175 Video Game Trivia Questions & Answers for Gamers
Are you ready to put your gaming knowledge to the test? Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or just casually jumping into the world of gaming, our collection of video game trivia questions is sure to challenge and entertain you. From classic arcades to the latest console hits, these questions span decades of gaming history and genres.
Dive into these fun and engaging trivia questions to see how much you really know about the games you love. Get ready to think, reminisce, and maybe even learn something new!
Classic Video Game Trivia
- What year was the video game Pong released?
Answer: 1972 - Which company created the iconic video game character Mario?
Answer: Nintendo - What is the name of the princess whom Mario repeatedly rescues?
Answer: Princess Peach - Which classic video game requires players to eat dots and avoid ghosts in a maze?
Answer: Pac-Man - What is the highest-selling video game console of the 1980s?
Answer: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) - Which game, considered the first popular arcade game, involved shooting aliens?
Answer: Space Invaders - In which year was the original Legend of Zelda game released?
Answer: 1986 - What handheld gaming device did Nintendo release in 1989?
Answer: Game Boy - Which classic arcade game features a character navigating platforms and ladders to rescue his girlfriend from a giant ape?
Answer: Donkey Kong - What is considered the first commercially successful video game?
Answer: Pong - Which game popularized the side-scrolling platform game genre in 1985?
Answer: Super Mario Bros. - Which Atari video game is blamed for causing a huge financial failure and contributing to the video game crash of 1983?
Answer: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - What early video game was controlled using a light pen and involved guiding missiles to hit targets?
Answer: Missile Command - Who is the antagonist in the original “Metroid” game released on the NES?
Answer: Mother Brain - Which early video game system was known for its woodgrain paneling?
Answer: Atari 2600 - Which game, developed by Namco in 1980, requires players to navigate a maze while being chased by ghosts?
Answer: Pac-Man - What iconic video game character was originally named Jumpman?
Answer: Mario - Which space-faring NES game allowed players to save their game progress for the first time?
Answer: The Legend of Zelda - In which classic video game do players control a frog that must safely cross a busy road and river?
Answer: Frogger - What video game, notable for its music composed by Hirokazu Tanaka, involves stacking different-shaped blocks?
Answer: Tetris - Which 1980 arcade game has players defending the Earth from descending aliens?
Answer: Space Invaders - Which video game, released on Atari and considered one of the hardest, features a bird trying to save its egg from coyotes?
Answer: Joust - What was the first arcade game to be based on a movie?
Answer: Tron - Which classic video game was the first to introduce power-ups?
Answer: Super Mario Bros. - What was the first fighting game to use digitized sprites of live actors?
Answer: Mortal Kombat
1990s Nostalgia Trivia
- What 1991 Sega game introduced Sonic the Hedgehog?
Answer: Sonic the Hedgehog - Which 1996 Nintendo 64 game is credited with pioneering the 3D platformer genre?
Answer: Super Mario 64 - What game, released in 1992, popularized the fighting game genre and was known for its high levels of gore and fatalities?
Answer: Mortal Kombat - Which 1997 Sony PlayStation game began the popular RPG series featuring Cloud Strife?
Answer: Final Fantasy VII - What was the first console to use CDs as its primary storage medium, released in the early ’90s?
Answer: Sony PlayStation - Which 1998 PC game by Valve featured the scientist Gordon Freeman?
Answer: Half-Life - What strategy game, released in 1995, tasked players with building an empire from the Stone Age to the Modern Age?
Answer: Age of Empires - Which 1996 game introduced Lara Croft to the gaming world?
Answer: Tomb Raider - What was the first Pokémon video game released in the United States in 1998?
Answer: Pokémon Red and Blue - Which iconic horror video game, known for its fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds, debuted in 1996?
Answer: Resident Evil - What popular multiplayer game featuring real-time strategy battles was released by Blizzard in 1998?
Answer: StarCraft - Which 1993 game introduced “Doomguy” and is often credited with defining the first-person shooter genre?
