Meet the Best Selling Video Games Ever Created
Despite the rising cost of developing video games, sales continue to break records. In the last decade, the average cost of creating a video game has gone from a few million to over a hundred million dollars. Massive blockbusters such as the GTA releases have budgets that exceed a quarter million dollars. This extra budget allows an attention to detail that’s well worth it. As games become more complex, sales continue to soar. Between physical and digital sales, Aussies spent $3.23 billion on video games in 2017. Home consoles sales jumped by 36%, so Australia is fully onboard this revolution.
Even though Australia’s hunger for video games is impressive, it pales in comparison to the demand in America. 65% of U.S. households own a gaming device and 52% of gamers believe video games provide more value than other entertainment options. This impressive satisfaction rate motivated Americans to spend over $36 billion on video games, hardware and accessories in 2017. Internationally the video game industry was worth $101 billion in 2016 and is expected to grow 6.2% annually through 2020.
Unsurprisingly, this flourishing industry has generated larger than life sales. Even though there are countless video games to choose from, a few releases broke the mold. These games captivated millions of players and generated billions of dollars in profit. To showcase how profitable a video game can be, we compiled a list of the best selling video games. These releases made the public rethink what was possible, so prepare to be blown away by their success!
Best Selling Video Games of All-time
Video Game #3: Wii Sports (82.85 Million Copies Sold) – Even amongst Nintendo’s impressive catalogue of games, this interactive package stole the show. Nintendo’s Katsuya Eguchi want the game to appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike, and it’s safe to say they succeeded. By combining real life movements with the game’s platform, players can indulge in boxing, golf, baseball, bowling and tennis. This active approach to virtual sports became an instant hit, and gamers from around the world joined Nintendo’s movement.
Within a year, people of all ages and walks of life were testing their skills with Wii Sports. On top of disproving stereotypes about video games, this game was wildly profitable. As of March 2018, their sales have reached 82.85 million. This staggering amount of success has made Wii Sports one of the most iconic games ever made.
Video Game #2: Minecraft (144 Million Copies Sold) – Even though this sandbox video game was created in 6 days, its popularity can be seen around the world. Designed by Swedish game developer Markus Persson, it highlights the appeal of minimalist Scandinavian design. Despite being ridiculously simple, this game became an unimaginably massive indie hit. The wild popularity on PC led to it branching out onto every console imaginable, and today it’s a global phenomenon. On top of generating billions, it spawned its own convention called Minecon. Microsoft bought the game for $2.5 billion in 2014, so it isn’t going anywhere!
Video Game #1: Tetris (170 Million Copies Sold) – Even though this game was created in 1984, it has managed to stay relevant and continue dominating sales charts. This is due to the fact that Tetris became extremely popular on cellphones, which accounts for 100 million copies of its sales. On top of breaking the record for purchases, this release pioneered video games as we know it.
Designed by Alexy Pajitnov, this was the first game to be exported from the USSR to the USA. It instantly became a hit, and has even been proven to improve brain activity and critical thought. It’s amazing that even with all the sophisticated features of today’s games, they still can’t compete with this classic. Simplicity can’t be beaten, and Tetris is undoubtedly the greatest game of all-time.