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The Best-Selling Video Games of All Time

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Nazarii Verbitskiy

Gaming - February 16th 2026, 17:00 GMT+1

Sonic the Hedgehog 1991 cropped processed by imagy — 21. Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) — 40,000,000 Copies Sold

Speed was the entire pitch, and it still lands: bright zones, pinball physics, and a character built to feel like momentum you could control. The level design nudges you into flow, then punishes you (lovingly) when you get greedy and faceplant into spikes or a bad jump. Even if you only remember the loops and the music, the real magic is how readable everything is at a sprint—your eyes learn the rhythm fast. It’s a simple formula that turned into a global mascot engine, and the appeal hasn’t really faded. | © Sega

PAYDAY 2 — 20. Payday 2 (2013) — 40,000,000 Copies Sold

What sells the fantasy here isn’t just “be a criminal,” it’s the teamwork chaos: someone’s shouting about a drill, someone’s bag-running, and someone definitely tripped an alarm they swear they didn’t touch. The missions hit that sweet spot between planning and improvising—go loud and it becomes a survival brawl; go stealth and it’s a sweaty, slow-motion panic. It also lives on variety: builds, perks, weapons, and endless ways to roleplay your crew’s bad decisions. The result is a co-op time capsule that kept expanding until it felt like its own genre. | © Overkill Software

19. Hogwarts Legacy (2023) — 40,000,000 Copies Sold

The big draw isn’t a single questline—it’s the feeling of “I can just exist here” and constantly stumble into something worth poking. Wand combat is snappy and readable, with enough spell juggling to make fights feel like puzzles instead of button fog. Exploration does a lot of heavy lifting too: secret doors, side activities, and that constant urge to take one more hallway because it might open into a new space. When it works best, it’s pure wish-fulfillment with a surprisingly gamey backbone underneath the wizard-tour surface. | © Avalanche Software

All ghillied up — 18. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) — 41,000,000 Copies Sold

A gritty reboot doesn’t mean much unless the guns feel right, and this one nailed that tactile “weight” that keeps people grinding matches. Multiplayer leans into tension—angles matter, sound matters, and a split-second decision can flip a round from clean to catastrophic. The customization loop is also a trap in the best way: you tweak attachments, test recoil, chase a slightly better feel, and suddenly an hour’s gone. Love the pacing or hate it, the package is built to keep you in the loop because every match feels like it left a lesson on the table. | © Infinity Ward

17. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012) — 43,000,000 Copies Sold

This is one of those entries where people argue about “best” versus “most replayed,” and it earns its place in both conversations. The campaign leans into choice and consequence without turning into a spreadsheet, so even small decisions feel like they matter in the moment. Multiplayer, meanwhile, is tuned like a greatest-hits album: fast, clean maps, strong loadouts, and that addictive “one more game” cadence. It’s also a snapshot of when the series felt confident enough to experiment and still keep the mainstream crowd locked in. | © Treyarch

16. Wii Fit (2007) — 43,800,000 Copies Sold

Not every mega-seller is fueled by explosions—sometimes it’s a board you leave in the living room that quietly shames you into standing up. The genius is how approachable it is: bite-sized activities, simple tracking, and a tone that makes “exercise” feel like a daily mini-game. It also turned fitness into a social thing in homes where “gaming” wasn’t really a household category, which is a huge part of why it traveled so far beyond the usual audience. Whether people used it seriously or just as a party curiosity, it became a cultural object, not just software. | © Nintendo

Pokemon Red Green Blue Yellow — 15. Pokémon Red/Green/Blue/Yellow (1996) — 47,440,000 Copies Sold

Long before “live service” was the buzzword, these cartridges had kids doing real-world logistics: link cables, trades, playground rumors, and the sacred art of convincing a friend to pick the starter you didn’t. The core loop is clean and endlessly readable—catch, battle, evolve, repeat—yet it still feels like a personal journey because your team becomes *your* story. *Yellow* adds that extra pinch of anime-flavored charm, but the real reason this exploded is how social it was without needing the internet. It didn’t just sell games; it sold an obsession that stuck. | © Nintendo

Animal Crossing New Horizons — 14. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020) — 49,320,000 Copies Sold

