Gaming was, for a long time, just a fad. However, that changed in recent years. Today, it’s a $300+ billion industry worth more than movies and music combined. With PCs, consoles, smartphones, tablets, streaming platforms, and esports, there’s never been a better time to be a gamer.
But did you ever wonder which video games earned the most money? As National Pokémon Day (February 27th) is here, we figured we’d take a little trip down memory lane with the highest-grossing games of all time. Enjoy!
10. Super Mario Bros. – 50 million copies sold
Ever heard of Jumpman? That was the original title of Super Mario Bros. Who knew? Nintendo released this legendary video game in 1985, and it has sold over 50 million copies. That doesn’t include the countless sequels and spinoffs starring the most famous Italian plumber.
It took only five people to develop the most popular side-scrolling game ever. Mario’s legendary red cap and blue overalls were designed to make him stand out from the game’s colorful backgrounds. Also, Super Mario Bros. was the first game to feature Luigi and introduce iconic power-ups like the mushroom, star, and fire flower.
Super Mario Bros. continued the legacy of the 1983 Mario Bros. arcade and did it successfully. It was the bestselling Game Boy Advance game between June and December of 2004 and grossed over $72 million ($204 million if inflation-adjusted in 2023) in Japan only, just four months after its initial release. Surpassed in lifetime sales only by Wii Sports, its Wii Virtual Console release was super accepted, climbing to first place in 2007 and grossing $3.2 million outside of Korea and Japan in 2009.
9. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – 50 million copies sold
It all started in 2015 when CD Projekt released a toxin-resistant monster hunter to, well, hunt monsters. The Slavic-mythology-themed video game took off like a rugged Geralt of Rivia, causing the entire franchise to boom and crackle — the latest release sold 50 million copies with an estimated gross revenue of over $1.3 billion!
Andrej Sapkowski, who wrote the fantasy novels the game is based on, has probably ripped a page off in excitement. The entire Fantasy World series has sold 75+ million copies across platforms, meaning the third sequel took 2/3 of the grossing credit. And the regular discounts haven’t damaged the enchanting sales figures — they keep growing!
What made the numbers skyrocket? The premier of The Witcher series on Netflix, which prompted a 500% rise in sales. Good for an ARPG masterpiece crafted with a budget of $81 million. After such a commercial success, we can correctly guess that the next game in the series, The Witcher 4, will conquer a large portion of the world’s gaming setups.
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – 60 million copies sold
If thatched cottages and a Dragonborn strutting around Tamriel is your definition of paradise, we applaud you. Why? Because, as a Skyrim fan, one of those millions of copies we just told you about is yours! The game’s director, T. Howard, knows its 12-year journey isn’t going to end soon for, as he says, folks are still playing it.
Yes, it was released in 2011. It even grossed $450 million in the first week of its debut! Now, that’s a highest-grossing video game that had the sass to out-gross some Hollywood blockbusters in the near past. We guess the key is to cook it slowly and stir it smoothly while keeping it in production for longer than expected.
In fact, the game made its developers $620 million by December 2011 — whooping! We guess squeezing inside Scandinavian dungeons for combat as you dual-wield is really quite a trend. So, get in line for the ES 6 — new memes about taking an arrow in the knee will pop out for sure. Will the sequel outperform the 5? Play and see!
7. Red Dead Redemption 2 – 64 million copies sold
What can we say about one of the most expensive ($100 million) video games ever made? Well, Red Dead Redemption 2 came out in 2018, won numerous awards, including TGA’s Game of the Year, and it still has an active community of gamers who are restlessly unlocking its secrets.
Even though it’s significantly “younger” than the previous two games, Red Dead Redemption 2 sold over 64 million copies. It’s also the only game on our list that allows you to meet historical figures like Butch Cassidy, Wyatt Earp, and other notable Americans from the turn of the century.
To understand how huge Red Dead Redemption 2 exactly is, all you need to do is read about its grossing stats. The game made $725+ million in revenue only three days after its release! Its opening weekend was the largest in entertainment history, setting multiple records related to the pre-orders, first-day sales, and more. Red Dead Redemption 2 also generated $1.38 billion in revenue in 2018, with 23 million copies sold — if only we could go back in time, develop it ourselves, and mermaid around in cash.
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 70.43 million copies sold
And we’re back to Mario, just nearly 30 years later! The eighth installment in the Mario Kart series managed to sell more in a significantly shorter period — 70.43 million copies! Nintendo released Mario Kart 8 for Wii U in 2014 and it quickly won the hearts of fans worldwide, getting re-released for Nintendo Switch in 2017 as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
The game features 48 old and new tracks, familiar faces, and some new crossover characters. Apparently, that was the winning combination for both long-time fans and new players. The best confirmation of this is the TGA’s Best Family Game Award (2014) and BAFTA’s Children’s Award for Best Game (2015).
The Nintendo hit is estimated to have generated around $4.225 billion in revenue so far. It’s a top-selling game on the Switch, and it’s even surpassed Mario Kart Wii as the bestseller of 2021. And with all the nice things the game offers — more Mii outfits, a 200cc difficulty setting, etc — it’s a digital cookie hard to say no to.
5. PUBG: Battlegrounds – 75 million copies sold
What came before Fortnite, Warzone, Apex Legends, and Fall Guys? PUBG! What Pokémon did for monster-collecting RPGs, PUBG did for the battle royale genre. Created by Brendan Greene, PUBG started its journey as an early-access title in 2017. After the full release in December of the same year, it became an instant hit.
