List of best-selling video games
This is a list of the best-selling video games of all time. The best-selling video game to date is Tetris, a tile-matching puzzle video game originally released for the Electronika 60 in 1984 and then popularised upon its Game Boy release in 1989.[1] The game has been ported to a wide range of platforms and sold in excess of 170 million units,[2] including 100 million paid downloads on mobile phones[3] and 35 million as sales for the Game Boy version.[4] Minecraft is the only other video game to have sold over 100 million units, with 122 million units sold as of February 2017.[5] Excluding mobile sales, the best-selling video game of all time is Grand Theft Auto V with 85 million units sold,[6] while Tetris is the fourth best-selling with sales of 70 million units.[1]
Of the top 50 best-selling video games, 19 were developed or published by Nintendo, including seven of the top ten. Other publishers with multiple entries in the top 50 include Activision (seven titles, all in the Call of Duty franchise), Rockstar Games (five titles, four of which are Grand Theft Auto releases) and Electronic Arts (three games in three different series). Aside from Nintendo internal development divisions, Game Freak is the developer with the most games in the top 50, with seven titles from the Pokémon series included. The oldest game in the top 50 is Frogger, which was originally released on June 5, 1981; the newest game in the top 50 is PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, which was released in December 20, 2017.
Video games
† | Game was shipped with a console during its lifetime | # | Sales figure includes paid mobile downloads | ‡ | Sales figure includes expansion pack sales |
No. | Title | Developer(s)[a] | Publisher(s)[a] | Release date | Platform(s) | Sales | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tetris †# | Elektronorgtechnica | Spectrum HoloByte[b] | June 6, 1984 | Multi-platform | 170,000,000 | [2] |
2 | Minecraft †# | Mojang | Mojang | November 18, 2011 | Multi-platform | 122,000,000 | [5] |
3 | Grand Theft Auto V † | Rockstar North | Rockstar Games | September 17, 2013 | Multi-platform | 85,000,000 | [8] |
4 | Wii Sports † | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | November 19, 2006 | Wii | 82,830,000 | [6] |
5 | Super Mario Bros. † | Nintendo R&D4 | Nintendo | September 13, 1985 | NES | 40,240,000 | [9] |
6 | Mario Kart Wii † | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | April 10, 2008 | Wii | 37,020,000 | [6] |
7 | Wii Sports Resort † | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | June 25, 2009 | Wii | 33,060,000 | [6] |
8 | Pokémon Red and Blue | Game Freak | Nintendo | February 27, 1996 | Game Boy | 31,380,000 | [10] |
9 | New Super Mario Bros. | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | May 15, 2006 | Nintendo DS | 30,800,000 | [11] |
10 | New Super Mario Bros. Wii † | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | November 11, 2009 | Wii | 30,110,000 | [6] |
11 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Bethesda Game Studios | Bethesda Softworks | November 11, 2011 | Multi-platform | 30,000,000 | [12] |
12 | Diablo III ‡ | Blizzard Entertainment | Blizzard Entertainment | May 15, 2012 | Multi-platform | 30,000,000[c] | [13] |
13 | Duck Hunt † | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | April 21, 1984 | NES | 28,300,000 | [14] |
14 | Wii Play | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | December 2, 2006 | Wii | 28,020,000 | [6] |
15 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Rockstar North | Rockstar Games | October 26, 2004 | Multi-platform | 27,500,000 | [15] |
16 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 † | Infinity Ward Sledgehammer Games |
Activision | November 8, 2011 | Multi-platform | 26,500,000 | [16] |
17 | Call of Duty: Black Ops | Treyarch | Activision | November 9, 2010 | Multi-platform | 26,200,000 | [16] |
18 | Grand Theft Auto IV | Rockstar North | Rockstar Games | April 29, 2008 | Multi-platform | 25,000,000 | [17] |
