Media

19 Best-Selling Video Games of All Time

Aaron Webber

Published: July 29, 2024 8:30 am

24/7 Insights

• Video games have become the largest media industry in the world, with many games on this list having the largest media launch in history.
• Sales for the best-selling video games regularly reach the hundreds of millions of copies.
• 24/7 is the best place to keep up with industry trends and consumer products. To get started in your financial journey, download our free report on the two stocks we recommend every investor buy and hold forever.

Video games are a mainstay of today’s culture and among the most influential media people engage with on a daily basis. But of all the games that have ever launched, which ones have been the most successful and why? How does one measure the best-selling of anything?

For this list, we decided to compare the total sales numbers of games, regardless of when the game was released or how much that game made. Sales, special editions, re-releases, and inflation tend to make total revenue an unreliable metric to measure video games.

Here are the 19 best-selling video games of all time.

Why Are We Talking About This?

There is money to be made in video games. As the criticism of the lack of creativity in AAA game development grows and the success of indie games increases, more people are entering the game development market, and many of them are basing their ideas on the success of previous giants. Understanding those games, and successful trends, can make or break a young or small company.

#19 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• Copies sold: 34,220,000
• Release year: 2018
• Developer: Bandai Namco, Sora Ltd.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the fifth game in the Super Smash Bros. series, and obviously the most successful. It continues the style and basic gameplay of previous games, adding new characters to a total of 89 fighters, new arenas, game modes, and other features. It is the best-selling fighting game of all time, and the third-best selling game on the Nintendo Switch.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sold more than three million copies in just 11 days in the United States.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate won ten Game of the Year awards when it was released and has consistently been called one of the best videogames of all time. That should show you the quality of the games (for the most part) of the games still to come on this list.

#18 Mario Kart Wii

• Copies sold: 37,380,000
• Release year: 2008
• Developer: Nintendo

Mario Kart Wii was the sixth game in the Mario Kart series and combined the success of previous games with the wide adoption and success of the Nintendo Wii. The inclusion of a Wii Wheel with every copy of the game made it much easier to customers to buy and play the game.

Mario Kart Wii continued the design philosophy of Nintendo of keeping the game accessible to new players while still being challenging to long-time fans. While some Nintendo fans criticized the graphics and simple gameplay that helped losing players catch up to other racers, these features were a draw to millions of new gamers who helped make this game a best-seller.

#17 Pac-Man

• Copies sold: 43,000,000
• Release year: 1980
• Developer: Namco

Yes, the original Pac-Man! This hallmark of the early days of videogames was developed with the intention to appeal to women and men, since most games at the time included themes of war and violence. Its original name was Puck Man before being changed for North America, and was exclusive to arcade machines.

Pac-Man remains one of the highest-grossing games of all time and became a cultural icon around the world, becoming the official mascot of Bandai Namco. Pac-Man has been adapted and included in merchandise, television shows, books, music, movies, and everything in-between. There have been dozens of sequels and games based on Pac-Man since its release, but none have matched the success of the original.

#16 Wii Fit

• Copies sold: 43,800,000
• Release year: 2007
• Developer: Nintendo

If you ever visited someone’s home and the they have a Nintendo Wii with only one game, chances were that game was Wii Fit. You’re not alone.

Wii Fit included strength training, aerobics, yoga, and balance games and was included in programs for health clubs, physiotherapy rehabilitation, and in nursing homes. The sales for Wii Fit also includes Wii Fit Plus, which was released two years later and included additional games, features, and activities, but both versions were best-selling games in their own right.

The only criticism levelled at the game is that it wasn’t a great resource for serious atheletes, or those who wanted a more intense workout. Though, Nintendo has never positioned itself as an intense or difficult maker of games, instead making their games accessible and fun to all, so it seems this is exactly what they wanted to achieve.

