10 Best Selling Gaming Franchises in History

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Video game franchises are incredibly profitable, which explains why companies like Nintendo consistently release new games within established series. Other developers do the same, and this trend will likely continue. A well-known franchise already has a built-in fanbase, making new releases likely to be successful – though there are always exceptions, the numbers generally favor publishers. While many great franchises exist, only a few truly dominate the market – with just a handful approaching $50 billion in total revenue. We’ve analyzed the sales data to identify the 10 best-selling video game franchises of all time, listed from lowest to highest revenue.

10) LEGO

The LEGO video game series is remarkably versatile. It successfully adapts popular franchises into games, adding its own signature style. These games are known for being detailed, fun, and easy to learn – just like LEGO bricks! There have been many successful LEGO games based on various properties, and together they’ve sold over 100 million copies since the original, LEGO Fun to Build, came out in 1995. However, because the overall value of the franchise isn’t publicly known, it ranks last on this list despite its impressive sales numbers.

9) Tetris

The story of Tetris is one of the most remarkable success stories in gaming history. Created by a single person in the Soviet Union, it went on to become the second best-selling video game franchise ever. It first gained popularity in the West when it was bundled with the Nintendo Game Boy, and since then, countless versions have appeared on various platforms. The Tetris website claims over 520 million copies have been sold worldwide, making the franchise worth around $2 billion – and potentially much more, as its true value isn’t publicly known.

8) Minecraft

Looking for a major success story? Consider Minecraft, the most successful game ever created by an independent developer. Though now owned by Microsoft – who bought it for $2.5 billion – it started with Markus “Notch” Persson. He involved the gaming community and used a long public beta period to refine the game before its official launch. Minecraft has since become incredibly popular, expanding into merchandise like toys and other games. Currently valued at around $10 billion, the game itself accounts for roughly $4 billion of that, having sold approximately 350 million copies.

7) Assassin’s Creed

The Assassin’s Creed series started in 2007 with a unique concept: exploring the past without actual time travel. Each game features meticulously researched historical settings, brought to life with stunning visuals. Creating these immersive worlds requires extensive work from historians and photographers to accurately recreate buildings and environments. As of today, there are 14 main Assassin’s Creed games, all of which have been highly successful for Ubisoft. The franchise has sold approximately 230 million copies, generating over $8.3 billion in revenue – and that doesn’t even include sales of merchandise or the live-action movie.

6) Grand Theft Auto

It’s no surprise that the Grand Theft Auto series is one of the best-selling video game franchises ever. GTA V broke sales records, reaching $1 billion faster than any other game, and continues to be a huge success. With GTA VI on the way, the entire franchise is expected to become even more valuable, likely surpassing the already impressive sales numbers of GTA V. The GTA series has sold over 460 million copies in total, with GTA V being the biggest contributor to that figure. Currently, the franchise is worth around $13.6 billion, with GTA V accounting for approximately $8.6 billion of that.

5) Final Fantasy

When people think of classic Japanese Role-Playing Games, Final Fantasy is often the first that comes to mind. Starting in 1987 with a game on the Nintendo Entertainment System, the series has grown to include 16 main installments, many re-releases, and a complete remake of Final Fantasy VII. While it hasn’t been hugely successful in other forms of media, Final Fantasy has had a massive impact on the JRPG genre. The franchise has sold over 200 million games worldwide, generating around $19 billion in revenue.

4) FIFA

For many years, EA Sports created the popular FIFA video game series, with FIFA 23 being the last game released under that name. Now, the game is called EA Sports FC, and it’s very similar to FIFA, just without the official FIFA license. The FIFA series was incredibly successful for decades, selling over 325 million copies on almost every gaming platform. While the exact total is unknown, the franchise likely generated over $20 billion in revenue before EA changed its name after FIFA 23.

3) Pokémon

In 1996, Nintendo introduced the world to Pokémon with the release of Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue for the Game Boy. These games quickly became a huge success, captivating players with their addictive gameplay and the ability to trade Pokémon to complete their collection of 151. Since then, Pokémon has become a massive entertainment franchise, expanding into anime, comics, movies, trading cards, and more. Nintendo continues to release new Pokémon games regularly, and they consistently perform well in sales. Today, the Pokémon franchise is valued at over $150 billion, with a significant portion coming from merchandise. When looking specifically at video game sales, the franchise is worth around $30 billion.

2) Call of Duty

The Call of Duty series began as one of many World War II-based first-person shooter games. It quickly gained popularity, surpassing competitors like Medal of Honor to become the best-selling FPS franchise ever. With dozens of games released, the series has sold over 500 million copies and continues to be successful. As of early 2026, the Call of Duty franchise is estimated to be worth between $30 and $35 billion.

1) Mario

The Mario franchise is the best-selling video game series of all time. With hundreds of games released on every Nintendo console, it’s hard to keep track of them all. As of June 2025, the series had sold over 893 million units, earning it a Guinness World Record for “Best-selling videogame series.” At that time, Mario was valued at approximately $60 billion—far more than any other gaming franchise. With the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 and continued strong sales, its value has likely increased since then.

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2026-05-11 00:15