19 | Call of Duty: Black Ops II | Treyarch | Activision | November 12, 2012 | Multi-platform | 24,200,000 | [16] |
20 | Kinect Adventures! † | Good Science Studio | Microsoft Studios | November 4, 2010 | Xbox 360 | 24,000,000 | [18] |
21 | PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds | Bluehole | Bluehole | December 20, 2017 | Microsoft Windows | 24,000,000 | [19] |
22 | Nintendogs † | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | April 21, 2005 | Nintendo DS | 23,960,000 | [11] |
23 | Mario Kart DS † | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | November 14, 2005 | Nintendo DS | 23,600,000 | [11] |
24 | Pokémon Gold and Silver | Game Freak | Nintendo | November 21, 1999 | Game Boy Color | 23,100,000 | [20] |
25 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 † | Infinity Ward | Activision | November 10, 2009 | Multi-platform | 22,700,000 | [16] |
26 | Wii Fit | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | December 1, 2007 | Wii | 22,670,000 | [6] |
27 | Wii Fit Plus | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | October 1, 2009 | Wii | 21,130,000 | [6] |
28 | Super Mario World † | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | November 21, 1990 | Super NES | 20,610,000 | [21] |
29 | Frogger | Konami | Sega | June 5, 1981 | Multi-platform | 20,000,000 | [22] |
30 | Lemmings | DMA Design | Psygnosis | February 14, 1991 | Multi-platform | 20,000,000 | [23] |
31 | Terraria # | Re-Logic | Re-Logic | May 16, 2011 | Multi-platform | 20,000,000 | [24] |
32 | Brain Age | Nintendo SPD | Nintendo | May 19, 2005 | Nintendo DS | 19,010,000 | [11] |
33 | Call of Duty: Ghosts | Infinity Ward | Activision | November 5, 2013 | Multi-platform | 19,000,000 | [25] |
34 | Super Mario Land | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | April 21, 1989 | Game Boy | 18,140,000 | [21] |
35 | Pokémon Diamond and Pearl | Game Freak | The Pokémon Company | September 28, 2006 | Nintendo DS | 17,670,000 | [11] |
36 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Rockstar North | Rockstar Games | October 27, 2002 | Multi-platform | 17,500,000 | [26] |
37 | Super Mario Bros. 3 † | Nintendo R&D4 | Nintendo | October 23, 1988 | NES | 17,280,000 | [21] |
38 | Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire | Game Freak | The Pokémon Company | November 21, 2002 | Game Boy Advance | 16,220,000 | [27] |
39 | Pokémon X and Y | Game Freak | The Pokémon Company | October 12, 2013 | Nintendo 3DS | 16,200,000 | [28] |
40 | The Sims | Maxis | Electronic Arts | January 31, 2000 | Multi-platform | 16,000,000 | [29] |
41 | Need for Speed: Most Wanted | EA Black Box | Electronic Arts | November 11, 2005 | Multi-platform | 16,000,000 | [30] |
42 | Mario Kart 7 † | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | December 1, 2011 | Nintendo 3DS | 15,950,000 | [28] |
43 | Pokémon Sun and Moon | Game Freak | The Pokémon Company | November 18, 2016 | Nintendo 3DS | 15,910,000 | [28] |
44 | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Infinity Ward | Activision | November 5, 2007 | Multi-platform | 15,700,000 | [16] |
45 | Call of Duty: World at War | Treyarch | Activision | November 11, 2008 | Multi-platform | 15,700,000 | [16] |
46 | Pokémon Black and White | Game Freak | The Pokémon Company | September 18, 2010 | Nintendo DS | 15,640,000 | [11] |
47 | Sonic the Hedgehog † | Sonic Team | Sega | June 23, 1991 | Sega Mega Drive | 15,000,000 | [31] |
48 | Red Dead Redemption | Rockstar San Diego | Rockstar Games | May 18, 2010 | Multi-platform | 15,000,000 | [32] |
49 | Battlefield 3 | EA DICE | Electronic Arts | October 25, 2011 | Multi-platform | 15,000,000 | [33] |
50 | Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec † | Polyphony Digital | Sony Computer Entertainment | April 28, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 14,890,000 | [34] |
See also
- List of video games considered the best
- Lists of best-selling video games by platform
- List of best-selling video game franchises
- List of best-selling game consoles
Notes
- ^ a b Only developers and publishers for the original release of each game are listed, except where noted otherwise.
