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List of best-selling video games

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Summary

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This is a list of the best-selling video games worldwide, ranked up to 50th place by reported software unit sales. The game considered to be the best-selling video game to date is contested among reliable sources. Sources are split as to whether the title should belong to Tetris, a 1988 multi-platform puzzle video game created by Alexey Pajitnov, or to Minecraft, a 2011 multi-platform sandbox game created by Markus Persson and developed by Mojang Studios. Sources such as Forbes, Encyclopædia Britannica, and IGN consider Tetris to be the best-selling video game by combining the sales of all of its different versions, totaling 520 million as of 2025. Other sources, however, such as the BBC, Guinness World Records, and GamesRadar, consider the best-selling video game to be Minecraft, which has sold 350 million copies as of 2025, rejecting the aggregation of each Tetris release. The closest competitor to either is Grand Theft Auto V, which has sold over 220 million copies. The best-selling single-platform game is Wii Sports, with nearly 83 million sales for the Wii console.

The 1998 game Snake is estimated to have shipped on over 400 million devices, but is not listed as it was preinstalled and freely accessible on Nokia mobile phones. Another sales issue involves The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which game director Todd Howard claims has sold over 60 million copies, is deemed contentious due to Howard's history of making exaggerated statements about his games for promotional purposes.

For this list, standard re-releases, remasters and enhanced versions of games are considered iterative updates to the original, thus their sales are combined. In contrast, remakes generally contain significant deviations from the original and are considered separate products. Likewise, expansion packs are not combined with the base game to avoid inflating sales figures. Additionally, titles with unique release structures are classified based on their specific publishing context. Other metrics, such as "players" or "installs", typically refer to active users engaging with the game rather than sales, thus are not listed; even for paid games, these metrics could include free trials or other free promotions and cannot reliably be substituted for sales figures. Paid bundled titles are also included in this list; their sales often benefit from being packaged with other products, typically at a discounted price.

The listed developers and publishers correspond to each game's original release, and release years refer only to the first full public launch, excluding any prerelease stages. Rankings serve solely for numbering purposes and are not meant to be precise, reflecting the list's limited scope because there is no credible, comprehensive sales-tracking source for the video game industry, unlike for films, which have box office tracking sites such as Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Tied ranks are resolved using the standard competition ranking method, in which entries with equal figures share the same rank and following ranks are increased based on the number of tied entries.

