These video games have bought just a few copies…
With the rise in reputation and prominence of free-to-play video games like Fortnite, CS: GO, PUBG, and others, video games are reaching astounding participant counts and tallying big quantities of play time. However by way of gross sales numbers for paid video games, what are the best-selling video games of all time? Right here on this gallery we’re operating by the highest 10 best-selling video games of all time primarily based on the newest publicly accessible information.
This record doesn’t embrace free-to-play video games, which is why you will not see juggernauts like Fortnite, Rocket League, Dota 2, and CS: GO on the record, amongst others. These video games have little question reached many, many extra folks and are most likely greatest in contrast towards different free-to-play video games.
The record does, nonetheless, embrace gross sales of pack-in video games for {hardware} bundles–and that is a crucial distinction. For instance, Wii Sports activities bought about 83 million copies thanks partly to it being bundled with the Wii. The unique Tremendous Mario Bros. was a pack-in sport as effectively for the NES.
With these caveats out of the best way, let’s dive into the Prime 10 best-selling video games ever. We’re betting you may most likely guess just a few of those!
We are going to proceed to replace this record over time as GTA 5 inevitably continues to promote increasingly copies.
[Updated February 3 with a new sales numbes for GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption II]
10: Tremendous Mario Bros. — 50 million (pack-in gross sales included)
The unique Tremendous Mario Bros. for NES, launched in 1985, is the primary sport on this record with a reported 50 million copies bought. This was not Mario’s first look in a online game, however Tremendous Mario Bros. stays beloved and its big success helped propel the Mario franchise ahead. The degrees, the music, the enemies–it’s all iconic. Quite a few Mario video games would observe, the newest of which is Tremendous Mario Bros. Marvel, which releases in October 2023 for Nintendo Change.
9. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — 60 million
CD Projekt Crimson’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt grew the franchise to new heights, with the newest launch promoting 60 million copies throughout all platforms. Launched in 2015, The Witcher 3 was successful proper out of the gate and has continued to develop and develop and develop. The sport is usually discounted to low, low costs, however that does not take something away from the very fact it put up gigantic gross sales figures. One thing else that helped Witcher 3 gross sales was the debut of the Netflix TV collection.
After The Witcher on Netflix premiered in 2020, Witcher 3 gross sales rose by 500%. CD Projekt Crimson launched Cyberpunk 2077 subsequent, and whereas it acquired off to a poor begin by way of participant reception, issues have since rotated and the sport is doing nice. The Witcher 4 is the subsequent sport in the principle Witcher collection, and it is in growth now utilizing Unreal Engine 5.
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — 60 million
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was launched again in 2011. It was a really profitable launch from Bethesda Recreation Studios at launch, and it has continued to promote effectively within the years that adopted. In truth, the sport’s ubiquity has grow to be a meme. It has been ported to just about each platform you may consider, and sport director Todd Howard has defined why. “If you would like us to cease releasing it, cease shopping for it,” Howard joked in 2018. In an interview in 2023, Howard revealed that the sport had reached 60 million copies bought, making it one of many prime 10 best-selling video games ever. Subsequent up for Howard and Bethesda is one thing new–the RPG Starfield. However after that, Howard and the staff will make The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5.
7. PUBG — 75 million
PUBG: Battlegrounds, or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds because it was initially identified, is now a free-to-play sport. However earlier than the change in enterprise mannequin, the sport tallied a powerful 75 million copies bought throughout PC and console. The sport, which relies on an Arma mod, was launched in 2017 and stays one of many main battle royale video games available on the market. It is now additionally accessible with a devoted model for cell units. At one level, there have been plans to create a PUBG linked universe that will increase far and extensive into the horror area with the sport The Callisto Protocol, however these plans had been scaled again.
6. Mario Kart 8 + Deluxe — 78.02 million (pack-in gross sales included)
The Mario Kart collection is likely one of the largest and best-known in all of gaming, and Mario Kart 8 is the best-selling of all of them. The sport initially launched on Wii U, the place it bought 8.46 million copies (a considerable quantity, contemplating the Wii U itself solely bought 13.5 million items). However the sport actually acquired a jolt in gross sales when it got here to Change through Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. On Change, the sport has bought an astounding 69.56 million copies to deliver its whole to 78.02 million. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is featured in Nintendo’s annual Black Friday bundle, so after all its gross sales figures are boosted by being a pack-in title. Nintendo has expanded upon Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with dozens of DLC tracks that gamers should buy through the Booster Move. Mario Kart World is the most recent entry within the collection, and it is already bought 9.57 million copies.
