3 Massively Successful Games No One Saw Coming

by

Predicting a successful video game is often pretty straightforward. Games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and the recent Resident Evil Requiem were expected to do well. However, some of the biggest hits come as complete surprises. These games either create entirely new experiences, reinvent existing ones, or tap into desires players didn’t even realize they had. Despite problems with corporate practices and mismanagement in the industry, these standout titles still manage to shine and offer something genuinely positive.

Honestly, there have been so many surprise hits in gaming, but I’m still amazed when I think about a few that really came out of nowhere. Here are three games that nobody really predicted would be this successful!

3) Helldivers 2

I remember when the first Helldivers came out – it was pretty solid! It got around an 82, which was good for one of the early games PlayStation was trying to connect across the PS3, PS4, and Vita. What really stood out was how much fun it was to play with friends, and the whole Starship Troopersinspired vibe was cool. It wasn’t a game people played forever*, though. They added some extra content later, and then brought it to PC, where it peaked with about 6,700 players at once. I doubt we’ll ever see those numbers again, but it was a fun ride while it lasted!

As a fan, it’s been amazing to watch how huge Helldivers 2 has become! The original Helldivers had a peak of about 6,700 players on PC years ago, but the sequel? It hit over 458,000 concurrent players – that’s over 68 times more! It really explains why everyone’s so surprised by its success. Who would’ve thought a little isometric shooter from almost a decade ago would become one of the biggest games on both PlayStation 5 and PC? Even the developers at Arrowhead Game Studios were shocked! Their CEO, Johan Pilestedt, said sales were way beyond what they expected. Analysts at Alinea estimate Helldivers 2 has sold around 20 million copies across all platforms, with about 13 million of those on PC. That’s incredible when you consider PlayStation’s next best-selling PC game, Horizon Zero Dawn, only sold around 4.5 million!

Few expected Helldivers 2 to become such a hit. It was a sequel to an older, less popular game, developed by a smaller studio, and launched during a time when PlayStation was trying to focus more on ongoing, online games. However, the game’s unique style, exciting gameplay that led to lots of shareable clips, and improved camera angles helped it stand out and attract a huge player base. Despite a rocky start, Helldivers 2 continues to thrive with regular updates and has even been greenlit for a movie adaptation, proving that even modest beginnings can lead to incredible success.

2) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

It’s no surprise people leave big game studios, considering the issues within the AAA gaming industry. But often, the projects they start on their own don’t achieve much success. The Callisto Protocol was a good example – it looked impressive, but lacked depth and failed to live up to the legacy of Dead Space, a beloved game that many of the developers had previously worked on.

Before its release, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 seemed like a potentially interesting RPG, especially since it was being developed by a team of former Ubisoft employees. While promising, many first games from new studios typically have issues that prevent them from becoming truly great. However, Clair Obscur completely defied expectations when it launched, earning widespread critical acclaim and praise from players who hailed it as a revitalization of the turn-based RPG genre.

Even though Clair Obscur was available on Game Pass, which greatly boosted its popularity, it continued to sell extremely well. It launched on the same day as a remastered version of a very popular RPG, but still managed to thrive. By October 2025, it had sold 5 million copies – and that number has almost certainly increased since then. Sales jumped significantly after the game received multiple nominations at The Game Awards, and the 5 million figure is from several months prior.

The game won numerous awards at The Game Awards and received widespread praise throughout the industry. It was highly rated by many reviewers and also took home prizes from the Golden Joystick Awards, DICE Awards, and GDC Awards. Similar to Helldivers 2, it’s being made into a movie, which is a significant accomplishment for a new, low-budget game created by a small studio with no existing fanbase.

1) Balatro

You know a game is a huge surprise when even the developer is shocked by its success. That’s exactly what happened with Balatro. The game’s sole creator, known as LocalThunk, originally thought he’d only sell about 10 copies. He was way off – Balatro has now sold over 5 million! And that number is from January 2025, meaning the gap between what he expected and what actually happened has only gotten bigger.

LocalThunk, as discussed on the Game Maker’s Notebook podcast, developed Balatro as a hobby, sharing it with friends. He realized the game had potential when a friend spent many hours playing it. After a demo was released on Steam, it started gaining attention, particularly when popular streamers like NorthernLion and Dan Gheesling played it for their audiences.

Honestly, this game took a while to really click with people. I heard from Playstack’s communications director, Wout van Halderen, at GDC 2025 that marketing it was a real challenge. It’s tough to show off a game like this in a quick screenshot or trailer because it’s not all about fast-paced action – it’s more of an experience, and that’s harder to sell at first glance.

I honestly can’t believe how huge Balatro has become! It really took off thanks to people just talking about it, and suddenly it was being mentioned alongside the biggest games of the year. It even popped up on Black Mirror – seriously! The creator, Charlie Brooker, said it’s “possibly the most addictive thing ever created” and joked that everyone would be 25% less productive when the mobile version came out. Even James Gunn, who’s running the DCU, is a fan! It’s amazing to think this all started with one person making a game that almost didn’t happen, and now it’s got some of the most famous people in entertainment – and millions of us – completely hooked.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/gaming/feature/resident-evil-weakest-spin-offs-deserves-modern-reimagining/embed/#

Read More

2026-03-16 16:11