BRINGING BACK A LARA FOND MEMORIES

TOMB RAIDER IS JUST ONE OF THE TITLES MARKING A LANDMARK ANNIVERSARY

- CHERYL MULLIN

I GUARANTEE that nothing will make you feel older faster than learning one of your favourite games is about to turn 40. And what's more, it’s not the only game from your formative years reaching a notable landmark in 2026.

The gaming industry is in constant flux, changing and evolving with technology and tastes, so for a franchise to still exist - or even be remembered - all these years later is an incredible achievement.

Nintendo in particular has a lot to celebrate in 2026, with Metroid and The Legend of Zelda both turning 40, and Animal Crossing turning 25.

Arcade favourites Outrun and Bubble Bobble both turn 40, while Dead Space 2 and Deus Ex mark their 15th anniversaries. Devil May Cry, Silent Hill 2, Monkey Ball and Luigi’s Mansion all turn 25 over the next 12 months and there are significant anniversaries for the Wii console, which turns 20, and the first Xbox, which turns 25.

Here are five other titles hitting a milestone this year.

Donkey Kong

Released: July 1981

It's difficult to underline just how important the barrel-throwing ape is to Nintendo, making his first appearance alongside Jumpman (who went on to become Mario) in arcades across Japan and North America in 1981.

Nintendo had been struggling to break into the American market for a while. When its latest attempt - Radar Scope - flopped, the firm found itself stuck with a huge number of unwanted arcade machines.

Determined not to give up, it was decided these unsold units would be converted into something new and first-time designer Shigeru Miyamoto was tasked with making it happen.

Miyamoto turned to Beauty and the Beast, King Kong and Popeye for both the characters and the ‘plot’ - a love triangle between a woman, a gorilla and a man.