Most games, even ones that had a modicum of success, tend to disappear almost as quickly as they arrived. With thousands of games released each year, it’s inevitable that the vast majority will fail to capture the public’s imagination. Even successful modern games tend to be consigned to history a few years after their release. After all, there’s always a new game that’s just waiting to take its place on the best-sellers list.
But that’s not always the case. There are some games that prove to be exceptions to the rule. In this post, we’ll run through the games that just seem to have what it takes to go the distance — in some cases, thousands of years — and how they’ve managed it.
1. Chess
Chess is roundly regarded as the greatest game ever invented (to date, anyway). Though it dates back to the 6th century, the game remains more popular than ever before. Part of the appeal is that it’s simply so difficult to master. Even grandmasters who have played chess all their lives acknowledge that while they may know the most, they certainly don’t know everything. It can take a little while to get into (it’s not only challenging to master but also challenging to simply learn), but if you do, you’ll unlock a passion that’ll be with you for the rest of your life.
2. Tetris
Given the relative simplicity of Tetris and the complexity of modern games, which have much better graphics, storylines, and ambitions, you’d think that Tetris, which dates to 1985, would be known as little more than one of those quirky arcade games from yesteryear.
But that’s not the case. Tetris might not be a global powerhouse, but it remains a loyal following. There’s even a tournament, The Classic Tetris World Championship, which attracts thousands of players and fans each year. Part of what drives continued interest in the game is the desire to get the world’s highest score. Think you have what it takes? You’ll need to get more than 8,952,432 to become the leader.
3. Poker
Of all the card games you can play using a standard deck, none are more iconic than poker. The game was developed more than two hundred years ago in New Orleans and has barely changed since. What has changed is the number of people who play the game. While it was once a relatively niche card game, today, it’s one of the most popular games on the planet, with more than 100 million regular players. What’s behind its enduring popularity?
For starters, anyone can learn to play online poker if they have an hour or so, which makes it accessible. The game also presents the right amount of challenge, ensuring that it’s continually engaging no matter how many years someone has played. In fact, if anything, it becomes more engaging the longer you play, which is quite rare for a game.
4. Monopoly
Monopoly isn’t universally beloved. In fact, there are plenty of people who would be more than happy to never play the board game again. Still, there’s no doubt that it’s a juggernaut of a game. Its history goes back to the early 1900s (though the game was only officially released in 1935), and since then has become a mainstay in people’s homes across the world. There are more than two hundred versions of Monopoly, allowing people to play games that have been adapted to their own cities. Love it or hate it, you know that the game will still be going strong in another hundred years.
5. Uno
Finally, there’s Uno. This game feels relatively modern, but it’s more than fifty years old. It was invented back in 1971 by a humble barber from Ohio and quickly became a smash hit. Unlike some of the other games on this list, there’s little that is challenging about Uno, but that might be its strength. You can learn to play in minutes and have fun for hours.
