List of best-selling Nintendo video games

This article is about Nintendo-specific best-sellers. For the broader topic, see List of best-selling video games.
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This list covers the best-selling video games by Nintendo that have sold at least 20 million units. Sales figures are compiled from publicly available reports and may not account for every possible release or sales update. For this reason, the order of the games is not indicative of sales ranking but reflects the available, well-documented information. The best-selling Nintendo video game is reported to be Wii Sports, selling nearly 83 million units. It was released for the Wii console and was bundled with it in most regions outside of Japan.[1][2]

Nintendo is well-known for bundling its games with consoles; for instance, Wii Sports with the Wii, Super Mario Bros. with the Nintendo Entertainment System, and Tetris with the Game Boy. Nintendo is regarded as one of the few gaming companies that consistently publishes detailed financial information about its video games. Unlike many other companies in the video game industry, which may release only selective figures or provide limited insights into their sales performance, Nintendo has regularly disclosed explicit data through its quarterly and annual reports.[3][4] Shigeru Miyamoto, a long-standing figure at Nintendo, stated on the company's behalf that a game should only be considered fully successful once it approaches the 30 million sales milestone.[5] Besides the sales data provided directly by Nintendo, the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA), a Japanese organization that reports on the broader national video game industry,[6] also publishes sales data for Nintendo titles.[7]

In 2009, according to a video games-related website, Destructoid, deciding the best-selling title between Wii Sports and Super Mario Bros. was controversial. They also contacted Nintendo for confirmation, but received no explicit response.[8] Similarly, around the same year, sales tracking website VGChartz published the list of the top ten best-selling video games, with reporters from TechRadar and CNET observing that Wii Sports had surpassed Super Mario Bros. as the best-seller.[9][10] However, VGChartz has been deemed questionable for the estimation it provides.[11] Additionally, Nintendo did not confirm the data reported by VGChartz.[12][13]

Satoru Iwata, then-president of Nintendo, revealed in an interview of Iwata Asks that Super Mario Bros. was the company's best-selling title for over two decades until it was surpassed by Wii Sports, although he was hesitant about the fact that Wii Sports sales were dependent on bundles.[14] Matt Peckham, a journalist associated with the news outlet ABC News, likewise expressed concerns regarding the manner in which Wii Sports was marketed and sold and how it differs from other games.[15] Further emphasizing this bundling issue, gaming website GameSpot has used its own methodology to exclude Wii Sports and instead have it replaced by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch for the top spot in their list of ten best-selling Nintendo titles from March 2024.[16]

Nintendo's best-selling titles (figures reported up to September 2025)

Title Sales
(millions) 		Genre(s) Platform(s) Release
year 		Developer(s) Publisher(s) Ref.
Wii Sports 82.9 Sports simulation Wii 2006 Nintendo EAD Nintendo [17]
Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe 78.02 Kart racing Wii U / Nintendo Switch 2014 Nintendo EAD / Nintendo EPD Nintendo [a]
Super Mario Bros. 40–58 Platformer Various 1985 Nintendo R&D4 Nintendo [b]
Animal Crossing: New Horizons 48.62 Social simulation Nintendo Switch 2020 Nintendo EPD Nintendo [18]
Tetris 30–40 Puzzle Game Boy 1989 Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo [c]
Mario Kart Wii 37.38 Kart racing Wii 2008 Nintendo EAD Nintendo [25]
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 36.93 Fighting Nintendo Switch 2018 Bandai Namco Studios / Sora Ltd Nintendo [18]
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 35.04 Action-adventure Wii U / Nintendo Switch 2017 Nintendo EPD Nintendo [d]
Wii Sports Resort 33.14 Sports simulation Wii 2009 Nintendo EAD Nintendo [17]
Pokémon Red/Green/Blue 31.4 Role-playing Game Boy 1996 Game Freak Nintendo [27]
New Super Mario Bros. 30.8 Platformer Nintendo DS 2006 Nintendo EAD Nintendo [17]
New Super Mario Bros. Wii 30.32 Platformer Wii 2009 Nintendo EAD Nintendo [17]
Super Mario Odyssey 29.84 Platformer Nintendo Switch 2017 Nintendo EPD Nintendo [18]
Duck Hunt 28.3 Light-gun shooter NES 1984 Nintendo R&D1 / Intelligent Systems Nintendo [28]
Wii Play 28.02 Party Wii 2006 Nintendo EAD Nintendo [17]
Pokémon Scarlet/Violet 27.61 Role-playing Nintendo Switch 2022 Game Freak Nintendo / The Pokémon Company [18]
Pokémon Sword/Shield 26.96 Role-playing Nintendo Switch 2019 Game Freak Nintendo / The Pokémon Company [18]
New Super Mario Bros. U / Deluxe 24.35 Platformer Wii U / Nintendo Switch 2012 Nintendo EAD / Nintendo EPD Nintendo [e]
Nintendogs 23.96 Pet-raising simulation Nintendo DS 2005 Nintendo EAD Nintendo [17]
Pokémon Gold/Silver 23.73 Role-playing Game Boy Color 1999 Game Freak Nintendo [30]
Mario Kart DS 23.6 Kart racing Nintendo DS 2005 Nintendo EAD Nintendo [17]
Wii Fit 22.67 Exergaming Wii 2007 Nintendo EAD Nintendo [17]
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom 22.15 Action-adventure Nintendo Switch 2023 Nintendo EPD Nintendo [18]
Super Mario Party 21.23 Party Nintendo Switch 2018 NDcube Nintendo [18]
Wii Fit Plus 21.13 Exergaming Wii 2009 Nintendo EAD Nintendo [17]
Super Mario World 20.61 Platformer SNES 1990 Nintendo EAD Nintendo [31]

