Best-Selling Video Game Consoles (1983-2024) 

"that match with the period" gameboy ad playing almost a decade after its release:

@@dizzy_jump oui ... mais non ! la gameboy s'est vendu plus de 10 ans !

Exactly my thoughts, also surprising for me is, that the snes wasnt more popular

​@@ChandlerMBing-ee1qbsnes had to against fierce competition for the first time in Nintendo's history. That was truly the first console wars era

Also the Genesis. Check out how late the Genesis was still selling, even when newer consoles were discontinued. That's because they released the Genesis 3. It was still selling well into the PS4 era.

The Master System is still being sold in Brazil.

@@Pocket_Fox The Genesis 3 didn't sell like that guy. Sales from South America and the Middle East kept the Mega Drive and Master System names alive for so long. Why comment and spread misinformation?

Wii u just like 3ds. Can't pass wii and nds. I think lack of promotion. I thought wii and wii u is the same. I thought wii u just pro version of wii. Just like i thought 3 ds just pro version of nds.

​@@feroriski5840Naw the Wii U basically made their customers not want it mainly because of their cringeworthy commercials and lack of 3rd party support. Most of the fans were still playing the Wii or the 2DS/3DS consoles when Wii U was happening. Some people though the Wii U was just a add on for the Wii.

Nintendo almost went the way of sega if the wii wasn't a success nintondo wouldn't be making a consol now

@@robbiebbaddthe Wii and the Switch really saved Nintendo

??? Nintendo has so much money, they were never in trouble. What are you guys on about.

Probably because prices drop over time for the hardware, making it more accessible

I've owned all of the top 15 consoles except the Xbox 360, and the PS5. I should have the PS5 this summer. I don't like Xbox because they refuse to make Portable Consoles. I refuse to buy one until they do..

I don't think this video is accurate, the growth shown is constant and that is not true. massive sales only come at certain periods in the year which this video does not reflect.

⁠@@kurikuraconkuritaswhat are they supposed to do? Game sales are only reported monthly at best, most consoles will only report sales once a year. There just isn’t good enough data to show yearly trends, and if there was it would be painful to make those changes apparent in the video.

@@strikingmachine2975 What about the Playstation portable? I saw a chart somewhere it's the 10th best selling console of all time.

Looks like Nintendo Switch is aiming for a revenge

It's because of a few reasons I will list FIRSTLY one of the reasons why the PS2 did good at launch was because DVD players had just started becoming a thing and there was not really any video streaming especially since internet was too slow and sometimes even loading a freaking picture would take seconds if not longer and a video is technically multiple pictures played in quick succession usually at 30 images/frames per second or 60. The reason why the DVD thing matters is because the PS2 could play DVD's too (PS3 could also play normal Blu-Ray movies and PS4 Pro and 5 and XB1X and XB Series X can also do up to UHD 4K Blu-Ray). This made it a good choice for people who wanted BOTH a DVD player and a games console especially since another important sales factor was Sony was actually making a loss technically on them I think because I heard it was also the CHEAPEST DVD playing device in 2001 so even the kids who were not allowed to buy games consoles under normal circumstances like me (I still never got to own one though but I was 5 when it released) probably owned them because their parents wanted a DVD player and this had extra features too. Second reason was because the damn thing launched in 2001 AND was still being sold well over a decade later I mean the console had been selling for SO LONG that there were games still in development in the mid 2010's for the console to the point where EA actually released FIFA 14 (I think it was 14) on THREE different generations of PlayStation the PS2, PS3 and PS4 Third reason was because some of the customers were non gamers looking to only get it to play DVD's and when you compare the sales figures to later consoles by the time the PS3 released many of the non gamer customers were not upgrading to Blu-Ray even though it had 1080p video and was again the cheapest Blu-Ray player out at the time. Also there was the fact that movie/tv streaming was slowly starting to become a thing and eventually it would fully kick off in the 2010's meaning it would render that target audience mostly useless for future consoles especially since there is also movie and TV show piracy that would not have been easily available back then because of the terrible internet in 2001. Fourth reason is because many developing countries were still heavily using the PS2 because you know it can be hard for poorer people to afford a new console if they even have the chance to get one in the first place which again most people nowadays do NOT do because these poorer people can just pirate their games nowadays on PC Fifth reason is PC GAMING. Most people on console never knew of PC gaming besides flash games and when they found out about PC gaming they either switched or used both since PC is FAR FAR SUPERIOR and a PC is capable of multi tasking and doing more than a measly console and even I was unaware of PC gaming till in 2009 shortly after getting my first PC at 13 y/o (My parents never let me have a console or PC but caved in to the PC demand so I could use it for "studying and homework") my uncle found a pirated DVD with GTA III preinstalled on it at a local market when he was in Pakistan and brought it to the UK (I am British Pakistani) and he also found a copy of GTA VC the same way a couple months later and because of a bug in this pirated GTA III where the radio stationed never worked I googled and found out about pirating and pirated both games (GTA III disc had bugs and GTA VC had weird mods preinstalled) with an official ISO and EXE crack (ISO is just a virtual file of an actual disc and when launched Windows thinks you have loaded a DVD in to it these ISO files were for the OG discs for the game). I then found a place where I could pirate GTA SA and then found out about a multiplayer mod for GTA SA called Multi Theft Auto which is basically like FiveM but for GTA SA and then I found a GTA IV crack (With older games that did have a physical disc version it is EASY to find the ISO of the disc online and people would release them even before a crack was available because the game is still not cracked if you do this and won't run on other PC's without a crack so getting the cracked EXE and extra files you need to add to the directory was the hard part). I now don't pirate and now LEGALLY own these games on Steam AND own the regular AND Definitive Edition versions of GTA III/VC/SA on PC

