List of best-selling video games

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Video games

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* v
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This is a list of fifty video games that have globally sold the highest number of software units. The best-selling video game to date is Minecraft, a 2011 sandbox game released by Mojang for multiple platforms, eventually selling more than 300 million copies in 2023. Grand Theft Auto V is the only other video game known to have sold over 100 million and 200 million copies. The best-selling single platform game is Wii Sports, with nearly 83 million sales solely for the Wii console.

Among these best-selling video games on this list, over half of them were developed or published by Nintendo; four Nintendo titles were published with their affiliate, The Pokémon Company. Other publishers with multiple entries on the list include Activision and Rockstar Games, each with four games; Blizzard Entertainment and CD Projekt, each with two games. Nintendo EAD is the developer with the most games on the list, with thirteen games, followed by Game Freak with six[a] Pokémon games. The oldest game on this list is Duck Hunt, released in April 1984, while the most recent is Hogwarts Legacy, released in February 2023.

Overview of best-selling video games Title  | Sales  | Series  | Platform(s)  | Initial release date  | Developer(s)[b] | Publisher(s)[b] | Ref.

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Minecraft | 300,000,000  | Minecraft | Multi-platform  | November 18, 2011[c] | Mojang Studios | Mojang Studios / Xbox Game Studios | [3][4]
Grand Theft Auto V | 205,000,000  | Grand Theft Auto | Multi-platform  | September 17, 2013 | Rockstar North | Rockstar Games | [5]
Wii Sports | 82,900,000  | Wii | Wii | November 19, 2006 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [6]
PUBG: Battlegrounds | 75,000,000  | PUBG Universe | Multi-platform  | December 20, 2017 | PUBG Studios | Krafton | [7]
Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe | 72,730,000  | Mario Kart | Wii U / Switch | May 29, 2014 | Nintendo EAD / Nintendo EPD (Deluxe)  | Nintendo | [d]
Red Dead Redemption 2 | 67,000,000  | Red Dead | Multi-platform  | October 26, 2018 | Rockstar Games | Rockstar Games | [5]
Terraria | 60,700,000  | None  | Multi-platform  | May 16, 2011 | Re-Logic | Re-Logic / 505 Games | [10]
Super Mario Bros. | 58,000,000  | Super Mario | Multi-platform  | September 13, 1985 | Nintendo R&D4 | Nintendo | [e]
Overwatch | 50,000,000  | Overwatch | Multi-platform  | May 24, 2016 | Blizzard Entertainment | Blizzard Entertainment | [14]
Human: Fall Flat | None  | Multi-platform  | July 22, 2016 | No Brakes Games | Curve Digital | [15]
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | The Witcher | Multi-platform  | May 19, 2015 | CD Projekt Red | CD Projekt | [16]
Pokémon Red / Green / Blue / Yellow | 47,520,000  | Pokémon | Multi-platform  | February 27, 1996 | Game Freak | Nintendo | [f]
Animal Crossing: New Horizons | 46,450,000  | Animal Crossing | Nintendo Switch | March 20, 2020 | Nintendo EPD | Nintendo | [9]
Wii Fit / Plus | 43,800,000  | Wii | Wii  | December 1, 2007 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [g]
Tetris (Game Boy) | 40,000,000  | Tetris | Game Boy / Color | June 14, 1989 | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | [20]
Mario Kart Wii | 37,380,000  | Mario Kart | Wii  | April 10, 2008 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [6]
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | 35,140,000  | Super Smash Bros. | Nintendo Switch  | December 7, 2018 | Bandai Namco Studios / Sora Ltd. | Nintendo | [9]
Stardew Valley | 35,000,000  | None  | Multi-platform  | February 26, 2016 | ConcernedApe | Chucklefish / ConcernedApe | [21]
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | 33,990,000  | The Legend of Zelda | Wii U / Switch  | March 3, 2017 | Nintendo EPD | Nintendo | [h]
Wii Sports Resort | 33,140,000  | Wii | Wii  | June 25, 2009 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [6]
