The top-selling games on each console.

      Examining the history of video game consoles provides insight into the industry's progress. Ranking the greatest consoles of all time and reminiscing about legendary Nintendo launch titles gives us a glimpse into our initial experiences with these systems. While subjective rankings can be entertaining, there are also intriguing objective statistics to consider. Video game sales might not reflect the finest games of all time, but they do highlight what was popular during specific periods. It’s interesting to note the gap between best-sellers and critically acclaimed titles, a fact that many might not be aware of. Therefore, we researched financial reports dating back as far as possible to identify the top-selling games on each console.

      Note: Our focus is solely on the prominent home and handheld consoles, excluding more obscure systems that few remember. We are also limited to official sales data. Some figures might have changed or might not be in the correct sequence, but as of 2025, this data is as accurate as possible based on the latest official reports.

      The top-selling Atari 2600 game: Pac-Man – 8 million copies

      Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends

      Early consoles primarily served as a means to enjoy popular arcade games at home, making Pac-Man's status as the best-seller for the Atari 2600 understandable. What’s somewhat surprising, however, is the sheer volume of copies sold. Despite the niche nature of video gaming in the early 80s, Pac-Man for the Atari 2600 ended up selling over 8 million copies. Space Invaders follows in second place with just over 6 million, while Donkey Kong occupies the third spot with a little over 4 million copies.

      The top-selling NES game: Super Mario Bros. – 40 million*

      Nintendo

      We need to add a small note to this entry because, despite being one of the top Mario titles and likely to have sold millions independently, Super Mario Bros. was included as a pack-in game with the NES. This game likely influenced many to purchase the console, yet we can never truly know how many copies it would have sold without that bundle. Nonetheless, selling over 40 million copies is an impressive accomplishment. By comparison, Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. 3 sold 28 million and 18 million copies, respectively, even though they were also part of bundles. Excluding bundles, the highest-selling NES game would be Tetris with 8 million copies.

      The top-selling Sega Genesis game: Sonic the Hedgehog – 15 million*

      Sega

      Much like Nintendo’s mascot topped NES sales, Sega’s Sonic was the best-selling game on the Genesis, reaching 15 million copies sold. However, we must place the same asterisk here, as Sonic was also bundled with the console. Taking the second spot is Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with about 7.5 million copies sold. These impressive sales demonstrate how dominant Nintendo was during that era when compared to Sega.

      The top-selling Game Boy game: Pokémon Red & Blue – 31 million

      Adobe Stock / Digital Trends

      What could possibly be more popular on the Game Boy than the franchise that took the world by storm? The Pokémon games propelled the franchise to tremendous heights, breathing new life into the handheld nearly a decade after its initial release. Some may feel it’s a bit unfair to combine the sales of both titles, but that’s the approach Nintendo has always taken. Moreover, Tetris, the second best-seller, was also a pack-in game, and in third place, Pokémon Gold and Silver sold 23.7 million copies, so it takes quite a few titles to find a non-bundled game with significant sales.

      The top-selling SNES game: Super Mario World – 20.6 million*

      Nintendo

      Surprised? Another Mario title leads the pack. Once again, we must note that this impressive sales figure comes with an asterisk due to it being bundled with the console. However, much like the NES, Super Mario World is considered one of the best SNES titles and would have likely sold well without the bundle. To find the next best-selling game that isn't bundled, we have to look down to ninth place, where Street Fighter II Turbo sold 4.1 million copies.

      The top-selling PS1 game: Gran Turismo – 10.85 million

      Sony

      The competition for first, second, and third place was quite close, but Sony’s inaugural entry in the racing genre managed to snag the top spot with 10.85 million copies sold. Beyond being a fantastic game, Gran Turismo served as a graphical showcase for Sony consoles, attracting many players. Close behind in second position is Final Fantasy 7, with 10.02 million, followed by Gran Turismo 2 at 9.37 million.

      The top-selling N64 game: Super Mario 64 – 11.91 million*

      Taylor Frint/Digital Trends Graphic / Nintendo

      Stop us if this sounds familiar: yet again, a Mario