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List of best-selling video games

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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 Wii Sports with 82.83 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, 20 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 games in the top 50 are Nintendo 3DS titles Pokémon Sun and Moon, which released on November 18, 2016.

Video games[]

Key
dagger Game was shipped with a console during its lifetime # Sales include paid mobile downloads double-dagger Sales figure includes expansion pack sales
List of best-selling video games on all platforms
No. Title Developer(s)[lower-alpha 1] Publisher(s)[lower-alpha 1] Release date Platform(s) Sales Ref.
1 Tetris dagger# Elektronorgtechnica Spectrum HoloByte[lower-alpha 2] June 6, 1984 Multi-platform 170,000,000 [2]
2 Minecraft dagger# Mojang Mojang November 18, 2011 Multi-platform 122,000,000 [5]
3 Wii Sports dagger Nintendo EAD Nintendo November 19, 2006 Wii 82,830,000 [6]
4 Grand Theft Auto V dagger Rockstar North Rockstar Games September 17, 2013 Multi-platform 80,000,000 [8]
5 Super Mario Bros. dagger Nintendo R&D4 Nintendo September 13, 1985 NES 40,240,000 [9]
6 Mario Kart Wii dagger Nintendo EAD Nintendo April 10, 2008 Wii 37,020,000 [6]
7 Wii Sports Resort dagger Nintendo EAD Nintendo June 25, 2009 Wii 33,060,000 [6]
8 Pokémon Red, Green 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 dagger 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 double-dagger Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment May 15, 2012 Multi-platform 30,000,000[lower-alpha 3] [13]
13 Duck Hunt dagger 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 dagger 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! dagger Good Science Studio Microsoft Studios November 4, 2010 Xbox 360 24,000,000 [18]
21 Nintendogs dagger Nintendo EAD Nintendo April 21, 2005 Nintendo DS 23,960,000 [11]
22 Mario Kart DS dagger Nintendo EAD Nintendo November 14, 2005 Nintendo DS 23,600,000 [11]
23 Pokémon Gold and Silver Game Freak Nintendo November 21, 1999 Game Boy Color 23,100,000 [19]
24 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 dagger Infinity Ward Activision November 10, 2009 Multi-platform 22,700,000 [16]
25 Wii Fit Nintendo EAD Nintendo December 1, 2007 Wii 22,670,000 [6]
26 Wii Fit Plus Nintendo EAD Nintendo October 1, 2009 Wii 21,130,000 [6]
27 Super Mario World dagger Nintendo EAD Nintendo November 21, 1990 Super NES 20,610,000 [20]
28 Frogger Konami Sega June 5, 1981 Multi-platform 20,000,000 [21]
29 Lemmings DMA Design Psygnosis February 14, 1991 Multi-platform 20,000,000 [22]
30 Terraria # Re-Logic Re-Logic May 16, 2011 Multi-platform 20,000,000 [23]
31 Brain Age Nintendo SPD Nintendo May 19, 2005 Nintendo DS 19,010,000 [11]
32 Call of Duty: Ghosts Infinity Ward Activision November 5, 2013 Multi-platform 19,000,000 [24]
33 Super Mario Land Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo April 21, 1989 Game Boy 18,140,000 [20]
34 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Bluehole Bluehole March 23, 2017 (Early access) Microsoft Windows 18,000,000 [25]
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 dagger Nintendo R&D4 Nintendo October 23, 1988 NES 17,280,000 [20]
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 dagger 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 dagger 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 dagger Polyphony Digital Sony Computer Entertainment April 28, 2001 PlayStation 2 14,890,000 [34]

See also[]

