:List of best-selling video games
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This is a list of fifty video games that have verifiably sold the highest number of software units worldwide. The best-selling video game to date is Minecraft, a 2011 multi-platform sandbox game released by Mojang, which holds the title of becoming the first video game to sell more than 300 million copies as of October 2023.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67105983 |title=Minecraft becomes first video game to hit 300m sales |first=Tom |last=Gerkin |work=BBC |date=October 16, 2023 |access-date=March 22, 2025 |archive-date=October 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016120053/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67105983 |url-status=live }} Its closest competitor, Grand Theft Auto V, is the only other video game that has sold over both 100 and 200 million copies. The best-selling single platform game is Wii Sports, with nearly 83 million sales exclusively for the Wii console. Three of the most represented video game franchises on this list feature Pokémon, Mario, and Call of Duty.
Among these best-sellers, many of them were developed or published by Nintendo. Other publishers with multiple entries on the list include Activision (eight), Blizzard Entertainment (three), Rockstar Games, CD Projekt, Electronic Arts, and 505 Games (two each). Nintendo EAD is the developer containing the highest amount of games on the list (eight), followed by Nintendo EPD and Treyarch (four each). The oldest game on this list is The Oregon Trail, released in December 1971, while the newest is Black Myth: Wukong, released in August 2024.
As previously mentioned, Minecraft is recognized as being the best-selling video game, however, in certain instances, publications such as IGN and GameSpot often consider Tetris as the best-selling video game.{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/best-selling-video-games-of-all-time-grand-theft-auto-minecraft-tetris |title=The 10 Best-Selling Video Games of All Time |first=Jordan |last=Sirani |website=IGN |date=August 29, 2022 |access-date=April 1, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829214526/https://www.ign.com/articles/best-selling-video-games-of-all-time-grand-theft-auto-minecraft-tetris |archive-date=August 29, 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/top-10-best-selling-video-games-of-all-time/2900-4814/ |title=Top 10 Best-Selling Video Games Of All Time |first=Eddie |last=Makuch |website=GameSpot |date=July 21, 2023 |access-date=April 1, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721191340/https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/top-10-best-selling-video-games-of-all-time/2900-4814/ |archive-date=July 21, 2023}} The inconsistency originates from the differentiation between standalone game releases and the comprehensive Tetris franchise as a whole.{{cite news |url=https://onmsft.com/news/minecraft-becomes-the-first-video-game-to-sell-300-million-copies/ |title=Minecraft becomes the first video game to sell 300 million copies |first=Robert |last=Collins |work=Windows Report |date=October 16, 2023 |access-date=April 1, 2025 |archive-date=October 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016151528/https://onmsft.com/news/minecraft-becomes-the-first-video-game-to-sell-300-million-copies/ |url-status=live }} According to a statement from The Tetris Company, "Billions of Tetris games are played online each year, and over 520 million units have been sold worldwide", confirming the sales figures are indeed attributed to the franchise altogether.{{cite web |url=https://tetris.com/about-us |title=About Tetris® |website=The Tetris Company |access-date=April 1, 2025 |archive-date=March 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250327011137/https://tetris.com/about-us |url-status=dead }} Another sales issue, particularly regarding The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, claimed to have sold over 60 million copies per game director Todd Howard,{{cite web |url=https://gamingbolt.com/the-elder-scrolls-5-skyrim-has-sold-over-60-million-copies |title=The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Has Sold Over 60 Million Copies |first=Shubhankar |last=Parijat |website=GamingBolt |date=June 12, 2023 |access-date=April 2, 2025 |archive-date=June 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612134519/https://gamingbolt.com/the-elder-scrolls-5-skyrim-has-sold-over-60-million-copies |url-status=live }} can be deemed contentious due to Howard's history of making exaggerated statements about his games for marketing.{{cite mag |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/04/why-todd-howards-wikipedia-article-keeps-getting-vandalized.html |title=Dozens of Wikipedia Articles Are Being Vandalized Because of Todd Howard |first=Brian |last=Feldman |magazine=New York |date=April 27, 2018 |access-date=April 2, 2025 |archive-date=November 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113141006/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/04/why-todd-howards-wikipedia-article-keeps-getting-vandalized.html |url-status=live }}
Snake, a 1998 game released on Nokia 6110, and estimated to have shipped on over 400 million devices,{{cite web |url=https://www.pocketgamer.biz/a-brief-history-of-mobile-games-in-the-beginning-there-was-snake/ |title=A Brief History of Mobile Games: In the beginning, there was Snake |first=Chris |last=Wright |website=Pocket Gamer |date=March 14, 2016 |access-date=April 26, 2025 |archive-date=June 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240628210958/https://www.pocketgamer.biz/a-brief-history-of-mobile-games-in-the-beginning-there-was-snake/ |url-status=live }} is not classified among the best-selling video games. This is because it was pre-installed and freely accessible on Nokia mobile phones, meaning it was neither sold separately nor purchased by consumers. As a result, it does not meet the criteria for inclusion in sales-based rankings, despite its extensive distribution. Other metrics, such as "players", typically refer to the number of active users engaging with the game, rather than the actual sales. Even for non-free-to-play games, this metric reflects user activity and engagement as opposed to commercial success regarding units sold.{{cite web |url=https://www.gamekult.com/actualite/34-millions-de-pirates-pour-assassin-s-creed-iv-blag-flag-3050856813.html |title=34 millions de pirates pour Assassin's Creed IV : Black Flag |author=Kyujilo |website=Gamekult |lang= French |date=October 30, 2023 |access-date=April 26, 2025 |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030183102/https://www.gamekult.com/actualite/34-millions-de-pirates-pour-assassin-s-creed-iv-blag-flag-3050856813.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.gamereactor.eu/dead-by-daylight-hits-mega-60-million-players-milestone-1332753/ |title=Dead by Daylight hits mega 60 million players milestone |first=Ben |last=Lyons |website=Gamereactor UK |date=November 29, 2023 |access-date=April 26, 2025 |archive-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129203717/https://www.gamereactor.eu/dead-by-daylight-hits-mega-60-million-players-milestone-1332753/ |url-status=live }}
For this list, enhanced versions like Pokémon Yellow or Wii Fit Plus, along with expansion packs,{{efn|Sales of expansion packs are only included with those of the original game when they are explicitly specified in the reported totals.}} are considered iterative updates to the original games and are designed to coexist with them. Therefore, combining their sales provides a more complete impression of the game's overall growth. In contrast, remakes and remasters are standalone releases aimed at new audiences and updated to meet modern technological standards.{{cite web |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/game-remakes-vs-remasters-whats-the-difference |title=Game remakes vs remasters: what's the difference? |first=Phil |last=Hayton |website=TechRadar |date=January 24, 2020 |access-date=May 10, 2025 |archive-date=January 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125165741/https://www.techradar.com/news/game-remakes-vs-remasters-whats-the-difference |url-status=live }} Reporting their sales separately ensures an accurate representation of their performance and avoids inflating legacy figures.
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See also
- List of best-selling video game franchises
- List of best-selling game consoles
- List of best-selling video games in the United States by year
- List of highest-grossing media franchises
- List of most-played mobile games by player count
- Lists of best-selling video games by platform
- List of highest-grossing arcade games
Notes
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