5. Crimson Lifeless Redemption II — 82 million
Rockstar has two video games contained in the record of the highest 10 best-selling video games of all time, and the primary is the 2018 western Crimson Lifeless Redemption II, with 82 million copies bought. A prequel to 2010’s Crimson Lifeless Redemption that followers waited practically a decade for, Crimson Lifeless Redemption II goes again in time and explains among the occasions main as much as Crimson Lifeless Redemption. The sport is ready in a sprawling open world within the 1899 American West. The sport’s on-line mode, Crimson Lifeless On-line, did not take off in the best way that GTA On-line did, however the sport general nonetheless managed to place up huge numbers
4. Wii Sports activities — 82.9 million
The unique Wii Sports activities was a pack-in sport for the Nintendo Wii, and as such, it bought plenty of copies. Certainly, its pack-in standing helped it promote greater than it’d in any other case have. What number of copies did it promote? 82.9 million by Nintendo’s newest rely. The sport was many individuals’s first introduction to the Wii’s revolutionary movement controls. It actually did really feel unbelievable to swing the Wii Distant and see that swing translated on display for a tennis shot or whipping a bowling ball down the alley. A sequel, Wii Sports activities Resort, was launched in 2009 with extra video games like frisbee and basketball. A successor adopted for the Nintendo Change within the type of the very creatively named Nintendo Change Sports activities.
3. GTA 5 — 225 million
It was solely a matter of time earlier than Grand Theft Auto V confirmed up on this record. Rockstar’s celebrated open-world motion sport was launched all the best way again in 2013 however has been promoting thousands and thousands of copies each few months, bringing its whole to 225 million+ and counting. The sport initially launched on Xbox 360 and PS3 earlier than coming to Xbox One, PS4, and PC, after which later with up to date graphics and options to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Sequence X|S. Past gross sales alone, the sport brings in cash from its uber-popular GTA On-line multiplayer mode. And 195 million would not even rely all of the individuals who might need performed GTA 5 when it was accessible on Xbox Recreation Move. By way of {dollars}, it’s the most profitable leisure product of all time. Unsurprisingly, Rockstar is now creating a brand new GTA sport. GTA 6 is in growth and can launch in November 2026.
2. Minecraft — 300 million
After all Minecraft is on this record. It is the No. 2 best-selling sport of all time. As of 2023, the sport had bought greater than 300 million copies, in accordance with franchise proprietor Microsoft. In accordance with the corporate, a duplicate of the sport has been bought in nearly each nation and territory on the planet, and that features Antarctica and Vatican Metropolis. The sport was created by Markus “Notch” Persson, who would go on to promote the sport and his stake in developer Mojang to Microsoft in 2014 for $2.5 billion. Microsoft has by no means launched a Minecraft 2, however has expanded the collection within the type of different video games like Minecraft Dungeons and Minecraft Legends. A movie starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Kate McKinnon, and Jennifer Coolidge is now within the works.
1. Tetris — 520 million (pack-in gross sales included)
In accordance with the official Tetris web site, the long-lasting puzzle sport has exceeded 520 million in gross sales over its lifetime, with “billions” of periods performed on-line yearly. The 520 million absolutely consists of mixed gross sales of the numerous totally different variations of the 12 months launched through the years.
The sport is a cultural phenomenon, as just about anybody of a sure age would know what you are speaking about while you point out Tetris. It is also grow to be widespread parlance, of types, as folks may typically seek advice from “taking part in Tetris” when loading up a automobile with many objects which may appear tough to suit. The sport was created by Alexey Pajitnov, an engineer from Soviet Russia. It wasn’t till sport designer and entrepreneur Henk Rogers found the sport at a Las Vegas tradeshow in 1988 that the sport actually picked up steam, although. Rogers acquired the rights from Pajitnov and licensed the sport to Nintendo, which launched the sport as a pack-in for the Nintendo Recreation Boy. This led to 35 million copies being bought for Recreation Boy alone, and the sport has remained well-liked ever since, having been launched on just about each platform below the solar. A film concerning the origins of Tetris starring Taron Egerton was launched in 2023.