PS2 is King. Insane how long it went.

No wonder, its because of the shitty quality of the ps2. Every user who bought the PS2 had a dead disc drive after 1 or 2 years and what do people do who had spend tons of money on games for a console? yes, they bought a new one to play the remaining games. So i´m not surprised that the PS2 sold so well. Its nothing to be proud of.

Not Tragic. Look at it this way. Combine the 3DS with it (it's backward compatible). Smashed it. I've never been a fan of hand helds, but WOW!

i come to post same, slowy but 20+years selling.

Brazil

That was the most surprising thing for me too. It was still selling well, long after I thought Sega had already left the console business. What's going on there? 😳

@@AbdullahAli-yb6xmthink about paid games like minecraft, gta v, etc

​@@jayzdawg3111nope it has been surpassed by GTA V. GTA V is now the most profitable cultural product of all time. It surpassed any video game, book, music album, movie, anything, even minecraft.

1. Minecraft 2. Gta 5 3. Tetris (ea) 4. Wii Sports 5. Pubg

lol tetris will always be #1@@LolEleiteye

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Kj2wwzpyNcE.html

Many people : my grandma, my stepmother, my little niece, and lots of casual gamers don't want to take a joypad.... but à pencil yes, also wiimote yes. Nintendo understood that !

not a xbox guy i see huh

@@w_redeye lol I suppose not - maybe one day I'll pick one up...

and will win the race for now. The sold 140 mill at the moment and prevent the next year 15,5 mill

@@TmatoCheatEngine Unless they shift their focus on Switch's long-awaited successor...

The Dreamcast is a great system, it is a damn shame that Sony killed it.

@@trisertricordoh2127 sony sucks eggs

That was my very first console around 1981..43years later im still a big gamer at heart.

@@MrAranhawk I’m going on 38 years gaming(46 yrs old).

@@MrAranhawk was also my first console too(1986).

and Metal Gear Solid 1

Undoubtedly well over 140 million now.

I believe that in the future it will be the best-selling console of all time

It's currently at 141 million. It may beat the PS2. Depending on when they launch the switches replacement

O Mega Drive é ainda vendido nos EUA, alguns países da Europa e da Ásia até hoje. Não existe isso de "Salvar", isso é coisa de torcedor de empresa.

Oh you're definitely not alone brother😅😅😅

Same. It was sad to see it kicked out of the top 15 in August of 2017

Remember it was competing against the PSX, and had a *very* small library. Yes, the top of the N64 library was fire, but outside of Nintendo and Rare, there wasn't really much there worth purchasing.

​@@gamerk316 true, thing is that I remember seeing N64's at the homes of many of my friends, but I don't recall ever seeing a MegaDrive/Genesis, as in EVER, despite it outselling the N64!

+LennoxMatt1 That's because it was pretty big in America but almost a non-factor in Japan. And even in America, the original PlayStation beat it. I was there at the time. I remember. Sony disrupted the hell out of Nintendo when they secured those 3rd Party developers. I call it the 3rd Party Exodus. Japanese gaming companies who made their name on NES & SNES leaving N64 out to dry in favor of PlayStation. So PlayStation was popular everywhere especially Europe while Nintendo 64's popularity was best in USA only. They were still putting out Super Famicom games in Japan in 1999, that's how bad it was. Handheld Consoles were a different matter, of course. Game Boy & Pokémon were untouchable. But despite the quality of those legendary N64 games, they no longer had the quantity seen in NES & SNES. And ever since the Crash of 1983 & the 3rd Generation with NES, you can't win a Generation without winning Japan. N64 was outsold by Sega Saturn in Japan to let you know just why you were shocked at N64's sales. However in hindsight, N64 had the best games of all time in that generation so it's looked back on fondly today.