This one turned “nothing urgent is happening” into the most addictive daily ritual imaginable. You log in, you do a few tiny chores, and suddenly you’ve reorganized your entire island because a chair looked slightly off. The vibe is gentle on the surface, but the design is sneaky-smart: every task rewards you with another reason to decorate, collect, or tweak your little paradise. It also became a social hub—visits, designs, screenshots, inside jokes—without ever forcing you to play at someone else’s pace. Cozy, yes, but also ridiculously sticky. | © Nintendo

The Sims cropped processed by imagy — 13. The Sims (2000) — 50,000,000 Copies Sold

Calling it a “life sim” barely covers it—it’s part dollhouse, part sitcom writer’s room, part chaos experiment where the pool ladder is a moral choice. The genius is how it lets players set their own agenda: design a perfect home, micromanage relationships, or just watch everything spiral because someone insists on cooking at the worst possible moment. Even the weird little language and exaggerated animations make it feel like you’re directing a comedy, not managing a spreadsheet. And once creativity takes over—custom houses, custom families—the hours disappear fast. | © Maxis

12. Stardew Valley (2016) — 50,000,000 Copies Sold

It starts as a simple escape fantasy—plant crops, pet animals, chat with townsfolk—but it doesn’t stay simple for long. Under the cozy surface there’s a surprisingly rich checklist of goals: community projects, romance routes, dungeon runs, fishing, crafting, and that constant itch to squeeze “one more day” out of your session. What makes it special is how flexible the mood is: some players optimize like it’s a strategy game, others treat it like comfort food. Either way, it’s the kind of game that quietly becomes routine. | © ConcernedApe

11. Overwatch (2016) — 50,000,000 Copies Sold

The hook isn’t realism—it’s personality, clarity, and the joy of pulling off a team play that looks impossible until it suddenly works. Every hero is built around a bold idea you can understand in seconds, and then spend months mastering: timing an ultimate, reading a fight, saving a teammate at the exact right moment. Matches are loud, fast, and emotional in a way a lot of shooters never manage, because your wins and losses feel shared—even with strangers. It’s also a character machine: people don’t just “main” heroes, they *identify* with them. | © Blizzard Entertainment

Human Fall Flat — 10. Human: Fall Flat (2016) — 55,000,000 Copies Sold

If you’ve ever watched a wobbly ragdoll try to climb a wall like it’s made of soap, you already get the appeal: the “failures” are half the fun. The puzzles are simple on paper, but the physics turn every solution into a tiny improv show—especially in co-op, where teamwork can quickly become friendly sabotage. It’s also insanely streamable: quick laughs, constant surprises, and that satisfying moment when a ridiculous plan somehow works. Even after you’ve cleared the main levels, the community-driven creativity keeps giving it new life. | © No Brakes Games

Super mario bros — 9. Super Mario Bros. (1985) — 58,000,000 Copies Sold

The blueprint for the modern platformer is right here, and it still feels sharp because the controls are so clean you can practically *hear* the timing. Every world teaches you something without stopping the action—how to jump, how to read enemy patterns, how to trust momentum, how to gamble on a risky leap for a reward. Secrets are tucked everywhere in a way that makes curiosity feel smart, not mandatory, and that sense of discovery never really gets old. Whether you’re playing casually or sprinting through it at top speed, it’s built like clockwork. | © Nintendo

8. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015) — 60,000,000 Copies Sold

What separates this from a lot of huge open-world RPGs is how often the “side content” feels like the main event. The world is packed with stories that don’t wrap up neatly, and the choices tend to sting in a way that makes you second-guess your own logic. Combat and progression give you room to specialize without turning the experience into homework, while exploration keeps pulling you into villages, ruins, and problems you didn’t plan to solve. It’s the kind of game where you start with a contract and end up tangled in politics, monsters, and messy human decisions. | © CD Projekt Red

7. Terraria (2011) — 64,000,000 Copies Sold

Think of it as a world that starts out cute and quiet, then keeps escalating until you’re gearing up for battles that feel like bullet-hell chaos in pixel form. Digging for resources is only the entry point; soon you’re building bases, crafting specialized gear, and prepping like you’re planning an expedition. The boss progression gives the game a real spine—every big win unlocks new threats, new materials, and new reasons to rethink your setup. And because it supports so many playstyles, it’s just as easy to lose a weekend building a fortress as it is hunting the next challenge. | © Re-Logic

