| 1970s | 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 |
| 1980s | 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 |
| 1990s | 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 |
| 2000s | 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 |
| 2010s | 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 |
| 2020s | 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 |
The following are lists of the best-selling video games of 2021, including a list of the highest-grossing games by revenue (covering both free-to-play and pay-to-play games) and a list of the best-selling games by software units sold (covering only pay-to-play games).
Highest-grossing games by revenue[]
- See also: List of highest-grossing video games
| No. | Game | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) | Play | Revenue | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PUBG | Multi-plat | Krafton / Tencent | F2P / P2P | $3,233,600,000 | [1][2] |
| 2 | Honor of Kings (Arena of Valor) | Mobile | Tencent | F2P | $2,800,000,000 | [1][3] |
| 3 | Dungeon Fighter Online (DFO) | PC | Nexon / Tencent | F2P | $2,690,000,000 | [n 1] |
| 4 | Genshin Impact | Mobile | miHoYo | F2P | $1,900,000,000 | [1][3] |
| 5 | Roblox Mobile | Mobile | Roblox Corporation | F2P | $1,400,000,000 | [1][3] |
| Coin Master | Mobile | Moon Active | F2P | $1,400,000,000 | [1][3] | |
| 7 | Pokémon Go | Mobile | Niantic | F2P | $1,300,000,000 | [1][3] |
| Candy Crush Saga | Mobile | King | F2P | $1,300,000,000 | [1][3] | |
| 9 | Garena Free Fire | Mobile | Garena | F2P | $1,200,000,000 | [1][3] |
| 10 | League of Legends (LoL) | PC | Tencent | F2P | $1,100,000,000 | [9] |
| 11 | Uma Musume Pretty Derby | Mobile | Cygames | F2P | $990,000,000 | [1][3] |
| 12 | Lineage | Mobile / PC | NCSoft | F2P | $981,000,000 | [10] |
| 13 | Three Kingdoms Tactics | Mobile | Alibaba / Koei Tecmo | F2P | $931,000,000 | [1][3] |
| 14 | Rise of Kingdoms | Mobile | Lilith Games | F2P | $926,000,000 | [1] |
| 15 | Homescapes | Mobile | Playrix | F2P | $894,000,000 | [1] |
| 16 | Fate/Grand Order | Mobile | Aniplex (Sony) | F2P | $881,000,000 | [1] |
| 17 | Pokémon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl | Switch | Nintendo | P2P | $840,000,000 | [11][12] |
| 18 | New World | PC | Amazon Games | P2P | $800,000,000 | [13] |
| 19 | CrossFire | PC | Tencent | F2P | $795,000,000 | [9] |
| 20 | Call of Duty: Mobile | Mobile | Tencent / Garena | F2P | $768,000,000 | [1] |
| 21 | Gardenscapes | Mobile | Playrix | F2P | $767,000,000 | [1] |
| 22 | Lineage 2 | Mobile / PC | NCSoft | F2P | $757,464,000 | [10] |
| 23 | Puzzle & Dragons | Mobile | GungHo Online | F2P | $745,000,000 | [1] |
| 24 | Fantasy Westward Journey | Mobile | NetEase | F2P | $715,000,000 | [1] |
| 25 | Monster Strike | Mobile | Mixi | F2P | $702,000,000 | [1] |
| 26 | Pro Yakyū Spirits A | Mobile | Konami | F2P | $686,000,000 | [1] |
| 27 | Lords Mobile | Mobile | IGG | F2P | $667,000,000 | [1] |
| 28 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Switch | Nintendo | P2P | $600,000,000 | [14][15] |
| 29 | Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury | Switch | Nintendo | P2P | $530,000,000 | [11][16] |
| 30 | Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle | Mobile | Bandai Namco | F2P | $529,000,000 | [1] |
| 31 | Monster Hunter Rise | Switch | Capcom | P2P | $460,000,000 | [17][18] |
| 32 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons | Switch | Nintendo | P2P | $390,000,000 | [14][19] |
| Ring Fit Adventure | Switch | Nintendo | P2P | $390,000,000 | [14][20] | |
| 34 | Minecraft | Multi-plat | Multiple | P2P | $380,000,000 | [21] |
| 35 | Resident Evil Village | Multi-plat | Capcom | P2P | $340,000,000 | [17][22] |
| 36 | Mario Party Superstars | Switch | Nintendo | P2P | $330,000,000 | [11][23] |
| 37 | Grand Theft Auto V | Multi-plat | Take-Two | P2P | $280,000,000 | [24][25][26] |
| 38 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Switch | Nintendo | P2P | $270,000,000 | [14][27] |
| 39 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Switch | Nintendo | P2P | $260,000,000 | [14][28] |
| 40 | Raid: Shadow Legends | Mobile | Plarium | F2P | $247,000,000 | [1] |
| 41 | FIFA 22 | Multi-plat | Electronic Arts | P2P | $240,000,000 | [29][30][31] |
| 42 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD | Switch | Nintendo | P2P | $230,000,000 | [11][32] |
| 43 | Star Trek Fleet Command | Mobile | Scopely / CBS | F2P | $222,000,000 | [1] |
| 44 | Naraka: Bladepoint | PC | NetEase Games | P2P | $220,000,000 | [33] |
| 45 | Marvel Strike Force | Mobile | FoxNext / Scopely | F2P | $216,000,000 | [1] |
| 46 | Super Mario Party | Switch | Nintendo | P2P | $214,000,000 | [14][34] |
| 47 | Pokémon Sword / Shield | Switch | Nintendo | P2P | $213,000,000 | [14][35] |
| 48 | Marvel Contest of Champions | Mobile | Netmarble | F2P | $211,000,000 | [1] |
| 49 | Tale of Immortal | PC | Lightning Games | P2P | $200,000,000 | [13] |
| Valheim | PC | Coffee Stain | P2P | $200,000,000 | [13] | |
| Call of Duty: Vanguard | Multi-plat | Activision | P2P | $200,000,000 | [36][37][38] |
Best-selling games by unit sales[]
- See also: List of best-selling video games
Note: Mobile downloads are excluded.
