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Donkey Kong

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Donkey Kong is a platformer franchise created by Nintendo. With the lone exception of the Game & Watch line of games, Donkey Kong is Nintendo's first video game franchise, with its first entry being the arcade game Donkey Kong, which was released in 1981. The player character is Nintendo's current mascot Mario, who battles it out with the titular angry gorilla named Donkey Kong. After a six year hiatus since the Nintendo Entertainment System ports of the arcade trilogy, Nintendo relaunched the series with Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Since then, the series now revolves around Donkey Kong and his friends collecting bananas and battling invaders to protect their home, Donkey Kong Island.

The Donkey Kong franchise has sold 105 million units worldwide as of 2025 and grossed more than $5 billion as of 2011. The original Donkey Kong (1981) alone sold over 22 million units and grossed over $4 billion.

Games[]

Classic series[]

Title Year Platform Sales Ref Revenue (est.) Ref
Donkey Kong 22,586,977 $4,400,000,000 [1]
Donkey Kong 1981 Arcade 218,178 [n 1] $3,143,000,000 [5][6][7]
Coleco Mini-Arcade 500,000 $63,000,000 [6]
1982 Game & Watch 8,000,000 [8] $375,000,000 [9]
ColecoVision 2,000,000 [10] $35,000,000 [11]
Atari 2600 4,450,000 [12][13] $145,000,000 [11][7]
1983 Intellivision Unknown [14]
Atari 8-bit 600,000 [13] $30,000,000 [7]
NES 1,130,000 [15] $13,000,000 [16]
1986 Atari XE 25,502 [17]
1988 Famicom Disk 20,497
Atari 7800 Unknown [18]
1994 GB 3,070,000 [15] $120,000,000
2006 Wii (VC) Unknown [19]
2012 3DS (VC) 82,800 $348,000
2013 Wii U (VC) Unknown
Kong / Crazy Kong / Select 1 1984 Computers 200,000 $2,000,000 [20]
Donkey Kong Classics 1988 NES 1,560,000 [15] $78,000,000 [16]
Classic NES Series: Donkey Kong 2004 GBA 730,000* [21]
Donkey Kong Jr. 6,090,000 $593,000,000
Donkey Kong Jr. 1982 Arcade 30,000 [n 2] $390,000,000 [6][7]
Game & Watch 1,700,000 [23] $72,000,000 [23]
1983 NES 1,110,000 [24]
Coleco Mini-Arcade 300,000 $15,000,000 [25]
2006 Wii (VC) Unknown [26]
2011 3DS (VC)
2013 Wii U (VC)
Donkey Kong II 1983 Game & Watch 1,250,000 [23] $59,000,000
Donkey Kong Junior 1983 Atari 2600 970,000* [27] $31,000,000 [28]
ColecoVision 730,000 [7] $26,000,000
Intellivision Unknown [29]
1984 Coleco Adam
Game & Watch: Donkey Kong Jr. 2009 DSiWare [30]
Donkey Kong 3 255,000 $49,000,000
Donkey Kong 3 1983 Arcade 5,000* [n 3] $37,000,000 [7][31]
1984 NES Unknown [32]
Game & Watch 250,000 [23] $12,000,000 [23]
2008 Wii (VC) Unknown [33]
2013 3DS (VC)
Wii U (VC)
Donkey Kong Bananza 3,490,000
Donkey Kong Bananza 2025 Switch 2 3,490,000 [34]
Total 32,421,977 $5,245,000,000

Donkey Kong Country series[]

Title Year Platform Sales Ref
Donkey Kong Country 13,310,000
Donkey Kong Country 1994 SNES 9,300,000 [15]
2000 GBC 2,190,000
2003 GBA 1,820,000
2006 Wii (VC) Unknown [35]
2014 3DS (VC)
2016 Wii U (VC)
Donkey Kong Country 2 6,380,000
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest 1995 SNES 5,150,000 [15]
2004 GBA 1,230,000* [36]
2007 Wii (VC) Unknown [37]
2014 Wii U (VC)
2016 3DS (VC)
Donkey Kong Land 3,910,000
Donkey Kong Land 1995 GB 3,910,000 [15]
2014 3DS (VC) Unknown [38]
Donkey Kong Land 2 2,350,000
Donkey Kong Land 2 1996 GB 2,350,000 [15]
2014 3DS (VC) Unknown [39]
Donkey Kong Country 3 4,280,000
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! 1996 SNES 3,510,000 [15]
2005 GBA 770,000* [40]
2007 Wii (VC) Unknown [41]
2014 Wii U (VC)
2016 3DS (VC)
Donkey Kong Land 3 1,030,000
Donkey Kong Land 3 1997 GB / GBC 1,030,000 [15]
2014 3DS (VC) Unknown [42]
Donkey Kong 64 5,270,000
Donkey Kong 64 1999 N64 5,270,000 [15]
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat 1,940,000
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat 2004 GCN 1,340,000* [43]
New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat 2008 Wii 600,000* [44]
Donkey Kong Country Returns 10,740,000
Donkey Kong Country Returns 2010 Wii 6,530,000 [15]
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D 2013 3DS 2,940,000
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD 2025 Switch 1,270,000 [45]
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze 6,640,000
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze 2014 Wii U 2,020,000 [15]
2018 Switch 4,620,000
Total sales 55,850,000