Footnotes[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Only developers and publishers for the original release of each game are listed, except where noted otherwise.
  2. ↑ 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 Blue Planet Software.[7]
  3. ↑ 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[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sparkes, Matthew (June 6, 2014). "Tetris at 30: a history of the world's most successful game". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved April 26, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gera, Emily (May 21, 2014). "This is how Tetris wants you to celebrate for its 30th anniversary". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved August 23, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  3. ↑ "Tetris sells 100 million on mobile devices". GameSpot (CBS Interactive). January 21, 2010. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tetris-sells-100-million-on-mobile-devices/1100-6246722/. Retrieved August 23, 2017. 
  4. ↑ Wynne-Jones, Jonathan (June 6, 2009). "Computer game Tetris celebrates 25 years". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/5460283/Computer-game-Tetris-celebrates-25-years.html. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Blake, Vikki (February 27, 2017). "Minecraft Has 55 Million Monthly Players, 122 Million Sales". IGN (Ziff Davis). http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/02/27/minecraft-has-55-million-monthly-players-122-million-sales. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 "Sales Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units - Wii Software". Nintendo. September 30, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  7. ↑ "Tetris Inventor Gets His Due in Historic Russia/US Joint Venture". PR Newswire (Cision Inc.). April 25, 1996. http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/tetris-inventor-gets-his-due-in-historic-russiaus-joint-venture-156207735.html. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  8. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (May 23, 2017). "GTA 5 continues to do the business for Take-Two with 80 million shipped". VG247. http://www.vg247.com/2017/05/23/gta-5-continues-to-do-the-business-for-take-two-with-80-million-shipped/. Retrieved May 23, 2017. 
  9. ↑ Stuart, Keith (September 13, 2010). "Super Mario Bros: 25 Mario facts for the 25th anniversary". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved April 26, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  10. ↑ "'Pokken Tournament' and Pokemon's $1.5 Billion Brand". The Huffington Post (AOL). March 19, 2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gobankingrates/pokken-tournament-and-pok_b_9501260.html. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 "Sales Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units - Nintendo DS Software". Nintendo. September 30, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  12. ↑ Suellentrop, Chris (November 21, 2016). "'Skyrim' Creator on Why We'll Have to Wait for Another 'Elder Scrolls'". Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/skyrim-creator-todd-howard-talks-switch-vr-and-elder-scrolls-wait-w451796. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Tassi, Paul (August 5, 2015). "Believe It Or Not, 'Diablo 3' Is Now The 10th Best-Selling Video Game Of All Time". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2015/08/05/believe-it-or-not-diablo-3-is-now-the-10th-best-selling-video-game-of-all-time/. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  14. ↑ Welch, Hanuman (April 23, 2013). "1984: Duck Hunt - The Best Selling Video Game Of Every Year Since 1977". Complex. Verizon Hearst Media Partners. Retrieved April 26, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  15. ↑ "From 1997- 2013: How the Grand Theft Auto series has evolved". ITV. September 13, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 "Call of Duty: A Short History". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 26, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  17. ↑ Vincent, James (October 7, 2013). "GTA 5 has already beaten GTA 4's lifetime sales". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/gta-5-has-already-beaten-gta-4s-lifetime-sales-8863784.html. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  18. ↑ Weinberger, Matt (September 9, 2015). "The downfall of Kinect: Why Microsoft gave up on its most promising product". Business Insider. Retrieved April 26, 2017. Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  19. ↑ Top 10 of Everything 2017. London, England: Hachette UK. October 6, 2016. p. 115. ISBN 978-0600633747. https://books.google.com/books?id=Vu-pCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT115&lpg=PT115#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 O'Malley, James (September 11, 2015). "30 Best-Selling Super Mario Games of All Time on the Plumber's 30th Birthday". Gizmodo. Univision Communications. Retrieved April 26, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  21. ↑ "New Frogger game arrives on mobiles". Gamesindustry.biz. Eurogamer. February 24, 2006.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
    "10 things you didn't know about Frogger". Digital Spy. June 5, 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  22. ↑ Plunkett, Luke (August 12, 2011). "What do Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings Have In Common?". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved April 26, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  23. ↑ "Terraria Passes 20 Million Units Sold, Future Plans Teased". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. February 18, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  24. ↑ Briers, Michael (November 19, 2015). "Where Will Activision Take the Call of Duty Franchise Next?". PlayStation LifeStyle. CraveOnline. Retrieved April 26, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  25. ↑ Wood, Austin (October 31, 2017). "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Has Sold 18 Million Copies". IGN. Retrieved October 31, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  26. ↑ "Videos, leaks and rumours: The inside track to Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V". ITV. September 12, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  27. ↑ Rose, Mike (October 15, 2013). "Pokemon X & Y sell 4M copies in first weekend". Gamasutra (UBM TechWeb). http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/202366/Pokemon_X__Y_sell_4M_copies_in_first_weekend.php. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 "Sales Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units - Nintendo 3DS Software". Nintendo. September 30, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  29. ↑ "The Sims Franchise Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary and Continues to Break Records". Business Wire. February 7, 2005. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20050207005389/en/Sims-Franchise-Celebrates-Anniversary-Continues-Break-Records. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  30. ↑ Totu, Florian (October 22, 2009). "100 million Need for Speed Games Have Been Sold to This Day". Softpedia (SoftNews). http://news.softpedia.com/news/100-million-Need-for-Speed-Games-Have-Been-Sold-to-This-Day-125015.shtml. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  31. ↑ Lee, Dave (June 23, 2011). "Twenty years of Sonic the Hedgehog". BBC News (BBC). http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13874266. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  32. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (February 7, 2017). "Red Dead Redemption 2: Take-Two Talks Competition With GTA Online, Marketing Support, And More". GameSpot (CBS Interactive). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/red-dead-redemption-2-take-two-talks-competition-w/1100-6447645/. Retrieved April 26, 2017. 
  33. ↑ Oshry, Dave (June 30, 2012). "Battlefield 3 Sells 15 Million, Prompts EA to Give More Games the "Premium" Treatment". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved April 26, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  34. ↑ "Gran Turismo Series Software Title List". Polyphony Digital. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2017. Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
Best-selling video game hardware and software
General Video games (player count • mobile player count) • Video game franchises (highest-grossing • longest-running • Japanese RPGs) • Console hardware (by region) • Arcade 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 and Game Boy Color • Game Boy Advance • Nintendo DS and DSi • Nintendo 3DS and New 3DS
Sony PlayStation • PlayStation 2 • PlayStation 3 • PlayStation 4 • PSP
Other Atari 2600 • PC • Sega Genesis/Mega Drive
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