6. PUBG: Battlegrounds (2017) — 75,000,000 Copies Sold

Drop into a match and the tension hits immediately: you’re not trying to “win fights,” you’re trying to survive your own bad decisions—where you landed, what you looted, and when you chose to move. The pacing is a slow burn that can explode in seconds, with the circle forcing confrontations you might not be ready for. Gunfights feel grounded and punishing enough that every advantage matters: positioning, patience, and knowing when to *not* shoot. It helped define the battle royale era because it turns simple rules into endless, sweaty stories you end up replaying in your head afterward. | © PUBG Corporation

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — 5. Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe (2014/2017) — 79,050,000 Copies Sold

The magic trick is how it stays welcoming even while it’s quietly ruthless: one clean drift can feel like a victory lap, and one mistimed turn can drop you into pure cartoon disaster. Tracks are packed with little “choose-your-own-risk” moments—tight lines for speed, safer routes when you’re carrying a target on your back. Items keep the room loud and unpredictable, but the handling is polished enough that skill still shows through over time. Add a party-friendly vibe that works just as well online as it does on a couch, and it’s easy to see why people never really stop playing it. | © Nintendo

4. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) — 82,000,000 Copies Sold

Dust, mud, and quiet conversations do a lot of heavy lifting here—this is a blockbuster that’s weirdly comfortable taking its time. The world isn’t just big; it’s reactive in small, annoying, brilliant ways that make you treat every ride like a real trip instead of a fast-travel menu. When the action hits, it’s deliberate and weighty, but the real pull is the slow accumulation of moments: a plan going sideways, a camp argument, a kindness that costs you later. It’s not afraid to be bleak, and that commitment is exactly what makes it stick. | © Rockstar Studios

3. Wii Sports (2006) — 82,900,000 Copies Sold

This sold a console to people who didn’t think they liked video games, which is about as powerful as a pitch gets. The controls are instantly readable—swing, bowl, point—and that simplicity turns living rooms into mini-tournaments without anyone needing a tutorial. The avatars are charmingly plain, the rules are obvious, and the fun comes from the room reacting in real time: cheers, trash talk, and the occasional accidental furniture hazard. It’s also one of the rare games where watching someone else play is almost as entertaining as playing yourself. | © Nintendo

2. Grand Theft Auto V (2013) — 225,000,000 Copies Sold

Three protagonists, one sprawling city, and a constant sense that the game is daring you to do something irresponsible just to see what happens. The missions bounce between slick heists and pure chaos, but the real longevity comes from how alive the sandbox feels—there’s always a distraction, a detour, a plan that turns into a police chase because you clipped a mailbox. It’s sharp, loud, and often mean on purpose, which makes its satire hit even when you’re not in the mood to “analyze” anything. And the online component turned that playground into a never-ending hustle for millions of players. | © Rockstar North

1. Minecraft (2011) — 350,000,000 Copies Sold

The first night can be genuinely tense—no gear, no shelter, and the creeping realization that the dark is a real problem—then suddenly you’re building castles and redstone contraptions like it’s second nature. What makes it unstoppable is how it supports every type of player without judging them: survival grinders, peaceful architects, explorers, roleplayers, and people who just want to dig straight down and see what happens. Its blocky look became a universal language, and the creativity ceiling keeps moving because the community never stops pushing it higher. It’s simple enough to pick up in minutes, but deep enough to become a hobby. | © Mojang Studios

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If you’ve ever wondered which video games truly sit at the top of the sales mountain, this is the list that cuts through the noise. We’re talking the all-time heavy hitters—the titles that turned consoles into must-buys, made handhelds disappear on road trips, and kept showing up in shopping carts year after year.

Sales numbers can get messy (bundles, re-releases, “shipped” vs. “sold”), so we’ll stick to widely reported totals and point out when a figure depends on the fine print. Either way, the big picture is clear: these are the best-selling video games of all time, and each one earned its spot the hard way.

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If you’ve ever wondered which video games truly sit at the top of the sales mountain, this is the list that cuts through the noise. We’re talking the all-time heavy hitters—the titles that turned consoles into must-buys, made handhelds disappear on road trips, and kept showing up in shopping carts year after year.

Sales numbers can get messy (bundles, re-releases, “shipped” vs. “sold”), so we’ll stick to widely reported totals and point out when a figure depends on the fine print. Either way, the big picture is clear: these are the best-selling video games of all time, and each one earned its spot the hard way.