New Super Mario Bros. | 30,800,000  | Super Mario | Nintendo DS | May 15, 2006 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [23]
New Super Mario Bros. Wii | 30,320,000  | Super Mario | Wii  | November 11, 2009 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [6]
Hogwarts Legacy | 30,000,000  | Wizarding World | Multi-platform  | February 10, 2023 | Avalanche Software | Warner Bros. Games | [24]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | Call of Duty | Multi-platform  | October 25, 2019 | Infinity Ward | Activision | [25]
Diablo III | Diablo | Multi-platform  | May 16, 2012 | Blizzard Entertainment | Blizzard Entertainment | [26]
Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal | 29,490,000  | Pokémon | Game Boy Color | November 21, 1999 | Game Freak | Nintendo | [i]
Super Mario Odyssey | 28,500,000  | Super Mario | Nintendo Switch  | October 27, 2017 | Nintendo EPD | Nintendo | [9]
Duck Hunt | 28,300,000  | None  | NES  | April 21, 1984 | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | [28]
Wii Play | 28,020,000  | Wii | Wii  | December 2, 2006 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [6]
The Walking Dead | 28,000,000  | The Walking Dead | Multi-platform  | April 24, 2012 | Telltale Games | Telltale Games | [29]
Borderlands 2 | Borderlands | Multi-platform  | September 18, 2012 | Gearbox Software | 2K Games | [30]
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | 27,500,000  | Grand Theft Auto | Multi-platform  | October 26, 2004 | Rockstar North | Rockstar Games | [31]
Super Mario World | 26,662,500  | Super Mario | Multi-platform  | November 21, 1990 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [j]
New Super Mario Bros. U / Luigi U / Deluxe | 26,660,000  | Super Mario | Wii U / Switch  | November 18, 2012 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [k]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 | 26,500,000  | Call of Duty | Multi-platform  | November 8, 2011 | Infinity Ward / Sledgehammer | Activision | [34]
Pokémon Sword / Shield | 26,440,000  | Pokémon | Nintendo Switch  | November 15, 2019 | Game Freak | Nintendo / The Pokémon Company | [9]
FIFA 18 | 26,400,000  | FIFA | Multi-platform  | September 29, 2017 | EA Vancouver | EA Sports | [l]
Call of Duty: Black Ops | 26,200,000  | Call of Duty | Multi-platform  | November 9, 2010 | Treyarch | Activision | [34]
Pokémon Scarlet / Violet | 25,690,000  | Pokémon | Nintendo Switch  | November 18, 2022 | Game Freak | Nintendo / The Pokémon Company | [9]
Pokémon Sun / Moon / Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon | 25,540,000  | Pokémon | Nintendo 3DS | November 18, 2016 | Game Freak | Nintendo / The Pokémon Company | [m]
Grand Theft Auto IV | 25,000,000  | Grand Theft Auto | Multi-platform  | April 29, 2008 | Rockstar North | Rockstar Games | [38]
Cyberpunk 2077 | Cyberpunk | Multi-platform  | December 10, 2020 | CD Projekt Red | CD Projekt | [39]
Monster Hunter: World | Monster Hunter | Multi-platform  | January 18, 2018 | Capcom | Capcom | [40]
Elden Ring | None  | Multi-platform  | February 25, 2022 | FromSoftware | Bandai Namco | [41]
Pokémon Diamond / Pearl / Platinum | 24,730,000  | Pokémon | Nintendo DS  | September 28, 2006 | Game Freak | Nintendo / The Pokémon Company | [n]
Super Mario Bros. 3 | 24,430,000  | Super Mario | Multi-platform  | October 23, 1988 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [o]
Call of Duty: Black Ops II | 24,200,000  | Call of Duty | Multi-platform  | November 12, 2012 | Treyarch | Activision | [34]
Kinect Adventures! | 24,000,000  | None  | Xbox 360 | November 4, 2010 | Good Science Studio | Xbox Game Studios | [45]
Nintendogs | 23,960,000  | Nintendogs | Nintendo DS  | April 21, 2005 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [23]
Mario Kart DS | 23,600,000  | Mario Kart | Nintendo DS  | November 14, 2005 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | [23]

## See also

[edit]

* List of best-selling video game franchises
* Best-selling video games in the United States by year
* List of highest-grossing media franchises
* List of most-played mobile games by player count
* Lists of best-selling video games by platform
* List of highest-grossing arcade games

