| 2010s . 2020s in video games . 2030s |
| Other topics: Anthropology . Fashion . Music. Science and technology . Sociology |
The 2020s is the sixth decade in the industry's history. The industry remains heavily dominated by the actions of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, but it remains unforeseen how their dominance will be affected by cloud gaming and smartphone and tablet market. Virtual reality headsets are expected to become more popular over the course of the decade.[1] The industry was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ninth generation of video game consoles went on sale, beginning with the Xbox Series X and Series S and the PlayStation 5.[2] Notable games released in the 2020s included The Last of Us Part II, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Hades, Genshin Impact, Fall Guys, Doom Eternal, Ghost of Tsushima, It Takes Two, Forza Horizon 5, Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, Stray, God of War Ragnarök, Alan Wake 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Palworld, and Grand Theft Auto VI.[3][4] Game development companies have come under increasing criticism for "crunch" practices, forcing workers to work long hours in the build-up to release.[5]
|
Main article: Eighth generation of video game consoles |
The eighth generation of video game consoles, including the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, remain in widespread use. Cloud gaming services like Google Stadia and Amazon Luna are also part of the eighth generation. The Xbox One and Nintendo 3DS were both discontinued in 2020 with the Stadia also shutting down in 2023.[6][7][8]
|
Main article: Ninth generation of video game consoles |
The ninth generation of video game consoles has begun in the 2020s, with the release of the Xbox Series X and Series S and PlayStation 5 in 2020. The ninth generation offers faster computation and graphics processors, support for real-time ray tracing graphics,[9] output for 4K resolution, and in some cases, 8K resolution, with rendering speeds targeting 60 frames per second (fps) or higher.[10] Internally, both console families introduced new internal solid-state drive (SSD) systems to be used as high-throughput memory and storage systems for games to reduce or eliminate loading times and support in-game streaming. Standalone virtual reality headsets have also emerged with new entries in the Meta Quest line, HTC Vive XR Elite, and Apple Vision Pro all being introduced in the decade.[11][12][13]
Notes:
|
See also: 2020s in film and List of films based on video games |
Films based on video games in the decade include:
|
See also: 2020s in television and List of television series based on video games |
Television series based on video games in the decade include:
The following gallery highlights hardware used to predominantly play games throughout the 2020s.
.jpg)
.png){kind=small}
