Talk:List of best-selling video games

Black Myth: Wukong Sales Figures

The 30 million sales figure for Black Myth: Wukong was cited by Phantom Blade Zero's developer, not Game Science, and should not be taken as confirmation of its actual sales. Bigsharksoul (talk) 07:02, 22 April 2025 (UTC)

While the 30 million figure came from a third party, Phantom Blade Zero’s developer is in the same industry and likely has access to reliable insights. Quoting such a specific number publicly risks their own credibility if it’s false. Unless Game Science denies it, the figure remains plausible and shouldn't be dismissed outright. Kazama16 (talk) 10:41, 22 April 2025 (UTC)

Chinese companies often inflate figures without facing any reputational consequences. What's more, Game Science has remained conspicuously silent on too many issues. For instance, when Chinese bloggers falsely accused IGN and SBI of extorting $7 million in "protection money" from Game Science, the scandal blew up across China. The public widely believed IGN and SBI had blackmailed the studio—yet Game Science never bothered to debunk the rumor. Instead, they simply sat back in their offices, happily riding the wave of unexpected marketing benefits. Bigsharksoul (talk) 11:12, 22 April 2025 (UTC)

This is all speculation without any factual evidence. Unless you provide any reliable source to back up that information. Kazama16 (talk) 16:02, 22 April 2025 (UTC)

What can Company A's statements prove about Company B? And both of them are unlisted companies. If this is your so-called "reliable source," then who can take this ranking seriously? Bigsharksoul (talk) 19:17, 22 April 2025 (UTC)

If you think Todd Howard is a master of exaggeration and refuse to accept any numbers from him, then you should take a good look at the producer of Phantom Blade Zero. Bigsharksoul (talk) 19:29, 22 April 2025 (UTC)

I don't think "Todd Howard is a master of exaggeration" but this one surely does. [1] Kazama16 (talk) 07:21, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

"Whatever you say. We earthlings are surrounded by fake data all the time, and only a very few people bother to dig deeper. As for *Black Myth: Wukong*, it's just a minor footnote anyway." Bigsharksoul (talk) 03:33, 29 April 2025 (UTC)

So you just be saying anything to prove your point? Kazama16 (talk) 06:05, 29 April 2025 (UTC)

Do bundled games count?

If games included with a system count, then Snake (included with Nokia phones), Minesweeper and Solitaire (included with Windows) surely blow everything else out of the water. 2804:D4B:790C:C500:E6CF:232F:4004:B6BD (talk) 19:18, 22 April 2025 (UTC)

Source for their sales? Kazama16 (talk) 07:19, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

Are we including the stats for Minecraft china edition?

The title. Also, the sales numbers are separated between mc china edition and all other versions, mc china edition would still have 400 or more million sales by itself, making it the best-selling video game. Iamamodforjellymario (talk) 22:28, 29 April 2025 (UTC)

Chinese version is free not paid therefore it won't be included in this list. Kazama16 (talk) 05:36, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

Bejeweled

Kazama16 has tried to add Bejeweled to this list with the figure of 50 million copies. To his credit, he does cite some reliable sources. However, we don't include Skyrim's 60 million figure in this list even though it's been reported by multiple reliable sources, and I think the same should apply here, although for a different reason.

The 50 million sales figure originates from a press release from February 2010 in celebration of the game's tenth anniversary. Following this, through churnalism, multiple usually reliable sources reported on this sales figures, often saying that Bejeweled sold 50 million copies. [2][3][4][5] However, what these sources miss is that, according to the press release, the sales figure includes Bejeweled 2 and Bejeweled Twist. The only source I know of that seemingly addresses this is Game Developer, previously known as Gamasutra, though they confuse Bejeweled 2 with Bejeweled Blitz for some reason. As such, I think Bejeweled should be excluded from the list. Lazman321 (talk) 23:52, 29 April 2025 (UTC)

Do you know how reliable The Guardian is? They clearly cited 50 million copies of Bejeweled explicitly [6]. The press release was from 2010 and this was from 2012 and is a blog which means it gets updated over time meaning it provides fact-checked information like c'mon you do know how it works right? As for Blitz and Twist, it technically means it sold 50 million copies simultaneously with and without including these versions otherwise why would multiple reliable sources cite the wrong information for what benefits? Kazama16 (talk) 05:25, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

After looking more deeply into it. I found out that Bejeweled indeed sold 50 million copies as a standalone title as well as a series simultaneously. Now that's interesting. [7] (check first and third paragraph) It can be compared to Minecraft where it sold 350 million copies both as a game and as a franchise. Kazama16 (talk) 07:42, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

