The video game industry is one of the largest in the world, netting around $200 billion annually. While most of the money revolves around software, there’s no denying that hardware sales take up a significant chunk of that money, and have done so for some time. Looking back at the history of video game console sales, it’s fascinating to see how many consoles were sold to consumers over the lifecycle of certain systems, and how some sold incredibly well. These are the ten best-selling video game consoles of all time, arranged from the lowest number of units sold to the most.
While the Xbox One had a disastrous rollout due to Microsoft’s insistence on including the Kinect at launch, it nonetheless sold incredibly well. It took a little time, but Microsoft got the message and pulled the Kinect, which reduced the system’s cost, and consumers came around, snatching up the console over the course of its time on the market. The Xbox One was available from 2013 to 2020, and during that time, Microsoft sold a total of 58 million Xbox One systems. That number includes all variations, which dwarfs the number of Xbox Series X|S units sold as of writing, which sits at around 33-34 million.
The Nintendo Entertainment System is one of the most important home video game consoles of all time, as it helped restore trust in the industry after the Video Game Crash of 1983. It also solidified Nintendo as a leading player in the industry and brought gaming into millions of households in the United States. There were numerous NES variants sold, including several bundled versions with different pack-in games. Combined, Nintendo moved around 61.91 million NES consoles with around 500 million games. With so many sold, it’s no wonder that the NES helped turn things around for the video game industry.
The Xbox was a major success for Microsoft, helping to put the company’s foot in the door in the video game industry, but the system that followed offered a significant improvement. The Xbox 360 had better features, a better controller, a larger game library, and a greater focus on online gaming. Sure, it had the Red Ring of Death, but that was overcome via a warranty extension, and the console itself was pretty impressive. The Xbox 360 remained on the market from 2005 to 2016, selling 84 million units. Its best-selling game: Kinect Adventures!, which is a bit surprising, especially when you learn that the runner-up is GTA V.
The PlayStation 3 is Sony’s worst-selling console, but that doesn’t mean that it didn’t sell incredibly well. It was released with several notable features, including being the first console to use Blu-ray disks as its primary media device and the first to offer 1080p HDMI output. It was also super expensive, costing $599 ($981 in 2026). This definitely hurt the system’s sales, as it was unaffordable for many until Sony introduced the Slim and Super Slim versions, as well as a cheaper 20 GB model. Regardless of the cost, Sony managed to move 87.4 million consoles, beating Microsoft’s best-selling console by a few million units.
The PlayStation 5 is the most powerful home video game console ever produced, and while it was almost impossible to buy one, thanks to scalpers, those problems are largely over and done with. Consumers have been buying them in droves despite recent price hikes driven by rising RAM and other component costs. The system comes with a truly incredible controller, and there are several models to choose from, priced from $399 to $699. Since it was released in 2020, the PS5 has sold an impressive 92.2 million units across its various models, which is pretty amazing, seeing as it’s only been out for 5.5 years as of writing.
Nintendo didn’t hit it out of the park in the 6th console generation, as the GameCube failed to overtake the competition. That wasn’t a problem during the 7th generation when the Nintendo Wii absolutely dominated, selling incredibly well to players of all ages. The system’s use of motion-tracking in its game library enticed players of all ages, bringing in people who’d never played a video game, which didn’t hurt its sales in the least. The Wii went on sale in 2006, and it remained on the market until 2011 (2013 in some markets). Throughout that time, Nintendo sold 101.6 million consoles.
Sony developed the PlayStation after a falling out with Nintendo, with which it had worked on a CD-ROM peripheral for the Super Nintendo. When that deal fell through, Sony decided to continue working on the project and produce its own console, the PlayStation. The execs at Nintendo may have regretted their decision, since Sony is Nintendo’s biggest competitor, but that’s all in the past. The PlayStation was a revolutionary console that leaned heavily on 3D polygonal graphics and featured an exceptional library of 4,000 titles. The console sold nearly 102.5 million units between 1994 and 2006.
Sony’s 8th-generation home video game console was the PlayStation 4, which competed with the Nintendo Wii U and the Xbox One. It also faced some competition from the Nintendo Switch, but generally led the console generation overall. The system was incredibly fast and supported Remote Play with the PlayStation Vita. It also had a newly designed controller that improved upon its predecessor. The system was available from 2013 to 2024, and during that time, Sony sold around 117.2 million units. One million of those were sold within the first 24 hours of the system’s launch.
Nintendo had a massive hit on its hands with the Wii. Still, it faltered significantly with the Wii U. Learning from its mistakes, Nintendo course-corrected and released the Nintendo Switch in 2017, which was an instant success. It wasn’t as fast or as powerful as its direct competition, but that didn’t matter. The hybrid handheld/home video game console was perfect for its target audience, and the many variations on the original design, along with its relatively low price point, made the Switch an incredibly enticing console. Throughout the system’s life, which hasn’t been discontinued as of writing, Nintendo has sold 155.4 million units, making it the company’s best-selling console.
While Sony’s PlayStation was an amazing entry in the 5th console generation, its 6th-generation device was an epic game-changer. The PlayStation 2 was exponentially more powerful, featured a built-in DVD drive, was fully backward compatible, and had a massive game library. When it launched, it could play every PlayStation game, which its competitors, the Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube, couldn’t. That gave it a leg up, but the library that developed throughout its lifetime grew to some 4,000 titles, many of which are among the greatest games ever made. As of writing, the PS2 remains the best-selling console of all time with more than 160 million units sold between 2000 and 2013.
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