- ^ Tetris was originally licensed and published by Spectrum HoloByte, although other publishers of early ports of the game included Mirrorsoft, Infogrames and Bullet-Proof Software. In 1996, the license to Tetris was officially transferred to The Tetris Company, which would publish later releases of the title with Bullet-Proof Software.[7]
- ^ The 30 million unit sales of Diablo III include copies of the Reaper of Souls expansion pack in addition to the base game.[13]
References
- ^ a b Sparkes, Matthew (June 6, 2014). "Tetris at 30: a history of the world's most successful game". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ a b Gera, Emily (May 21, 2014). "This is how Tetris wants you to celebrate for its 30th anniversary". Polygon. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- ^ "Tetris sells 100 million on mobile devices". GameSpot. January 21, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- ^ Wynne-Jones, Jonathan (June 6, 2009). "Computer game Tetris celebrates 25 years". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ a b Blake, Vikki (February 27, 2017). "Minecraft Has 55 Million Monthly Players, 122 Million Sales". IGN. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Sales Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units - Wii Software". Nintendo. September 30, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
- ^ "Tetris Inventor Gets His Due in Historic Russia/US Joint Venture". PR Newswire. April 25, 1996. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (November 7, 2017). "GTA5 Ships 85 Million Copies, Surpassing Wii Sports". GameSpot. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
- ^ Stuart, Keith (September 13, 2010). "Super Mario Bros: 25 Mario facts for the 25th anniversary". The Guardian. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ "'Pokken Tournament' and Pokemon's $1.5 Billion Brand". The Huffington Post. March 19, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "Sales Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units - Nintendo DS Software". Nintendo. September 30, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
- ^ Suellentrop, Chris (November 21, 2016). "'Skyrim' Creator on Why We'll Have to Wait for Another 'Elder Scrolls'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ a b Tassi, Paul (August 5, 2015). "Believe It Or Not, 'Diablo 3' Is Now The 10th Best-Selling Video Game Of All Time". Forbes. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Welch, Hanuman (April 23, 2013). "1984: Duck Hunt - The Best Selling Video Game Of Every Year Since 1977". Complex. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ "From 1997- 2013: How the Grand Theft Auto series has evolved". ITV. September 13, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "Call of Duty: A Short History". IGN. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Vincent, James (October 7, 2013). "GTA 5 has already beaten GTA 4's lifetime sales". The Independent. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Weinberger, Matt (September 9, 2015). "The downfall of Kinect: Why Microsoft gave up on its most promising product". Business Insider. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Powell, Steffan (December 12, 2017). "PubG creator says games need 'better protection' from copycat titles". BBC. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ^ Top 10 of Everything 2017. London, England: Hachette UK. October 6, 2016. p. 115. ISBN 978-0600633747. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ a b c O'Malley, James (September 11, 2015). "30 Best-Selling Super Mario Games of All Time on the Plumber's 30th Birthday". Gizmodo. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ "New Frogger game arrives on mobiles". Gamesindustry.biz. February 24, 2006.
"10 things you didn't know about Frogger". Digital Spy. June 5, 2016. - ^ Plunkett, Luke (August 12, 2011). "What do Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings Have In Common?". Kotaku. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ "Terraria Passes 20 Million Units Sold, Future Plans Teased". GameSpot. February 18, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Briers, Michael (November 19, 2015). "Where Will Activision Take the Call of Duty Franchise Next?". PlayStation LifeStyle. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ "Videos, leaks and rumours: The inside track to Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V". ITV. September 12, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Rose, Mike (October 15, 2013). "Pokemon X & Y sell 4M copies in first weekend". Gamasutra. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Sales Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units - Nintendo 3DS Software". Nintendo. September 30, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
- ^ "The Sims Franchise Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary and Continues to Break Records". Business Wire. February 7, 2005. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Totu, Florian (October 22, 2009). "100 million Need for Speed Games Have Been Sold to This Day". Softpedia. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Lee, Dave (June 23, 2011). "Twenty years of Sonic the Hedgehog". BBC. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (February 7, 2017). "Red Dead Redemption 2: Take-Two Talks Competition With GTA Online, Marketing Support, And More". GameSpot. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Oshry, Dave (June 30, 2012). "Battlefield 3 Sells 15 Million, Prompts EA to Give More Games the "Premium" Treatment". Kotaku. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ "Gran Turismo Series Software Title List". Polyphony Digital. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
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