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Sony’s PlayStation 2 has long reigned as the best-selling video game console of all time. PS4, despite its massive sales success, is trailing its older sibling by roughly 40 million units. Nintendo Switch, meanwhile, has moved well ahead of PS4 and inched past Nintendo DS to earn a spot on the podium of best-selling consoles — though its sales are likely to further slow down now that its successor, Nintendo Switch 2 has arrived.<\/p>\n
With Switch and PS4 having secured their spots among the top 5 all-time best-selling consoles, we set out to discover how the rest of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft’s hardware stack up. Scroll down or click through the gallery below for our list of the 30 best-selling video game consoles of all time, with additional information on release dates, highest-rated games, and more.<\/p>\n
Some sales figures come straight from the hardware manufacturers, while others are estimated based on the most recently reported numbers and market analysis. Unofficial sales totals are marked with an asterisk (*). We focused on standalone gaming console sales (no add-ons) and excluded edutainment systems and multi-purpose phones and tablets.<\/em><\/p>\n If you only care about the biggest sellers, here’s the TL;DR Top 5 Best-Selling Consoles list, in order, with the caveat that PlayStation 4’s sell-in number was last officially shared in 2022, so it is likely to have surpassed Game Boy\/GBC by now. Scroll down for more details and breakdowns:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *While the TurboGrafx-16 was a failure in the west, Japan’s PC Engine saw early success before the market was dominated by Nintendo’s Super Famicom. According to official data shared in Famitsu Magazine, the PC Engine sold 5.84 million units in Japan and ended its run with 2.5 million units in the US. Not counting the CD-ROM add-on, we estimate that its various incarnations topped out at 8.5 million units sold when it was discontinued in 1994.<\/p>\n With the release of Nintendo Switch 2, TurboGrafx-16 fell to the 31st spot in our list. We’ve decided to keep it around and expand the list instead of cutting it off at 30. <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *According to Sega\u2019s 2001 annual report, lifetime sales for the console had hit 8.2 million by March 31, 2001 \u2014 the day Sega ended Dreamcast production. In the first half of the following fiscal year, the company reported it had sold an additional 130,000 units in Japan and 530,000 in the U.S, bringing the sales total up to 8.86 million. Remaining inventory for those two territories at the time, according to that same report, totaled 270,000 units. We know, thanks to Sega\u2019s 2002 annual report, it eventually sold through all of that remaining inventory, bringing our sales total up to 9.13 million.<\/p>\n Now, the only figures missing are sales and inventory in Europe and Asia (outside of Japan) after March 31, 2001. However, we can seemingly discount Europe, as remaining European inventory was sold to Bigben Interactive around the time production ended. It\u2019s unknown how many units were left in Asia, though it\u2019s likely a fairly insignificant number considering it was the lowest performing of those four markets. As such, we\u2019re sticking with the known total of 9.13 million.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *As of March 31, 1998, Saturn had sold 8.8 million units when it was discontinued in the U.S. That was the last official update from Sega, though the console would continue to be sold in Japan for another two years. 9.26 million is the final estimate given by research firm CESA. While we don\u2019t have any official numbers to bridge that gap between 8.8 and 9.26 million, CESA\u2019s Dreamcast estimate proved accurate (according to our math), and so we\u2019re going to accept its Saturn total as the best available guess.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n With 13.56 million units sold, according to official sales data, Wii U is Nintendo\u2019s worst-selling console of all time by a wide margin. However, as former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aim\u00e9 told CNN, the lessons learned from Wii U were crucial in propelling the Switch to success.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *There are several Game Gear sales totals floating around the web: 10.62 million (from a data compilation on NeoGAF), 12 million (from late Sega executive Joe Miller), and \u201cabout\u201d 14 million (from former Sega president Hideki Sato). Considering those three sources, we\u2019ve opted to go with the company\u2019s former president, assuming \u201cabout\u201d means slightly less than 14 million.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *Despite a dedicated fanbase, Sony\u2019s follow-up to the PSP failed to gain a similar foothold in the handheld market, falling well<\/em> short of its predecessor’s sales total. Sony stopped reporting sales figures for Vita fairly early on in its lifecycle, though estimates \u2014 from news outlets and industry analysts <\/a>\u2014 put the total somewhere between 10 and 15 million. Gamesindustry.biz reported Vita \u201csold south of” 15 million units, yet ended its run \u201cmarginally ahead\u201d of Wii U, leading us to our rough estimate of 14 million.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *According to a compilation on NeoGAF of available sales data, Master System sold 6.2 million units in Europe. In Brazil, its biggest market, sales reached over 8 million, bringing our total to 14.2 million. Estimates for sales in Japan and the U.S., meanwhile, generally sit around 2 million per territory. Accounting for another 2 million in remaining territories \u2014 such as Australia and South Korea, where the console reportedly sold fairly well \u2014we arrive at our final estimate of 20 million.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *While Microsoft hasn\u2019t announced an official sales total for the original Xbox, an archived post from the official Xbox website states “more than 24 million Xbox consoles” had been sold as of May 2006. Total Xbox 360 sales at that time had just hit 3.3 million units, according to GamesIndustry.biz, leading us to our estimate of 21 million for the original system.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The GameCube ended its run with 21.74 million units sold, according to Nintendo\u2019s official numbers, making it the company\u2019s second-worst-selling console to date. However, with 208.57 million software units sold, the number of GameCube games sold per console is the highest for any Nintendo system at 9.59.