Spin-offs[]

Title Year Platform Sales Ref
Mario vs. Donkey Kong series 7,030,000
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2004 GBA 1,370,000 [46]
2024 Switch 1,120,000
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis 2006 DS 1,520,000 [46]
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! 2009 DSiWare Unknown
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! 2010 DS 2,980,000 [46]
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move 2013 3DS eshop Unknown
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars 2015 Wii U 20,000 JPN [47]
3DS 20,000JPN
Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge 2016 Wii U eshop Unknown
3DS eshop Unknown
Donkey Konga Games 1,783,000
Donkey Konga 2003 GCN 1,180,000 [15]
Donkey Konga 2 2004 GCN 523,000* [48]
Donkey Konga 3: Tabehōdai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku 2005 GCN 80,000
Diddy Kong Racing 6,470,000
Diddy Kong Racing 1997 N64 4,880,000 [15]
Diddy Kong Racing DS 2007 DS 1,590,000
Other games 1,958,000
Donkey Kong Jr. Math 1983 NES Unknown
Donkey Kong Circus 1984 G&W 250,000 [8]
Donkey Kong Hockey G&W 250,000
DK: King of Swing 2005 GBA 288,000* [49]
DK: Jungle Climber 2007 DS 550,000* [50]
Donkey Kong Barrel Blast Wii 620,000* [51]
Total sales 17,241,000

Notes[]

* Contains estimates

  • Donkey Konga 2 | 0.133 (JPN) [Famitsu] + 0.39 (NA/EU/Other) [VGChartz]
  • DK: King of Swing | 0.048 (JPN) [Famitsu] + 0.24 (NA/EU/Other) [VGChartz]
  • These games based on Donkey Kong were converted into Game & Watch systems: Donkey Kong (1982), Donkey Kong Jr. (1982), Donkey Kong II (1983), Donkey Kong 3 (1984), Donkey Kong Circus (1984), and Donkey Kong Hockey (1984).
  • A special version of the NES version of Donkey Kong was released for the Wii Virtual Console in 2010.
  • Donkey Kong Classics, which was a combo pack of Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr., was not released in Japan.
  • A slot machine version of Donkey Kong was released in 1996 only in Europe.
  • Hudson Soft developed and released Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū in 1984 for the PC-6001mkII/PC-6601, PC-8801, and X1 computers.
  • A competition variant of Donkey Kong Country was released by Nintendo Power in 1994. Only 2,500 copies were printed.
  • Two Arcade semi-sequels to Donkey Kong Jungle Beat were released in 2005 and 2006, Donkey Kong: Jungle Fever and Donkey Kong: Banana Kingdom.
  • Donkey Konga 3: Tabehōdai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku was only released in Japan.

Footnotes[]

  1. ↑ Donkey Kong arcade hardware sales:
    • Japan: 65,000[2]
    • United States: 153,177
      • Donkey Kong – 133,178[3]
      • Crazy Kong (licensed release of Donkey Kong) – 20,000[4]
  2. ↑ 30,000 cabinets[22] at $4179 each
  3. ↑ 5000 cabinets[22] at $4179 each

References[]