#15 Animal Crossings: New Horizons

• Copies sold:  45,360,000
• Release date: 2020
• Developer: Nintendo

Animal Crossings: New Horizons is the fifth game in the Animal Crossings franchise and involves customizing and developing a community of characters as they complete tasks to pay back a loan from one of the main characters.

In keeping with Nintendo tradition, the game has in-depth gameplay with being simple enough to appeal to new adopters. The Nintendo developers on the game used a philosophy of “trigger of play” and “imagination gap”. The “trigger of play” concept meant keeping the game simple enough to pick up immediately and play effectively, while the “imagination gap” meant keeping the art style simple and clean enough for players to enjoy the game while imagining what the rest of the world looked like.

When Animal Crossings: New Horizons launched, it broke the record for selling the most digital copies in the first month. It is the best-selling game in Japan. It won several Game of the Year awards around the world and was nominated for many more.

#14 Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow

• Copies sold: 47,520,000
• Release date: 1996
• Developer: Game Freak

Pokémon Red/Blue were the first games in the Pokémon video game series and they took the world by storm when it launched on the Game Boy. There was a separate Green version available in Japan at release, but it was incorporated into Red/Blue for later worldwide release. The reason for the multiple versions of the game was that different Pokémon were available on different versions, and if players wanted to collect all 151 Pokémon and complete their Pokédex they had to connect their game with a player that had a different version and trade Pokémon.

Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow began the Pokémon craze that overtook the world, spawning multiple sequels, games, characters, tv shows, and other media. It is often included on lists of the best videogames of all time and revolutionized the RPG game industry.

#13 Tetris (Game Boy Version)

• Copies sold: 48,000,000
• Release date: 1989
• Developer: Nintendo

This version of Tetris also took advantage of the popularity and wide adoption of the Game Boy. It is a direct port of the original Tetris created by Alexey Pajitnov in 1985. It came bundled with the Game Boy, helping increase its sales numbers and was the first version of Tetris to be capable of multiplayer games.

Tetris is the app that is credited with raising the Game Boy to global success. Pajitnov even called this version of Tetris his favorite and said it was very close to his original creation.

#12 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

• Copies sold: 50,000,000
• Release date: 2015
• Developer: CD Projekt Red

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the third game in the Witcher video game series based on the Witcher books written by Andrzej Sapkowski that is heavily influenced by Slavic mythology and includes many Slavic themes and characters. While the game had a rocky launch and lackluster reviews in the beginning, after updates and content fixes, it quickly soared up the sales charts. It won more than 200 Game of the Year awards ever since its release.

The President and Prime Minister of Poland both visited the CD Projekt Red location to celebrate the launch of the game. It received widespread critical praise for its immersion and narrative depiction of a fantasy, medieval world. Much of its success stems from the developers of the game being open about listening to customer and talking about what they wanted to see in a game. It was the success of this game that convinced Netflix to create The Witcher series for television.

#11 Human: Fall Flat

• Copies sold: 50,000,000
• Release date: 2016
• Developer: No Brakes Games

Human: Fall Flat is one of the best examples that critical reviews don’t hold a candle to the impact of streaming success on website like Twitch. Even through the game received mixed reviews at launch, the ridiculous gameplay and the popularity of its streams online meant millions of people, mostly young gamers, bought the game to take part in the craze.

Human: Fall Flat was the last-ditch attempt of Tomas Sakalauskas who was struggling to earn enough money to develop mobile games and did not want to create freemium games for ethical reasons (good for him!), so he developed Human: Fall Flat for PC.

Its popularity took off before it was even launched when it was released on itch.io as a prototype and popular online streamers found it and promoted it. Because it was so popular to watch online, it really gained popularity during the COVID-19 Pandemic as people were stuck at home and found it fun to watch.

#10 Overwatch

• Copies sold: 50,000,000
• Release date: 2016
• Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch took smaller gaming trends at the time and blew them up to whole new levels. This included transmedia storytelling employed by games like League of Legends and Team Fortress 2 which told the stories and background of characters through short films, comics, and other media. There is a world and history to the game, along with deep character development, but none of this is included or important in the game itself, which is a raw PvP game. It also helped supercharge the esports industry, creating the annual Overwatch World Cup and many gaming leagues.

