Today, in this article, we are going to discuss the top 10 best-selling video games of all time.
The idea that video games were only created for children or “nerds” was long-held. However, it is unquestionably not the case today. The culture of video games has become widespread. In fact, the global popularity of e-sports has surpassed that of the majority of “real-life” sports and is increasing at an astonishingly fast rate. The video game industry has grown to be a multi-billion dollar industry, which needs no further explanation. The market is among the most fiercely competitive ones out there.
Only three video games in history have sold more than 100 million copies of a single game, despite the fact that hundreds of millions of video games are distributed annually. The Top 10 video games that have ever sold the most copies worldwide are listed here along with the titles that came in first place.
The following ranking shows the top 10 best-selling video games of all time. You can also read about the top 10 best video games of all time.
The Top 10 Best-Selling Video Games of All Time
1. Grand Theft Auto V
Created by: Rockstar North (owned by Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.)
Released: 2013
Genre: Open-world Action-Adventure
Platform: Multi-platform
A total of 170 million copies sold.
The second-most-sold video game of all time is Grand Theft Auto V. It also joins Tetris and Minecraft as the only video games to have sold more than 100 million copies globally, with a total of almost 170 million copies sold. The Grand Theft Auto series, which includes GTA V, is one of the most well-known and successful video game franchises in history. American video game studio Rockstar Games created GTA V in 2013.
Even though Rockstar, which is owned by gaming behemoth Take-Two Interactive, is now recognized for other enormously famous titles, the GTA franchise continues to be practically synonymous with the firm. In the open-world action-adventure game GTA V, players can choose from three different characters, each of whom has a separate backstory and set of skills.
2. Minecraft
Created by: Mojang Studios (owned by Microsoft Corporation)
Released: 2011
Genre: Sandbox Survival
Platform: Multi-platform
A total of 240 million copies sold.
The single most popular video game in history is called Minecraft.
Minecraft demonstrated that a video game’s popularity is not primarily determined by its graphics at a time when the majority of video games try to offer their users realistic, high-end graphics. Since its debut in 2011, the sandbox survival game has sold almost 240 million copies worldwide despite its almost laughably archaic, basic graphics. The little Swedish video game studio Mojang Studios, which was just established in 2009 and is currently owned by Microsoft, created the game.
Another feature that sets Minecraft apart from other video games is its lack of a clear objective. There aren’t any levels to finish or records to break. Simply said, players create their own environment while dodging or eliminating a variety of enemies. Both single-player and multiplayer modes of the cross-platform game are available.
3. Tetris
Created by: Alexey Pajitnov (person)
Released: 1984
Genre: Puzzle
Platform: Multi-platform
A total of 150 million copies sold.
Tetris has only recently been eclipsed by Minecraft as the third most popular video game in history. Alexey Pajitnov, a Russian software programmer, developed the game in 1984. The Soviet Union’s Academy of Sciences, which was still in existence at the time, was the employer of the creator. His initial assignment was to create a program that would enable the Academy’s Computing Center to test recently created hardware. In other words, Tetris wasn’t always intended to be a game, but rather a way to evaluate software.
However, Pajitnov soon discovered that his coworkers really liked his program. The program was then turned into a game called “Tetris” (a portmanteau of the geometric shape tetromino and the game of tennis), with the support of his peers and the approval of his superiors.
Therefore, the state-owned Soviet (and later Russian) corporation Elektronorgtechnica released the game all over the world. Since then, 150 million copies of the easy-to-play but incredibly addictive game have been sold. Today, the Tetris Company, a Hawaii-based business that Pajitnov co-owns, manages the game’s licenses.
4. Wii Sports
Created by: Nintendo
Released: 2006
Genre: Sports
Platform: Nintendo Wii
A total of 83 million copies sold.
Nintendo, a Japanese video game juggernaut, dominated the industry in the 1980s and 1990s. But at the beginning of the twenty-first century, competition was escalating, particularly from Sony and Microsoft. Nintendo yearned for a fresh, cutting-edge game idea. And as usual, the business was able to accomplish that. The Nintendo Wii, a new video game console from Nintendo, was unveiled in 2006. The Wii can be controlled by player movement thanks to a sensor built into the console’s controller that recognizes three-dimensional movements.
Wii Sports was the first game released for the Wii machine, thus it is not unexpected that 83 million copies of the game were sold globally. The Wii console’s games, including Wii Sports, immediately became well-known throughout the world for being well-liked party games for players of all ages. The game was and still is only playable on a Wii console, like all Wii games.
5. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
Created by: PUGB Studios (owned by Krafton Inc.)
Released: 2017
Genre: Battle Royale
Platform: Multi-platform
A total of 70 million copies sold.