Answer: Doom - Which adventure game, known for its unique art style and film noir influences, was released by LucasArts in 1990?
Answer: The Secret of Monkey Island - What was Nintendo’s response to the Sony PlayStation, released in 1996?
Answer: Nintendo 64 - Which racing game, known for its high-speed action and blue hedgehog, was released for the Sega Genesis in 1994?
Answer: Sonic & Knuckles - What 1999 game, featuring extensive voice acting and cinematic cutscenes, revolutionized RPG storytelling on the PlayStation?
Answer: Final Fantasy VIII - Which influential strategy game released in 1996 featured complex civilizations battling across different eras of history?
Answer: Civilization II - What innovative 1992 fighting game featured digitized characters and started a legendary game franchise?
Answer: Mortal Kombat - Which 1997 first-person shooter by Rare was a critical and commercial success on the Nintendo 64?
Answer: GoldenEye 007 - What groundbreaking real-time strategy game, set in a dystopian future, was released by Blizzard in 1998?
Answer: StarCraft - Which RPG, released in 1997, is known for its deep story and innovative gameplay mechanics, including a card game within the game?
Answer: Final Fantasy VII - What game, released for the Game Boy in 1996, allowed players to trade characters using a link cable?
Answer: Pokémon Red and Blue - Which 1990 platform game involved guiding two young princes through levels using items to solve puzzles and avoid enemies?
Answer: The Prince of Persia - What survival horror game combined 3D environments with pre-rendered backgrounds, released by Capcom in 1996?
Answer: Resident Evil - Which acclaimed 1999 role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic world allowed players to choose their paths in a branching narrative?
Answer: Fallout 2
Modern Gaming Milestones Trivia
- What game, released in 2004, revolutionized MMORPGs with its expansive world and subscription model?
Answer: World of Warcraft - Which 2007 game by Valve became famous for its innovative use of a physics-based gun?
Answer: Portal - What was the first video game to incorporate motion controls successfully, launching in 2006?
Answer: Wii Sports - Which 2013 action-adventure game set sales records by earning $1 billion in just three days?
Answer: Grand Theft Auto V - What is the name of the influential sandbox game that officially released in 2011 after a beta period, allowing players to build and explore pixelated worlds?
Answer: Minecraft - Which game, released in 2015, is known for its massive open world and was a significant entry in a long-running fantasy series?
Answer: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - What 2017 battle royale game popularized the genre and became a cultural phenomenon?
Answer: Fortnite - Which 2020 game provided a social gaming escape during global lockdowns, allowing players to create and manage their island paradise?
Answer: Animal Crossing: New Horizons - What innovative hardware, released by Nintendo in 2017, can switch between a home console and a portable system?
Answer: Nintendo Switch - Which 2016 mobile game phenomenon used augmented reality to let players catch creatures in the real world?
Answer: Pokémon GO - What 2014 game revived the space sim genre with its realistic galaxy and open-ended gameplay?
Answer: Elite Dangerous - Which title, known for its cinematic storytelling and reboot of a classic video game series, was released in 2013 featuring a younger Lara Croft?
Answer: Tomb Raider - What game, launched in 2009, started as a mod and became one of the most played online multiplayer shooters?
Answer: League of Legends - Which 2012 game combined traditional real-time strategy gameplay with MOBA elements and became a staple of competitive gaming?
Answer: Dota 2 - What 2016 release was the first VR game to win Game of the Year at the Game Developers Choice Awards?
Answer: Job Simulator - Which 2018 game is known for its deep narrative and interaction with non-player characters set in the late 1800s America?
Answer: Red Dead Redemption 2 - What 2015 title is noted for its groundbreaking graphics and physics in car-based soccer gameplay?
Answer: Rocket League - Which game, released in 2017, revitalized the horror game genre with a return to survival horror roots and a first-person perspective?
Answer: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - What 2019 game brought a beloved RPG franchise into the modern era with a complete overhaul and real-time combat system?
