Top 10 Best Selling Video Game Consoles of All Time
Video game consoles have a rich history with the Magnavox Odyssey – the first commercially available console – being released nearly 50 years ago in 1972. It sold an impressive 350,000 units in its three-year lifespan and signaled the start of a new era. While considered a success then, those numbers pale in comparison to today’s figures. Heck, some would even consider 350,000 units to be a commercial failure in today’s market. That’s why today we are going to take a look at the best selling video game consoles of all time, and the good news is that there will be something here whether you’re a retro gamer or you’re sitting around waiting for the PlayStation 5 to hit the shelves.
10. PlayStation Portable
80.82 million units sold
Released in 2004
The year was 2004, and Sony could do no wrong. The PlayStation was a hit. The PlayStation 2 succeeded the PS1 and was taking the WORLD on by storm. So certainly a portable PlayStation would be a hot-seller, right? The PSP was touted – and lived up to the hype – as the most powerful mobile handheld gaming console ever. It could connect to the PS2, the internet, Microsoft and Mac software, and a couple years later, the PS3. I’ve heard some criticize the PSP for its lack of quality gaming, and I can’t fully disagree as I felt the PSP may have had a whole slew of unrealized potential. This machine was so powerful and so jam-packed with possibilities, it’s hard to believe that it is a distant memory for most. But 80+ million units sold is no slouch of a sales number, so we must give credit where credit is due.
Most Popular Games: Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. Daxter. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. God of War: Chains of Olympus. Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters.
9. Game Boy Advance
81.51 million units sold
Released in 2001
The Game Boy Advance is a no-frills, to-the-point portable gaming system brought to you by only the best in handheld gaming: Nintendo. The GBA was released in 2001 as the immediate successor of the Game Boy Color continuing the tradition of high quality handheld gaming, but with modernized vamped-up graphics and capabilities once thought impossible in such a small package. The GBA’s strength and power were immediately recognizable in speed-centric games like F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, Sonic Advance, and Mario Kart: Super Circuit. While the Game Boy Advance clearly sold well, it is still worth noting that its relative lifespan was fairly short as its successor, the DS, was released in 20o4, a short 3 years later. Despite that, it was well-received critically and financially.
Most Popular Games: Anything Pokemon. Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Super Mario Advance. Super Mario Advance 2 (Super Mario World). Super Mario Advance 3 (Yoshi’s Island). Super Mario Advance 4 (Super Mario Bros. 3). Namco Museum. Pac-Man Collection.
8. Xbox 360
85.5 million unit sold
Released in 2006
The Xbox 360 was a massive success, especially considering Microsoft had only been developing gaming consoles for not even seven years at this point. Although the 360 was plagued with hardware failure issues like the RROD (red ring of death), it didn’t seem to slow down sales or popularity a bit. The 360 was developed for around a decade and graced the gaming industry with some of the most iconic games of its time. The Halo series and Gears of War series showed that Microsoft can deliver exclusive content with the best of them, while the Kinect hardware add-on and related Kinect games gave gamers a glimpse of Microsoft’s ingenuity and creativity.
Most Popular Games: Halo 3 and 4. Gears of War 1, 2, and 3. Kinect Adventures. Grand Theft Auto V. Skyrim.
7. PlayStation 3
86.9 million units sold
Released in 2006
Due to the insane popularity of the PS3’s predecessor the PS2, success was imminent. Not even kidding. There was little that Sony could do wrong. The PlayStation 3 was a hot hot item off the shelves in the Christmas of 2006, thanks in no small part to a grand launch-title lineup of 14 North American games. Over the next few years, Sony reminded gamers why the PS3 was the definitive console for a cinematic gaming experience with quality gems like Heavy Rain and Uncharted which soon became a flagship title for Sony. Games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Gran Theft Auto IV, and Gran Turismo 5 reminded gamers that Sony takes their game franchises seriously and knows what their fans want.
Most Popular Games: Grand Theft Auto IV. Grand Theft Auto V. Gran Turismo 5. The Last of Us. Uncharted 1, 2, and 3. Metal Gear Solid 4.
6. PlayStation 4
100+ million units sold and still selling as of this post
Released in 2013
While it might be near the bottom of the list right now, the PS4 has the distinction of being the only console on this list that is still in active production. It may be unlikely to ever reach the PS2’s level of success, but it could realistically surpass the Wii and its own original predecessor, the PlayStation on this Top 10 Best Selling Video Game Consoles of All Time list. It has already become the fastest home console to reach 100 million unit sales (beating the previous record holder the PS2). While rumors (confirmed and unconfirmed) of the PlayStation 5 abound, the PS4 continues to sell and sell, a testament to its production quality, gaming library, and rich history.
Most Popular Games: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. God of War. Horizon Zero Dawn. The Last of Us Remastered. Marvel’s Spider-Man.