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Pokémon games are typically released in pairs, such as Pokémon Red and Blue, and may include enhanced versions, such as Pokémon Yellow. For the purposes of this list, Pokémon titles released in pairs along with their enhanced versions are counted together.
2. ^ a b Only developers and publishers for the original release of each game are listed, except where noted otherwise.
3. ^ Although Minecraft was first publicly available on May 17, 2009,[1] and the full release on November 18, 2011, the game first accepted pre-orders on June 13, 2009, so it started accumulating sales at that time.[2]
4. ^ Mario Kart 8 sold 8.46 million units[8] and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold 64.27 million units.[9]
5. ^ Super Mario Bros. sold more than 50 million units worldwide up until 1996.[11] 660,000 units were later sold on Wii Virtual Console,[12] Super Mario Bros. Deluxe version sold 5.07 million units on Game Boy Color, and Classic NES Series port sold 2.27 million units on Game Boy Advance.[13]
6. ^ Red, Green, and Blue versions sold 31.38 million units and Yellow version sold 14.64 million units on Game Boy,[17][18] and all versions sold a combined 1.5 million units on Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.[19]
7. ^ Wii Fit sold 22.67 million units and Wii Fit Plus sold 21.13 million units.[6]
8. ^ The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sold 32.29 million units on Nintendo Switch,[9] and 1.70 million units on Wii U.[22]
9. ^ Gold and Silver versions sold 23.1 million units[18] and Crystal version sold 6.39 million units on Game Boy Color.[27]
10. ^ Super Mario World sold 20.61 million units on Super Nintendo Entertainment System[32] and 362,500 units on Wii Virtual Console,[12] and Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 sold 5.69 million units on Game Boy Advance.[32]
11. ^ New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe sold 17.77 million units.[9] New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U sold 5.82 million units and 3.07 million units respectively.[33]
12. ^ FIFA 18 sold 24 million copies[35] and sold additional 2.4 million units throughout the year.[36]
13. ^ Sun and Moon sold 16.33 million units and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon sold 9.21 million units.[37]
14. ^ Diamond and Pearl versions sold 17.67 million units,[23] and Platinum version sold 7.06 million units.[42]
15. ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 sold 18 million units on Nintendo Entertainment System[43] and 1 million units on Wii Virtual Console,[12] and Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 sold 5.43 million units on Game Boy Advance.[44]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Persson, Markus (May 17, 2009). "Minecraft 0.0.11a for public consumption : The Word of Notch". Tumblr. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
2. ^ Persson, Markus (June 13, 2009). "Pre-orders are open!". The Word of Notch. Tumblr. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
3. ^ Zachary Boddy (October 15, 2023). "Minecraft crosses 300 million copies sold as it prepares to celebrate its 15th anniversary". Windows Central. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
4. ^ Parrish, Ash (October 15, 2023). "Minecraft has sold over 300 million copies". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
5. ^ a b Takahashi, Dean (November 6, 2024). "Take-Two hits targets for September quarter with $1.47B in net bookings". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
6. ^ a b c d e f "Sales Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units – Wii Software". Nintendo. March 31, 2022. Archived from the original on December 19, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
7. ^ Peters, Jay (December 9, 2021). "The original PUBG is going free-to-play". The Verge. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
8. ^ "Sales Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units – Wii U Software". Nintendo. March 31, 2022. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
9. ^ a b c d e f g h "Sales Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units". Nintendo. November 5, 2024. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
10. ^ Carter, Justin (July 12, 2024). "Re-Logic's Terraria has sold 58.7 million copies in 13 years". Game Developer. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
11. ^ "The History of Mario: A look in Mario's roots may help gamers see Nintendo's famous mascot within a bigger framework". IGN. September 30, 1996. Archived from the original on March 11, 2002. Retrieved February 22, 2021. "Nintendo's first U.S. home videogame console, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was released in 1985 with Mario starring in Super Mario Bros. The legendary title has gone on to sell more than 50 million units worldwide."
12. ^ a b c Hatfield, Daemon (February 23, 2010). "WiiWare, Virtual Console Sales Exposed". IGN. Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
13. ^ 2004 CESAゲーム白書 (2004 CESA Games White Paper). Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association. July 2004. pp. 58–63. ISBN 4-902346-04-4.
14. ^ D'Anastasio, Cecilia (April 29, 2022). "Activision's Overwatch 2 Is Redefining the Sequel". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
15. ^ "Human: Fall Flat surpassed 50 million units worldwide". PC Gamer. December 15, 2023. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
16. ^ Lane, Rick (May 29, 2023). "The Witcher 3 has sold 50 million copies". PC Gamer. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