Answer: Final Fantasy VII Remake - Which 2020 release, delayed several times, was one of the most anticipated games featuring futuristic open-world gameplay in Night City?
Answer: Cyberpunk 2077 - What 2017 release is known for its challenging gameplay and hand-drawn, cartoonish graphics that pay homage to 1930s animation?
Answer: Cuphead - Which game, released in 2018, allows players to experience elaborate heists and missions online with friends?
Answer: Payday 2 - What 2017 title, developed by Epic Games, initially launched as a co-op sandbox survival game before becoming famous for its battle royale mode?
Answer: Fortnite - Which 2019 game combined Dark Souls-style combat with Star Wars lore?
Answer: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - What groundbreaking 2013 strategy game features a combination of XCOM-like tactical combat and management elements in a post-apocalyptic setting?
Answer: XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Game Mechanics and Genres Trivia
- What genre combines role-playing and strategy elements, often featuring grid-based movement and turn-based combat?
Answer: Tactical RPG (TRPG) - Which 2011 game popularized the survival sandbox genre with its unique block-building mechanics?
Answer: Minecraft - What is the term for the gameplay mechanic that allows players to make choices that significantly affect the story’s outcome?
Answer: Branching narratives - Which genre focuses on real-time strategy and resource management to build and sustain an empire?
Answer: 4X strategy games - What game, released in 2007, was one of the first to implement a cover system effectively in third-person shooter gameplay?
Answer: Gears of War - What mechanic, introduced by games like “Doom”, involves collecting items that temporarily make the player character stronger or invincible?
Answer: Power-ups - Which game is credited with popularizing the battle royale genre in 2017?
Answer: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) - What gameplay feature involves players using a third-party perspective to interact with the world, typical of games like “The Witcher” series?
Answer: Third-person perspective - Which genre often involves managing a city or business while balancing economic, environmental, and social variables?
Answer: Simulation games - What term describes the gameplay mechanic where the player controls a character or party throughout an interactive story, mainly involving quests and combat?
Answer: Role-playing games (RPGs) - Which 2001 game pioneered the use of a physics engine for both gameplay and puzzle elements in a first-person environment?
Answer: Half-Life 2 - What mechanic, central to games like “Dark Souls”, involves losing all progress and items upon death, with the option to reclaim them?
Answer: Death penalty/retrieval system - Which genre focuses on fast-paced action and requires players to navigate through levels while battling enemies with speed and skill?
Answer: Run and gun - Which 1993 game introduced the concept of the “double jump”, allowing characters to jump again in mid-air?
Answer: Doom - What game introduced a morality system that affects the storyline and how characters react to the player?
Answer: Mass Effect - Which genre often involves stealth-based gameplay where players must avoid detection by enemies to progress?
Answer: Stealth games - What term describes the mechanic in strategy games that allows players to stop the action and make decisions at their leisure?
Answer: Turn-based gameplay - What genre combines elements of action games with problem-solving and often features story-driven puzzles?
Answer: Action-adventure games - Which 2000 game is known for popularizing the sandbox genre with its open-ended gameplay and non-linear objectives?
Answer: Grand Theft Auto III - What is a common mechanic in MMORPGs where players must complete specific tasks for rewards and experience points?
Answer: Questing - Which 2016 game revitalized the roguelike genre with its procedurally generated levels and permanent death mechanic?
Answer: Enter the Gungeon - What type of RPG involves massive multiplayer online interactions, often set in expansive worlds with a large number of players?
Answer: MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) - Which game genre involves controlling a business or enterprise, making decisions about resources, products, and markets?
Answer: Business simulation games - What feature, crucial to modern MOBAs, involves players selecting unique characters with specific abilities to compete in team-based objectives?
Answer: Hero or Champion selection - What game mechanic is identified by the in-game ability to scan environments or reveal important objects, popularized by “Metroid Prime”?
Answer: Scanning mechanic
Video Game Series Trivia
- Which video game series is known for its stealth action and the character Solid Snake?
Answer: Metal Gear Solid - In which video game series do players explore various regions to capture and train creatures known as Pokémon?
