Video Games Released in 1980

1980 in Review:

1980 was another significant year in the video game industry, with the release of several influential games and the continued growth of the industry as a whole. Here are some key events that took place in the video game industry in 1980:

1. Space Invaders craze: The popularity of “Space Invaders” continued to grow in 1980, with the game inspiring a craze that saw arcade owners struggling to keep up with demand for the game.
2. Pac-Man fever: “Pac-Man” continued to be a huge success in 1980, with the game’s iconic characters and gameplay inspiring everything from T-shirts to a hit song.
3. Home consoles: The popularity of home consoles continued to grow in 1980, with the release of the Intellivision and the Odyssey 2, as well as new games for the Atari 2600.
4. “Rogue”: “Rogue” was released in 1980, marking the birth of the “roguelike” genre of games. These games are characterized by procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, and permadeath.
5. The rise of Japanese gaming: Japanese game developers began to make a significant impact on the video game industry in 1980, with companies like Nintendo and Namco releasing popular arcade games like “Donkey Kong” and “Pac-Man.”
6. Competitive gaming: The first video game tournament was held in 1980, featuring the game “Space Invaders.” The tournament was organized by Atari and attracted over 10,000 participants.

Overall, 1980 was another important year in the history of video games, with the industry continuing to grow and evolve in exciting new ways.

Video Games Released in 1980:

Here is our enormous collection of video games released in 1980 and detailed information on each. As always, new games are added to this collection regularly.

Click on a game listing to find out much more about it.