From the early days of pixelated graphics and chunky consoles to the hyper-realistic open worlds and immersive online experiences of today, the world of video gaming has come a very long way. While older generations will remember earlier consoles like the Atari 2600 and the Nintendo Entertainment System, gaming has now expanded to include high-power PCs, smartphones and virtual reality headsets.
The global gaming industry is now worth billions of dollars and players can stream gameplay to global audiences. As the gaming world has evolved, some titles have managed to become household names.
In this post, we begin by looking at how the gaming industry has transformed in recent decades. Then we will look at some of the top selling games of all time.
The rise of online gaming
Online gaming is one of the most successful sectors within the entertainment industry. Connectivity in gaming has been enabled by multiplayer platforms like Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, while PC platforms like Steam have greatly improved digital game distribution. This has made way for new genres, like massive online battle arenas (MOBAs), battle royale games and online casino games.
Casino gaming in particular has seen a huge increase in popularity thanks to the online revolution. It allows millions of players to enjoy games like poker, blackjack, roulette and slots from the comfort of their own homes.
Much like traditional video games, these types of games thrive due to their accessibility, immersive gameplay and social features. Just like how casino platforms have achieved success, certain video game titles have achieved top-seller status. Here’s just a few of the top performing titles of all time:
Minecraft – Over 238 million sold
Minecraft was an instant success upon its release in 2011. It is a sandbox style game that provides players with the opportunity to build, explore and survive in an open-ended world.
It is a game that appeals to players of all ages and encourages creativity, collaboration and community. Some education providers have embraced the game too as a resource for teaching problem solving, coding and teamwork.
Grand Theft Auto V – Over 185 million sold
The Grand Theft Auto series has had a huge cultural impact since its release in 2013. The game is an open world set in the fictional city of Los Santos. Players are able to follow a storyline or simply explore as they wish.
GTA Online has helped to contribute to the game’s success and the multiplayer function allows players to compete in heists, races and new game modes. There have been continuous updates to the game by Rockstar Games, helping it to stay relevant as the years go by.
Tetris – Over 100 million sold
While it may be considered a very simple game by today’s gamers, Tetris’ simplicity is part of what has made it one of the bestselling games in history It was first released in 1984 by a Russian programmer and has been re-released numerous times across other platforms.
It appeared on the Game Boy and has since become popular on smartphones. It has easy to understand mechanics that help it to stand out against more modern games with complex narratives and flashy graphics.
Wii Sports – Over 82 million sold
Released with the Nintendo Wii in 2006, Wii Sports became a household staple game. Players enjoyed its motion controlled sports such as tennis, bowling, golf, baseball and boxing. People that did not consider themselves to be gamers before were suddenly interacting with the game, playing it at parties, enjoying it as a fitness tool or even an educational resource.
While the Wii is no longer a mainstream console, it still has a large following and is fondly remembered by many who used to play regularly.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) – Over 75 million sold
PUBG is the game that helped to make battle royale titles popular. First launched in 2017, this game drops players onto an island. They must scavenge for weapons and fight until they are the last one standing.
It is a survival game but has a social element as players can play in squads. It helped to pave the way for other battle royales games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends.
Pokémon Red, Green, Blue and Yellow – Over 47 million sold
The Pokémon franchise has been a big success since the late 1990s and its original Game Boy titles remain some of the most loved games of all time. In these games, players are tasked with catching, training, and battling pocket monsters.
It has expanded into a multimedia empire that includes everything from TV shows and movies to merchandise, and theme park experiences.
The gaming sector is a highly successful, quickly development segment of the entertainment industry and technological innovation is helping to evolve the immersive experiences that players have.