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15 Best-Selling Video Games of the 21st Century So Far, Ranked Lowest to Highest – CBR

Video gameOctober 25, 2024
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Nearly 25 years into the 21st century, the gaming industry has seen a rapid evolution in technology and expanding ambition among studios. While the journey has had its share of ups—and, more recently, downs—this hasn’t stopped gamers from sending games into the stratosphere of commercial success. Despite rising prices, console wars, and studio closures, gamers still come out to support games big and small.




Over the decades, many video games have achieved high-grossing success, and the 21st century has added numerous titles to that historic list of bestsellers. Minecraft remains an evergreen building block for the sandbox genre, while Red Dead Redemption 2 continues to offer one of the most unforgettable narrative experiences in gaming. The numbers may seem almost unbelievable, but these games have undeniably earned their spots at the top.


15 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Packs an Exciting Punch

Release Date: December 7, 2018


The fifth main installment in the beloved Super Smash Bros. series, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, became a fan favorite, bringing the series to the Nintendo Switch for millions of players. Smash Bros. Ultimate continued the series’ tradition of featuring crossover characters from various franchises, but instead of including all of them in the initial release, new characters were revealed over time through CGI trailers. These characters, available through DLC, added a whole new level of excitement for players.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate brought back Adventure Mode, integrating the newly introduced Spirits mechanic. This system replaced the traditional trophy collection, allowing players to enhance their characters with special abilities. With its vast amount of content, Smash Bros. Ultimate added even more depth to an already popular franchise, ensuring the game’s longevity and keeping excitement high for a game that already has many successes behind it.


14 Stardew Valley is an Affordable and Timeless Masterpiece

Release Date: February 26, 2018Stardew Valley multiple Mystic Trees with Mystic Syrup.

An indie smash hit, Stardew Valley has maintained its popularity for over eight years with multiple major content updates, continuously drawing in waves of new players to this affordable and beloved game. What begins as a simple task of fixing up grandfather’s farm evolves into much more. The RPG farming sim offers hundreds of hours of content, story, and exploration. Whether players are delving into the mystical by helping the Wizard and the Junimos or focusing on the practical goal of perfecting their farm, Stardew Valley truly has something for everyone, making its success no mystery.


Split Images of Stardew Valley's locations.

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Stardew Valley has also benefited from its low cost, never raising its $14.99 price tag despite the abundance of free content added by its solo developer, Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone. This keeps the game accessible to everyone, allowing players to enjoy a true masterpiece and become part of an ever-growing community. In a time of early access, deluxe, and ultimate editions, Stardew Valley stands out for offering an immense amount of heart—and content—at an affordable price. This has not only contributed to its commercial success but also earned widespread respect from the gaming community.


13 Mario Kart Wii Turned Players’ Habit of Tilting Their Controllers to Steer into Something Tangible

Release Date: April 8, 2008

King Boo on a bike with his tongue out in Mario Kart Wii

The sixth installment of the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart Wii , became the most successful entry at the time of its release in part due to the Wii’s motion-sensing controllers. Players who had long turned their controllers instinctively—hoping for an edge on tracks like Rainbow Road—finally saw their movements translate on-screen. Nintendo also offered the option to buy a steering wheel attachment, which made the experience feel even more real.


Mario Kart Wii perfected what seemed like an already perfect game, giving players the final key they needed to experience just how fun those competitive races with friends could be. It featured a roster of 24 playable characters, which was the largest in the series at the time. Mario Kari Wii also supported online multiplayer until Nintendo discontinued the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in 2014, but players can still go head-to-head in couch co-op with up to four players in split-screen. A game made to break friendships and break sales records, Mario Kart Wii was a turning point for a series that had been begging for motion-sensor input.

12 Wii Fit is a Game For Anyone Looking for Some Fun At-Home Exercise

Release Date: December 1, 2007

Official art for Wii Fit


Wii Fit was Nintendo’s first shot at a fitness game, and it ended up being exactly what players wanted. Wii Fit stands out in that it didn’t just attract seasoned gamers; it drew in people who had never played video games before. Wii Fit is perfect for the average worker who doesn’t feel like going to a gym at the end of the day and wants an easy, entertaining way to get in shape at home.

nintendo switch and Miiverse Plaza

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Wii Fit made working out fun by offering motivation and engagement through games and activities—and it delivered real results. Despite requiring the not-so-cheap Wii Balance Board, it became the seventh best-selling Wii game, excluding those bundled with the console. Wii Fit offers a variety of activities, including strength training, balance exercises, and yoga, making it accessible to a wide audience. It also showed Nintendo they might be onto something with fitness-based games.

11 Animal Crossing: New Horizons Delivered Cozy Fun at Just the Right Time

Release Date: March 20, 2020


Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out just when the world needed it most. When it was released, lockdowns had just gone into effect across the globe, and people were suddenly stuck at home with nothing to do. New Horizon‘s sales quickly skyrocketed, but it didn’t just hit its sales numbers due to those circumstances. It was the first installment in the beloved franchise since 2012 and was already highly anticipated. However, due to the timing of its release, more people than expected suddenly had a debt to Tom Nook.

