Best-Selling Video Games: The numbers and sales of the video game sector do not stop growing, it is a constant growth that allows it to sneak in as one of the companies that earn the most money proportionally, more than cinema, literature, and music combined.
With this iron health, we want to bring you the spectacular stratospheric numbers that the best-selling games in history have, if you want to know what they are and the ranking of copies sold, this list will make it clear to you.
The best-selling video games in history have many things in common, apart from the fact that you have probably played more than one, and that is that due to the time of release, in addition to word of mouth, they have caused them to have an almost constant flow of sales for many years. more years than usual.
What are the best-selling video games?
We cannot deny the data that says that in the world we are more and more fans of this form of culture and entertainment and that is why there are sales that endorse the change in trend.
As we already said, it is not by chance that you will find video games that you have ever seen, the best-selling games in history have passed through many houses and, even in a glancing way, your hands will have touched the console or PC where a member of the list below.
Most of the video games that you are going to see here exceed the incredible number of 30 million copies sold throughout the globe. Curiosities such as that the oldest game on the top is Pac-Man, dating from 1980.
We must say that our sources for this ranking are the video game developers and distributors themselves. Companies like Mojang Studios, Rockstar Games, Namco, and Nintendo.
The best-selling games in history form a list with different genres that integrate different styles and formats. From recent titles to timeless classics that have marked generations over time.
Also Read: 10 Best Games In History
The 10 best-selling games in history
These games that you will find here are the 10 best sellers in history according to the various official sources and market audits that have bothered to collect and prepare the list.
Many copies were distributed and sold with three video games that exceed the spectacular figure of 100 million. The audience reached by video games that have grown unstoppable is truly crazy
In fact, the pandemic has been one more push for the video game sector as it is one of the few beneficiaries with higher consumption in terms of sales on these dates. The turnover of the sector increased by 2.75% in 2021 compared to the previous year.
It seems that the video game industry has no ceiling and every year more video games are sold. As important data before moving on to the list of best-selling games in history say that Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V are still selling at a good pace and increasing today
Minecraft
Minecraft is the best-selling game in history with 350 million copies sold since its launch in 2011. With a simple graphic style, thousands of communities have been created around it that interact with each other.
The creator of the video game is Mojang Studios and it is a multiplatform title which means that its sales can be exponential.
Grand Theft Auto V
The second in the ranking is the already legendary GTA V (Grand Theft Auto 5) with 215 million games sold so far in 2022.
In this case, the installment comes from Rockstar Games and it has always been a successful franchise. With the latter, he has already had three generations of consoles with us and has been at the top of the best-selling game lists for years.
Tetris
In the position that closes the top 3, we find Tetris, a long-lived game since it came out in 1984 and its sales figure reaches around 100 million. The quintessential puzzle game and a true symbol that has a multitude of adaptations.
A classic present in several generations of players who remember having played at least once. We must indicate that this sales record corresponds to the developer EA in its exclusive game for mobile phones, which also happens to be the best-selling game in history on mobile phones.
Wii sports
This video game had a key factor in favor, it went along with the console, therefore Wii Sports reaches 82.9 million in its sales figures thanks to the fact that the Wii was a revolution.
Guaranteed fun with its virtual recreation of sports such as tennis, boxing, golf, and bowling. Wii Sports is Nintendo’s only exclusive game and its release date was in 2006.
An easy and fun way to do sports in a different way and with several players that were very successful. A formula that is kept alive in the current generation thanks to Switch Sports for Nintendo Switch.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)
The game that revolutionized competitive gaming and laid the foundations of what we know as Battle Royale, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds occupies the top best-selling video game in history with 75 million units.
His departure back in 2016 was the stone for, a short time later, Fortnite to destroy everything. PUGB is the video game that started the Battle Royal fever that currently populates the competitive eSports scene in the world.
Super Mario Bros
The classic Nintendo platformer Super Mario Bros. ranks sixth with 58 million copies sold. Released in 1985, this Mario title is one of the best-known video games in the world and that makes us understand that it is one of the best-selling games in history.
It’s really hard to find people who haven’t tried one of its levels. A timeless classic of the video game industry with a world-renowned protagonist.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe enters the top ten with more than 55 million games sold. This achievement is partly helped by having been released on two consoles, Wii U and Nintendo Switch.
The video game launched on the world market in 2014 for Wii U and in 2017 for Switch has managed to be a benchmark for fun with its crazy races and this installment of the saga has managed to reach more players than ever.
Everyone already knows what it’s like to despair when slipping on a banana or receiving a shell impact just before entering the finish line.
Pokemon: first generation
Pokémon arrived and swept global sales of 47 million copies sold. Released in 1996, Pokémon was divided into four different cartridges that were almost the same game.
Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow sold enough copies to be number seven in the ranking of the best-selling games in history.
Then several games within the franchise have come and they have continued to sell a lot, but never as much as these first ones that established collective madness in the players. The latest installments are Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Scarlet and Purple, both for Switch.
Red dead redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a Western-themed action-adventure video game in an open-world environment with a third-person perspective.
RDR 2 has slipped into the top 10 of the best sellers in history this year 2022 thanks to its 45 million units sold at the end of the year. And it is not for less, because it is among the best PlayStation 4 games and among the best titles in history.
Since 2018 and after going through Xbox, and PS4 and coming out on PC in 2019, follow the story of Arthur Morgan in this great Rockstar game that also sneaks into the top positions of our ranking of the best video game stories.
Terraria
Terraria has been the last game to join the top 10 best-selling games in history after selling more than 44 million copies worldwide. This game is one of the spiritual successors of Minecraft, so they have a lot in common.
In Terraria you will find action, adventure, and an open world with a randomly generated 8-bit aesthetic. It is undoubtedly an essential title available for multiple platforms from which other games like Stardew Valley drink.
Frequently asked questions about the best-selling video games in history
What has been the best-selling game in history?
Right now there is no doubt with the numbers in hand, the best-selling game in history is Minecraft with 350 million video games distributed.
What will be the next best-selling games?
Fortunately or unfortunately, some of the titles that we see in the top positions will soon see how they are outsold by recent video games that are managing to surpass all records.
We are talking about games like Animal Crossing New Horizons with 41 million or The Witcher 3 with 40 million. We will be very attentive to their sales to update the list when one of them manages to be in the top ten.