The success of Overwatch has only been hindered by the toxicity of its player base, prevents newer players from playing or enjoying the game, the questionable management of the game by Blizzard, and a quick release of a disappointing sequel.

#9 Super Mario Bros.

• Copies sold: 58,000,000
• Release date: 1985
• Developer: Nintendo

If there’s one game you’d expect to be on this list, of course the original Super Mario Bros. would have to be it. This is the first console Mario Bros. game and the successor of the game originally released on arcade machines, it is the first of the entire Super Mario Bros. game series.

Many publications and critics call Super Mario Bros. the greatest game of all time and one of the most important in all of video game history. It has been re-released numerous times and is credited with saving the whole industry after the 1983 video game crash. It’s soundtrack, themes, and gameplay have become iconic around the world, beloved by even those who have never played a Super Mario Bros. game.

Super Mario Bros. is the game that put Nintendo at the top of the console charts and was a critical and commercial success form the first day of launch until today. In fact, in 1990, more children were familiar with Mario than with Mickey Mouse.

#8 Terraria

• Copies sold: 58,700,000
• Release date: 2011
• Developer: Re-Logic

Terraria might be one of the more surprising inclusions on this list, and probably the most unknown to casual readers and gamers. Terraria is famous for its massive, procedurally-generated 2D world in which players can craft, build, paint, and otherwise engage in almost limitless activities and items. Gameplay is similar to Minecraft in that players must craft items to survive and further explore the world. A sequel for the game was announced in 2023.

The apparently simple design and introduction of the game conceals a massively deep game full of complex mechanics and a large, living world to explore.

#7 Red Dead Redemption 2

• Copies sold: 63,000,000
• Release date: 2018
• Developer: Rockstar Games

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the long-awaited and highly anticipated prequel to Red Dead Redemption that was released in 2010. If you are looking for a game that makes you wish you were a cowboy and sends you to bed with dreams of riding a horse in the wild west, this is it!

It took more than eight years to develop Red Dead Redemption 2 and it is one of the most expensive video games ever created, and that budget is definitely reflected in the quality of its open world, character, design, story, and pretty much everything else about the game.

It was released to critical and widespread public acclaim, breaking many existing videogame sales records and setting the record for the second-biggest launch in all of entertainment history. It has won more than 175 Game of the Year awards and many other awards and nominations. It remains one of the highest-rated games on every platform.

Its story, writing, open-world, and atmosphere have been repeated hailed as the best in video game history. It’s multiplayer component was popular but Rockstar stopped producing content for it in 2022, choosing instead to focus on content for their cash cow, Grand Theft Auto V Online.

#6 Mario Kart 8

• Copies sold: 70,430,000
• Release date: 2014
• Developer: Nintendo

Nintendo continues to dominate the list with the second entry in the Mario Kart series. As with previous entries in the series, Mario Kart 8 made small changes to the Mario Kart formula, adding new tracks, characters and mechanics while keeping the base game largely unchanged. Fans a critics loved the game in spite of small issues and mechanics. It won awards for bing the Best Family game, Best Game, Best Sports/Racing Game, and many more, along with several nominations in other categories.

Mario Kart 8 continues to be lauded as one of the best in the entire series to this day. Online support for multiplayer races was finally discontinued in April of 2024.

#5 PUBG: Battlegrounds

• Copies sold: 75,000,000
• Release date: 2017
• Developer: PUBG Studios

If you’re sick of seeing, playing, or hearing about battle royal games, you can thank PUBG: Battlegrounds (previously known as Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds and colloquially called just PUBG) for that.

The original version of PUBG was a series of mods for the game ARMA 2 by the same creator who developed the well-known DayZ mod for the same game. The mods were based on the Japanese film Battle Royale. The game and its mods were available in early release for years while Player Unknown worked on the game.

