Some decade-old gaming franchises are going to be hitting it big this year, and it’s a thing of beauty to see their humble beginnings.
PC gamers will finally get their hands on Grand Theft Auto V (releasing 24 March) – just under 20 years after the original’s release in 1997.
Mortal Kombat, first launched in 1992, will see the tenth title in the series hitting shelves in April this year, and Tomb Raider, a gaming staple since 1996, will get its Xbox One exclusive period late 2015 with Rise of the Tomb Raider.
The Metal Gear series will also see its latest masterpiece hit shelves in 2015, and, with 11 games in as many years, Call of Duty will undoubtedly get its annual go around November as well.
Take a journey with us to see where these game series have come from and marvel at how technology has catapulted visuals over the past 20 years.
In the timelines below we’ve excluded spin-off titles, sticking to the “main” releases of each series.
Metal Gear: 1987 – 2015 (28 years)
1987 – Metal Gear
1990 – Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake
1998 – Metal Gear Solid
2001 – Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty
2004 – Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater
2008 – Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots
2014 – Metal Gear Solid 5 Ground Zeroes
2015 – Metal Gear Solid The Phantom Pain
Mortal Kombat: 1992 – 2015 (23 years)
1992 – Mortal Kombat
1993 – Mortal Kombat 2
1995 – Mortal Kombat 3
1997 – Mortal Kombat 4
2002 – Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance
2004 – Mortal Kombat Deception
2006 – Mortal Kombat Armageddon
2008 – Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe
2011 – Mortal Kombat 9
2015 – Mortal Kombat X
Tomb Raider: 1996 – 2015 (19 years)
1996 – Tomb Raider
1997 – Tomb Raider 2
1998 – Tomb Raider 3
1999 – Tomb Raider The Last Revelation
2000 – Tomb Raider Chronicles
2003 – Tomb Raider The Angel of Darkness
2006 – Tomb Raider Legend
2008 – Tomb Raider Underworld
2012 – Tomb Raider
2015 – Rise of the Tomb Raider
Grand Theft Auto: 1997 – 2015 (18 years)
1997 – Grand Theft Auto
1999 – Grand Theft Auto London 1969
1999 – Grand Theft Auto 2
2001 – Grand Theft Auto 3
2002 – Grand Theft Auto Vice City
2004 – Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
2008 – Grand Theft Auto 4
2013, 2014 and 2015 – Grand Theft Auto 5
Call of Duty: 2003 – 2015 (12 years)
2003 – Call of Duty
2004 – Call of Duty Finest Hour (first console game)
2005 – Call of Duty 2
2006 – Call of Duty 3
2007 – Call of Duty Modern Warfare
2008 – Call of Duty World at War
2009 – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
2010 – Call of Duty Black Ops
2011 – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
2012 – Call of Duty Black Ops 2
2013 – Call of Duty Ghosts
2014 – Call of Duty Advanced Warfare
Even though Call of Duty is the youngest game on this list, the series has delivered the most full titles. It’s kind of known for that.
Progress in key series aspects is up for debate, but the graphical changes are definitely apparent.
The next Call of Duty will be developed by Treyarch (the Black Ops and World at War line), and is expected to be revealed sometime in May.
More gaming news
Every PS4 game coming out in 2015
What it’s really like to play Evolve
Forum discussion
Join the conversation