Answer: Pokémon - What series features a brotherhood of assassins fighting against the Templars throughout history?
Answer: Assassin’s Creed - Which series includes titles set during World War II and the Cold War, known for its first-person shooter gameplay?
Answer: Call of Duty - Which survival horror video game series is set in a world overrun by zombies, originating from the T-virus?
Answer: Resident Evil - What series known for “Hyrule” allows players to explore as the character Link?
Answer: The Legend of Zelda - Which video game series features battles between historical and mythical leaders in a turn-based strategy format?
Answer: Civilization - What racing video game series is known for its blue spiky character who battles against a mad scientist?
Answer: Sonic the Hedgehog - Which RPG series set in a post-apocalyptic America features Vault Dwellers?
Answer: Fallout - What series known for high-speed, anti-gravity racing vehicles features a wide array of futuristic tracks?
Answer: F-Zero - Which action-adventure series stars an archaeologist exploring ancient tombs and ruins?
Answer: Tomb Raider - In what video game series do players manage cities and their infrastructure, starting from SimCity?
Answer: SimCity Series - Which video game series features tactical espionage action with a protagonist named Sam Fisher?
Answer: Splinter Cell - What fighting game series is known for the “Fatalities” finishing moves?
Answer: Mortal Kombat - Which series set in the fantasy realm of Tamriel features a role-playing experience where players can choose to be various races and classes?
Answer: The Elder Scrolls - What game series features a time-traveling protagonist fighting against alien invasions across different periods?
Answer: Timesplitters - Which space-themed real-time strategy game series involves three distinct races battling for supremacy in the Koprulu Sector?
Answer: StarCraft - What series features a barbarian protagonist battling against the gods of ancient myths?
Answer: God of War - Which series focuses on hack and slash combat with a character named Dante, who battles supernatural entities?
Answer: Devil May Cry - What game series centers on an annual sports simulation focusing on soccer, featuring club competitions worldwide?
Answer: FIFA - In what game series do players battle using characters from different Nintendo franchises in various themed arenas?
Answer: Super Smash Bros. - Which RPG series, developed by Bioware, features space exploration and an intricate decision-making system affecting the storyline?
Answer: Mass Effect - What video game series involves historical and fictional campaigns using real-time tactics on battlefields spanning from the medieval period to the Napoleonic Wars?
Answer: Total War - Which video game series focuses on dance rhythm gameplay and features a wide range of popular music tracks?
Answer: Just Dance - What stealth and tactics video game series involves planning and executing heists across various locations?
Answer: Payday
Iconic Game Characters Trivia
- Which character is known as the “Italian Plumber” in the world of video gaming?
Answer: Mario - Who is the protagonist of the “Tomb Raider” series known for her archaeology adventures?
Answer: Lara Croft - Which character from the “Legend of Zelda” series is famous for saving the kingdom of Hyrule?
Answer: Link - Name the speedy blue hedgehog who battles Dr. Robotnik.
Answer: Sonic - Who is the bounty hunter protagonist of the “Metroid” series?
Answer: Samus Aran - Which character is a witch known for her gun-heeled boots in a series that shares her name?
Answer: Bayonetta - Identify the key protagonist in the “Half-Life” series, a physicist fighting against an alien invasion.
Answer: Gordon Freeman - Which knightly character seeks to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser in the “Super Mario” series?
Answer: Mario - Name the main character of the “God of War” series, known for his battles against the gods of Olympus.
Answer: Kratos - Who is the treasure hunter and protagonist of the “Uncharted” series?
Answer: Nathan Drake - What character is known as the “Pink Puffball” who can inhale enemies and copy their abilities?
Answer: Kirby - Which character from the “Street Fighter” series is known for his signature move, “Hadouken”?
Answer: Ryu - Name the protagonist of the “Gears of War” series, a former soldier fighting against the Locust Horde.
Answer: Marcus Fenix - Which assassin from the “Assassin’s Creed” series is known for his role during the American Revolution?