17. ^ "'Pokken Tournament' and Pokemon's $1.5 Billion Brand". The Huffington Post. AOL. March 19, 2017. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
18. ^ a b Top 10 of Everything 2017. London, England: Hachette UK. October 6, 2016. p. 115\. ISBN 978-0-600-63374-7. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
19. ^ "Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2016". Nintendo. April 28, 2016. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
20. ^ Takahashi, Dean (June 1, 2009). "After 25 years, Tetris has sold 125 million copies". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
21. ^ SHERRY, BEN (June 21, 2024). "Eric Barone Isn't Concerned". Inc. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
22. ^ 2021CESAゲーム白書 (2021 CESA Games White Papers). Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association. 2021. ISBN 978-4-902346-43-5.
23. ^ a b c d "Sales Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units – Nintendo DS Software". Nintendo. March 31, 2022. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
24. ^ Yossman, Jennifer Maas,K J. (November 5, 2024). "'Harry Potter' 2.0: How Warner Bros. Plans to Keep the Magic Alive With a New HBO Series, Video Games and Pricey Merch". Variety. Retrieved November 5, 2024.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
25. ^ "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Sells 30 Million Copies". ComicBook.com. September 2, 2020. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
26. ^ Sarker, Samit (August 4, 2015). "Diablo 3 lifetime sales top 30 million units". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
27. ^ "Pokemon Ultra Sun And Ultra Moon Have Outsold Crystal And Emerald". NintendoSoup. February 1, 2018. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
28. ^ Welch, Hanuman (April 23, 2013). "1984: Duck Hunt – The Best Selling Video Game Of Every Year Since 1977". Complex. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
29. ^ Kim, Matt (December 13, 2019). "Telltale Games' Shut Down and 'Revival,' Explained". IGN. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
30. ^ "Q3 2024 Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Earnings Conference Call Investor Presentation - February 2024". Take 2 Games. February 8, 2024. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
31. ^ "From 1997–2013: How the Grand Theft Auto series has evolved". ITV. September 13, 2013. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
32. ^ a b O'Malley, James (September 11, 2015). "30 Best-Selling Super Mario Games of All Time on the Plumber's 30th Birthday". Gizmodo. Univision Communications. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
33. ^ "Top Selling Software Sales Units – Nintendo Wii U Software". Nintendo. September 30, 2022. Archived from the original on October 28, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
34. ^ a b c "Call of Duty: A Short History". IGN. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
35. ^ Vincent, James (September 5, 2018). "FIFA 18 sells over 24 million copies". Gamesindustry.biz. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
36. ^ Sharma, Karan (February 26, 2019). "FIFA 19 sales saw a down fall because of FIFA 18, says EA sports". Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
37. ^ "Sales Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units – Nintendo 3DS Software". Nintendo. September 30, 2023. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
38. ^ Vincent, James (October 7, 2013). "GTA 5 has already beaten GTA 4's lifetime sales". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
39. ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (October 5, 2023). "Cyberpunk 2077 Surpasses 25 Million Units Sold, Outpacing The Witcher 3". IGN. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
40. ^ Ngan, Liv (March 12, 2024). "Monster Hunter: World reaches 25m sales worldwide". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
41. ^ Romano, Sal (June 12, 2024). "Elden Ring shipments and digital sales top 25 million". GEMATSU. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
42. ^ "Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2010" (PDF). Nintendo. May 7, 2010. p. 10\. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
43. ^ Gilbert, Henry (October 23, 2013). "25 things we still love about Super Mario Bros. 3 25 years later". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on January 28, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
44. ^ Santabarbara, Seb (March 29, 2022). "10 Best Selling GBA Games Of All Time". Retro Dodo. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
45. ^ Weinberger, Matt (September 9, 2015). "The downfall of Kinect: Why Microsoft gave up on its most promising product". Business Insider. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.

* v
* t
* e

Best-selling video game hardware and software

General|

* Video games
* United States by year
* Video game franchises
* longest-running
* Eastern RPGs
* Console hardware
* by region
* Highest-grossing arcade games
* Most-played mobile games

Best-selling video games
by platform|

| Microsoft|

* Xbox
* Xbox 360
* Xbox One

|

Nintendo|

* NES
* Super NES
* Nintendo 64
* GameCube
* Wii
* Wii U
* Nintendo Switch
* Game Boy
* Game Boy Advance
* Nintendo DS
* Nintendo 3DS

Sony|

* PlayStation
* PlayStation 2
* PlayStation 3
* PlayStation 4
* PlayStation 5
* PlayStation Portable

Other|

* Atari 2600
* PC
* Sega Dreamcast
* Sega Genesis/Mega Drive

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