which completed the rest of the top five.

Other notable entries included Minecraft at sixth place, Tetris in 11th, Final Fantasy 7 ranking 17th, and Grand Theft Auto 3 landing in a surprisingly low 19th position.

There are indications that BAFTA’s poll may have been influenced by organized voting efforts from enthusiastic gaming communities.

One standout anomaly is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 — a role-playing game widely regarded as solid but only released a couple of months ago — securing seventh place, just ahead of Super Mario 64.

Still, despite the somewhat unconventional ranking, the majority of games in BAFTA’s top 21 are indisputably worthy of recognition, even if the final order feels a bit unorthodox.

Developed as a deeply personal project by Sega’s Yu Suzuki — also the mind behind Out Run and Virtua Fighter — Shenmue was the most expensive game ever produced at its time.

It offered a strikingly lifelike depiction of the everyday routines of Ryo Hazuki, a teenage martial artist seeking to avenge his father’s death in 1980s Japan.

The game featured intricately detailed environments, a real-time day-and-night cycle, non-playable characters with their own schedules, numerous minigames — and a fair share of downtime where players simply had to wait.

Though widely considered ahead of its time, Shenmue’s actual influence on the broader landscape of video game design has been debated — especially when compared to the undeniable legacy of a title like GTA 3.

Originally envisioned as a sprawling, multi-part epic, Shenmue failed commercially. Its sequel, Shenmue 2, was released in 2001, but the continuation of the saga wouldn’t arrive until 18 years later with the crowd-funded Shenmue 3.

In response to the recognition, Suzuki released a statement:

“I am deeply honoured and grateful that Shenmue has been selected as the ‘Most Influential Video Game of All Time.’ At its inception, we set out to explore the question, ‘How real can a game become?’, aiming to portray a world and story unprecedented in scale and detail.
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This distinction serves as a powerful reminder that the challenge we embraced continues to resonate with and inspire so many people even today. It is truly the greatest of encouragement.

“Above all, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the fans around the world who have continued to love and support Shenmue. Your passion and encouragement have guided this journey every step of the way. And the story is not over yet, there is more to come! Thank you very much!”

BAFTA’s poll was conducted ahead of the upcoming BAFTA Games Awards, which will take place next week on April 8.

A similar poll last year saw the public crown Lara Croft from Tomb Raider as the most iconic video game character of all time, placing her ahead of Mario, Sonic, and Agent 47 from Hitman.

Here is the full list of BAFTA’s top 21 most influential video games of all time, as determined by the public vote: