(…and a quick thank-you from Gameflip at the end)
A decade can fly by when you’re speedrunning life. From mobile megahits to genre-bending indies, from new consoles to new ways to own digital goods, the last ten years have been ridiculously eventful for games. To celebrate Gameflip’s 10th anniversary, we hand-picked the moments that reshaped how we play, watch, buy, and talk about games.
The star of this piece is the list—big shifts, not just big releases. Let’s rewind.
1) Pocket Monsters, Pocket People: The AR Summer That Changed Streets
Pokémon GO (2016) pulled millions outside to chase critters with their phones and made augmented reality feel mainstream overnight. It wasn’t just a hit; it was a behavior change. City parks became gyms, local businesses became PokéStops, and live ops (raids, community days) proved mobile events could be appointment gaming.
Why it mattered: AR, live service events, and location-based play went from niche to “see you at 5pm.”
2) One Island to Rule Them All: The Battle Royale Boom
A crafty pivot turned Fortnite into a cultural juggernaut, while PUBG defined the grounded survival flavor. Battle royale reimagined multiplayer loops (drop → scramble → survive) and proved that free-to-play + seasonal updates could support blockbuster scale. Then came in-game concerts, cinema events, and crossovers—proof games are stages as much as software.
Why it mattered: Live service seasons became the model; games became social hubs, not just lobbies.
3) The Hybrid That Could: Nintendo Switch (and the Handheld Renaissance)
Switch (2017) made “dock or go” the default—and the handheld comeback never stopped. The Steam Deck and other PC handhelds brought your Steam library to the couch, train, or brunch line. In 2025, portable power is no longer a compromise; it’s a design target.
Why it mattered: Play-anywhere hardware changed how and where games get made—and played.
4) Xbox Game Pass & the Subscription Shift
Game Pass reframed value: a library over a cart. Day-one drops, indies next to AAA, and cross-device play cemented subscriptions as a pillar of discovery. Even if you don’t sub, the expectation of abundant access reshaped pricing, backlogs, and how studios think about launches.
Why it mattered: Access models (subs, cloud, trials) pulled more players into more games, more often.
5) Single-Player’s Big Flex: Elden, Hyrule & Baldur’s Gate
Reports of solo adventures’ demise were greatly exaggerated. Elden Ring (open-world audacity), Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (DIY physics wonderland), and Baldur’s Gate 3 (choices with teeth) showed that deep, premium RPGs can dominate the zeitgeist—all while indies like Hades, Disco Elysium, and Celeste raised the narrative and systems bar.
Why it mattered: “Games as artful epics” drove word-of-mouth as powerfully as any battle pass.
6) Cloudy with a Chance of Framerate: Streaming Finds Its Place
Cloud gaming proved both hard and helpful. Some experiments sunsetted; others quietly became features—instant play buttons, remote installs, console-to-cloud saves, and handheld streaming. The dream didn’t vanish—it just became infrastructure rather than a replacement.
Why it mattered: “Play anywhere” is now a system feature, not a moonshot press release.
7) Creator Economies & UGC Go Prime Time
Roblox, Minecraft, and powerful mod scenes taught an old truth in a new way: players are makers. Meanwhile, streaming and creator platforms turned clips, guides, and tournaments into full-time jobs. The headline of the decade: communities build worlds—and demand tools to do it.
Why it mattered: UGC + creator monetization fuels retention, discovery, and new genres (often born as mods).
8) Cross-Play, Cross-Save, Cross-Everything
Walls came down. What was once a miracle announcement became an expectation: your squad can play together across platforms, and your progress follows you. It took tech and trust—and it expanded friends lists faster than any ad campaign.
Why it mattered: The platform you bought matters less than the people you play with.
9) Accessibility Becomes Design, Not a Toggle
From system-level remapping and adaptive controllers to robust difficulty options, screen readers, subtitle standards, and colorblind modes, accessibility moved from “nice to have” to design pillar. More people can play—and enjoy—more games, period.
Why it mattered: Inclusivity isn’t a feature; it’s craftsmanship. The industry leveled up.
10) Mergers, Remakes & the Value of Preservation
Mega-acquisitions reshaped publishing. At the same time, remakes and remasters (from Resident Evil 2 to classic JRPGs and more) underscored the importance—and profitability—of game preservation. Nostalgia met new tech, bringing landmark experiences to fresh audiences with modern sensibilities.
Why it mattered: Our history is playable, and that history funds future risks.
Honorable Mentions (because we could talk about this all day)
VR’s steady climb: From early adopters to Quest-era comfort and better price-to-joy ratios.
Mobile goliaths: Genshin Impact proved cross-platform ambition and gacha-lite polish can travel the world.
Community wins: Photo modes, cozy games, and social sims became wellness rituals for millions.
In-game events: Seasonal festivals and limited-time modes turned calendars into content.
A Small Thank-You from Us
When we launched Gameflip ten years ago, our bet was simple: digital items, codes, and gaming services deserved a safe, friendly marketplace run by people who actually play. You proved that bet right—millions of transactions later, across consoles, PC, and mobile, with buyers and sellers in every time zone.
What we’re proudest of isn’t a metric—it’s the trust you place in each other and in us. Whether you’re grabbing a last-minute gift card, listing a rare skin, or booking a coaching session, you’ve turned Gameflip into a living, breathing player economy.
Here’s to the next ten. New hardware will land. Genres we can’t predict will explode. And the best part is the same as it’s always been: you—the people who make game worlds (and this one) worth logging into.
