The Best Selling Games Of The Last 20 Years

The new millennium has brought many things to the gaming space. It’s brought several new consoles and handhelds, brought Microsoft into the console wars via the Xbox, and produced easily some of the best video games of all time. But of the last couple decades, which games sold the best? Allow me to show you the best selling games of the last 20 years!

#20 Diablo III

Sales: 30M

Diablo III is an interesting one to start out with because fans are a bit divisive on the third entry of Blizzard’s beloved action RPG franchise. Regardless of how they felt, though, they bought it in droves.

The game continued the story of the various realms and had not only expansive character customization, but constant updates and DLC to help keep the game’s players interested.

It’ll be curious to see how Diablo IV does when it’s done with its main lifecycle.

#19 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Sales: 30M

I have to be careful here because there are two games called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. But I’m speaking of the one from 2019 when Activision decided to “reboot itself” once again by going back to the style and mini-franchise that saved the series in the early 2000s.

The irony is that while the game was a big success, many would argue that it set the “wrong standard” for the franchise, including slowly whittling down the story mode. That move caused a lot of controversy in the most recent entry.

#18 New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Sales: 30.3M

Mario is an icon of gaming, and as a result, he’s had times when his games needed an upgrade or overhaul. That’s where New Super Mario Bros. Wii came into play. Believe it or not, Nintendo shied away from the 2D Mario platforming titles during the N64 and Gamecube eras. This was the title that made them popular again.

With fresh graphics, new items to use, and clever twists on the level design, this game shined on the Wii and would lead to further big advancements like with Super Mario Bros Wonder!

#17 Wii Sports Resort

Sales: 33.1M

Strap in; I’m about to drop several Nintendo titles in a row from multiple eras. The second game in this trend is Wii Sports Resort!

Multiple games tied directly to the Wiimote and its control scheme were best-sellers because they offered casual gamers a way to have fun without getting invested in deep narratives or confusing control schemes.

Wii Sports Resort took players to a special resort location where all sorts of new mini-games awaited, including frisbee, swordfighting, archery and more.

#16 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Sales: 33.5M

When a franchise undergoes a “shift” in game design philosophy, it either goes really well or really bad. In the case of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it showcased how to take a beloved franchise into an open-world setting properly.

Everything about this game felt special. The visuals, the unique method of storytelling, the numerous side quests you could do, and even the simple exploration of Hyrule were incredible.

This is the best-selling Legend of Zelda game ever, and it rightfully won Game of the Year, not to mention helped epically launch the Nintendo Switch.

#15 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Sales: 34.2M

The phrase “Everyone Is Here!” means so much more now because of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This is the best-selling fighting game ever, and Masahiro Sakurai should be praised endlessly for all the fun, details, and effort he put into the game with his team.

I could spend a whole list highlighting what made this game great. The reveal trailers, the inclusions of characters like Ridley, Sephiroth, Byleth, Sora and the incredible “World of Light” storyline only scratch the surface of this legendary title.

#14 Mario Kart Wii

Sales: 37.3M

We’re almost to the end of the Nintendo sequence, I promise! Mario Kart Wii was one of many titles that benefited from the success of the Nintendo Wii, as it brought both casual and hardcore gamers together to have fun while racing or battling to victory.

The game also allowed for unique control schemes, including making a steering wheel to put the Wiimote in so you could drive your character as though they were really in a kart.

#13 Wii Fit / Plus

Sales: 43.8M

This won’t be the last Nintendo game on the list, but Wii Fit / Plus was a special combination that was meant to help further invite the casual audience into the Nintendo Wii’s graces. How? By helping them with weight loss and health matters!

This combination of game and balance board allowed players to see their body mass and other health stats and then do simple yet fun games, like hitting soccer balls with your head by rotating your body so that you could burn calories.

People like that idea, and the sales prove it.

#12 Terraria

Sales: 44.5M

The team behind Terraria wanted to mix “classic action games” with a sandbox style of creativity to let players do essentially whatever they wanted in the world. The result? One of the best-selling games ever.

The freedom of Terraria is not to be mocked. You can truly do anything you want within this procedurally-generated world. You can build, you can fight, you can go and explore every part of this world; it’s all up to you!

Then, you can restart and see what the next version of the world offers you.

#11 Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Sales: 45.3M

Behold! The game undoubtedly did better sales-wise because the world went into a global pandemic. This is the truth! After all, the previous Animal Crossing games barely got over 13 million at best, and then Animal Crossing: New Horizons came in and sold over 40 million. Oh, and it’s still selling.

So why did it sell so well? It gave you an entire island to have fun with! People loved crafting the islands to their desires and then seeing what other people did.