Although it’s been a while, and there are countless similar games out there, PUBG is still going strong. Selling over 75 million copies is no joke, after all. The game still gets new content, including maps, weapons, and even entire game modes. Although the genre is getting a bit stale, PUBG’s constant updates keep it fresh and exciting for millions of gamers worldwide.
The game has set seven incredible Guinness World Records. Its most impressive one has to do with PUBG grossing $100 million in revenue faster than any other Stream Early Access video game. And this happened only 79 days after PUBG studios let the players enjoy this fun pastime — impressive!
But here’s the wealthiest fact of them all: the PC and console versions of the game have grossed $4 billion since 2017. And what about the numbers of the mobile version? Add them to the first sum, and you’ll get the total revenue Battlegrounds has made — a staggering $13 billion!
4. Wii Sports – 82.9 million copies sold
At number four is the fourth Nintendo entry on this list, Wii Sports, with 82.9 million copies sold. The game was one of the launch titles for the revolutionary Wii console way back in 2006. Although the whole thing looks and feels pretty janky today, the motion-sensing gameplay was nothing short of revolutionary back then.
We broke vases and traumatized our pets. The really unlucky ones crashed a TV or two with a stray controller. But we had fun! More importantly, Wii Sports was one of the first video games people recognized as a legit form of exercise. How many other games can claim that? Wii Sports is still the best-selling single-platform video game of all time, and it’s highly unlikely any game will take it off that throne anytime soon.
Want to unroll some information about a few billion? Well, buckle up for your wish come true — the game has made a revenue of $7.85 billion (when calculated for inflation)! What can we say? It’s had quite some time to become the best-selling Nintendo video game. So, if you want to play some virtual tennis, golf, or baseball and save the company behind it from the poverty it needs no saving from, grab your Wii Remote!
3. Grand Theft Auto V – 200 million copies sold
At number two, we have the only game that made over $815 million on release day. GTA already had a massive fanbase at the time. However, the first trailer that showed off the multiplayer component just made everyone go nuts. GTA V was certainly one of the most anticipated video games of all time. It’s also one of the best, still holding a Metacritic score of 97 (out of 100).
The game sold over 200 million copies to date on three generations of Sony and Microsoft consoles, as well as PC. The online mode is still as popular as ever, and it certainly played an important part in the game’s success. Although they released it way back in 2013, Rockstar still updates GTA Online every couple of weeks with new vehicles, modes, clothing items, and more.
On October 7, 2013, Grand Theft Auto V broke as much as seven Guinness World Records. Most of these had to do with the copies it sold and the revenue it brought in such a short period. The game was the fastest game and entertainment property to gross $1 billion and made around $1.98 billion in revenue by May 2014, $6 billion by April 2018, and $8.5 billion by late 2023. What a product.
2. Minecraft – 300 million copies sold
With 300 million copies sold, Minecraft is the champion of the highest-grossing games of all time. Yes, 238 million. What is there to say about Minecraft that hasn’t been said already? Did you know someone made a 1:1 replica of Denmark in the game? Are you surprised? Of course not.
Despite the simple block-based graphics, Minecraft has a passionate global fanbase with players of all ages and backgrounds. Being able to create whatever you want (including a replica of Denmark, apparently) and share it with other players is what made Minecraft so popular.
Although we’ve seen countless imitations and parodies since Minecraft’s 2011 release, no other game has come close in terms of popularity (if only the full game was available for free!). The game is so impactful that certain educational institutions use it to teach subjects like programming and geography. It has also inspired architects and designers, and offered a fantastic virtual environment for studying and developing artificial intelligence.
You know what else is fun about this game? That it made over a million purchases, although it was only advertised through word of mouth and some unpaid media references. It made $33 million in revenue by April 2011. When 2019 came, it became the best-selling video game of all time, with 180 million copies sold across platforms! And if we’re going back in time, the game also aided Microsoft’s total first-party revenue by $63 million in the second quarter of 2015!
1. Tetris – 520 million copies sold
Picture it. It’s the 80s. MTV is still playing music. Back to the Future 2 is killing it in theaters. Madonna is the world’s most popular singer and not just a crazy Instagram lady. Game Boy is out. The first “serious” gaming system that fits in your pocket. What a time to be alive! And then there is Tetris – the perfect video game. You play it, we play it, everyone and their grandma plays it.
After Game Boy, over 70 other platforms saw at least one version of Tetris in its lifetime. The game has sold over 520 million copies since the beginning of its time, with EA’s versions from 2008 and on holding the record with over 100 million paid downloads, earning it a place on our list of highest-grossing games ever. If you want to learn more about this incredible piece of gaming history and how it came to be, catch the Tetris movie on Apple TV+ starting March 31st!
And if you’re craving some financial data on the game, the following few lines might be a joy to read. Its 1995 Spectrum HoloByte version sold over a million copies, with half of its players being women — a rare phenomenon in the world of most PC games. Also, SHB’s PC versions sold 150,000 copies for a total revenue of $6 million ($15 mil when adjusted for inflation) between 1988 and 1990. The NES version of the game sold 1.5 million copies, grossing $52 million ($128 million, if we’re questioning the inflation). Nice!
Game on!
The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong. But more importantly, it’s not slowing down. We’re expecting to see it evolve even further in the coming years. Who’s not excited about GTA6, Starfield, Alan Wake 2, or the 57th version of Resident Evil 4?
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