New Horizons introduced a terraforming mechanic to Animal Crossing. Players could make an entire island into their own, and they took full advantage of it, creating incredible landscapes that they could show off to other players. New Horizons was the perfect game for a world in desperate need of some simple, communal fun, and it saw record-high sales because of it.


10 The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt Provides a Vast Open-World Paired With an Emotional Story

Release Date: May 18, 2015

Geralt and Triss together in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is the third installment in the Witcher series, and ended up being the most popular of them all. Considered one of the greatest games ever made, The Witcher 3 provided an emotional story reliant on player choice, a vast open world, a plethora of quests, and, of course, Geralt, the lovable, gruff witcher. The Witcher 3 is also a solid starting point for any player interested in the franchise. It brushes players up on anything they need to know for the sake of the story and ultimately focuses on the present, providing a wide appeal for many gamers.


Emiel, the Bloody Baron, and Keira from The Witcher 3

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The Wild Hunt includes many role-playing elements, from crafting armor for Geralt to making big and small decisions that help to characterize him. It’s an immersive game, providing an experience dependent on what players wish to seek out within the world laid out before them. It continues to be considered a narrative triumph, and the compelling story continues to attract new players.


9 Human: Fall Flat Has Fun Physics and Even More Fun Puzzles

Release Date: July 22, 2016

A player hangs onto another player, with another player falling to their doom, while being pulling into the air in Human: Fall Flat.

Human: Fall Flat is a comedic puzzle-platformer featuring Bob, the human falling flat. Bob is customizable and full of funny animations that add to the humor and enjoyment of the game. Human: Fall Flat is open-ended, providing multiple solutions to puzzles. This provides tons of replayability and gives players a reason to continue revisiting the game and dedicating endless hours to it.


While Human: Fall Flat has no story or end goal, it’s garnered stellar commercial success. The game appeals to any puzzle lover, especially those who appreciate an added level of entertainment and a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The ability to dress up Bob in fun little outfits and costumes just adds to the entertainment and the fun of continuously revisiting this puzzle-filled game. Human: Fall Flat‘s physics are half the fun, and Bob’s animations provide plenty of laughs.

8 Overwatch Helped to Popularize the Hero Shooter

Release Date: May 3, 2016

Overwatch McCree


Overwatch has convinced millions of players to invest hundreds or even thousand of hours into a game centered around teamwork. An online first-person “hero” shooter, players turned the game into a major commercial success, with players drawn to its addictive gameplay and appealing characters. Overwatch has fun and aesthetically appealing cartoon-style graphics and a wide range of heroes with different abilities and roles to fulfill in-match.

Split Images of Fighting Video Games

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As one of the first hero shooters to hit the gaming industry, Overwatch helped popularize a genre now featured in many games across various platforms. While some have successfully adopted the model, others have struggled to emulate its success. Overwatch‘s hero-based mechanics are a major draw, with players investing in exclusive and rare skins for their favorite characters, resulting in an underground market for skins no longer available in the online shop. Its dedicated player base helped turn Overwatch into a title that’s still influencing the future of gaming.


7 Terraria is Pixelized, Sandbox Fun

Release Date: May 16, 2011

Three buildings in Terraria.

Coincidentally, Terraria came around at the same time as Minecraft. Both games provide an open-world crafting sandbox, but manage to set themselves apart. Terraria‘s procedurally generated world offers endless amounts of adventure for players to dive into on their own or enjoy with friends. The 16-bit game offers combat, crafting, and customization, all in a side-scrolling world with an appealing aesthetic. Players can enjoy an open-ended class system to customize their character further and put their build to the test by summoning bosses.


Terraria offers players an abundance of challenges, a variety of enemies, and a richly layered world to explore. With seasonal events and mod support, it has a formula that continues to attract new players even more than a decade after its initial release. Terraria remains one of the most popular sandbox games, and its enduring commercial success speaks for itself.

6 Red Dead Redemption 2’s Commercial Success Blew Its Successor Out of the Water

Release Date: October 26, 2018


Red Dead Redemption 2 is the phenomenal prequel to the already critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption, elevating the franchise to new heights with its success. RDR2 sets the standard for narrative depth, graphics quality, and open-world design—qualities that many games can only aspire to match. It continues to stand the test of time, with graphics still on par with today’s AAA titles. As a prequel, it’s the perfect starting point for anyone looking to dive into the Red Dead Redemption series.

Red Dead Redemption 2 with Assassin's Creed 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops

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Red Dead Redemption 2‘s broad appeal, including its accessibility to players who may not have played the original RDR, contributed to its well-deserved critical and commercial success. Arthur Morgan has become one of the most beloved video game protagonists of all time, and his grizzled demeanor and seemingly endless well of empathy are an irresistible combination. The emotional, well-told story brings Arthur and the other characters to life in a way few games can match. RDR2 remains an unforgettable experience for gamers, setting a high bar for narrative storytelling in gaming.