@@johnlucas1543 I know it wasn't a reply to me, but I really appreciate the detailed explanation of the game system situation surrounding the N64, and it's competition! Thanks for taking the time!

Brazil

O Mega Drive continuou vendendo em diversos países emergentes, até mesmo nos EUA, teve empresas que licenciou, como AT Games, que vende o console até hoje. No Brasil, é a Tectoy.

@PeppaPig-ze3yc oh i know they are gaming consoles because a had them as a child ... 🤫

​@PeppaPig-ze3ycnope, the Amiga CD-32 was a console, so was the C64 GS but that was its downfall. As it was a console version of the C64 the GS only came with a joystick, and that meant its claim to compatible with all C64 games was a lie. Many games couldn't get started on the GS because you needed to press a non-existant keyboard key.

I still have my Gameboy Advance.

Do u think it will pass the ps2?

@@Max012 Yeah.

@@Max012 I believe it. Switch will beat PS2 by the end of this year 2024. When the Fall/Holiday Quarter (Oct/Nov/Dec 2023) report comes out next month in February, you're most likely looking at 140 million for Switch with another Quarter to go-Winter Quarter (Jan/Feb/Mar 2024). When Nintendo's current fiscal year ends on March 31, 2024, it's probably gonna be 142 or 143 million. And it's only about another 15 million to go before they catch PS2 (& DS) by the end of December 2024. All this year, you're gonna be hearing stories of Switch breaking some sales record or another all around the world. The next one to come, I believe, will be Switch beating DS in Japan as the best-selling console. "Switch outsells PS2 in the U.S." "Switch outsells DS in Europe" "Switch outsells Wii in U.K.". Whoops, that last one already happened. Sorry about that. But yeah it's a foregone conclusion at this point. Not a matter of 'if', just a matter of 'when'. ESPECIALLY if Nintendo drops the price on Switch this year which I doubt severely. Switch remains at its launch price which is unprecedented for ANY console in history. Even DS & PS2 had price cuts to get to the lofty numbers they achieved. Switch is doing this all on full price! Switch is legendary & will never be forgotten.

@@johnlucas1543 as a Long time Nintendo fan, I also hope the Switch passes the PS2. You neglected to mention the sales of Switch Lite and Switch OLED. Nintendo didn’t just catch lightning in a bottle with the Switch, they caught Zeus’s Thunderbolt in a bottle.

@@elfofcourage ABSOLUTELY! See a lot of people don't realize it but Switch "decline" is more because Nintendo is quietly phasing out the original $300 Switch & putting the $350 Switch OLED in its place. Switch Lite is literally Lite so it has never outdone full-fledged Switch & never will. Switch's original launch colors for Joy-cons were Red & Blue (like Mario). When I saw a Switch OLED with those Red & Blue colors instead of its original White, I knew exactly what Nintendo was doing. Switch OLED, the premium model, will eventually be the main model. They're gonna ride this out like the Game Boy. Switch 2's coming but it won't be this year. "Zeus's Thunderbolt" as you put it gives Switch a good bit more energy & life.

I think it took into account the sales in Brazil. It continued to be sold there long after sales in North America and Europe ceased.

Brazilians

But it's not sold by Sega. Production has ended.

@@UncleUncleRj It’s still sold in Brazil by another company

@@jayminyoel7911 Yeah, just like all other retro consoles, it's either fake, reselling or an emulator. Edit: PS I looked up TecToy, and their MegaDrive is an emulator of the original hardware as well, sadly.

Nah. $299 in the year 2000 would be roughly $529 today corrected for inflation. PS5 launched at $499. Considering the real term salary increases in many nations since 2000 the current consoles are in a way quite a bit cheaper than the PS2 was at release. Sweden for an example had an average real term salary increase of 66 % between 1995 and 2019. In other words the salary increase outpaced the inflation by 66 %. Granted we are back to roughly 2015 levels because of the last few years of high inflation but the salaries are in real terms still way higher than they were back in 2000. So we do proportionally speaking spend less of our money on the current consoles.

@@Tim_Nilsson in Sweden! In Italy salaries have not increased in the last 25 years.

@@ClaudioSantini I know and it is unfortunate. :/ I wrote "_many_ nations", not "all".