"why would multiple reliable sources cite the wrong information" - I don't know, why would multiple reliable sources engage in blatant churnalism? Reliable sources can occasionally publish unreliable articles or information, like the multiple usually reliable sources that claim Skyrim sold 60 million based on an off-the-cuff remark in an interview. Also, what does it mean for multiple games to sell a certain number of copies "simulatenously"? You aren't suggesting that all three games sold 50 million copies respectively, are you? That would be original research given that the few sources that address this detail of the press release such as Game Developer or this 2011 PC Gamer article I found say that the 50 million sales figure includes other Bejeweled video games, not that all these entries sold 50 million copies individually. Lazman321 (talk) 15:05, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

You completely missed my point. I didn't say these entries sold 50 million each instead only Bejeweled verifiably sold 50 million copies which can be counted for franchise too regardless if we include Bejeweled 2, Blitz etc. Skyrim was a different topic. As cited in this article that Todd Howard used to exaggerate his statements hence why Skyrim was not included. You are making this discussion overcomplicated when it doesn't need to be by mixing so many things together + ignoring what I'm saying. Did you really check the source I gave above? Kazama16 (talk) 16:13, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

Okay this was the press release. "PopCap also announced today that Bejeweled has now sold more than 50 million units, making it one of the top ten best-selling video games of all time — and the company continues to sell a copy of Bejeweled every 4.3 seconds". If we go down it says "PopCap and its distribution partners have recently confirmed that more than 50 million units of Bejeweled, Bejeweled 2 and Bejeweled Twist have been sold, but the game's reach extends an order of magnitude further". The proof is right here it sold 50 million as a game and as a series. It doesn't matter if we include other entries. Kazama16 (talk) 16:28, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

I feel like this discussion is starting to get tedious and that we will just argue in circles if we continue like this. As such, I have placed a request WP:3O in order to get an outside perspective. I don't know if it will resolve this discussion, but it may help. Lazman321 (talk) 18:03, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

Response to third opinion request:

In my opinion, do not include. The developer themselves said that the figure includes two sequels, so it seems that the RS overlooked that fact. Closetside (talk) 19:06, 2 May 2025 (UTC)

From the developer statement: "PopCap also announced today that Bejeweled has now sold more than 50 million units, making it one of the top ten best-selling video games of all time — and the company continues to sell a copy of Bejeweled every 4.3 seconds". Isn't that referring to Bejeweled as a game? Kazama16 (talk) 19:45, 2 May 2025 (UTC)

Adding genres

How about we categorize the games by genre instead of platform? Since most games are multi-platform, listing them by platform becomes repetitive, whereas using genres would add more variety and better highlight how the each game plays like. Other articles such as List of best-selling PlayStation 5 video games and List of best-selling Nintendo Switch video games include the genres too. Kazama16 (talk) 19:50, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

There was a recent discussion on WT:VG about standardizing the information on these best-selling lists, and most people didn't seem interested in including genres. I'm a bit torn on it, as I do think it adds context to the game, but this list already feels a bit bloated, so we have to be mindful of that. I will say, if we replace any column, I think it should be series, rather than platform. Knowing what platforms a game is available on is important, especially when highlighting sales, as it directly impacts how many people have/had access to purchase it. On the other hand, series is a bit trivial, and you can usually deduce if a game is part of a series simply based on its title. Prefall 20:17, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

Steam Spy and CS:GO

@Quand nous chanterons I found some interesting stuff while researching. Steam Spy was a reasonably reliable source that provided "fairly accurate" sales data until April 2018. [8] CS:GO sold 30 million copies in 2017 when Steam Spy was a better source for sales. [9] What are your thoughts on this? Kazama16 (talk) 20:15, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

I looked about this and it seems the consensus about not using Steam Spy as a source in this list was established in 2017 (see this edit of Template:Editnotices/Page/List of best-selling video games).

Reading the reasoning behind it, which I agree with, on Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Sources, the previous discussions cited there and their own website, it seems the concern lies less in their accuracy than in the facts: 1) their numbers are only estimates with margins of error and a 2% statistical possibility of being outright wrong ; 2) they estimate owned copies and not bought ones (by their own words "Owned" means "owned". [...] So take care when coming to conclusions about sales).

I think if you want to challenge this consensus, you should open a new discussion about it on Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Video games/Sources. Quand nous chanterons (talk) 16:54, 4 May 2025 (UTC)

Include Astro's Playroom?

Astro's Playroom is free and bundled with the PS5, yet it's not on this list. Assuming bundled games count and games are assessed independently of pricing policies, I propose including Astro in the list. TheProphetAshrakMiauschugge (talk) 12:44, 4 May 2025 (UTC)

While Astro’s Playroom is pre-installed on every PS5, it shouldn’t be included in the best-selling video games list for several reasons:

It’s not a commercially sold game It’s a tech demo designed to showcase Dual Sense features, not a product users choose to buy or download.