5. Nintendo Wii
101.63 million units sold
Released in 2006
The Nintendo Wii was released in November 2006 and was largely thought to be a true competitor to the Xbox 360 and PS3, but it was instantly recognized as being a more casual system targeting more casual gamers who weren’t necessarily interested in the full console gaming experience. It’s also notable because of its motion sensing controllers which changed the way that games were played; So much so that even Microsoft and Sony tried their hands at it, but neither could touch Nintendo’s talents at tapping into new gimmicky ways of gaming. Nintendo legend and game designer Shigeru Miyamoto reportedly said, “The consensus was that power isn’t everything for a console. Too many powerful consoles can’t exist. It’s like only having ferocious dinosaurs. They might fight and hasten their own extinction.” We’ll never argue with Miyamoto, even if he is comparing powerful video game consoles to dinosaurs.
Most Popular Games: Wii Sports 2006. Wii Sports Resort. Wii Play 2006. Mario Kart Wii. New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
4. PlayStation
104.25 million units sold
Released in 1994
Up next is the original Sony PlayStation which was released in 1994 in a highly competitive console battle with Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn, and 3DO. Although the Saturn and 3DO couldn’t even hold a candle to Sony’s first forray into console development, Nintendo’s N64 competed valiantly but still couldn’t touch Sony’s sales figures. The PlayStation was truly in a league of its own, and Sony must have been glad to have gone it alone after initially considering working with both Nintendo and Sega to develop their consoles. And while Nintendo and Sega were focusing on Cartridges, the PlayStation’s ability to read CD-ROMs made the PlayStation the true future of gaming. The CDs alone were the reason why Squaresoft decided to publish Final Fantasy VII on the PlayStation instead of the Nintendo 64, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Most Popular Games: Gran Turismo. Gran Turismo 2. Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VIII. Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped.
3. Nintendo Game Boy / Game Boy Color
118.69 million units sold
Released in 1989
Nintendo must be pretty happy with their handheld console department because three of their first four portable consoles broke this top-10 best selling video game consoles of all time list (sorry Virtual Boy – you’re not very portable or handheld despite your marketing). The Game Boy and Game Boy Color combined to sell upwards of 120 million units helping the entire Game Boy Family just barely cross the 200 million unit threshold. Initially released in 1989, the Game Boy is almost single-handedly responsible for introducing people to the concept of portable gaming. What most people don’t realize is that it was Nintendo’s second handheld device after their Game & Watch console, which sold over 40 million units of its own. Not bad, but it’s barely a third of the sales that the Game Boy was able to notch up throughout its 14-year production life.
Most Popular Games: Tetris. Pokemon Red, Green, Blue, Gold, Silver, Yellow. Super Mario Land.
2. Nintendo DS
154.9 million units sold
Released in 2004
In at number two is Nintendo’s third handheld to crack the top 10, the Nintendo DS. The DS is widely regarded as being responsible for the introduction of dual screen gameplay, hence the acronym DS. It also included a touchscreen and a built-in microphone as well as the ability to connect with nearby consoles through WiFi. All of this may seem basic and standard by today’s standards, but upon release in the mid-2000s, this was considered pretty “next-level.” Predominantly competing with Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP), it sold nearly twice as many units and was followed up with the also wildly popular Nintendo 3DS which released in 2011 and still runs today. The DS was eventually discontinued in 2013 after a successful nine-year run.
Most Popular Games: New Super Mario Bros. Nintendogs. Mario Kart DS. Brain Age. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl.
1. PlayStation 2
157.68 million units sold
Released in 2000
Released in the year 2000, the PlayStation 2 (widely known as the PS2) was so popular that games were still being developed and released for it up until late 2013. That’s beyond impressive considering its successor, the PlayStation 3 had been on shelves moving millions of units for the past seven years. The PS2 is arguably responsible for popularizing backwards compatibility and is also notable for being one of the earliest consoles to include internet connectivity along with the Dreamcast (aside from Sega Channel and PC internet games). Over 10,000 games were released during its 13-year run, an astronomical and near unfathomable feat. Even if you have never owned a PS2, the chances are high that you have played.
Most Popular Games: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. Gran Turismo 4. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Final Fantasy X.
CONCLUSION
It’s no surprise that Nintendo and Sony are on the list, but it’s impressive to consider Sony owns exactly HALF of the consoles on the top 10 list of best selling video game consoles of all time. Nintendo owns four of the ten, and three of those being handheld. It really puts into perspective where each company’s strengths truly lie. It’s also worth noting that every single PlayStation home console is on this list with the Vita being the only system to miss the list. Way to go Sony.
Now that you know which consoles are the best-sellers, we want to hear from you! Which of the consoles on this list have you or do you own? And if you could pick up any of the other consoles on this list, which one would you go for? Are you surprised to see or not see any particular consoles? Let us know in the comments! Happy Gaming! JJgames.com is your go-to resource for top-quality retro video games and gaming consoles.
Sources for unit sales figures – Guinness World Records
Share This Post
Recent Comments