Prestigious awards and fan love have turned these blockbuster games into legendary icons. Some series have been around for over 30 years, yet their appeal never fades. They keep popping up in stories and memories of longtime players…
Here are the top 10 most prestigious game series in industry history. Enjoy the list!
The Legend Of Zelda (Highest Rated Series on Metacritic)
The Legend Of Zelda is one of the highest-rated series ever, with Ocarina of Time receiving universal praise. Most Zelda titles score 95/100 or higher, earning the series tons of awards.
The latest entry, Breath of the Wild, won Best Game awards from Famitsu, The Game Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, Golden Joystick Awards, and many other outlets. And that’s just one of 28 games in the series.
Dragon Quest (80 Million Copies Sold)
Dragon Quest is credited with creating the JRPG genre. It swept most major awards in Japan when it launched in 1986.
This series holds the record for most Famitsu Grand Prizes, with Dragon Quest I, II, III, IV, IX, and XI all winning in their release years. Dragon Quest VIII also won the Grand Award at the 2005 Japanese Game Awards.
The newest entry was nominated for Best RPG and Game of the Year at the Game Critics Awards, Golden Joystick Awards, Gamers’ Choice Awards, D.I.C.E Awards, and The Game Awards. Dragon Quest XI is an excellent game but faced tough competition that year, so it didn’t win many awards.
Mario (Most Awarded Game Series)
Though The Game Awards have only existed for six years, Mario holds the record for the most wins there.
Highlights include:
– Mario Kart 8 won Family Game and Best Racing Game in 2014.
– Super Mario Maker won Best Family Game in 2015.
– Super Mario Odyssey won Best Family Game in 2016.
– Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle won Best Strategy Game in 2016.
– Luigi’s Mansion won Best Family Game in 2019.
As you can see, Mario dominates family game awards, making its legendary status no surprise.
The series also earned four BAFTA awards: two for Super Mario Odyssey, one for Super Mario Galaxy, and one for Super Mario Galaxy 2. Its iconic status even led to animated adaptations.
Grand Theft Auto (9 BAFTA Wins)
Grand Theft Auto is the most BAFTA-awarded game series ever. Vice City alone won six BAFTAs in 2003, and GTA V took home three in 2013.
Thanks to its outstanding quality, GTA has won many major awards including Game of the Year from Game Developer Choice Award, Spike Award, Easy Allies, Edge, EGM, Eurogamer, Game Informer, GameSpot, Giant Bomb, and Time. GTA V has won a total of 163 Game of the Year awards, ranking ninth all-time.
The Last Of Us (560 Game of the Year Awards)
The Last Of Us is the youngest series on this list. Both the original and its sequel received massive praise, making it the most awarded game series in history.
The Last Of Us tops the global list for most Game of the Year awards.
The series has won 10 BAFTAs, including three for the second game. These awards cover best narrative, sound, and animation. It also earned honors from D.I.C.E, The Game Awards, Game Developer Choice Awards, Golden Joystick, SXSW, Destructoid, Easy Allies, EGM, Empire, EW, Game Informer, Games Radar, Giant Bomb, and IGN.
Source: The Gamer, translated by gear