No verified unit sales Sony doesn’t report sales figures for it, and assuming every PS5 = one copy “sold” misrepresents the list’s intent.

Bundled by default, not consumer-driven – Unlike games like Wii Sports (which was sold separately in some regions), Astro is unavoidable and auto-installed, without the user's consent.

Lacks core game features – Astro’s Playroom has no multiplayer or significant replay value, which separates it from other bundled titles like Wii Sports that offered full-fledged gaming experiences and broad appeal, it was a system seller, people bought a Wii for. Astro's Playroom is just a free included demo.

Precedent Other pre-installed or bundled demos like Face Raiders for the Nintendo 3DS are also excluded.

Slippery slope Including Astro's Playroom could lead to non-game software or tech demos being counted, undermining the list’s credibility. Krimori (talk) 13:07, 4 May 2025 (UTC)

Free games don't count. Kazama16 (talk) 13:15, 4 May 2025 (UTC)

The Sims

The number being cited (70m) includes the base game and the subsequent seven expansion packs, as described in the source itself. The previous number (40m) was also described as including the expansion packs in the source. Is there a reason for using these numbers? PassingTime22 (talk) 16:47, 6 May 2025 (UTC)

Yes. Because looking at the games on this list there are games that have expansions like The Witcher 3 and Diablo III or enhanced versions (Pokemon games, MK8 deluxe, Wii Fit Plus) even multiple games have been bundled. So to make it a fair comparison we count these for every game but not if it's in unclear wording for example Cyberpunk 2077 sold 30 million copies and its expansion sold 8 million copies,[10] but most sources won't count its sales together as 38 million as what if Cyberpunk's 30 million include those expansion sales or not and it only resulted in selling 22 million copies (just a thought). So it also depends on what the source is citing. Kazama16 (talk) 17:44, 6 May 2025 (UTC)

I'm struggling to see the logic behind that decision especially within the context of a list such as this. That 70m figure consists mostly of expansion pack sales if we were to go off the latest figures for the base game. I can understand if a clear distinction was made within the list for such figures but as it is currently I feel like it paints a rather misleading picture. In an attempt to produce a fair comparison I fear it does the complete opposite. As for games such as Cyberpunk I'm not sure what's unclear in their wording. They make a very clear distinction between the two figures in their reports with the attachment ratio being a key metric they are keen to show. PassingTime22 (talk) 03:31, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

The Sims last reported base game sales (16 million) were from years earlier than its 70 million figure. It's very common for the game publisher to count game sales in every aspect this can include bundles, ports, etc. As for Cyberpunk, they didn't specify whether 30 million sales were from base game alone or bundles, other things too. This can create ambiguity so some may think that 30 million is its overall sales (including expansion and 22 million without it) or 38 million overally. Context is really important here. Kazama16 (talk) 04:16, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

Reading here there was a 16m figure for the original game and a 52m (also says 54m further down) figure for the franchise as a whole. That includes expansion packs, bundles, console versions and also the online version. The bulk of that franchise total will no doubt be the seven expansion packs as they were some of the best selling products in their respective release years. Therein lies the problem. When you purchase an expansion for any game you either already own the base game or you acquire it through a bundle. In both instances a single copy of the base game is bought and added to the overall base game tally which gets announced by a company. Franchise totals such as with The Sims are instead taking each individual expansion sale and adding it on top of the base game figure. Someone that buys the base game and all seven expansions is being counted as eight sales instead of one. A completely different metric when comparing to almost every other game. I'm also struggling to find where the 70m figure has even originated from. It doesn't seem to be linked to any official announcement from the author as far as I'm aware.

Again, Cyberpunk is very clear with it's numbers, as shown here at the bottom of the image. The expansion figures have no bearing on the base game figure and is used purely for marketing purposes and showcasing attachment ratios. Incorporating the expansion sales as a portion of the overall sales without disclosing it would land them and any public company into some legal bother. PassingTime22 (talk) 15:12, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

You are providing outdated sales figure and overthinking on it. Also, reddit is not a good source. Clearly you don't know how this site works. The 70m figure was from Amsterdam University Press so there's likely no doubt about it. Kazama16 (talk) 15:34, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

I'm providing the latest sales figures that we know of for the base game and adding further context to the discussion around the 70m figure which clearly incorporates more than just base game sales. There is no source citation from the author at all in the paper regarding that figure. I would hope any source deserves some form of scrutiny, no matter how well regarded they may be.

