The Top 50 Best-Selling Video Games of All Time
Minecraft holds the title as the best-selling video game of all time with 350 million copies sold, followed by Grand Theft Auto V at 225 million and Wii Sports at nearly 83 million. The gaming industry has grown enormously since the early days of Atari and the NES, spanning consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and gaming PCs. The games on this list represent decades of hits — from 1984’s Duck Hunt to 2024’s Black Myth: Wukong — and reflect how gaming has evolved from a niche hobby into one of the world’s most popular forms of entertainment.
We compiled the latest available sales data to rank the 50 best-selling video games of all time.
The 50 Best-Selling Video Games of All Time
| Rank | Title | Copies Sold | Platform(s) | Release Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minecraft | 350,000,000 | 2011 | |
| 2 | Grand Theft Auto V | 225,000,000 | 2013 | |
| 3 | Wii Sports | 82,900,000 | 2006 | |
| 4 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | 82,000,000 | 2018 | |
| 5 | Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe | 79,050,000 | 2014 | |
| 6 | PUBG: Battlegrounds | 75,000,000 | 2017 | |
| 7 | Terraria | 64,000,000 | 2011 | |
| 8 | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 60,000,000 | 2015 | |
| 9 | Super Mario Bros. | 58,000,000 | 1985 | |
| 10 | Human: Fall Flat | 55,000,000 | 2016 | |
| 11 | Overwatch | 50,000,000 | 2016 | |
| 11 | The Sims | 50,000,000 | 2000 | |
| 11 | Stardew Valley | 50,000,000 | 2016 | |
| 14 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons | 49,320,000 | 2020 | |
| 15 | Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow | 47,440,000 | 1996 | |
| 16 | Wii Fit / Plus | 43,800,000 | 2007 | |
| 17 | Call of Duty: Black Ops III | 43,000,000 | 2015 | |
| 18 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 41,000,000 | 2019 | |
| 19 | Hogwarts Legacy | 40,000,000 | 2023 | |
| 19 | Payday 2 | 40,000,000 | 2013 | |
| 19 | Sonic the Hedgehog | 40,000,000 | 1991 | |
| 22 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | 37,440,000 | 2018 | |
| 23 | Mario Kart Wii | 37,380,000 | 2008 | |
| 24 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | 35,340,000 | 2017 | |
| 25 | Tetris (Game Boy) | 35,000,000 | 1989 | |
| 25 | Cyberpunk 2077 | 35,000,000 | 2020 | |
| 27 | Wii Sports Resort | 33,140,000 | 2009 | |
| 28 | New Super Mario Bros. | 30,800,000 | 2006 | |
| 29 | New Super Mario Bros. Wii | 30,320,000 | 2009 | |
| 30 | Super Mario Odyssey | 30,270,000 | 2017 | |
| 31 | Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal | 30,120,000 | 1999 | |
| 32 | Elden Ring | 30,000,000 | 2022 | |
| 32 | Borderlands 2 | 30,000,000 | 2012 | |
| 32 | Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War | 30,000,000 | 2020 | |
| 32 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | 30,000,000 | 2011 | |
| 36 | Monster Hunter: World | 29,100,000 | 2018 | |
| 37 | Duck Hunt | 28,300,000 | 1984 | |
| 38 | Pokémon Scarlet / Violet | 28,080,000 | 2022 | |
| 39 | Wii Play | 28,020,000 | 2006 | |
| 40 | Black Myth: Wukong | 28,000,000 | 2024 | |
| 41 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | 27,500,000 | 2004 | |
| 42 | Pokémon Sword / Shield | 27,080,000 | 2019 | |
| 43 | It Takes Two | 27,000,000 | 2021 | |
| 44 | The Last of Us / Remastered | 26,600,000 | 2013 | |
| 45 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 | 26,500,000 | 2011 | |
| 46 | Call of Duty: Black Ops | 26,200,000 | 2010 | |
| 47 | Marvel’s Spider-Man / Remastered | 26,100,000 | 2018 | |
| 48 | Pokémon Sun / Moon / Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon | 25,590,000 | 2016 | |
| 49 | Garry’s Mod | 25,560,000 | 2006 | |
| 50 | Pokémon Diamond / Pearl / Platinum | 25,500,000 | 2006 |
A note on Tetris: The title of all-time best-seller is contested among reliable sources. Some sources, including Forbes and Encyclopædia Britannica, consider Tetris the best-selling video game by combining sales across all of its versions, totaling an estimated 520 million copies. Others, including the BBC and Guinness World Records, award the title to Minecraft on the basis that each Tetris release is a separate product. This list follows the latter methodology, listing the Game Boy version of Tetris (35 million copies) individually.
