1998 in video games
1998 saw many sequels and prequels in video games and several new titles such as Half-Life, Metal Gear Solid, F-Zero X, ', ', Xenogears, Banjo-Kazooie, Spyro the Dragon, Radiant Silvergun and MediEvil.
Top rated games
Critically acclaimed titles
and GameRankings are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.| Game | Publisher | Release Date | Platform | MC score | GR score |
| ' | Nintendo | November 21, 1998 | Nintendo 64 | 99/100 | 97.54% |
| Tekken 3 | Namco | March 26, 1998 | PlayStation | 96/100 | 95.8% |
| Half-Life | Sierra Entertainment | November 19, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | 96/100 | 94.02% |
| Metal Gear Solid | Konami | September 3, 1998 | PlayStation | 94/100 | 93.24% |
| Grim Fandango | LucasArts | October 14, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | 94/100 | 92.97% |
| Resident Evil 2 | Capcom | January 21, 1998 | PlayStation | 89/100 | 93.13% |
| Street Fighter Alpha 3 | Capcom | December 23, 1998 | PlayStation | 93/100 | 90.28% |
| StarCraft | Blizzard Entertainment | March 31, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 92.85% |
| Panzer Dragoon Saga | Sega | January 29, 1998 | Sega Saturn | N/A | 92.46% |
| Banjo-Kazooie | Nintendo | June 29, 1998 | Nintendo 64 | 92/100 | 92.38% |
| ' | Eidos Interactive | December 1, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | 92/100 | 89.41% |
| Baldur's Gate | Interplay Entertainment | December 21, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | 91/100 | 91.94% |
| ' | Nintendo | December 12, 1998 | Game Boy Color | N/A | 91.21% |
| International Superstar Soccer 98 | Konami | June 4, 1998 | Nintendo 64 | 91/100 | 89.15% |
| ' | Sony Computer Entertainment | October 31, 1998 | PlayStation | 91/100 | 89.07% |
| Xenogears | Square | February 11, 1998 | PlayStation | 84/100 | 90.99% |
| ' | GT Interactive | November 17, 1998 | PlayStation | 88/100 | 90.42% |
| NFL Blitz | Midway Games | September 12, 1998 | PlayStation | N/A | 90.13% |
| NFL Blitz | Midway Games | September 9, 1998 | Nintendo 64 | N/A | 90.02% |
| 1080° Snowboarding | Nintendo | February 28, 1998 | Nintendo 64 | N/A | 89.60% |
| Battlezone | Activision | February 28, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | N/A | 89.03% |
| Railroad Tycoon II | Gathering of Developers | October 31, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | 89/100 | 83.15% |
| ' | Acclaim Entertainment | October 21, 1998 | Nintendo 64 | 86/100 | 88.96% |
| FIFA 99 | EA Sports | October 31, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | N/A | 88.87% |
| Caesar III | Sierra Entertainment | September 30, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | N/A | 88.6% |
| Unreal | GT Interactive | May 22, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | N/A | 88.58% |
| NBA Live 99 | EA Sports | October 31, 1998 | PlayStation | N/A | 88.39% |
| ' | Namco | December 3, 1998 | PlayStation | 88/100 | 88.16% |
| NHL 99 | EA Sports | September 30, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | N/A | 88.11% |
| Wario Land II | Nintendo | October 21, 1998 | Game Boy Color | N/A | 88.04% |
| ' | Bungie | December 28, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 86.39% |
| ' | Sierra Entertainment | December 23, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 84.77% |
| ' | Monolith Productions | September 30, 1998 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 81.6% |
| FIFA 99 | EA Sports | October 31, 1998 | PlayStation | N/A | 87.95% |
| F-Zero X | Nintendo | July 14, 1998 | Nintendo 64 | 85/100 | 87.61% |
| Madden NFL 99 | EA Sports | September 30, 1998 | Nintendo 64 | N/A | 87.59% |
Events
- Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts its first annual Interactive Achievement Awards. Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo is inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame.
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the first annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards.
- January 1 – The ESRB changes the "K-A" rating to "E".
- March 14 – Sega announces the discontinuation of the Sega Saturn in North America to prepare for the launch of its successor, the Dreamcast.
- April 14 – Nintendo's Game Boy Light handheld console is released in Japan.
- May 28 – Bill Williams, designer of Alley Cat, Necromancer, and Mind Walker, dies.
- May 28–30 – The fourth annual E3 is held in Atlanta, Georgia. Following the show, the inaugural Game Critics Awards was held with winners being titled Best of E3.
- July 3 – Danielle Bunten Berry, designer of M.U.L.E. and Seven Cities of Gold, dies.
- September 6 – Infogrames Entertainment, SA and Canal+ launch the Game One television channel.
- October 21 – Nintendo's Game Boy Color handheld console is released in Japan.
- November 27 – Sega's Dreamcast console is released in Japan.
- December – Take-Two Interactive formed the Rockstar Games publishing label.
Business
- Activision acquires CD Contact Data and Head Game Publishing.
- Eidos Interactive acquires Crystal Dynamics.
- Electronic Arts Inc. acquires Westwood Studios, and with so they also acquire the North American operations of Virgin Interactive.
- JTS Corp. files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
- Hasbro Interactive acquires the Atari brand and property from JTS in May. They also acquire MicroProse in August.
- Square Co. and Electronic Arts form Square Electronic Arts LLC to publish a wealth of Square Co. titles in the U.S.
- Havas, a subsidiary of Vivendi, acquires Cendant Software, which includes Sierra On-Line and Blizzard Entertainment.
- Lego Media established by Lego Group
- New companies: BreakAway, Elixir, Metro3D, Rockstar, Sunrise, Troika, WildTangent, Loki
- Defunct: DWANGO
Game releases