| No. | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) | Unit sales | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minecraft | Multi-platform | Multiple | 18,000,000 | [21] |
| 2 | Pokémon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl | Switch | Nintendo | 13,970,000 | [11] |
| 3 | Grand Theft Auto V | Multi-platform | Take-Two | 10,000,000 | [24][25] |
| Tale of Immortal | Steam | Lightning Games | 10,000,000 | [13] | |
| Valheim | PC | Coffee Stain | 10,000,000 | ||
| 5 | GTA Trilogy | Multi-platform | Take-Two | 10,000,000 | [39] |
| 7 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Switch | Nintendo | 9,940,000 | [14] |
| 8 | New World | PC | Amazon Games | 9,000,000 | [40] |
| 9 | Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury | Switch | Nintendo | 8,850,000 | [11] |
| 10 | Monster Hunter Rise | Switch | Capcom | 7,700,000 | [17] |
| 11 | Naraka: Bladepoint | PC | NetEase Games | 7,000,000 | [33] |
| 12 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons | Switch | Nintendo | 6,440,000 | [14] |
| 13 | Resident Evil Village | Multi-platform | Capcom | 5,700,000 | [17] |
| 14 | Mario Party Superstars | Switch | Nintendo | 5,430,000 | [11] |
| 15 | Ring Fit Adventure | Switch | Nintendo | 4,850,000 | [14] |
| 16 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Switch | Nintendo | 4,550,000 | [14] |
| 17 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Switch | Nintendo | 4,350,000 | [14] |
| 18 | FIFA 22 | Multi-platform | Electronic Arts | 3,938,778 | [29][30] |
| 19 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD | Switch | Nintendo | 3,850,000 | [11] |
| 20 | Super Mario Party | Switch | Nintendo | 3,570,000 | [14] |
| 21 | Pokémon Sword / Shield | Switch | Nintendo | 3,550,000 | [14] |
| 22 | Call of Duty: Vanguard | Multi-platform | Activision | 3,400,000 | [36][37] |
| 23 | It Takes Two | Multi-platform | Electronic Arts | 3,000,000 | [41] |
| 24 | New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe | Switch | Nintendo | 2,900,000 | [14] |
| 25 | Super Mario Odyssey | Switch | Nintendo | 2,790,000 | [14] |
| 26 | Metroid Dread | Switch | Nintendo | 2,740,000 | [11] |
| 27 | New Pokémon Snap | Switch | Nintendo | 2,672,931 | [11][42] |
| 28 | Mario Golf: Super Rush | Switch | Nintendo | 2,260,000 | [11] |
| 29 | Resident Evil 7: Biohazard | PS4, XB1, PC | Capcom | 2,100,000 | [17][43] |
| 30 | Luigi's Mansion 3 | Switch | Nintendo | 1,910,000 | [14] |
| 31 | Dyson Sphere Program | PC | Gamera Games | 1,900,000 | [33] |
| 32 | Miitopia | Switch | Nintendo | 1,630,000 | [11] |
| 33 | Monster Hunter World: Iceborne | PS4, XB1, PC | Capcom | 1,600,000 | [17][43] |
| 34 | Farming Simulator 22 | Multi-platform | Giant Software | 1,500,000 | [44] |
| 35 | Resident Evil 2 | PS4, XB1, PC | Capcom | 1,500,000 | [17][43] |
| 36 | Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin | Switch, PC | Capcom | 1,400,000 | [17] |
| 37 | Pokémon: Let's Go | Switch | Nintendo | 1,330,000 | [14] |
| 38 | Resident Evil 3 | PS4, XB1, PC | Capcom | 1,300,000 | [17][43] |
| 39 | Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain | Switch | Nintendo | 1,280,000 | [11] |
| 40 | Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa Mo Teiban! | Switch | Nintendo | 1,266,477 | [45] |
| 41 | WarioWare: Get It Together! | Switch | Nintendo | 1,240,000 | [11] |
| 42 | Game Builder Garage | Switch | Nintendo | 1,010,000 | [11] |
| 43 | Monster Hunter World | PS4, XB1, PC | Capcom | 1,000,000 | [17][43] |
Regional charts[]
Japan[]
This list only counts retail sales according to data from Famitsu.
