What are the best-selling game consoles in history?

More than 24 years after its debut, Sony reported that it had sold 160 million units. PlayStation 2 all over the world. This confirms that best-selling video game console in historywhich was something of an open secret, but had no official confirmation from the Japanese manufacturer.

The company posted information on a website dedicated to celebrating the 30th anniversary of PlayStation. Let’s remember that the PS2 was an industry bombshell and changed the market forever with technological advancements such as the Emotion Engine, online play capabilities, and a vast catalog of games.

No other console has managed to sell as many units as the PlayStation 2, not even its direct successors. The thing is that, in addition to its qualities, Sony extended its life as much as possible thanks to its Slim variant – and the poor initial reception of the PS3 – and produced it until the end of 2012.

Let’s take this opportunity to consider What are the best-selling game consoles in history?. For logical reasons, we’ll focus on the top five on the list and give special mention to a few iconic models that didn’t make the list but have left their mark on players.

5 Best Selling Game Consoles in History

1. PlayStation 2: As we pointed out at the beginning of this article, it is the best-selling gaming console in history. The PS2 debuted in Japan in March 2000 and arrived in North America and Europe in October and November of that year, respectively. From the time it was introduced to the market until it was discontinued, more than 160 million units were sold worldwide.
2. Nintendo DS: It is not only the second most popular gaming console of all time, but also the most successful in Nintendo history. The DS debuted in the US and Japan in late 2004, and reached Europe and other markets the following year. According to the Japanese firm, 154.02 million units were sold, including the original model and the DS Lite and DSi XL variants. It’s worth noting that this figure does not include sales of the Nintendo 3DS, which reached 75.94 million units.
3. Nintendo Switch: Nintendo’s current console ranks third on the podium of the best-selling gaming consoles in history. With 146.04 million units sold to date, it’s the only game that has any chance of catching up to the PS2. However, you probably won’t; or, at least, that it will not succeed immediately. Their numbers are falling as the public waits for news about the Switch 2 and Nintendo has cut its forecasts for the current fiscal year. Regardless, it’s expected to remain on sale for some time after its successor arrives, so it could eventually catch up to the PlayStation 2.
4. Game Boy and Game Boy Color: The Game Boy debuted in the late eighties and changed the gaming industry forever. games portable. Nintendo’s console had several variants, including the Game Boy Color, allowing it to cement its dominance throughout the 90s and become one of the best-selling consoles in the video game industry. It sold 118.69 million units, not counting the Game Boy Advance line, which itself topped 85 million units.
5. PlayStation 4: Sony rounds out the top 5 best-selling gaming consoles in history. The PS4 has a lot of credit for remaining in the final round of this review, thanks to the more than 117 million units it has sold since its introduction in late 2013. It even became a lifeline for the manufacturer when it could not cope with extremely high demand. demand for PS5.

What about Xbox?

Happening Xbox This is somewhat curious because Microsoft hasn’t publicly said how many consoles it sells for almost a decade now. Of all the models released since its introduction on the market games, Xbox 360 (2005) was the most successful, selling over 84 million units. This is followed by Xbox One (2013) with approximately 58 million, and then Xbox Series X|S (2020) with estimated sales of over 28 million units. Original XboxMeanwhile, around 24 million units have been sold since its launch in 2001.

Special Mentions

Although they are not among the top selling gaming consoles in history, these devices deserve special mention as industry icons:

• Original PlayStation: 102.4 million units sold.
• Nintendo Wii: 101.63 million.
• NES and SNES: 61.9 million and 49.1 million respectively.
• Nintendo 64: 32.9 million.
• Sega Genesis/Mega Drive: 30.7 million
• Atari 2600: 30 million.

If there’s one thing missing from this review, it’s without a doubt: PlayStation 5. But we haven’t forgotten the current Sony console. Since its introduction in 2020, the PS5 has managed to establish itself as the poster child of the current generation. The most recent official figures are for December 2023, when 50 million units were sold. However, earlier this month the Japanese announced that their deliveries had already exceeded 65 million. It will be interesting to see if the PS5 Pro’s debut gives it even more momentum and gets it closer to the PS2’s performance.