5. Acquiring The Master Sword - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
You could argue that the image of Link finally getting his hands on the Master Sword was already an iconic image in its own right before the Ocarina of Time was released. After all it had featured heavily in the Zelda games before it (and has since too I might add). But it was in The Ocarina of Time, probably thanks to the games feverish success both critically and commercially, that the image became truly a part of modern day gaming iconography. Few video games have touched more hearts than The Ocarina of Time and for me, few gaming moments are more iconic than that of young Link both symbolically and literally leaving his childhood behind in pursuit of the greater good.