All companies fight every year to be on the list of the best-selling video games in history . However, few are the lucky ones who manage to sneak into the top 10 most successful. The ranking may surprise more than one, but the truth is that they have all meant a change in the industry, marking a before and after in the world of video games.
It is also remarkable that, of the 10, 6 are from Nintendo. A milestone for the Japanese company that continues to reap absolute success.
- It may interest you: The 10 best PS2 games that we will always remember.
The 10 best-selling video games in the world
We bring you the top 10 games that have been the most successful in sales in history . A set of titles that have become industry myths.
10. New Super Mario Bros (2006)
We start the list of best-selling video games with the reboot of one of the classics. New Super Mario Bros was released in 2006 for Nintendo DS and was a hit for fans of the most famous plumber of all time. With nearly 31 million copies, New Super Mario Bros became the best-selling game for the Nintendo DS. A success that helped sell the revisions that Nintendo published of its portable console.
The combination between 2D and 3D modeling of the characters applied to the classic Super Mario scheme, made it a game that was highly applauded by critics and fans. The implementation of new power ups gave a new layer to one of the great classics of history. A formula that Nintendo later used on the Wii, which ended up selling slightly less than the DS version, ranking 11th.
9. Pokemon Red and Blue (1996)
The beginning of a reign that continues to sell to millions. Pokemon Red and Blue was the first release of the saga and managed to sell just over 31 millionOf units. It was the first time we saw the amazing and fabulous world of Pokemon. It was published for Game Boy and his gameplay and personality dazzled half the world, who fell in love with his creatures. In addition, it incorporated a precarious multiplayer function with which you could share pokemons and compete with your friends.
You can’t explain the phenomenon of Pokemon Go without talking about Red and Blue. Hand in hand with Nintendo, Game Freak created a world without equal in which we could live our adventure and create very strong ties between us and our pokemons. Its success still resonates now and if the list were longer, we would see more editions of the saga in it .
Pokemon Red and Blue were a gigantic change for the world of video games and have not stopped influencing new releases.
8. Wii Sports Resort (2009)
This is the first appearance on the Wii list, but we can already tell you that it is not the only one. It is the console with the most exclusives on the list and it is not for less, and it is that Nintendo marked, in 2006, a master move with its launch . He achieved what many had tried, bringing a console to every home.
Its gameplay based on movements made it very special. People who had never played video games or who did very little, had a very easy entrance door to assume.
Without going any further, the console managed to sell more than 100 million units. Everyone could play the Wii and, therefore, their video games were a bestseller. Wii Sports Resort is the sequel to Wii Sports—which we will talk about later— and managed to sell just over 33 million units. The title introduced 15 new sports and, above all, WiiMotion Plus, an improvement in the sensitivity and handling of the controller. With this new system, the movements were more fluid and had better precision.
7. Mario Kart Wii (2008)
The Mario Kart saga has always been synonymous with fun and success in equal parts , but with the Wii version, Nintendo broke with the established. The racing video game sold just over 37 million copies and became the best-selling video game of its kind in history. If before we said that Wii made video games accessible to everyone, Mario Kart Wii did the same with driving games.
Thanks to the controller’s motion sensor, the player could use it like a steering wheel and turn their vehicle while turning the controller. The sensation of immersion that this mechanic achieved together with the extraordinary capacity for fun of the saga turned the game into an explosive cocktail with absolute success. An experience that was multiplied with the split-screen multiplayer.
6. Super Mario Bros (1985)
We continue with the presence of the little plumber on the list with which he was the origin of all his fame: Super Mario Bros. Published in 1985 for the mythical NES, the title broke with all established schemes. The adventure of Mario and Luigi created the concept of a platform video gameand catapulted Shigeru Miyamoto to the Olympus of the industry. Referent and myth in equal parts, Super Mario Bros managed to sell just over 40 million units.
For 20 years, the video game led all sales rankings, something not easy at all. Mario and Nintendo became an icon in the world of video games and began the reign of a mushroom empire that is still in force today. For many, it was the first game they played and, without a doubt, marked a whole generation of players who still follow in the footsteps of the famous plumber.
5. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (2017)
If we talk about revolution in video games, we cannot ignore the phenomenon of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. It is the most modern in the ranking and was published in 2017, managing to sell 50 million copies. It can practically be said that it defined the Battle Royal genre and its appearance was tremendously explosive.
Its competitive game system fell in love with all the fans and the player community grew very quickly. Shortly after its launch, it broke several records for simultaneous players and monthly average number of participants.
Although now Fortnite is the most popular, the truth is that PUBG paved the way for Battle Royals. Many point out that if they had not crossed paths, PUBG would have ended up leading the list of the best sellers in history. Its realism and large-scale competitive gameplay have catapulted it to resounding success, and its community remains tremendously large.
4. Wii Sports (2006)
Wii Sports marked an era . It came from the hand of Wii and managed to sell more than 82 million units. The truth is that this information is somewhat tricky, since the video game was sold in a pack with the Wii and was the perfect gateway to the new Nintendo console. However, it became an absolute success. The mechanics of the controls with the motion sensors fit like a glove to all the sports they proposed.
His goal was simple, bring the whole family together playing sports on a console. Its accessibility and its playability achieved it and it became a phenomenon. Exciting tennis or golf tournaments were held in millions of homes around the world, on a par with major sporting events.
His arcade way of understanding sports also made it easy for everyone to feel capable of competing in a sport that they had never practiced before. A new show of force from Nintendo that he left everyone speechless.
3. Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
We reach the podium and we find, possibly, one of the best games of all time: Grand Theft Auto V . Rockstar’s work was published last 2013 and, since then, it has been on all the best-selling game lists, managing to perpetuate the pace of sales despite experiencing the change in console generation. The new installment of Grand Theft Auto has managed to sell 95 million copies.
Its main mode, the single player story, is delightful. Following the bases of violence and realism of the saga, Rockstar recounts the lives of three characters in a masterful way. An open world in which the gameplay is tremendously great.
But the success of GTA V is not just history, its online mode has caused a real furor and its community is huge. The constant updates and the wealth of things to do playing with friends have ensured that the success of the video game is maintained over time.
2. Minecraft (2009)
Things start to get serious with Minecraft. Mojang’s work was one of the most spectacular phenomena of recent times in the world of video games. The premise is simple: a living, open world made of blocks where the player is free to do and undo as he pleases. Publicly, the first version was published in 2009 and, since then, it has sold 154 million units worldwide.
Its great freedom and the extraordinary emerging gameplay that surprises at all times have led it to be the second best-selling video game in history. Millions of players have spent many hours building their houses, collecting resources and fighting nocturnal creatures.
One of the keys to the game’s success has been the freedom to implement mods.that can completely change the gameplay and make it a new title. A free world full of infinite possibilities.
1. Tetris (1984)
And we come to the best-selling video game in history, a classic among classics: Tetris. We cannot understand the history of video games without talking about the revolution that Tetris brought us from Russia. Released in 1984, in the Soviet Union, Tetris became popular for its addictive gameplay and mechanics . His music, tremendously characteristic, is still very present.
The famous puzzle challenge has been released for various platforms over the decades and has managed to sell a whopping 170 million units worldwide. They say that the classics never die and this is a very clear example.Tetris has been adapting to all platforms , but on mobile phones it has taken the last leap. It even looks like it’s designed to be played on the phone. A brutal success that will take time to disappear.
- You can also read: The 10 types of video games and their characteristics.
Bibliography
TASSI, P. At 90 Million Copies Sold, ‘GTA 5’ Further Cements Its Inexplicable, Legendary Status. Forbes. February 8, 2018.
THOMAS, B. Top 10 Best-Selling Video Games Of All Time. Exp GG. June 25, 2018.
ESCALONA, L. Top 10 Best-Selling Video Games Of All Time. GadgetMatch. April 29, 2018.
GILBERT, B. One of the best-selling games of 2018 is nearly five years old. Business Insider. August 7, 2018. You will
find all the news and releases about the video games of the moment at this link.
