THE BEST-SELLING VIDEO GAMES OF ALL TIME
The video game industry has grown dramatically over the past few decades and now generates hundreds of billions of dollars each and every year. A big part of this success can be attributed to the vast and varied selection of games that are on offer these days, although some of these titles are responsible for a lot more revenue than others.
The Best-Selling Video Game Franchises of All Time
The best-selling video game franchises have sold hundreds of millions of copies over the years; generating billions of dollars in the process.
The most successful video games have sold tens of millions of copies, with a select few even breaking through the 100 million-unit mark. Their impressive longevity and enduring appeal have helped them to remain relevant across multiple console generations, cementing their place among the best-selling video games of all time in the process.
Human: Fall Flat
50,000,000+ Lifetime Sales (as of December 2023)
Physics-based games were all the rage in the mid-2010s, though none were quite as successful as Human: Fall Flat. The popular puzzle platformer has been released across multiple platforms and offers one of the best co-op experiences on the market when it comes to wild and chaotic gameplay. It's managed over fifty million sales since its 2016 release, with a sequel being announced in 2023.
Human Fall Flat
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
50,000,000+ Lifetime Sales (as of May 2023)
Many consider The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to be the best multiplatform game released on eighth-generation consoles, and for very good reason. It's one of the most immersive open-world games ever made, with stunning settings and a vast and varied cast of well-written characters for players to interact with. The current-gen version is even better, offering more vibrant visuals and higher-resolution textures.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Super Mario Bros.
58,000,000+ Lifetime Sales (as of February 2010)
Super Mario Bros. helped to save the home console market following the great video game crash of 1983. The series would go on to sell hundreds of millions of copies, with various spin-off games and series introduced in the following decades. The NES release shipped more than 50 million units before handheld and virtual ports helped to further bolster the game's impressive sales total.
Super Mario Bros.
Red Dead Redemption 2
63,000,000+ Lifetime Sales (as of May 2024)
Grand Theft Auto quite rightly takes most of the plaudits, but Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption games are incredibly impressive nonetheless. More than half a decade on from its original release, Red Dead Redemption 2 remains one of the most immersive and well-written video games ever made, which has resulted in more than 60 million lifetime sales.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Mario Kart 8
70,430,000+ Lifetime Sales (as of March 2024)
When it comes to spin-off games and series, they really don't come much bigger than Mario Kart. The first of Mario's many side projects is bigger than most mainline franchises, as evidenced by the impressive sales figures of Mario Kart 8. It's worth noting that the Wii U version does account for some of the 70 million+ units shipped, though, even without these sales, the Switch port sits comfortably in the top ten best-sellers.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
PUBG: Battlegrounds
75,000,000+ Lifetime Sales (as of December 2021)
Together with the likes of Fortnite and H1Z1, PUBG: Battlegrounds played a pivotal role in the popularization of the battle royale genre. It was developed by Brendan "PlayerUnknown" Greene, a well-respected member of the Arma 2 modding scene. The game has racked up over 75 million lifetime sales since its release in late 2017, inspiring countless other battle royale games in the process.
PUBG: Battlegrounds
Wii Sports
82,900,000+ Lifetime Sales (as of March 2024)
The success of Wii Sports is made all the more impressive by the fact that the game is only available on one platform. Granted, it was bundled with the Wii in many regions, but a lot of the people who bought the console were doing so specifically for this popular fitness game. Its 82 million lifetime sales make it the best-selling video game on a single platform, not to mention one of the best system sellers ever made.
Wii Sports
Tetris
100,000,000+ Lifetime Sales (as of January 2010)
It could perhaps be argued that Tetris is technically the best-selling video game of all time, given how similar some of the many different versions of the title are. However, when it comes to sales of just a single version of Tetris, EA's mobile release leads the way with over 100 million paid downloads between its release in mid-2008 and the game being delisted from digital storefronts some twelve years later.
Tetris (Electronic Arts)
Grand Theft Auto V
200,000,000+ Lifetime Sales (as of May 2024)
Given that it's been released across three different console generations, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to learn that Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the best-selling video games of all time. In fact, with over 200 million lifetime sales, it's sold more copies than every other mainline GTA game combined, such is the enduring quality of Rockstar's 2013 title.
Grand Theft Auto 5
Minecraft
300,000,000+ Lifetime Sales (as of October 2023)
Not all of Microsoft's big acquisitions have paid off, but the $2.5 billion that the tech giant paid for Mojang seems like something of a bargain given the monumental success of Minecraft. The game has now sold more than 300 million units, with around a quarter of a billion of those sales coming in the decade or so since the Mojang deal was initially struck.
Minecraft