5 Mario Kart 8 Continues to Be the Highest-selling Mario Kart in the Whole Franchise

Release Date: May 29, 2014

Baby Mario prepares to leap through the Master Sword in Hyrule Circuit in Mario Kart 8


Mario Kart 8 blew Mario Kart Wii‘s success out of the water, becoming the highest-selling Mario Kart game to date. Initially released for the Wii U, it continued the winning formula of motion-sensor controls for players eager to steer the karts themselves. Of course, the game offered the optional steering wheel peripheral that had proven to be successful with its predecessor.

Mario Kart 8 retained the classic gameplay the series is known for while introducing new features like anti-gravity mechanics that let players drive on walls and ceilings. The game continued to provide tons of new content after release, with both paid and free DLCs. Later, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was released for the Nintendo Switch, bundling the base game with all previously released DLCs, making it widely considered the definitive version of Mario Kart 8. To date, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold 61.97 million units—about 10 million fewer than the original Mario Kart 8.


4 PUBG: Battlegrounds Popularized the Battle Royale Genre

Release Date: March 23, 2017

PUBG Paramo Promo

Before Fortnite, there was PUBG: Battlegrounds, the too-often forgotten game that popularized the Battle Royale genre. PUBG introduced players to the now-standard 100-player drop-in into a massive map filled with loot, with the safe zone slowly growing smaller and smaller. PUBG remains the game with the highest number of concurrent players of all time on Steam, with a whopping 3,257,248 players at once, a number reached nearly seven years ago and yet to be topped.


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PUBG: Battlegrounds was initially released with a $30 price tag before following in the footsteps of other popular Battle Royale games and becoming free-to-play, opting to have its revenue made up from microtransactions. The game provides cross-play over multiple platforms, allowing millions of players all over the world to band together in a squad and take on countless other player squads or drop in as a lone player against 99 others seeking victory, making for an enticing game model fueled by frustration and the determination of “just one more match.”


playerunknown's battlegrounds

PUBG: Battlegrounds

Platform(s)
PS5 , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One , PC , Stadia , Android , iOS

Released
March 23, 2017

Developer(s)
PUBG Corporation

Publisher(s)
PUBG Corporation

ESRB
T for Teen: Blood, Violence

3 Wii Sports Provides Fun For the Whole Family

Release Date: November 19, 2006

Playing tennis in Wii Sports

Wii Sports entered millions of homes and became an endless source of entertainment for families who were still amazed by the Wii’s motion-sensor technology. With five different sports to choose from, the game kept boredom at bay, and the use of silly-looking Miis added humor to the competition. It also made those on-screen warnings about tightening wrist straps much more relatable.


Wii Sports required players to move, almost acting as an alternative to Wii Fit. A round of tennis often left families surprisingly sweaty, all while laughing at the silly animations of their Miis on screen. The game’s simple yet engaging gameplay made it a hit with the whole family, appealing even to those who typically didn’t play video games. Though there have been a couple of sequels since Wii Sports‘ massive commercial success, none have quite captured the magic of the original.

2 Grand Theft Auto V Provided GTA Fans With Everything They’d Hoped For and More

Release Date: September 17, 2013

Grand Theft Auto 5 key art with the three main characters.


Grand Theft Auto V was the long-awaited continuation of the critically acclaimed franchise, and it did not disappoint. Featuring three distinct characters with intertwining storylines, the game allowed players to switch between them at any time. With its expansive open world that could only be navigated on foot or by vehicle, GTA V delivered everything fans had hoped for. It built on and perfected an already stellar franchise. Players could spend hours wasting time in the open world, focusing on making easy money and owning garages and vehicles alongside the in-depth story waiting for players in each main quest.

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GTA V‘s three protagonists freshened up a well-known formula, creating an exciting story and gameplay for players to enjoy. GTA V is skilled at combining humor and deadly serious situations while also forcing players to realize that their protagonists are not the good guys. GTA V became the fastest-selling entertainment product in history, earning $800 million on its first day.

1 Minecraft Allows Players to Shape Their World

Release Date: May 17, 2009


Minecraft has paved the way for countless games while staying at the forefront of gaming in the 21st century. While it started off fairly simple, it offered players infinite freedom and exploration, a rewarding crafting system built around mining, and diverse biomes to explore. Minecraft has always had one set goal—defeating The Ender Dragon—but it never restricts the players’ experience, allowing them to choose their own path.

Over the years, Minecraft has seen numerous updates, constantly expanding on its content. Its unassuming premise—spawn, build, survive—appeals to players of all kinds. It can be played casually or intensely, with friends or solo, or in Creative mode for unlimited building possibilities, Minecraft‘s success has been monumental, spawning merchandise, spin-off games, and even a live-action movie, all originating from this one simple game that no other title has come close to matching in commercial success.




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