1998 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as , Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2, Fallout 2, Pokémon Yellow, , Panzer Dragoon Saga, Suikoden II, Soulcalibur, F-Zero X, Mario Party, ', ', ', Return to Krondor, Sonic Adventure, Street Fighter Alpha 3, and Tomb Raider III, along with new titles such as Half-Life, StarCraft, Banjo-Kazooie, Baldur's Gate, Dance Dance Revolution, Spyro the Dragon, Grim Fandango, MediEvil, Parasite Eve, Radiant Silvergun, 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 1998 is remembered for its major influence on the video game industry, with the release of numerous titles widely regarded as classics. Many games released in 1998 defined or redefined their respective genres, including the action-adventure game ', the stealth game Metal Gear Solid, the first-person shooter Half-Life, and the real-time strategy game StarCraft.
The year has been retrospectively considered one of the greatest and most influential in video game history due to the release of numerous critically acclaimed, commercially successful, and innovative titles across multiple platforms and genres. It marked a peak period for the fifth generation of video game consoles, particularly the PlayStation and Nintendo 64, while also reflecting the growing prominence of 3D graphics, cinematic storytelling, and online multiplayer gaming.
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.
The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 1998.
Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
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.
The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games (console games or computer 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.
In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1998.
In the United States, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1998.
In Europe, the following titles were the top ten highest-grossing home video games of 1998.
In Australia, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home console games of 1998.
In Japan, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1998.