Whilst everyone is going nuts over today’s release of Halo 3, how about we reign in the “most successful video game ever” hyperbole and take a walk down sales-figure lane to recall the 25 best-selling video games of all time. And before you predict H:3’s eventual place on a revised version of this list, take note of where Halo 2 already falls in sales history.
1. Pokémon Red, Blue and Green (Gameboy) - 20.08 Million Copies Sold
2. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) - 18 Million Copies Sold
3. The Sims (PC) - 16 Million Copies Sold
4. Nintendogs (Nintendo DS) - 14.75 Million Copies Sold
5. Pokémon Gold and Silver (Gameboy) - 14.1 Million Copies Sold
6. Super Mario Land (Gameboy) - 14 Million Copies Sold
7-tie. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Playstation 2) - 13 Million Copies Sold
7-tie. Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (Game Boy Advance) - 13 Million Copies Sold
7-tie. The Sims2 (PC) - 13 Million Copies Sold
10. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Playstation 2) - 12 Million Copies Sold
11-tie. Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) - 11 Million Copies Sold
11-tie. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (Playstation 2) - 11 Million Copies Sold
11-tie. Grand Theft Auto III (Playstation 2) - 11 Million Copies Sold
14. Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (Game Boy Advance) - 10.66 Million Copies Sold
15. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo DS) - 10.52 Million Copies Sold
16. Gran Turismo (Playstation 1) - 10.5 Million Copies Sold
17. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (Nintendo DS) - 10 Million Copies Sold
18. Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo) - 10 Million Copies Sold
19. Final Fantasy VII (Playstation 1) - 9.8 Million Copies Sold
20. StarCraft (PC) - 9.5 Million Copies Sold
21. World of Warcraft (PC) - 9 Million Copies Sold
22. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! (Nintendo DS) - 8.61 Million Copies Sold
23. Gran Turismo 2 (Playstation 1) - 8.5 Million Copies Sold
24. Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64) - 8.47 Million Copies Sold
25-tie. Halo 2 (XBox) - 8 Million Copies Sold
25-tie. Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo) - 8 Million Copies Sold
25-tie. Super Mario Kart (Super Nintendo) - 8 Million Copies Sold
25-tie. GoldenEye 007 (Nintendo 64) - 8 Million Copies Sold
25-tie. Pokémon Yellow (Game Boy) - 8 Million Copies Sold
Just like PG-13 movies inherently make more money than R-rated movies–because they are accessible to a much wider audience–games that appeal to a wide age range always outsell even the most successful mature titles. Thus, until Master Chief starts tangling with Pikachu, Halo 3 will carry much more marketing heft than it does sales clout.
List found via Forever Geek.