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *Formerly known as the Oculus Quest series of standalone VR Headsets, the second iteration of the Meta Quest remains the company’s top-selling console thus far. Launched in 2020, the Meta Quest 2 passed the 20 million units mark in Q1 2023, according to an internal presentation. Based on quarterly revenue reports since then, we estimate an additional 2.8 million units were sold. The Quest 2 was discontinued in September 24, 2024 and replaced with the Quest 3S.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *The oldest console on this list, Atari 2600 sold an impressive 30 million units in its lifetime, according to an archived version of a press release from Atari partner AtGames. The 2600 is by far Atari\u2019s most successful console, with none of its successors \u2014 5200, 7800, and Jaguar \u2014 selling enough units to qualify for this list.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Nintendo\u2019s third home console ended its run with just under 33 million units sold, according to official sales numbers from the company. N64 Software sales fell just shy of 225 million units, giving it the lowest number of games sold per system (6.83) for a Nintendo home console.<\/p>\n See our picks for the best N64 games ever made.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Microsoft has not officially disclosed console sales numbers since 2015, but we have a good idea of Xbox Series X|S’s sales total through 2024 thanks to Take-Two earnings reports. The publisher revealed 96 million Gen 9 (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S) consoles had been sold by the end of 2024. That put Xbox Series X\/S sales at 29 million, a two million unit increase from T2’s estimate at the end of 2023. Since then, the console has struggled to maintain momentum against the faster-selling PS5 and Switch (and now Switch 2) competition, but analyst estimes have placed the console at 33.5 million units sold by Q4 2025.<\/p>\n You can see the full history of Xbox hardware releases for a more detailed picture of how the latest generation has fared.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *The sales total of Sega Genesis\/Mega Drive is a topic of much debate among game historians. The actual figure is impossible to lock down given the lack of concrete data, but estimates generally range from 30 to 40 million units. Aforementioned Sega executive Joe Miller once said system sales were over 40 million, though that number is highly contested and seemingly contradicted by Sega\u2019s available sales data. Compilations of that data \u2014 from internet researchers and professional research firms \u2014 show first-party console sales hit somewhere between 28 and 31 million units. <\/p>\n Add in estimated third-party console sales from companies such as TecToy in Brazil (where the console performed well into the 2010s)<\/em> and Majesco in North America, and we arrive at our ballpark figure of 35 million \u2014 a number seemingly corroborated by a 2017 press release from Sega partner AtGames.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Nintendo Switch 2 entered our list of top-selling consoles just six months after launch when Nintendo released unit sales for the period between June 5 (launch) and September 30 (end of the fiscal quarter). Based on its strong launch window performance, Nintendo raised its sales expectations to 19 million units by the end of March 2026, with actuals at the end of December coming in at 17.37 units. This makes Nintendo Switch 2 the fastest-selling console of all time, though it remains to be seen if it can reach the install base of its predecessor, which was bolstered by multiple unit variations and increased video game console purchases during the Covid-19 pandemic. <\/p>\n To date, Switch 2 sold 37.93 million units of software. Mario Kart World is the top-selling title so far (partailly thanks to the Switch 2 bundle), with 14.03 million units, followed by Donkey Kong Bananza with 4.25 million. That means Mario Kart World surpassed the life-time sales of the Wii U edition of Mario Kart 8, which bowed with 8.46 million units, after just six months.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n This sales figure comes directly from Nintendo. While the SNES fell short of its predecessor in terms of sales, the console is remembered fondly for its expansive library of high-quality games, including those listed above. 379 million units of software were sold for the system. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System — or Super Famicom as it’s known in Japan — often tops “best console” lists thanks to its massive third-party support and iconic single- and multiplayer games.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Microsoft stopped reporting Xbox One sales numbers in October 2015, though the company seemingly revealed the console’s final sales total during a presentation at the 2023 Best International Games Festival in Brazil. According to an image posted to Twitter<\/a> on June 29, Xbox One finished its run with 58 million units sold.<\/p>\n If this number is accurate, Microsoft’s eighth-generation console ultimately sold half as many units as Sony’s competing PS4.<\/p>\n *We’re keeping the asterisk on this sales total as we work to verify the figure with Microsoft.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Nintendo’s official numbers put NES sales at over 61 million units. The most senior entry on this list, Nintendo’s first console went on to generate over 500 million units of software sales. The NES is often credited with bringing video games back from the dead after the video game crash that ended once dominant brands such as Atari. It’s one of the very first Nintendo consoles ever released.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n This sales figure comes directly from Nintendo and is current as of December 31, 2020, when Nintendo started tracking direct sales. It encompasses total sales for all systems within the 3DS family, which includes all variations of Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 2DS. To date, the handheld family has generated 392 million units of software sales. The 3DS didn’t see a direct successor, effectively turning Nintendo from a console\/handheld maker into a single-system-focused publisher. <\/p>\n See our picks for the best 3DS games of all time.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n This official sales figure comes directly from Nintendo. The company also notes software sales for the handheld closed at 377 million units. The Game Boy Advance line of devices included many different design iterations and form factors, the last of which was the Game Boy Micro in 2005. The top-selling model was the Game Boy Advance SP, with 43.57 million units sold. The Game Boy Micro only sold 2.42 million during its short run.<\/p>\n See our picks for the best GBA games of all time.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *Sony last reported an official sales total for PSP in 2012, when it announced the handheld had sold 76 million units. The system would continue to be produced for an additional two years, during which time it’s unknown exactly how many units were sold. However, in a 2023 post on X<\/a>, former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden said the handheld sold over 82.5 million units.