All-Time Best-Selling Video Games - Iconic Games You Need to Know
Video games have come a long way since the times of classic arcade and Space Invaders. From the iconic consoles of the 80s and 90s such as Nintendo and Sega Genesis, which introduced Sonic the Hedgehog that rivaled Mario's popularity and showcased the console's speed and graphics capabilities.
Today, the industry has changed drastically into a global trend with
The Most Popular Games of All Time
There are several popular video games but these games listed below have proven to be the top-selling video games of all time. I will categorise it into six main groups: open world, combat, survival royale, creative, puzzle and family games.
Creative Game
Let's start with Minecraft, which is the overall all-time favorite game. It is a sandbox or creative game released by Mojang in October 2011, and it has sold over 300 million copies worldwide. The game is addictive, drawing you in and keeping you engaged on your screen.
- Gameplay: Minecraft is centered on building, exploring, and experimenting in a virtual world. Resources, craft tools and build structures are gathered while fighting off monsters that come out at night.
- Visuals: This game has blocky, styled graphics that make it instantly recognizable. The visuals are simple yet effective, allowing players to focus on creativity and survival.
Open World Game
Moving on to Grand Theft Auto V, which is also one of the highly sought-after games after Minecraft, it is known as an open world game, was released by Rockstart North in September 2013 and it has sold over 200 million copies worldwide. This game provides players with unprecedented freedom to explore.
- Gameplay: Grand Theft Auto V has a mix of driving, shooting and role-playing elements. Players can complete quests, discover new locations, and interact with non-playable characters.
- Visual: The game has a clean visual, detailed character models and realistic environments
Family Games
Wii Sport is another popular video game, it has a compilation of five games. This game is well known to be a family-friendly and fun game. It was created by Nintendo and released in November 2006. The game has sold over 82million copies.
- Gameplay: It is designed to be accessible and enjoyable by all players of all ages, also featuring multiplayer mode, social interaction and promoting family bonding.
- Visual: This game has colourful, vibrant graphics and a family-friendly aesthetic.
Another top-selling game in this category is known as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which was released by Nintendo Switch in April 2017.
- Gameplay: It gets players ready for high-speed racing fun with Mario and friends, whereby you have to drift, boost and throw shells to outmaneuver opponents on crazy tracks.
- Visual: The game has vibrant, colourful and beautifully detailed tracks and characters, making the game a must-play for all.
Battle Royale Game
Player Unknown's Battlegrounds, also known as PUBG, is categorized as a battle royale game; it's basically a survival game. It has sold over 70million copies.
- Gameplay: This particular game challenges players to survive in a hostile environment and allows them to compete against other players and scavenge for gear.
- Visual: The game has a realistic environment, detailed character models and intense action sequences.
Puzzle Game
Tetris is one of the best-selling video games of all time. It's classified as a puzzle game and was created by Alexey Pajitnov in 1985. The game has made over 520million sales but is presently facing licensing issues.
- Gameplay: This game challenges players to solve puzzles, complete levels and achieve a high score.
- Visual: The game has simple yet iconic graphics and a retro aesthetic.
Combat Game
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is one of the most in-demand video games of all time. It was created by Treyarch and Raven Software, which was published in October 2024, it has sold over 500million copies and is categorized as a combat game.
- Gameplay: The game offers an exciting experience with its fast-paced gameplay, enabling multi-players to compete in various game modes and fend off zombies.
- Visual: it has a realistic environment, detailed texture and graphics creating an immersive experience.
Wrap Up
Each of these games listed above, from Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V, Wii Sport, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Tetris to Call of Duty and a lot more, has proven to be the most sought-after video games of all time, loved by all gamers around the world. These games provide a realistic environment, thrilling experience and detailed graphics that would have you glued to your screen.