Zelda, WoW and GTA VI: Why the games are still fascinating

Zelda, WoW and GTA VI Why three gaming legends still fascinate As of: October 30, 2026 • 7:27 p.m

Zelda, World of Warcraft and Grand Theft Auto: November offers gamers three newly released video game classics. Why do decades-old game series still generate such enthusiasm?

First save the kingdom of Hyrule, then travel through Azeroth with friends and cause a little chaos in Vice City in between: If you like gaming, you need one thing above all in November - time. Within just two weeks, three of the biggest names in gaming history are returning: The remake of “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” and “World of Warcraft: Forever” will be released on November 5th, followed by “Grand Theft Auto VI” on November 19th.

But why do three game series that have existed for decades still generate so much enthusiasm?

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is still considered one of the best video games of all time almost 30 years after its release. The 1998 fantasy adventure about the hero Link shaped three-dimensional game worlds and, with 99 out of 100 points, still leads the Metacritic rating platform's best list to this day.

"World of Warcraft", or WoW for short, made playing together on the Internet a mass phenomenon from 2004 onwards. At its peak, the online role-playing game had more than twelve million subscriptions. WoW could consume entire nights and the fantasy world of Azeroth became a second home for some, with regular dates and friendships.

Jason Duval, one of the main characters from the video game series "Grand Theft Auto"""

“Grand Theft Auto”, or GTA for short, has long been more than just a successful game series. His freely exploreable cities are snappy caricatures of American society, complete with radio stations with real pop songs and absurd moderations. The series has caused controversy for decades because of its depictions of violence. Fans have been waiting for the next part for 13 years. After several postponements, the release of "GTA VI" itself has become an Internet meme: unlikely things that happened before the game was released.

Three different success stories that have one thing in common: their game worlds have become part of the biography of millions of people. Anyone who wanders through a familiar virtual world years later not only discovers old venues, but also a piece of their own past. Sometimes just a melody is enough to feel like you did back in front of the console.

A study from 2025 with 417 gamers suggests that such memories are also worth something economically: For certain games, positive memories can increase the willingness to buy new editions. The nostalgic bond can be particularly strong with games from your own youth.

Unlike films or books, in video games people create their own adventures. Especially in open game worlds, they decide where they go and what they experience. Not only do characters and stories remain in your memory, but they also become personal experiences. And even between releases, fans keep their game worlds alive: they work on their own expansions, discuss details of the game's story or turn scenes into Internet memes.

But the gamers who spent all nights in Azeroth back then may now have jobs, families and less free time. According to the industry association "game", 41.2 million people in Germany play video games; on average they are 38.3 years old. The young people who played games in the 2000s have long since grown up - and are still playing today.

This means that the demands on the hobby have changed: What used to fill entire nights now has to fit into an evening after work. And the games have adapted accordingly. Many processes in World of Warcraft have become faster and more convenient over the years. For some challenges you no longer need a fixed group; fellow players are automatically brought together. This meant that collaboration in some areas of the game was no longer necessary.

With “World of Warcraft: Forever,” developer Blizzard now wants to focus more on shared adventures again. The new version takes up the original game world and expands it with new content. It remains to be seen whether the former sense of community can be brought back.

The video game “World of Warcraft: Forever” expands the original game world with new content.

What for fans is a return to their own past, for the games industry it is a business with familiar brands. In Germany alone, around 9.4 billion euros were generated in 2025 with video games, hardware and online services. Large game productions sometimes cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Well-known names bring an existing audience and attention long before a new game is released.

The classic “Zelda” shows that well-known brands do not necessarily stand for stagnation. With "Breath of the Wild" in 2017, Nintendo changed the game principles of the series so fundamentally that the series also inspired people who did not grow up with the games of the 1990s - more than 34 million copies were sold.

The three November releases now show different strategies: Nintendo is reissuing a classic with “Ocarina of Time”. Blizzard is again taking up earlier game principles with “Forever”. And Rockstar is developing an independent sequel with GTA VI. According to the manufacturer, its predecessor GTA V had more than 230 million copies delivered and sold digitally.

Nevertheless, the question arises as to how much room there is for new ideas when the big names get so much attention. Independent studios continue to provide new impetus with unusual concepts. The established ranks, on the other hand, have to keep old fans and at the same time win a new generation.

Saving Hyrule, exploring Azeroth, exploring Vice City: the possibilities in November are enormous, but many fans' free time is likely to be limited. Perhaps that is the biggest challenge for the return of the three legends: Can they generate the same enthusiasm again when the everyday life of the people in front of the screens has long since changed? In any case, it shouldn't fail due to the anticipation of their fans.

This topic in the program: SWR | SWR culture in the evening | Oct 27, 2026 | 6:30 p.m