There was a time that videogames weren’t even mentioned in the same sentence as other entertainment mediums. Gaming was considered a nerdy hobby to many people and a complete waste of time for others. For decades, gamers have correctly argued the case for gaming as being just as an effective form of escapism as a good book or a movie.
Fast forward to 2020 and in the last decade, games are outselling films, music, and books in their millions. The eSports events have now become mainstream affairs with the participants earning millions for winning at the highest level. Furthermore, these professional gamers and teams now receive the same kind of sponsorship as major sports athletes in all fields.
The last decade has seen several major releases, two console generations, groundbreaking platforms like Steam, and videogames that have become a cultural phenomenon. Let's take a look at 10 of the best selling games of the decade.
10 Call Of Duty: Black Ops- 26,200,000
Call of Duty: Black Ops was released in 2010 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and the PC platforms. Developed by Activision’s Treyarch team the game essentially two games in one package.
The Call of Duty series has always been some of the biggest sellers every year upon release. It is almost a given that there’s a Call of Duty title sitting at the top of the Christmas charts every single year. In that last decade, Black Ops was one of their biggest selling games with 26,200,00 units sold.
9 Red Dead Redemption 2 – 26,500,000
Red Dead Redemption 2 was first released on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One in 2018. It was released the following year on PC and the Google Stadia. It is a western-themed open-world action-adventure game developed by Grand Theft Auto developers Rockstar.
In 2018 Red Dead Redemption 2 was the recipient of several 'Game of Year awards'. It is a testament to the game’s quality that it was released only in 2018 and still managed to break the top ten best selling games of the decade with 26,500,000 units sold.
8 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – 26,500,000
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and the PC in 2011. Developed by Infinity Ward for Activision and is a direct sequel to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 released in 2009.
According to Activision, the massive number of Modern Warfare 3 preorders meant that it had the largest number of games shipped on day one. With a total of 26,500,000 units in the last decade that isn’t difficult to believe.
7 Terraria – 27,000,000
Originally released in 2011 on the PC, Terraria is a 2D sandbox game created by Re-Logic. Its popularity on the PC meant that the game was released for nearly every platform imaginable from the Nintendo 3DS to the PlayStation 4.
Even before its release on all platforms the game sold 200,000 copies on the Steam platform in the first nine days after launch. Despite its 2D aesthetics Terraria offers players a nearly endless amount of freedom and is comparable to Minecraft.
6 Mario Kart 8 – 27,450,000
First released in 2014 for the Nintendo Wii U, Mario Kart 8 was released to critical and commercial acclaim. It was the best-selling game for the Wii U system selling over 8 million units for that system alone.
An enhanced version of the game, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe was released on the Nintendo Switch in 2017. Repeating its success from the Wii U, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe is currently the best-selling game on the Switch. At 27,450,000 units sold altogether the Nintendo exclusive is the only game to break the top ten that isn’t a multi-platform title.
5 Diablo III – 30,000,000
Diablo III was first released on the PC in 2012. The game was eventually released across two generations of consoles with a PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4/Xbox One release in 2013 and 2014 respectively. A Nintendo Switch release would also follow in 2018 with exclusive Legend of Zelda content.
The multiple console releases, DLC, and special editions have paid off because Diablo 3 has become of the best selling games of the generation with 30,000,000 units sold. Its predecessors were already some of the best selling action-RPGs of all time and with a Diablo 4 on the horizon developers, Blizzard will likely repeat that success again.
4 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – 30,000,000
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was first released in 2011 on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A remastered version released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016 with VR and Nintendo Switch version to follow in 2017.
After the success of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion fans were eager for the release of Skyrim and the game’s continued success and great reviews have helped it achieve big sales. At 30,000,000 units sold it is one of the best selling games of all time and the most successful in the series.
3 PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds – 50,000,000
PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds or PUBG as it is known to fans is an online battle royale shooter. It was released for the PC and Xbox One in 2017 with ports arriving on the PlayStation 4 and mobile devices to follow in 2018.
Next to Fortnite, PUBG is the most popular battle royale game in the world finding popularity in eSports too. Despite its nearest rival’s free-to-play model, PUBG is one of the best selling games in the world with 50,000,000 units sold since its release.
2 Grand Theft Auto V – 115,000,000
Since its initial release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2013Â Grand Theft Auto VÂ has become the benchmark for open-world action games. It was remastered and released again for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2014 with a PC release following in 2015.
In addition to the massive single-player mode, it is Grand Theft Auto V’s online mode that helped make it a mainstay in the top ten sales charts since its release. As well as selling 115,000,000 units, GTA V’s online purchases have helped the game earn 6 billion dollars in revenue.
1 Minecraft – 180,000,000
First released in 2011 on the PC, Minecraft became a worldwide cultural phenomenon. The open-world sandbox game eventually released on all major consoles and mobile devices over the course of a decade making it the best-selling game of all time.
It is the most viewed videogame on social media sites like YouTube with the most popular videos and channels gaining billions of views. In turn, YouTube played a large role in helping Minecraft achieve its success. With 180,000,000 units sold and still counting Minecraft isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.