  1. ↑ "The 11 top-grossing video games of all time". Business Insider. August 15, 2015. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017.
  2. ↑ Brian Ashcraft ; with Jean Snow. ; forewords by Kevin Williams (2008). Arcade Mania: The Turbo-charged World of Japan's Game Centers (1st ed. ed.). Tokyo: Kodansha International. ISBN 4-7700-3078-9. Retrieved 12 February 2012. Jumpman hopped over barrels, climbed ladders, and jumped from suspended platform to suspended platform as he tried to rescue a damsel from his pissed-off pet gorilla. The game was a smash, and sixty-five thousand cabinets were sold in Japan, propping up the then-struggling Nintendo and laying the groundwork for Nintendo and Donkey Kong creator Shigeru Miyamoto to dominate gaming throughout the 1980s and beyond. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "KLOV Arcade Serial Numbers". Killer List of Videogames. 2014. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  4. ↑ http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=crazy-kong-part-ii&page=detail&id=531
  5. ↑ 1981
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 1982
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 1983
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Game & Watch | Video Game Sales Wiki | Fandom
  9. ↑ https://kopenguin.com/post-2210/
  10. ↑ McFerran, Damien (18 September 2010). "Feature: How ColecoVision Became the King of Kong". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20210816161212/ninmemori.es/from-1982-to-1984-its-all-about-game-watch-newspaper-ads/
  12. ↑ 1982
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Donkey Kong (1981 video game) - Wikipedia
  14. ↑ Donkey Kong for Intellivision - Sales, Wiki, Release Dates, Review, Cheats, Walkthrough
  15. ↑ 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 15.12 15.13 Nintendo software and hardware sales data from 1983 to present, Updated as of June 2023
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/15/the-real-cost-of-gaming-inflation-time-and-purchasing-power
  17. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20101206090952/www.atarimuseum.com/whatsnew/2009-MAY-28.html
  18. ↑ Donkey Kong for Atari 7800 - Sales, Wiki, Release Dates, Review, Cheats, Walkthrough
  19. ↑ Donkey Kong (video game) | Nintendo | Fandom
  20. ↑ 1984
  21. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/26544/classic-nes-series-donkey-kong/sales
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Steven L. Kent (2001), The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story behind the Craze that Touched Our Lives and Changed the World, Prima, p. 352, retrieved 2011-04-09, With more than 60,000 units sold in the United States, Donkey Kong was Nintendo's biggest arcade hit. ... Nintendo released Donkey Kong Junior in 1982 and sold only 30,000 machines, 20,000 Popeye machines (also 1982), and a mere 5000 copies of Donkey 3 (1983).
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 Game & Watch
  24. ↑ Donkey Kong Jr for Nintendo Entertainment System - Sales, Wiki, Release Dates, Review, Cheats, Walkthrough
  25. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=WjBTAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA22&article_id=6807,3227111
  26. ↑ Donkey Kong Jr. (video game) | Nintendo | Fandom
  27. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/19874/donkey-kong-junior/sales
  28. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=UYAxAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA236&article_id=4436,3004138#v=onepage&q&f=false
  29. ↑ Donkey Kong Jr. for Intellivision - Sales, Wiki, Release Dates, Review, Cheats, Walkthrough
  30. ↑ Game & Watch: Donkey Kong Jr. for DSi Ware - Sales, Wiki, Release Dates, Review, Cheats, Walkthrough
  31. ↑ 1984
  32. ↑ Donkey Kong 3 for Nintendo Entertainment System - Sales, Wiki, Release Dates, Review, Cheats, Walkthrough
  33. ↑ Donkey Kong 3 | Nintendo | Fandom
  34. ↑ IR Information : Sales Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units
  35. ↑ Donkey Kong Country | Nintendo | Fandom
  36. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/6228/donkey-kong-country-2/sales
  37. ↑ Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest | Nintendo | Fandom
  38. ↑ Donkey Kong Land | Nintendo | Fandom
  39. ↑ Donkey Kong Land 2 | Nintendo | Fandom
  40. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/3110/donkey-kong-country-3/sales
  41. ↑ Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! | Nintendo | Fandom
  42. ↑ Donkey Kong Land III | Nintendo | Fandom
  43. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/553/donkey-kong-jungle-beat/sales
  44. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/27350/new-play-control-donkey-kong-jungle-beat/sales
  45. ↑ Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for Nintendo Switch - Sales, Wiki, Release Dates, Review, Cheats, Walkthrough
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 "Nintendo software and hardware sales data from 1983 to present". Install Base. Archived from the original on 30 January 2025.
  47. ↑ "Game Search". Game Data Library. Famitsu.
  48. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/555/donkey-konga-2/sales
  49. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/25337/dk-king-of-swing/sales
  50. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/7157/donkey-kong-jungle-climber/sales
  51. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/6975/donkey-kong-barrel-blast/sales
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