The Reddit link for Cyberpunk provides a preview image of the post that it directly links to, which is the CDPR Investor Relations account on X. I wasn't sure if you wanted a direct link to X so I provided that instead so you can view the contents without any problems. PassingTime22 (talk) 16:17, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

The Sims 70m figure can be found on other academic journals or Google Books like this one so doubting that would be a wrong move as for Cyberpunk I already commented about that down below. Lastly, X is not a good source either. Kazama16 (talk) 17:25, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

I've already explained how the 70m is franchise software sales, proven by your own source btw, and not standalone base game sales which is what this page should absolutely be based upon. Doubting third party sources that provide no official data is absolutely the right move.

The fact that Black Myth Wukong's sales data is based upon comments made by another developer at a completely different studio just proves my point further at how wildy misleading some of the figures here are, which is incredibly disappointing as someone that has used this page for many citations over the years.

The post on X is the only source that provides clarification for the data that you were not sure about and it comes directly from CDPR themselves. I've given you multiple ways to view it. Other than CDPR knocking on your door and showing you themselves I'm not sure what else can be done. PassingTime22 (talk) 18:12, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

This list is based on what reliable sources cites. If you still can't understand this then this site is not for you sorry. Have a good one. Kazama16 (talk) 18:48, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

If you think the sources being used for many games on this list are anywhere near reliable or accurate then that's a shocking indictment on the way this page is maintained and updated. It's a real shame to mislead people and I hope things change for the better in the future. Good day. PassingTime22 (talk) 19:59, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

From the source: By January 2007, the original Sims and all of its expansion packs had together sold more than 70 million units. [...] In spring 2008 it was announced that all of the Sims games had sold over 100 million copies globally.

It literally lists the franchise figures completely separately and is clearly talking about the original Sims. Maybe counting the expansion packs is a bit disingenuous but I don't know where the idea of "70m is franchise software sales" possibly comes from. λ NegativeMP1 20:06, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

By franchise, I'm referring to the original game and it's combined software sales as described in the source here from earlier. 16m base, 52m franchise. Which is why the 70m figure cited two years later is most likely the franchise total for the original Sims and it's expansion packs.

That's really the only issue I have with that figure. Stacking tens of millions of copies of the expansion packs on top of the base game figure and using that as the overall number. PassingTime22 (talk) 20:27, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

You talk about misleading people when majority of the sources on this list are reliable yet you make your own assumptions on the sales number and don't know what kind of source should be usable for providing information. Genius! Kazama16 (talk) 21:04, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

I thought you were finished? Apparently providing you with official data straight from a company's post isn't a reliable source yet you taking comments from a developer at a completely different studio as a source for another game's sale figures is absolutely fine? Mind boggling really.

Let the rest of us discuss this topic in peace please. PassingTime22 (talk) 21:40, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

Well, "Total post-release sales of Cyberpunk 2077 topped 30 million copies" — [11] already indicates this is the overall sales number. Kazama16 (talk) 04:31, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

Can we increase this list to top 100? Top 50 cuts off a lot information.

See title 149.154.1.41 (talk) 12:09, 10 May 2025 (UTC)

Explain more why? Kazama16 (talk) 08:31, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

Why not? 149.154.1.41 (talk) 02:03, 15 May 2025 (UTC)

Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow sales (plus a recommendation)

I'm sure there have already been some discussions about it in the past but Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow sold about 47 million copies in total, as easily verifiable by looking at the list here plus obviusly adding the sales on 3DS; and very honestly the source cited that says otherwise doesn't seem very reliable to me

In any case apart from this I also wanted to ask what do people think about the possibility of including in the list all the games that exceeded the threshold of 25 million copies sold instead of having the cutoff at 50 titles, could this be an interesting idea? Mg250 (talk) 17:54, 16 May 2025 (UTC)

Are you new? The sales you are citing are pretty much outdated. The red and blue sales are 31 million from 2009, [12] which rises to 60 million in 2018 as reported by Nintendo World Report, [13] which is proven to be a reliable source. Also I think the idea of 25 million for this list is kind of exhausted. Top 50 is just fine. Kazama16 (talk) 04:29, 17 May 2025 (UTC)

The question is precisely how can a 1996 game for Game Boy sell 30 million copies from 2009 to 2018? This simply doesn't make sense from any point of view and defies every logic... Mg250 (talk) 20:17, 17 May 2025 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 17 May 2025

Astro Playroom has sold 77,8M unité (the game that came preinstalled in the PS5) 2001:861:514F:3090:244B:1A61:2484:2C78 (talk) 06:00, 17 May 2025 (UTC)

The game is free to play. [14] Kazama16 (talk) 04:51, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 18 May 2025

i see that tetris is missing from this list and seeing as it sold over 500 million i think it deserves its spot 2001:818:D843:1F00:817:C291:4AA6:53D1 (talk) 13:36, 18 May 2025 (UTC)