<\/p>\n See our picks for the best PSP games of all time. And in case it needs to be said, the newer PlayStation Portal is not the same as the PSP.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The PlayStation 5 is now up to 84.2 million copies sold after shifting an additional 3.9 million units during the three-month period ending September 30, Sony announced on November 11, 2025. A semiconductor chip shortage restricted Sony’s capacity to manufacture new PS5s during its first two years on the market, though the console is now readily available and tracking right around the sales pace of PS4, which went on to sell 117 million units. The 10th best-selling console of all time, the PS5 passed the GBA and PSP sometime in the third quarter of 2025. While it is ahead of Microsoft’s last recorded official sales number for Xbox 360, it has yet to pass it based on our sales estimates. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *In June 2014, Microsoft reported it had shipped 84 million Xbox 360s to retailers. While Microsoft stopped reporting specific sales figures in 2015, the system remained in production for nearly two years. During that two-year period, we can safely assume Microsoft converted that 84 million figure from sell-in to sell-through, while, conservatively estimating, moving an additional one million units. If accurate, that would place Xbox 360 in the ninth spot on the list of best-selling consoles.<\/p>\n See our picks for the best Xbox 360 games of all time.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n *As of March 31, 2017, PS3 had sold 87.4 million units, according to Sony. The system would remain in production through May of that same year. With that in mind, it’s likely PS3 ended its run with somewhere between 87 and 88 million units sold, leaving us with our conservative estimate of 87.5.<\/p>\n See our picks for the best PS3 games of all time.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n According to official sales figures from Nintendo, Wii ended its run as the sixth-best-selling console of all time. With over 100 million systems sold, Wii generated 921.85 million units of software sales \u2014 the second most for any Nintendo console.<\/p>\n See our picks for the best Wii games of all time.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n According to Sony, the original PlayStation’s final sales total sits at 102.4 million, with over 960 million software units sold. This makes it the third-best-selling Sony console ever behind PS4 and PS2.<\/p>\n See our picks for the best PS1 games of all time.<\/p>\n PlayStation 4 dominated the eighth generation of consoles. After shipping 1 million units during Sony’s fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, PS4 sales now sit at 117.2 million. The console holds the title of “fastest home console to reach 100 million unit sell in,” according to Niko Partners analyst Sony’s<\/a>, beating PS2 to the milestone by two months. To date, more than a billion software units have been sold for the console.<\/p>\n\n
Best Selling Video Game Consoles<\/h3>\n
30. TurboGrafx-16\/PC Engine \u2013 8.5 million*<\/h2>\n
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29. Sega Dreamcast \u2013 9.13 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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28. Sega Saturn \u2013 9.26 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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27. Wii U \u2013 13.56 million<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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26. Sega Game Gear \u2013 13.9 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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25. PlayStation Vita \u2013 14 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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24. Sega Master System\/Mark III \u2013 20 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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23. Xbox \u2013 21 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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22. GameCube \u2013 21.74 million<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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21. Quest 2 \u2013 22.8 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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20. Atari 2600 \u2013 30 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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19. Nintendo 64 \u2013 32.93 million<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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18. Xbox Series X|S \u2013 33.5 million+*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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The Best Games to Play on Xbox Series X|S<\/h3>\n
17. Sega Genesis\/Mega Drive \u2013 35 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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16. Nintendo Switch 2 \u2013 37.93 million<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
15. SNES\/Super Famicom \u2013 49.10 million<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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14. Xbox One \u2013 58 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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The Best Xbox One Games (Spring 2021 update)<\/h3>\n
13. NES\/Famicom \u2013 61.91 million<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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12. Nintendo 3DS \u2013 75.94 million<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
11. Game Boy Advance \u2013 81.51 million<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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10. PlayStation Portable \u2013 82.5 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
9. PlayStation 5 \u2013 84.2 million<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
PlayStation 5 – Disc Edition<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
8. Xbox 360 \u2013 85 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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7. PlayStation 3 \u2013 87.5 million*<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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6. Nintendo Wii \u2013 101.63 million<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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6. PlayStation \u2013 102.4 million<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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5. PlayStation 4 \u2013 117.2 million<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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