People wanted something fun to do, and Nintendo gave that to them.

#10 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Sales: 50M

Undoubtedly the peak of CD Projekt Red’s career so far, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was a masterclass in RPG greatness that further highlighted how to PROPERLY make an open world game.

Players got to be Geralt of Rivia once again and embark on a quest to save Ciri from a dark fate. But the beauty of it all was that you could do all sorts of side quests in the meantime or just go and fight monsters all the time!

You had total freedom to take on the world as you wanted, and it was awesome.

#9 Human: Fall Flat

Sales: 50M

Surprised? I certainly am. I didn’t expect Human: Fall Flat to be on this list, and yet it’s sold over 50 million units and climbing! Sometimes, people just want to enjoy a simple yet hilarious platformer with friends!

That’s really all the game is. You go to special landscapes and take them on with friends. Plus, you get to customize your “human” to be what you want them to be. 

Simple can be the best way to bring people in, and Human: Fall Flat proves it.

#8 Overwatch

Sales: 50M

The history of Overwatch from its initial inception to now is fascinating. However, the key thing to note is that this was supposed to be an MMO under the codename “Titan.” Then, Blizzard scrapped that, kept a bunch of the character designs, and created a 6v6 team shooter that would take over the world in no time flat.

This is by and large one of the most successful launches of an IP in history! It got millions of players almost instantly, they kept updating it with new modes, characters, levels, gear, etc., and players loved the combat and kept coming back for more.

#7 Red Dead Redemption 2

Sales: 61M

There was a period when people wondered if Red Dead Redemption 2 would get made. But Rockstar Games new they couldn’t rush it out, and they delivered a masterpiece as a result. They took what they made in the first game and made it deeper, more emotional, and visually stunning.

The Van Der Linde gang’s quest to escape the long arm of the law is gripping, as are Arthur Morgan’s choices along the way.

#6 Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe

Sales: 70.4M

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the first of many ports that the Nintendo Switch got during its lifetime. Even if you don’t count the Wii U numbers, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still one best-selling games ever, and the most-sold title Nintendo ever put out…with one exception I’ll get to soon.

It’s no wonder it did great on the Switch, the game was an incredibly tight racer with plenty of modes, racers, and tracks to have fun on. All it needed was the proper system to sell on, and the Switch was that.

#5 PUBG: Battlegrounds

Sales: 75M

Some of you might be confused by this, especially given the success of its rival, Fortnite. But remember, PUBG: Battlegrounds came first, and it wasn’t a free title; you had to pay to play, even in Early Access. Plus, this was the one that started the battle royale trend, so it got a light of eyes on it before Fortnite took over.

Even with its rival’s ascension, people still play it today and have spent billions on it. That doesn’t happen if the game isn’t good.

#4 Wii Sports

Sales: 82.9M

Is putting Wii Sports on this list cheating? Well, kind of, but it’s important that it’s here. I’ll explain. This collection of mini-games was full-on bundled with the Nintendo Wii upon launch. That meant owners had a game already there once they set everything up, and that helped bring many people, especially casual gamers, to the table.

While there were only five mini-games on the title, it didn’t matter! It was fun and showed the power of the Wii Mote. The more the Wii sold, the more units of Wii Sports sold, too.

#3 Tetris (2006)

Sales: 100M

Yeah, I got to be specific on this one, because Tetris has been around for longer than two decades, but the 2006 version was meant to upgrade things, and clearly it worked.

The beauty of Tetris is its simplicity. You’re just trying to move blocks around to form lines and erase them. The franchise has had many beautiful iterations over the last two decades, including Tetris Effect, which is why its sales continue to climb.

#2 Grand Theft Auto V 

Sales: 195M

Why is Grand Theft Auto V one of the best-selling video games of all time? Most people can’t give you a definitive answer for that. The game came out in 2013, and over the course of nearly 11 years, it’s sold about 200 million copies. That doesn’t just happen, people!

You can point to Rockstar Games making another excellent title that people want to play. Or them porting it to all the systems that came out in the last decade. Another reason might be GTA Online, which has provided gamers with numerous years of entertainment.

#1 Minecraft

Sales: 300M

Finally, the best-selling video game of ALL TIME… Minecraft. Yes really. As of late 2023, it had sold over 300 million units! That’s about the population of the United States!

So why was Minecraft so successful? It’s a simple, fun, and never-ending game that anyone can enjoy once they dive into it.

You collect resources and build to your heart’s content. Trust me, people have built MANY things within this game that will blow your mind. When you add that to other modes, numerous DLC packages, and the fact that it’s on every platform possible… you can see why it’s sold so much.