Home video game consoles have been around since the 1970s, and back then, games came on cartridges that you physically switched out. Over time, some consoles became more popular than others, and with each new generation of technology, certain games consistently outsold everything else. We’ve reviewed every console generation to identify the best-selling game from each one – meaning the single game that sold more copies than any other game available on home consoles during that period. The results are interesting; some of the top-selling games are unexpected, while others are exactly what you’d expect.
1st) Pong
1st Gen: Atari Pong | Coleco Telstar | Magnavox Odyssey
Although many think of Pong as the very first video game, that’s not quite right. It was the first video game to become a commercial success, proving that games could make money. During the early days of home consoles, Pong did incredibly well, especially after Atari partnered with Sears to sell it as part of their home console system. The system only played Pong, but that didn’t matter – people loved playing against each other for hours. It’s hard to know exactly how many Pong consoles were sold because of all the copycat versions, but between Atari’s own consoles and the Sears Tele-Games Pong sets, it’s estimated around 950,000 units were sold.
2nd) Pac-Man
2nd Gen: Atari 2600 | Channel F | ColecoVision | Intellivision | Magnavox Odyssey 2
The Atari 2600 was the most popular home video game console of its time, but it also played a role in the video game market crash of 1983. Despite its flaws, the system had some excellent games, and also one of the worst attempts to bring an arcade game home. Interestingly, the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man – which many consider a poor adaptation – was actually its best-selling title. Released in 1982 after a six-month development period, the game is surprisingly well-done considering the limitations of the console’s hardware and cartridge storage. A total of 8,095,586 copies were sold.
3rd) Super Mario Bros.
3rd Gen: Atari 7800 | Nintendo Entertainment System | Sega Master System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was the star of the 3rd generation of video game consoles and played a huge role in reviving the industry after the crash of 1983. A key to its success was the launch title, Super Mario Bros., which was included with many NES consoles. This helped it become the best-selling game on the NES, reaching around 40.24 million copies sold, and the most popular game of that console generation. The best-selling game that wasn’t bundled with the console was Tetris, selling 8 million copies.
4th) Super Mario World
4th Gen: TurboGrafx-16 | Genesis | Neo Geo | Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo continued its winning streak with the Super Nintendo, which came with the popular game Super Mario World. While it sold about 20.6 million units – roughly half as many as the original Nintendo – it still outperformed its competitors. Even Sonic the Hedgehog, the best-selling game for the Sega Genesis at around 15 million copies, didn’t reach the same level of success. The Neo Geo and TurboGrafx-16 were too specialized to compete, solidifying Super Mario Bros. as the best-selling console of that generation.
5th) Super Mario 64
5th Gen: 3DO | Jaguar | PlayStation | Nintendo 64
As a huge Nintendo fan, I still remember getting my Nintendo 64 and being absolutely blown away by Super Mario 64! It wasn’t just a hit, it really changed the game. The way the camera worked in that 3D world was something no other platformer had quite figured out, and developers still try to copy it today. It’s amazing to think it sold over 11.91 million copies – even more than the best-selling PlayStation game, Gran Turismo, by over a million! It truly was a special game.
6th) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
6th Gen: GameCube | Dreamcast | PlayStation 2 | Xbox
By the sixth generation of consoles, game companies largely stopped including free games with the systems, meaning games had to succeed based on their own quality. Fortunately, many titles did well, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the best-selling game of this era. Released for the PlayStation 2 in 2004, it sold an impressive 17.33 million copies. In comparison, the best-selling Xbox game, Halo 2, sold about 8.46 million copies, and the top GameCube title, Super Smash Bros. Melee, reached around 7.41 million in sales.
7th) Wii Sports
7th Gen: PlayStation 3 | Wii | Xbox 360
It might be surprising, but despite selling around 44 million copies, Grand Theft Auto V wasn’t the best-selling game of its time. That title actually belongs to Wii Sports, which came bundled with the Wii console. This was a bit unusual, as most consoles had stopped including games with the system by then. Nintendo made a smart move by recognizing they needed a game to showcase the Wii’s motion controls, and Wii Sports did exactly that. It was incredibly successful, attracting over 82.9 million players of all ages, including many who were completely new to video games.
8th) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
8th Gen: Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4 | Wii U | Xbox One
As a huge fan, I’ve been following Mario Kart 8 since it first came out on the Wii U back in 2014. It was a massive hit then, becoming the best-selling game on that console with over 8 million copies sold. But it really took off when it came to the Nintendo Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe! It’s now the best-selling Switch game by a long shot, with over 70 million copies sold. When you combine the sales from both versions, Mario Kart 8 has sold around 79 million copies total, making it the top-selling game of the entire 8th generation of consoles and one of the best-selling games ever. It’s just incredible!
9th) Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
9th Gen: Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X|S
The latest generation of consoles has seen fewer games exclusive to a single platform, but PlayStation’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 initially launched only on the PlayStation 5, though it’s now available on PC. Despite the eventual PC release, it remains closely associated with the PS5 and is a fantastic game within a highly-regarded comic book-based video game series. Since its release, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has sold over 17 million copies.
10th) Mario Kart World
10th Gen: Nintendo Switch 2 | PlayStation 6 | Xbox Project Helix
There’s currently no agreed-upon start date for the tenth generation of video game consoles. However, if the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 is considered the beginning of this generation, then Mario Kart World is the best-selling game so far. Released in 2025 as a follow-up to Mario Kart 8 and a launch title for the Switch 2, it has already sold over 14 million copies. While another game, likely GTA VI on the PlayStation 6, could eventually surpass it, only time will tell.
What’s the best-selling game you love to play? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!
https://comicbook.com/gaming/list/the-biggest-innovations-from-each-console-generation/embed/#
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2026-05-02 16:15