- Monster Hunter Rise (Switch)
- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (Switch)
- Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban! (Switch)
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch)
- Ring Fit Adventure (Switch)
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
- Minecraft (Switch)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)
- Mario Party Superstars (Switch)
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch)
United States[]
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War
- Madden NFL 22
- Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl*
- Battlefield 2042
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*
- Resident Evil: Village
- MLB: The Show 21**
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury*
Europe[]
These are the top selling games across Europe according to the GSD. It includes digital for select publishers[46] If they combine both Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, the combine title would have been No. 5
- FIFA 22
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- FIFA 21
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Mario Kart 8: Deluxe*
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury*
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales
United Kingdom[]
These are the top selling games in the UK according to the GSD. It includes digital for select publishers[47]
- FIFA 22
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- FIFA 21
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- F1 2021
- Far Cry 6
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla
See also[]
Notes[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 "Top Games by Monetization Descriptors — How Top Titles Utilize Monetization Features" (PDF). The State of Mobile Game Monetization 2022 — An Analysis of the Latest Mobile Game Monetization Strategies (PDF). Sensor Tower. March 2022. pp. 12–9. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ↑ https://press.krafton.com/KRAFTON-INC-REPORTS-157-BILLION-USD-IN-REVENUE-FOR-2021-THE-HIGHE
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Chapple, Craig (16 December 2021). "Record-Breaking Eight Mobile Games Surpass $1 Billion in Global Player Spending During 2021". Sensor Tower. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ↑ http://m.theinvestor.co.kr/view.php?ud=20220324000257
- ↑ "Nexon courts Western game developers with creativity pitch". VentureBeat. March 6, 2017.
- ↑ Special Report: Evolution of Mobile Esports for the Mass Market (PDF). Niko Partners. August 2019. pp. 18–9. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ↑ "2019 Year In Review: Digital Games and Interactive Media". SuperData Research. Nielsen Media Research. January 2, 2020. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ↑ "Games and interactive media earnings rose 12% to $139.9B in 2020". SuperData Research. Nielsen Company. 6 January 2021. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021. Alt URL
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-04-08-a-breakdown-of-chinas-games-market-gdc-2022
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lineage
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2022/220203_3e.pdf
- ↑ https://uk.pcmag.com/nintendo-games/137544/pokemon-brilliant-diamondshining-pearl-for-nintendo-switch
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20211109111240/steamspy.com/year/2021
- ↑ 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11 14.12 14.13 14.14 14.15 14.16 14.17 https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/events/index.html
- ↑ "Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe". Nintendo. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ↑ "Super Mario™ 3D World + Bowser's Fury".
- ↑ 17.00 17.01 17.02 17.03 17.04 17.05 17.06 17.07 17.08 17.09 https://web.archive.org/web/20220329213238/www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/business/million.html
- ↑ https://uk.pcmag.com/nintendo-games/131185/monster-hunter-rise-for-nintendo-switch
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/animal-crossing-new-horizons-switch/
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/ring-fit-adventure-switch/
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 https://www.businessofapps.com/data/minecraft-statistics/
- ↑ https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-resident-evil-village/
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/mario-party-superstars-switch/
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/4c78aa17-9d91-4405-9efc-428b3b665c06
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/d6ba286d-b65a-4e61-89e0-562b706f83e4
- ↑ https://steamspy.com/app/271590
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/super-smash-bros-ultimate-switch/
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-switch/
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/call-of-duty-misses-major-milestone-for-the-first-time-ever/
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 https://newsrnd.com/news/2022-03-14-video-games--fifa-22-overlooks-the-best-sales-of-2021-in-france.BkmxLe6-5.html
- ↑ https://www.destructoid.com/fifa-22-release-date-october-1-reveal-trailer/
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-hd-switch/
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Unit sales and Revenue of Chinese games in China 2021-3
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/super-mario-party-switch/
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/pokemon-sword-switch/
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/15/call-of-duty-vanguard-sales-are-lowest-since-call-of-duty-4-15602780/
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 https://gamingbolt.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-sold-5-7-million-digital-units-in-november
- ↑ https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-call-of-duty-vanguard-ps4-version/
- ↑ Ivan, Tom (7 February 2022). "GTA's remaster trilogy has 'significantly exceeded expectations' with up to 10m sales". Video Games Chronicle. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20221006232059/mmostats.com/game/new-world
- ↑ https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/gaming-news/it-takes-two-sells-three-million-copies-3070189
- ↑ https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/games-by-year/2021-top-100
- ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 43.3 43.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20210329125305/www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/finance/million.html
- ↑ https://www.essentiallysports.com/esports-news-latest-european-numbers-reveal-stunning-fact-about-farming-simulator-22/
- ↑ https://www.famitsu.com/news/202201/11247424.html
- ↑ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/old-games-fifa-and-switch-dominated-europe-in-2021-european-market-report
- ↑ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/36-million-games-and-3-4-million-consoles-sold-in-the-uk-in-2021-uk-annual-report