Spotlight: The Top Five
1. Minecraft — 350 million copies
Minecraft is a sandbox game that had a private release on PC in 2009 and was fully released to the public in 2011. Players explore procedurally generated worlds, extract materials, craft tools and weapons, and build structures. The game supports multiple play modes, from solo survival to collaborative multiplayer servers. Originally a PC exclusive developed by Markus “Notch” Persson, Minecraft is now available on virtually every platform — PCs, consoles, and mobile devices. It has won numerous awards and is consistently cited as one of the greatest video games ever made.
2. Grand Theft Auto V — 225 million copies
Released in 2013 by Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto V remains one of the most commercially successful entertainment products in any medium. Its open-world design, three-protagonist story structure, and the enduring popularity of GTA Online have kept it selling across three console generations — PS3/Xbox 360, PS4/Xbox One, and PS5/Xbox Series X|S. More than a decade after launch, it continues to generate significant revenue.
3. Wii Sports — 82.9 million copies
Wii Sports was a launch title bundled with the Nintendo Wii in 2006. Its intuitive motion controls made it accessible to audiences far beyond traditional gamers, becoming a cultural phenomenon in living rooms and retirement homes alike. As the best-selling single-platform game ever, Wii Sports demonstrated that simplicity and accessibility could drive massive commercial success.
4. Red Dead Redemption 2 — 82 million copies
Rockstar’s 2018 Western epic has steadily climbed the all-time charts since launch. Its richly detailed open world, cinematic narrative, and Red Dead Online multiplayer mode have driven consistent sales years after release. It is now the fourth best-selling game ever, overtaking several titles that held the position in earlier years.
5. Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe — 79.05 million copies
Originally released for the Wii U in 2014, Mario Kart 8 found its true audience with the Deluxe edition on the Nintendo Switch in 2017. The Switch version became the console’s best-selling game and one of the best-selling racing games in history. Combined, the two versions have sold over 79 million copies.
Notable Trends in the Top 50
Nintendo dominates the list. Nintendo-published titles account for more entries than any other publisher, with multiple Mario, Pokémon, Zelda, and Wii-branded games in the top 50. The company’s ability to create evergreen franchises that sell consistently for years — rather than front-loading sales at launch — remains a defining advantage.
Open-world games have massive staying power. Several of the top sellers — Minecraft, GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Witcher 3, Skyrim, and Elden Ring — are open-world titles that encourage hundreds of hours of exploration. These games tend to sell steadily over many years rather than peaking at launch.
Indie games have broken through.Terraria (64 million), Stardew Valley (50 million), Human: Fall Flat (55 million), and It Takes Two (27 million) prove that small studios can compete with industry giants on pure sales volume. Low price points, word-of-mouth appeal, and availability across every platform have driven these titles to the top 50.
Recent releases are climbing fast.Hogwarts Legacy (2023, 40 million), Black Myth: Wukong (2024, 28 million), and Cyberpunk 2077 (2020, 35 million — after a troubled launch and major recovery) have all entered the top 50 within just a few years of release.
The Call of Duty franchise is the most-represented series, with four entries in the top 50: Black Ops III, Modern Warfare (2019), Black Ops Cold War, Modern Warfare 3 (2011), and Black Ops. Pokémon also has five entries when counting its paired releases.
What Hardware Do You Need for Modern Gaming?
The games on this list span every major platform, from the NES to modern gaming PCs. If you are looking to play today’s best-selling titles at their best, a gaming PC or laptop with a dedicated GPU, sufficient RAM, and fast storage offers the most versatile experience — supporting the widest library of games, the highest graphical settings, and backward compatibility with decades of PC titles.
For gamers interested in exploring a dedicated gaming setup, HP’s OMEN and Victus lines offer gaming laptops and desktops across a range of budgets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best-selling video game of all time?
Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time with 350 million copies sold as of 2025. If sales of all Tetris versions are combined (520 million), somed because each version was released as a separate product
How many copies has GTA V sold?
Grand Theft Auto V has sold over 225 million copies since its release in 2013, making it the second best-selling video game of all time and one of the most commercially successful entertainment products ever created.
What is the best-selling game on a single platform?
Wii Sports is the best-selling single-platform game, with nearly 83 million copies sold exclusively on the Nintendo Wii. It was bundled with the console in most regions.
Are free-to-play games included in this list?
No. This list ranks games by copies sold (paid units). Free-to-play metrics like “players” or “installs” are not equivalent to sales and are excluded. Some games on the list, like PUBG: Battlegrounds, transitioned to free-to-play after initially being sold, but only paid copies are counted.
What is the newest game on the list?
Black Myth: Wukong (2024) is the most recently released game on the list, with 28 million copies sold. It is also the first Chinese-developed AAA game to reach the top 50 best-selling games of all time.
Sales figures are based on the latest publicly available data as of early 2025,ry tracking. Rankings reflect reported unit sales and may not capture all distribution channels
