Top 10 Best-Selling Video Games of All Time: Tetris, Minecraft, GTA 5, Wii Sports, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and More
Meta Description: Discover the top 10 best-selling video games of all time, including Tetris, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V, Wii Sports, Red Dead Redemption 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, PUBG, Skyrim, The Witcher 3, and Super Mario Bros. Explore why these legendary games became global gaming icons.
The video game industry has produced thousands of unforgettable titles, but only a small group has reached truly historic sales numbers. Some games became massive because they were bundled with successful consoles. Others sold for years through ports, remasters, discounts, updates, online modes, or cultural impact. Together, the best-selling video games of all time show how powerful gaming has become as global entertainment.
This list focuses on paid games with reported sales figures. It does not include free-to-play giants such as Fortnite, Dota 2, CS: GO, or Rocket League, because those games are measured more accurately by player count, revenue, downloads, and engagement rather than traditional unit sales. Some games on this ranking also include pack-in sales, meaning they were bundled with hardware such as the Nintendo Wii, Game Boy, or Nintendo Switch. That distinction matters, but it does not take away from their impact.
For readers searching for best-selling games of all time, top video games 2026, best PC games, best console games, gaming history, GTA 5 sales, Minecraft sales, Tetris history, Nintendo game deals, PlayStation games, Xbox games, and video game deals, these ten titles represent the biggest commercial success stories in gaming history.
10. Super Mario Bros. – 50 Million Copies
Super Mario Bros. remains one of the most important video games ever made. Released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985, it helped define side-scrolling platformers and turned Mario into one of the most recognizable characters in entertainment.
The game’s reported sales of around 50 million copies include pack-in sales with the NES, which helped bring it into millions of homes. But its success was not only about being bundled with hardware. Super Mario Bros. was easy to understand, difficult to master, and full of memorable design. The music, enemies, power-ups, secrets, and level structure became part of gaming culture.
Its influence can still be seen in modern platformers. Every new Mario release, from Super Mario Odyssey to Super Mario Bros. Wonder, carries the legacy of this original masterpiece.
9. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – 60 Million Copies
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt became one of the greatest modern RPG success stories. Released in 2015 by CD Projekt Red, the game sold around 60 million copies across platforms and helped turn The Witcher into a global entertainment brand.
The game succeeded because of its mature storytelling, huge open world, memorable characters, meaningful quests, and excellent expansions. Players explored war-torn lands, haunted villages, dangerous forests, and political conflicts while following Geralt of Rivia’s personal journey.
Discounts, complete editions, next-gen upgrades, and the popularity of the Netflix series helped the game continue selling years after launch. The Witcher 3 proved that a single-player RPG could remain commercially powerful long after its release window.
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – 60 Million Copies
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most famous open-world RPGs ever created. Released by Bethesda Game Studios in 2011, Skyrim has sold around 60 million copies and has appeared on so many platforms that its constant re-releases became a running joke among fans.
Skyrim’s appeal comes from freedom. Players can follow the main story, join factions, explore caves, fight dragons, craft gear, become a mage, thief, warrior, assassin, or simply wander the world discovering unexpected adventures.
Mods also helped keep Skyrim alive. On PC and later consoles, the modding community expanded the game with new quests, graphics upgrades, gameplay systems, weapons, characters, and total conversions. Skyrim is not just a game; it is a long-running fantasy platform that players continue to revisit.
7. PUBG: Battlegrounds – 75 Million Copies
PUBG: Battlegrounds helped popularize the modern battle royale genre. Before it became free-to-play, PUBG sold around 75 million copies across PC and console, making it one of the biggest paid multiplayer games ever released.
Based on concepts that grew from mods, PUBG dropped players onto a large island where they had to scavenge weapons, survive a shrinking zone, and fight to be the last player or squad alive. Its slower, more tactical pacing made every match feel tense and unpredictable.
PUBG’s success influenced countless games, including Fortnite, Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, and many mobile battle royale titles. Even after shifting to a free-to-play model, PUBG remains one of the most important multiplayer games of the last decade.
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Kart 8 – 79.54 Million Copies
Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe together have sold around 79.54 million copies, making them the most successful entries in the Mario Kart franchise. The original version launched on Wii U, but the Switch version transformed it into a global phenomenon.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one of the perfect Nintendo Switch games. It works for families, parties, online racing, casual players, and competitive fans. The controls are easy to learn, the tracks are colorful, the items create chaos, and the races are endlessly replayable.
Nintendo also extended the game’s life with the Booster Course Pass, adding dozens of extra tracks over time. Its inclusion in hardware bundles also boosted sales, but the game’s long-term popularity comes from its universal appeal.