RankTitleSales
(millions)SeriesPlatform(s)Release
yearDeveloper(s)Publisher(s)Ref.MinecraftGrand Theft Auto VWii SportsRed Dead Redemption 2Mario Kart 8 / DeluxePUBG: BattlegroundsTerrariaSuper Mario Bros.Human: Fall FlatOverwatchAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsPokémon Red / Blue / YellowWii Fit / PlusCall of Duty: Black Ops IIICall of Duty: Modern WarfareStardew ValleyHogwarts LegacyPayday 2Sonic the HedgehogMario Kart WiiSuper Smash Bros. UltimateTetris (Game Boy)Cyberpunk 2077Wii Sports ResortNew Super Mario Bros.New Super Mario Bros. WiiPokémon Gold / Silver / CrystalElden RingBorderlands 2Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarGrand Theft Auto: San AndreasSuper Mario OdysseyMonster Hunter: WorldDuck HuntWii PlayBlack Myth: WukongPokémon Scarlet / VioletIt Takes TwoPokémon Sword / Shield/ RemasteredCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3Call of Duty: Black OpsMarvel's Spider-Man / RemasteredPokémon Sun / Moon / Ultra Sun / Ultra MoonGarry's ModPokémon Diamond / Pearl / Platinum
1350MinecraftMulti-platform2011Mojang StudiosMojang Studios
2220Grand Theft AutoMulti-platform2013Rockstar NorthRockstar Games
382.9WiiWii2006Nintendo EADNintendo
479Red DeadMulti-platform2018Rockstar GamesRockstar Games
578.02Mario KartWii U / Switch2014Nintendo EAD / Nintendo EPD (Deluxe)Nintendo
675PUBG UniverseMulti-platform2017PUBG StudiosKrafton
764NoneMulti-platform2011Re-LogicRe-Logic / 505 Games
860Multi-platform2015CD Projekt RedCD Projekt
958Super MarioMulti-platform1985Nintendo R&D4Nintendo
1055NoneMulti-platform2016No Brakes GamesCurve Digital
1150OverwatchMulti-platform2016Blizzard EntertainmentBlizzard Entertainment
50Multi-platform2000MaxisElectronic Arts
1348.62Animal CrossingNintendo Switch2020Nintendo EPDNintendo
1447.44PokémonMulti-platform1996Game FreakNintendo
1543.8WiiWii2007Nintendo EADNintendo
1643Call of DutyMulti-platform2015TreyarchActivision
1741Call of DutyMulti-platform2019Infinity WardActivision
41NoneMulti-platform2016ConcernedApeChucklefish / ConcernedApe
1940Wizarding WorldMulti-platform2023Avalanche SoftwareWarner Bros. Games
40PaydayMulti-platform2013Overkill Software505 Games
40Sonic the HedgehogMulti-platform1991Sonic TeamSega
2237.38Mario KartWii2008Nintendo EADNintendo
2336.93Super Smash Bros.Nintendo Switch2018Bandai Namco Studios / Sora Ltd.Nintendo
2435.04Multi-platform2017Nintendo EPDNintendo
2535TetrisGame Boy1989Nintendo R&D1Nintendo
35CyberpunkMulti-platform2020CD Projekt RedCD Projekt
2733.14WiiWii2009Nintendo EADNintendo
2830.8Super MarioNintendo DS2006Nintendo EADNintendo
2930.32Super MarioWii2009Nintendo EADNintendo
3030.12PokémonGame Boy Color1999Game FreakNintendo
3130Elden RingMulti-platform2022FromSoftwareBandai Namco
30BorderlandsMulti-platform2012Gearbox Software2K Games
30Call of DutyMulti-platform2020Treyarch / Raven SoftwareActivision
30Grand Theft AutoMulti-platform2004Rockstar NorthRockstar Games
30Multi-platform2011Bethesda Game StudiosBethesda Softworks
3629.84Super MarioNintendo Switch2017Nintendo EPDNintendo
3729.1Monster HunterMulti-platform2018CapcomCapcom
3828.3NoneFamicom / NES1984Nintendo R&D1Nintendo
3928.02WiiWii2006Nintendo EADNintendo
4028Black MythMulti-platform2024Game ScienceGame Science
4127.61PokémonNintendo Switch2022Game FreakNintendo / The Pokémon Company
4227NoneMulti-platform2021Hazelight StudiosElectronic Arts
4326.96PokémonNintendo Switch2019Game FreakNintendo / The Pokémon Company
4426.6PS3 / PS42013Naughty DogSony Computer Entertainment
4526.5Call of DutyMulti-platform2011Infinity Ward / SledgehammerActivision
4626.2Call of DutyMulti-platform2010TreyarchActivision
4726.1Marvel's Spider-ManMulti-Platform2018Insomniac GamesSony Interactive Entertainment
4825.59PokémonNintendo 3DS2016Game FreakNintendo / The Pokémon Company
4925.56NonePC2006Facepunch StudiosValve
5025.5PokémonNintendo DS2006Game FreakNintendo / The Pokémon Company

Notes

References

References

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  37. Romano, Sal. (December 17, 2025). "''Hogwarts Legacy'' sales top 40 million".
  38. Ivan, Tom. (June 8, 2023). "Payday 2 is free on Epic Games Store, Guacamelee games offered next week".
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  42. Lewis, Catherine. (November 26, 2025). "''Cyberpunk 2077'' is CD Projekt Red's "main source of revenue," outpacing ''The Witcher 3''{{'s}} 5-year sales with 35 million copies sold".
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  48. (April 12, 2016). "Filed: New York County Clerk 04/12/2016 09:24 AM". [[Locke Lord]].
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  50. (September 30, 2025). "Platinum Titles".
  51. Welch, Hanuman. (April 23, 2013). "1984: Duck Hunt – The Best Selling Video Game Of Every Year Since 1977".
  52. Ramachandran, Naman. (March 16, 2025). "'Journey to the West' Animated Film Trilogy Set at Stars Collective (EXCLUSIVE)".
  53. (January 14, 2026). "It Takes Two Has Sold Almost 27m Copies, A Way Out at "Over 12m"".
  54. (December 21, 2023). "We Now Know Exactly How Well All of These PlayStation Games Sold".
  55. (December 20, 2023). "Data on sales of Sony games on PlayStation leaked to the network".
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  57. Parijat, Shubhankar. (December 19, 2023). "Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Has Sold Over 14.4 Million Units [UPDATE]". Gamingbolt.com.
  58. (March 31, 2025). "Sales Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units – Nintendo 3DS Software".
  59. Yin-Poole, Wesley. (November 29, 2024). "Garry's Mod Has Sold an Incredible 25.4 Million Copies, Is the Best-Selling PC Exclusive of All-Time".
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