The 10 Best-Selling Games on Each Major Nintendo System

Highlights

From the NES to the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo has produced hit games that continue to captivate audiences worldwide.
Each Nintendo console has seen its own list of best-selling games, with Mario and Pokemon titles dominating.
With new console releases on the way, fans can expect more blockbuster games from iconic franchises.

An impressive infographic lists the 10 best-selling games on every major Nintendo system since the NES. Nintendo revolutionized the gaming industry with the Nintendo Entertainment System, establishing landmark franchises that still receive blockbuster new entries to this day.

Nintendo has continued to build on its franchises with each new console, iterating on Super Mario, Zelda, and more while also producing brand-new, original IP. It's fascinating to take a look at all the Nintendo consoles that have been released over the years and the games that dominated each system to see new games take the spotlight as well as the franchises that continuously find themselves in the top 10.

Rumor: New Switch 2 Game Leaked

A new rumor may potentially leak a game that's in development for Nintendo's unannounced Switch 2 console.

Nintendo recently released its updated list of the 10 best-selling Switch games, and now Reddit user TomCyberfire has created an impressive infographic that lists not just the best-selling games for the company's latest console, but the NES, Game Boy/Game Boy Color, SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and Wii U best-selling games as well. The infographic has gone viral on Reddit, amassing over 27,000 upvotes at the time of this writing.

Some users in the comments have pointed out some interesting details when it comes to the best-selling games on each Nintendo console. For example, the best-selling Wii U game, Mario Kart 8, still sold worse than the 10th best-selling Switch game. Whereas Mario Kart 8 sold 8.46 million units on the Wii U, the 10th best-selling Switch game, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, has sold 17.2 million copies so far.

Nintendo is still supporting the Switch with new game releases, and so it's quite possible that its top 10 will change before it's all said and done. It's likely that more recent releases like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and the critically-acclaimed Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will climb up the sales charts, especially since they are outpacing their immediate predecessors.

With rumors of a Switch 2 reveal on the horizon, it will be interesting to see what games make up the best-selling titles on the Switch successor console. If the best-selling games on previous Nintendo consoles are any indication, fans can expect Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon to make an appearance.

Best-Selling NES Games

Super Mario Bros. - 40.24 million
Duck Hunt - 28.31 million
Super Mario Bros. 3 - 18 million
Tetris - 8 million
Super Mario Bros. 2 - 7.46 million
The Legend of Zelda - 6.51 million
Dr. Mario - 4.85 million
Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link - 4.38 million
Excitebike - 4.16 million
Golf - 4 million

Best-Selling Game Boy/Game Boy Color Games

Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow - 46 million
Tetris - 35 million
Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal - 29.5 million
Super Mario Land - 18.14 million
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - 11.18 million
Dr. Mario - 5.34 million
Pokemon Pinball - 5.31 million
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 - 5.19 million
Kirby's Dream Land - 5.13 million
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe - 5 million

Best-Selling Super Nintendo Games

Super Mario World - 20.61 million
Super Mario All-Stars - 10.55 million
Donkey Kong Country - 9.3 million
Super Mario Kart - 8.76 million
Street Fighter 2: World Warrior - 6.3 million
Donkey Kong Country 2 - 5.15 million
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - 4.61 million
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - 4.12 million
Street Fighter 2: Turbo - 4.1 million
Star Fox - 4 million

Best-Selling Nintendo 64 Games

Super Mario 64 - 11.91 million
Mario Kart 64 - 9.87 million
GoldenEye 007 - 8 million
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - 7.6 million
Super Smash Bros. - 5.55 million
Pokemon Stadium - 5.46 million
Donkey Kong 64 - 5.27 million
Diddy Kong Racing - 4.88 million
Star Fox 64 - 4 million
Banjo-Kazooie - 3.65 million

Best-Selling Game Boy Advance Games

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire - 16.22 million
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen - 12 million
Pokemon Emerald - 7 million
Mario Kart: Super Circuit - 5.91 million
Super Mario Advance 2 - 5.69 million
Super Mario Advance - 5.57 million
Super Mario Advance 4 - 5.43 million
Namco Museum - 2.96 million
Pac-Man Collection - 2.95 million
Super Mario Advance 3 - 2.83 million

Best-Selling GameCube Games

Super Smash Bros. Melee - 7.41 million
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - 6.96 million
Super Mario Sunshine - 5.91 million
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - 4.43 million
Luigi's Mansion - 3.33 million
Metroid Prime - 2.84 million
Animal Crossing - 2.71 million
Mario Party 4 - 2.46 million
Pokemon Colosseum - 2.41 million
Mario Party 5 - 2.17 million

Best-Selling Nintendo DS Games

New Super Mario Bros. - 30.8 million
Nintendogs - 23.96 million
Mario Kart DS - 23.6 million
Brain Age - 19 million
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl - 17.67 million
Pokemon Black and White - 15.64 million
Brain Age 2 - 14.88 million
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver - 12.72 million
Animal Crossing: Wild World - 11.75 million
Super Mario 64 DS - 11 million

Best-Selling Wii Games

Wii Sports - 82.9 millioin
Mario Kart Wii - 37.3 million
Wii Sports Resort - 33.1 million
New Super Mario Bros. Wii - 30.3 million
Wii Play - 28 million
Wii Fit - 22.7 million
Wii Fit Plus - 21.1 million
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - 13.3 million
Super Mario Galaxy - 12.8 million
Just Dance 3 - 9.9 million

Best-Selling Nintendo 3DS Games

Mario Kart 7 - 18.98 million
Pokemon X and Y - 16.72 million
Pokemon Sun and Moon - 16.32 million
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire - 14.6 million
New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 13.42 million
Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 13.05 million
Super Mario 3D Land - 12.88 million
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS - 9.64 million
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon - 9.19 million
Yo-Kai Watch 2 - 7.3 million

Best-Selling Wii U Games

Mario Kart 8 - 8.46 million
Super Mario 3D World - 5.89 million
New Super Mario Bros. U - 5.82 million
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 5.38 million
Nintendo Land - 5.21 million
Splatoon - 4.95 million
Super Mario Maker - 4.02 million
New Super Luigi U - 3.07 million
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD - 2.37 million
Mario Party 10 - 2.27 million

Best-Selling Nintendo Switch Games

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 60.58 million
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - 44.79 million
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 33.67 million
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 31.61 million
Super Mario Odyssey - 27.65 million
Pokemon Sword and Shield - 26.17 million
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet - 24.36 million
Super Mario Party - 20.34 million
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 20.28 million
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - 17.2 million

Nintendo Switch OLED comes with inbuilt TV play capabilities.

Nintendo Switch OLED Family Gaming Console

The Nintendo Switch OLED comes with several upgrades over the original Nintendo Switch console while maintaining game compatibility with the old console. With a larger 7-inch OLED screen and double the internal storage of the original Nintendo Switch, it doesn't feel like a new console altogether. That being said, it is an option worth checking out for a better display.