Answer: Connor Kenway - Who is the Master Chief’s AI companion in the “Halo” series?
Answer: Cortana - Which character from the “Resident Evil” series is known for surviving the zombie outbreak in Raccoon City?
Answer: Leon S. Kennedy - Name the powerful sorceress and primary antagonist of the “Final Fantasy VIII” game.
Answer: Ultimecia - Who is the protagonist with psychic abilities in the “Psychonauts” series?
Answer: Razputin “Raz” Aquato - Identify the fighter known for his green clothes and hat from the “Mortal Kombat” series.
Answer: Liu Kang - Name the protagonist who explores post-apocalyptic America with his dog in “Fallout 4”.
Answer: The Sole Survivor - Which villain from the “Final Fantasy” series is known for his long silver hair and sword?
Answer: Sephiroth - Who is the mischievous raccoon who helps players with their loans in “Animal Crossing”?
Answer: Tom Nook - Name the character known for using a whip and fighting supernatural foes in the “Castlevania” series.
Answer: Simon Belmont - Which character is a key figure in the “Mass Effect” series, known for uniting alien races against a common threat?
Answer: Commander Shepard - Identify the elderly professor who gives Pokémon trainers their first Pokémon in the “Pokémon” series.
Answer: Professor Oak
Unusual and Fun Facts
- Which popular video game was created by a nuclear physicist?
Answer: Tetris, created by Alexey Pajitnov. - What classic video game was originally called Puck-Man?
Answer: Pac-Man. - Which game holds the record for having the most expensive production of all time?
Answer: Grand Theft Auto V, costing over $265 million to produce. - What is the name of the first video game character to have a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
Answer: Sonic the Hedgehog. - Which game was the first to introduce a save game feature?
Answer: The Legend of Zelda. - What video game caused a shortage of quarters in the United States upon its release?
Answer: Space Invaders. - Which popular video game was almost named Monkey Nuts?
Answer: Donkey Kong. - In what game do players rescue Princess Toadstool in the Japanese version, but it’s Princess Peach in the West?
Answer: Super Mario Bros. - Which video game was the first to be played in space?
Answer: Tetris, on a Game Boy by Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr A. Serebrov. - What was unusual about the arcade game “Polybius,” rumored to appear in the 1980s?
Answer: It supposedly caused amnesia, insomnia, and hallucinations, though its existence has never been proven. - Which game features a hidden bear character that can only be seen using a special series of actions?
Answer: Halo 3, featuring the “IWHBYD” Skull. - Which video game’s code was once classified by the U.S. government?
Answer: The source code for the encryption in the online multiplayer game “Silk Road.” - What is the most returned video game due to difficulty?
Answer: Ghosts ‘n Goblins, known for its punishing difficulty. - Which video game character was first modeled after a Popeye figure?
Answer: Mario, originally designed to be Popeye in a licensed game. - What was the first game to feature blood in its gameplay?
Answer: Karateka. - Which game included a hidden recipe for chili?
Answer: Madden NFL ’93. - What famous video game character was inspired by a blend of Alice in Wonderland and Japanese folklore?
Answer: Link from The Legend of Zelda. - What was the first console video game that allowed players to choose the gender of their character?
Answer: Metroid; the character Samus Aran could be revealed to be female based on the game’s completion time. - Which game famously includes a hidden developer’s room, a tradition that started with its series?
Answer: The Final Fantasy series. - Which game included a fictional language that players have learned to speak?
Answer: The Sims, known for its “Simlish” language. - What is the highest score possible in Pac-Man?
Answer: 3,333,360 points. - Which game used a neural network AI, making its NPCs unusually intelligent for their time?
Answer: Black & White. - Which video game holds a concert that players can attend in-game?
Answer: Fortnite, known for its live concert events. - Which famous game included a ‘Hot Coffee’ mod that caused widespread controversy?
Answer: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. - Which game initially failed commercially but became a cult classic due to its deep narrative?
Answer: EarthBound.