5. Red Dead Redemption 2 – 82 Million Copies
Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of Rockstar Games’ greatest achievements. Released in 2018, the western epic has sold around 82 million copies, making it one of the best-selling premium games ever made.
The game follows Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang during the final days of the outlaw era. Its open world is rich with wildlife, towns, weather, random encounters, hunting, horseback travel, robberies, and quiet character moments.
While Red Dead Online did not reach the same cultural power as GTA Online, the single-player campaign remained a major selling point. Red Dead Redemption 2 proved that cinematic storytelling, world detail, and strong character writing could drive massive sales.
4. Wii Sports – 82.9 Million Copies
Wii Sports sold around 82.9 million copies, largely because it was bundled with the Nintendo Wii. But calling it only a pack-in success would miss its importance. Wii Sports was the game that explained the Wii to the world.
Players could swing a Wii Remote like a tennis racket, bowling ball, golf club, or baseball bat. The motion controls were simple, physical, and instantly understandable. This made Wii Sports popular with people who did not normally play video games, including families, older adults, and casual players.
The game became a social experience. It was less about graphics or complexity and more about laughing in the living room with friends and family. Its legacy continued through Wii Sports Resort and Nintendo Switch Sports.
3. Grand Theft Auto V – 225 Million Copies
Grand Theft Auto V is one of the most successful entertainment products ever released. Originally launched in 2013, GTA 5 has sold more than 225 million copies across multiple generations of hardware.
The game first appeared on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 before moving to PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Each new version brought the game to another wave of players. Its open-world city, three-protagonist story, cinematic missions, driving, shooting, satire, and freedom made it a massive hit.
GTA Online turned GTA 5 into a long-term platform. With heists, businesses, vehicles, properties, races, missions, and constant updates, the online mode helped the game continue earning and selling for more than a decade. With GTA 6 on the horizon, GTA 5 remains a historic benchmark for open-world game success.
2. Minecraft – 300 Million Copies
Minecraft has sold more than 300 million copies, making it one of the most successful games ever created. Originally developed by Markus “Notch” Persson and later acquired by Microsoft through Mojang, Minecraft became a global sandbox phenomenon.
The appeal is simple but limitless. Players can mine, craft, build, explore, survive, farm, fight monsters, create cities, design machines, play with friends, or use mods and servers to transform the game entirely. Minecraft is not only a survival game; it is a creativity platform.
Its reach is enormous. It has been used for education, architecture, roleplay, multiplayer servers, YouTube content, speedrunning, modding, and family gaming. Microsoft has expanded the brand with Minecraft Dungeons, Minecraft Legends, merchandise, and film projects, but the original game remains the heart of the franchise.
1. Tetris – 520 Million Copies
At the top of the list is Tetris, with more than 520 million sales across its many versions. Created by Alexey Pajitnov, Tetris is one of the most recognizable puzzle games in the world and one of the few games that nearly everyone understands instantly.
The concept is timeless: falling blocks, clean shapes, simple rotation, and the constant pressure of clearing lines before the screen fills up. It is easy to learn but endlessly challenging. That simplicity helped Tetris spread across nearly every platform imaginable.
The Game Boy version played a major role in its global rise, introducing millions of players to portable puzzle gaming. Since then, Tetris has appeared in countless forms, from classic releases to modern competitive versions like Tetris 99 and Tetris Effect.
Tetris is more than a best-selling game. It is a cultural icon. People even use the phrase “playing Tetris” to describe packing objects into a tight space. Few games have entered everyday language like that.
Why These Games Became Best-Sellers
The best-selling games of all time share several important qualities. Many are easy to understand, such as Tetris, Wii Sports, Mario Kart, and Super Mario Bros. Others offer huge worlds and long-term replay value, such as Minecraft, GTA 5, Skyrim, The Witcher 3, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Some benefited from bundles, ports, discounts, updates, or online modes. Others became cultural events. But all of them reached beyond a single launch window. They stayed relevant for years, sometimes decades.
Final Thoughts
The top 10 best-selling video games of all time show the incredible range of gaming. A puzzle game from the Soviet era, a block-building sandbox, a crime-filled open world, a motion-control sports collection, a western epic, a kart racer, a battle royale, and several legendary RPGs all found different paths to massive success.
For anyone searching for best-selling video games, top games of all time, Tetris sales, Minecraft sales, GTA 5 sales, best RPG games, best open-world games, gaming history, console game deals, PC game deals, and video game deals, these titles are more than sales records. They are milestones that shaped how the world plays.