+nickd What are you talking about? Nintendo Switch will beat PS2 by the end of this year 2024. As a matter of fact, you're likely to see a lifetime total of 140 million for Switch on Nintendo's next fiscal report. That covers all Switch sales up to the end of 2023, December 31st. We'll be getting that report at the beginning of February & they still have one more quarter to go for their fiscal year. Their fiscal year ends on March 31, 2024 & by then you're probably gonna see about 142 or 143 million for Switch. It's only another 15 million to go from there & that won't be hard to accomplish. ESPECIALLY if Nintendo does a price drop this year (which I doubt they'll do).

Those are the actual counting numbers ("how many items were sold?") not sales volume. There is no inflation for counting numbers. A million items are a million items at any time 😊

It has 1 more year to beat the ps2

@@Max012 Probably more. We don't know how long the Switch will be sold. Very likely Switch Lite will stay for a while even if there's a new Nintendo console.

@@Clery75019 The games probably will, but the console sales will almost certainly bottom out.

​@@Max012 I mean it got 40 million sales in 2023 so maybe

you're so stupid. Sony continues to produce and sell PS4 !!!

It's not in fearing failure that you innovate.

Boy it past 3 years

ok bane @@dantesatir8727

It took 3 years.

yup, crazy @@kylewoodowens4488

PS2 sales were tracking between 159 - 162 million according to the FY21 and analyst Daniel Ahmed. 7 million unit's were shipped in March 2013. We just never got a confirmation until now that the PS2 is at 160+ Million.

Smartphones and the Gameboy color and original Gameboy lasted a long time in the market

Do u think it will pass the ps2?

@@Max012 it honestly depends on when the switch 2 comes out and how long they keep switch 1 on the market

If they dont cut off the sales before 2025 they might.

Really depends when the Switch 2 or Whatever the new console is called comes out.

@@kylewoodowens4488 pretty much

top right.

​@@Clery75019 oh yeah there was too much light in my room i didn't notice it lol

Nintendo always saw the game color like amid generation upgrade like the ds I or the new 3ds for that the majority of new games for the Nintendo color can be played in the original Gameboy

+williamgottlieb Game Boy Color is just a revision. They're the same console. It's like DSi to DS. Or New 3DS to 3DS. Same console but new revision has a bit of extra functionality. I like to call those kinds of things "1.5 models". New revision can do (virtually) everything of old model. Old model can't quite do everything of new revision. Nintendo's handhelds regardless of the revisions are as follows: *Game & Watch* *Game Boy* *Game Boy Advance* *DS* *3DS* *Switch* (which doubles as both Handheld Console & Home Console to make a Hybrid Console)

Valve didn't announced any official number than "it sold millions of units" which means steam deck sold atleast 2 million or more, but we don't have any reliable source to say an exact number.

The Console still sold pretty well in Brazil.

It didn't have enough units sold until 1997 to appear in the graph

+boxbreaker Keep your eyes on this year. Switch will beat both DS & PS2 by December 31, 2024. Nintendo's next fiscal report comes out at the beginning of February & it covers the Fall/Holiday Quarter which is October/November/December 2023. Nintendo always does its best in this 3rd Quarter in the Holidays. I believe you will see a lifetime total of 140 million Switches & there's one more Quarter to go for the fiscal year. The Winter Quarter which covers January/February/March 2024. Their fiscal year ends March 31, 2024. So by then you'll probably see 142 or 143 million & from there it's only another 15 million to go. Yes, Switch sales are declining year by year BUT it STILL has killer sales for a console about to be a full 7 years old! It only looks bad comparing it against itself during the unprecedented Pandemic phenomenon which was like Michael Jackson Thriller level of sales. It's now on a mere Michael Jackson Bad or Dangerous level of sales. Below those insane peaks but way above what anybody else is doing. From INSANE to merely DOMINANT. As it enters its 8th year soon (it completes its 7th year on March 3rd), look for little news reports all over the world saying that Switch broke some sales record here or there. The next one is the one from Japan where Switch will beat both Game Boy & DS in sales. And remember above all else, Switch has done all of this AT FULL LAUNCH PRICE! The price on Switch has never dropped ONCE. Even PS2 & DS had price drops to get to those record numbers. When Nintendo finally unleashes Switch 2 (which will NOT be in 2024 contrary to popular opinion), the industry will have a problem on their hands. Nintendo is poised for permanent dominance from here on out.

LoL An unstoppable Juggernaut

@@elfofcourage Nintendo Switch says "I'm the JUGGERNAUT, Bitch!"

People Still kept making Genesis in Brazil

на самом деле, sega master system до сих пор продается, во многом из-за Бразилии, приятель

Only in Brazil due to the agreement between Sega and Tectoy.