Notes

  1. ^ Mario Kart 8 sold 8.46 million units[17] and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold 69.56 million units.[18]
  2. ^ The sales of Super Mario Bros. range from 40 to 58 million copies. The original version alone sold over 40 million copies,[19] however, other reports imply the original sold 50 million copies as of 1996, while combining later releases amounts to a cumulative 58 million copies.[20] Alternatively, IGN claims its sales to be 48 million.[21]
  3. ^ The sales of the Game Boy version of Tetris are reported to range from 30 to 40 million. Figures include 30.26 million,[22] 35 million,[23] and 40 million.[24]
  4. ^ The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sold 33.34 million units on Nintendo Switch,[18] and 1.7 million units on Wii U.[26]
  5. ^ New Super Mario Bros. U sold 5.82 million units[29] and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe sold 18.53 million units.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ Whitehead, Thomas (May 3, 2022). "Reggie Had To Fight For Wii Sports As A Pack-In, And Miyamoto Wasn't Happy". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  2. ^ Greenbaum, Aaron (April 29, 2022). "Why Wii Sports Is the Best-Selling Nintendo Game Ever". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  3. ^ MacDonald, Keza (April 3, 2024). "Pushing Buttons: When we don't know the true sales figures for consoles, players lose out". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  4. ^ "Peut-on vraiment mesurer les meilleures ventes de jeu vidéo de l'Histoire ?". Gamekult (in French). August 19, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  5. ^ Jones, Ali (July 1, 2024). "Shigeru Miyamoto wants Nintendo to have a hit the size of Breath of the Wild or Animal Crossing: New Horizons every "3-5 years"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  6. ^ Fahey, Rob (November 24, 2003). "CESA gamer survey reveals good news for Nintendo". Gamesindustry.biz. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  7. ^ Doolan, Liam (August 30, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Worldwide Software Sales Update (CESA 2022) - Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Pokémon, Zelda & More". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  8. ^ Razak, Matthew (May 10, 2009). "Is Wii Sports the best selling game ever?". Destructoid. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  9. ^ Hartley, Adam (January 5, 2009). "Wii Sports is biggest selling game ever". TechRadar. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  10. ^ Reisinger, Don (January 5, 2009). "'Wii Sports': Best-selling, but not best of all time". CNET. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  11. ^ Carless, Simon (June 23, 2008). "Analysis: What VGChartz Does (And Doesn't) Do For The Game Biz". Game Developer. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  12. ^ McElroy, Griffin (January 4, 2009). "Wii Sports is best-selling game of all time, according to VGChartz". Engadget. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  13. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (January 5, 2009). "Wii Sports biggest selling game of all time". VideoGamer. Archived from the original on December 14, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  14. ^ "Iwata Asks: Wii Sports Resort - Getting That "Resort Feel"". Nintendo. p. 4. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  15. ^ Peckham, Matt (January 6, 2009). "Wii Sports Best Selling Video Game Ever?". ABC News. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  16. ^ Bonthuys, Darryn (May 9, 2024). "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Is Nintendo's Best-Selling Game Of All Time, With One Caveat". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 30, 2025. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Craddock, Ryan (November 4, 2021). "The Top Ten Best-Selling Games For Wii U, 3DS, Wii And DS (As Of September 2021)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Reynolds, Ollie (November 4, 2025). "Here Are The Top Ten Best-Selling Nintendo Switch Games As Of September 2025". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  19. ^ Cifaldi, Frank (March 28, 2012). "Sad But True: We Can't Prove When Super Mario Bros. Came Out". Game Developer. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  20. ^ Jones, Ali (July 10, 2024). "Survival juggernaut Terraria has officially outsold Super Mario Bros - and its devs waited 2 years just to flex its latest sales milestone". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  21. ^ Bernard, Francisco (September 12, 2023). "National Video Game Day: The top-selling video games in history". KCRA-TV. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  22. ^ Batstone, Peter (October 23, 2016). "A brief history of Nintendo consoles". BBC Science Focus. Archived from the original on June 21, 2025. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  23. ^ Saltzman, Marc (June 12, 2009). "'Tetris' by the numbers". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  24. ^ Takahashi, Dean (June 2, 2009). "After 25 years, Tetris has sold 125 million copies". GamesBeat. Archived from the original on December 20, 2025. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  25. ^ Robinson, Andy (November 4, 2021). "8 Deluxe is officially the best-selling Mario Kart ever". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 5, 2025.
  26. ^ Welsh, Oli (March 30, 2025). "Playing Nintendo's greatest triumph on its biggest failure". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  27. ^ Blake, Vikki (May 8, 2025). "Pokémon Scarlet/Violet May Not Be the Series' Best-Reviewed Games, but It's Behind Only Red/Green/Blue in Terms of Sales". IGN. Archived from the original on July 22, 2025. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  28. ^ Welch, Hanuman (April 23, 2013). "1984: Duck Hunt – The Best Selling Video Game Of Every Year Since 1977". Complex. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  29. ^ "Sales Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units – Wii U Software". Nintendo. March 31, 2025. Archived from the original on September 13, 2025. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  30. ^ Purslow, Matt (February 1, 2021). "Pokémon Sword & Shield Is the Best Selling Pokémon Since Gold & Silver". IGN. Archived from the original on November 17, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  31. ^ O'Malley, James (September 11, 2015). "30 Best-Selling Super Mario Games of All Time on the Plumber's 30th Birthday". Gizmodo. Univision Communications. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
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