Its innovative gameplay and design at the time drew millions of players long before it was officially released, and it set the framework of future battle royale games for years. This framework included three distinct phases of sub-games: the freefall mechanic at the beginning during which players must coordinate a landing site with their teammates, the looting and equipment stage during which players much explore and scour the area for equipment, weapons and vehicles that will help them survive the battle, and the and ensuing combat that leads to only one person or team standing at the end.

Many games have since copies or cloned PUBG entirely, including the popular Fortnite.

#4 Wii Sports

• Copies sold: 82,900,000
• Release date: 2006
• Developer: Nintendo

Wii Sports was initially bundled with every copy of the Nintendo Wii, except in Japan, and was later released on its own, which probably added significantly to its sales figures. It is essentially a tech demo of the Wii technology with five sports simulation games designed to showcase the motion-sensing technology of the Wii console: tennis, bowling, golf, boxing, and tennis. If you’ve ever seen a video online of older people destroying their television by hurling their Wii remote at it, this is the game they were playing.

Wii Sports is the best-selling Nintendo game and the best-selling game that was available on only one console. While it earned generally favorable reviews form critics, it gained popularity and success due to its easy gameplay and accessibility, innovative motion controls, and the ability to bring gamers and non-gamers together.

Wii Sports has been credited with attracting more elderly, female, and casual gamers to console gaming, and helping with bonding between family members.

#3 Tetris (2006 mobile version)

• Copies sold: 100,000,000
• Release date: 2006
• Developer: EA Mobile

The only mobile game to make our list, Tetris for mobile devices was developed by Electronic Arts and is the best-selling mobile game of all time. The number of copies sold includes only paid versions of the game, and not the version that was available for free, showing the strength of the brand Tetris among older gamers.

Even though it received lukewarm reviews from critics due to its cumbersome controls and missing features, it still retained the core Tetris gameplay mechanics. Support for the game ended in 2020, making it unplayable.

#2 Grand Theft Auto V

• Copies sold: 200,000,000
• Release date: 2013
• Developer: Rockstar North

Despite its name, Grand Theft Auto V is the seventh main game in the (in)famous Grand Theft Auto series, and the fifteenth game in the series overall. Given the popularity of the game, the success of its predecessor and the size of its fanbase, it was almost inevitable that Grand Theft Auto V would break records when it released.

When it was finally released, it became the fastest-selling entertainment launch in history, making $800 million in just one day, and $1 billion in three days after launch.

Much of the long-term success of Grand Theft Auto V is due to the popularity of Grand Theft Auto Online, in which 30 players can play simultaneously, roaming the world freely or taking part in missions together, creating and growing their in-game company and criminal organization. The online portion of the game was widely popular on streaming platforms and video websites due to the hilarious and entertaining antics that players can engage in with friends.

The next installment of the Grand Theft Auto series is due to be released in 2025. Which means we might have to update this list soon.

#1 Minecraft

• Copies sold: 300,000,000
• Release date: 2011
• Developer: Mojang Studios

We finally reach the champion of videogames and the bane of many parents around the world. There is almost no device in the world that doesn’t have a Minecraft version playable. Launching over a decade ago, Minecraft still boasts more than 140 million active players.

What can be said about Minecraft that readers don’t already know about it? Even those who have never played it are probably fairly familiar with the game. Its ease of access, simple graphics, deep gameplay (you can create simple homes or functioning computers), modability, and fun multiplayer interactions have made this game a favorite of gamers young and old.

The game has been used to teach chemistry, computer science and has spawned other games, television series, and even an upcoming live-action film. It is no overstatement to say that Minecraft has become a bedrock (pun intended) cultural icon of the modern era.

Other videogames and media have referenced Minecraft and capitalized on its success, including dozens of clones and similar games that have tried to replicate the game and steal a piece of the Minecraft pie. Online streamers have made millions on streaming Minecraft alone.

Continuous content updates have kept the game alive and will probably continue to do so for many years.