The fifth and final game in the Top 10 best-selling video games of all time is PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. The game, which was only released in 2017, has already amassed sales of almost 70 million copies worldwide. The South Korean video game studio PUBG, which is a subsidiary of the same South Korean video game company Bluehole, designed and developed the game with a battle royale theme. Only multiplayer mode is available for the cross-platform game.
A typical battle royale scenario pits players from across the globe against one another in an open world that is shrinking over time until there is nowhere to hide. The victor is the final survivor standing.
6. Super Mario Bros.
Created by: Nintendo
Released: 1985
Genre: Platform Game
Platform: Various Nintendo consoles
A total of 58 million copies sold.
Nintendo created and released the platform game Super Mario Bros. in 1985. At the time of its debut, it was the most popular video game ever made for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Around 58 million copies have now been sold worldwide. The game also introduced the world to (Super) Mario, an Italian plumber who went on to become one of the most well-known and recognizable video game characters of all time. After the introduction of Super Mario Bros., one of the most popular video game series ever was born. The best-selling title in the franchise, however, continues to be the initial release from the beginning.
The plot centers on Mario’s struggle to save Princess Peach from King Koopa’s turtle army, which had kidnapped her. As Mario explores the Mushroom Kingdom, players take control of him as he battles foes and collects power-ups that open up new worlds. Running, jumping on enemies’ heads, picking up objects to use as weapons or missiles, smashing blocks with your feet or jumping off them, and collecting money were just a few of the novel ideas that the game introduced at the time.
7. Mario Kart 8
Created by: Nintendo
Released: 2014
Genre: Racing
Platform: Wii U & Nintendo Switch
A total of 55 million copies sold.
The eighth Mario Kart game in the Mario Kart series was initially released in 2014 for the Wii U gaming system by Nintendo. The game is not just the most popular in the Mario Kart series and among the best-selling video games overall, but it is also the most popular and most-played racing game in history, with sales of about 55 million copies worldwide. The eighth Mario Kart game in the Mario Kart series was initially released in 2014 for the Wii U gaming system by Nintendo. The game is not just the most popular in the Mario Kart series and among the best-selling video games overall, but it is also the most popular and most-played racing game in history, with sales of about 55 million copies worldwide.
16 new tracks, 16 returning tracks, 6 new characters, 12 characters from prior games, and 4 new vehicles are all included in Mario Kart 8. Of course, the game also includes some of the most recognizable things from the series, including red shells, banana peels, and blue shells.
8. Pokemon Red/Blue
Created by: Game Freak Co., Ltd.
Released: 1996
Genre: Role-Playing Game (RPG)
Platform: Nintendo Game Boy
A total of 48 million copies sold.
For Nintendo’s portable Game Boy device, the first Pokemon games were initially published in Japan in 1996. Originally known as “Pocket Monsters,” it later went by the name Pokemon. Three versions of the game (Red, Blue, and Green) were produced by the Japanese video game developer Game Freak. The Red and Blue versions of the game were eventually joined by a Yellow version for release in 1998 in other countries.
The original Pokemon is still the most popular and well-known role-playing game (RPG) in video game history, with sales of over 48 million copies. To put it briefly, players must capture and train 151 Pokemon in order to achieve the title of “Pokemon trainer” supreme.
9. Red Dead Redemption II
Created by: Rockstar Games (owned by Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.)
Released: 2018
Genre: Open-world Action-Adventure
Platform: Multi-platform
A total of 45 million copies sold.
Red Dead Redemption II is the second installment of the action-adventure Red Dead game series. Having sold around 45 million copies worldwide, the game now also takes its rightful place in the Top 10 of the best-selling video games of all time. Developed by Rockstar Studios, Red Dead Redemption II is characteristically set in a large open-world environment, much like the video game studio’s even more successful franchise GTA.
In Red Dead Redemption II, the plot centers on Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang who attempts to flee from the police when a robbery goes horribly wrong. The year of the game is 1899, and the American Southwest is where most of the gameplay takes place. The gameplay of Red Dead Redemption 2 enables players to engage with characters and delve into narrative elements. The user can also engage in other activities like fishing and hunting, playing poker, and interacting with arbitrary NPCs that live in the open world’s villages and campsites.
10. Terraria
Released: 2011
Genre: Sandbox Action-Adventure
Platform: Multi-platform
Created by: Andrew Spinks (person) / Re-Logic
A total of 44 million copies sold.
In the sandbox action-adventure game Terraria, players can explore and take advantage of a dynamic, randomly created world. American software developer Andrew Spinks created the game, and his private company “Re-Logic” is the publisher. In 2011, it was originally made available on the Windows platform, and it was afterward made available on all other significant gaming consoles.
Minecraft, another sandbox game that was published the same year as Terrara, is frequently contrasted with it. Terraria, while not quite as well-known as Minecraft, has now sold almost 44 million copies worldwide and is now included in the Top 10 of all-time best-selling video games.
