Best 90s Gaming Franchises That Are Still Around Today

It was the time of frosted tips and beanie babies, among a host of other fads. Gaming was just hitting its stride, taking advantage of some incredible technological leaps, as well as the general population's maturing sensibilities.

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In the 90s, games were getting more edgy and violent, which was definitely not doing the medium any favors with those less familiar. However, at the same time, they were becoming more complex in their stories and systems. This meant that franchises established in the era had ample opportunity to carve out spaces for themselves, where they could stand their ground until the modern day. Here are some of the best 90s gaming franchises that are still around today.

10 Fire Emblem

Debuted In 1990

Strategy games have been around for about as long as the gaming medium has. However, Fire Emblem has a reputation for being one of the more brutal series in the genre, being that perma-death has been a core to the series since day one.

In more recent entries, the focus has widened to include the relationships that players garner with the games' colorful casts of side characters. Add into the mix some extremely engaging storytelling, as well as a number of solid spin-offs and you've got the recipe for an incredible, long-running franchise.

9 Sonic The Hedgehog

Debuted In 1991

Sonic games have been a mixed bag over the years. Regardless, fans have stuck with them for over 30 years, no doubt because of the titular character's fun personality and some of the wildest level designs there are.

Lovable side characters have also helped open the door to a few television shows, accompanied by some masterful merchandising. Of course, we are also in between releases of an immensely popular stint in live-action, the quality of which has helped ensure the blue blur's longevity.

8 Civilization

Debuted In 1991

Gameplay within this series has stayed largely the same since its debut in '91, amounting to a race between countries to make advancements and grow their settlements into full-blown civilizations. Really, the main thing that has changed in this series is its presentation.

Units have gone from squares on a board to fully animated 3D models, and the soundtracks started to get major orchestral upgrades. The most impressive addition, though, is that big names like Leonard Nimoy and Sean Bean were brought in to do the games' narrations, showing the series' clear strides in production value.

7 Mortal Kombat

Debuted In 1992

Mortal Kombat hit the ground running, stirring up controversy for what was perceived as gratuitous violence. Thankfully for fans, the series has never once pumped the breaks, delivering some of the most satisfyingly stomach-churning, but surprisingly deep combat in fighting games.

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Decades later, the series has had dozens of games developed in its name, and a number of feature-length films produced based on characters that are considered video game royalty. At this point, it's safe to say that MK is synonymous with video games as a whole.

6 Crash Bandicoot

Debuted In 1996

As one of the Playstation's earliest mascots, Crash and crew were a prolific bunch throughout the PS1 and PS2 eras. At some point, though, the traditional platforming Crash games fell by the wayside, and by around the mid-2000s, were all but dead.

Recently, though, the franchise has seen a revival with games like Crash 4, and the surprising arena-based RTS Crash Team Rumble. In fact, the moderate success of this Bandicoot renaissance has given fans hope for the rest of Crash's era of character-driven platformers to make a comeback.

5 Pokemon

Debuted In 1996

9 generations in and Pokemon has surpassed 1000 pocket monsters that players of the series can collect and put to battle against the opposition. The tried and true turn-based RPG gameplay the series has established has also largely stayed the same, save for a few deviations.

In addition to video games, Pokemon is also in the trading card, movie, and anime business, and to great success. Though, it would all be for naught if it weren't for the ravenous fan base of all ages, all around the world.

4 Tomb Raider

Debuted In 1996

Even though her polygonal character model from the original PlayStation days remains woefully indicative of the 90s, Lara Croft remains one of the most iconic women in video games. And that reputation easily carried the franchise into the present day.

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With the mid to late 2010s came an incredibly solid trilogy of Tomb Raider games, which were well-received enough to inspire a film adaptation. Interestingly, this wasn't the first time the franchise found its way to the silver screen, the first time being in 2001, with a movie that launched Angelina Jolie into stardom.

3 Resident Evil

Debuted In 1996

Resident Evil has gone through many iterations, from its beginnings, revolutionizing the survival horror genre, to its slow evolution into an action game. Along the way, the series has also amassed a handful of characters that many gamers have grown attached to, unlike any others.

The franchise has dipped its toes into the Hollywood machine with a popular movie franchise, as well as tons of spin-offs, remasters, retellings, and remakes. All of these have varied in quality, but have all made the series synonymous with the undead craze.

2 Persona

Debuted In 1996

Persona is a spin-off series of the Shin Megami Tensei games but took on a life of its own after the release of Persona 3, a game that saw the series leaping into its dungeon-crawling, dating-sim bag. It was a game that really showed how far the series had come from its Revelations and Innocent Sin days.

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With each new Persona game has come tweaks to the formula that prove that the series has settled on something truly special. To find proof of this, gamers have to look no further than Persona 5, a game that's widely considered one of the greatest RPGs of all time.

1 Diablo

Debuted In 1997

Diablo's grindy nature is something that has been around since its inception. Of course, it's a style of ARPG that isn't for everyone, but is one that's easy to get lost in if players aren't careful.

The lore in these games runs deep, even with the series having a relatively short list of entries.

With the only spin-off being the Diablo: Immortal mobile game, the series has found massive critical and financial success through its 4 great main entries and their DLCs, each introducing new character classes and skills to master.

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