What Are the Top 5 Biggest Games?

Video games have certainly evolved significantly since their early beginnings, with some titles breaking all known records while wholly captivating audiences around the globe. This time, we will be counting down the five most important video games in history and labeling them by just that: the weight of numbers played (or watched), copies sold; and commitment required to understand why people would even PLAY them.

Collage of the top five biggest video games: Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V, Wii Sports, PUBG, and Mario Kart 8. — Exploring the top five biggest video games, including their sales and impact on the gaming industry.

1. Minecraft

Initial Release: November 18, 2011
Developer: Mojang Studios
Sales: 300 million copies (as of 2023)
Platforms: Multi-platform

Minecraft stands alone as the best-selling video game ever made, with over 300 million copies sold to all corners of the Earth. This limitless sandbox creation allows players to generate and investigate entirely boundless digital landscapes composed entirely of fundamental construction blocks, presenting endless original opportunities. With its remarkable flexibility, Minecraft has appealed to people of all backgrounds and ages, permitting unchecked creative freedom, sweeping exploratory adventures, and even tests of survival prowess. Its fundamental simplicity and widespread accessibility across practically every platform have confirmed its position as a true worldwide sociocultural phenomenon.

2. Grand Theft Auto V

Initial Release: September 17, 2013
Developer: Rockstar North
Sales: 200 million copies
Platforms: Multi-platform

Grand Theft Auto V is a legendary game renowned for its immense open world and captivating plot. Players can roam the imaginary city of Los Santos, participating in diverse assignments or simply appreciating the mayhem that materializes in the game’s multi-participant mode, GTA Online. Having sold more than two hundred million copies, GTA V has become one of the most iconic games ever, presenting both an enthralling lone-player venture and a persistently modernized multiplayer part. The sprawling city streets of Los Angeles are filled with stories waiting to be experienced, whether stealing high-end cars or bonding with friends between busts of chaotic criminal capers online. While some missions follow linear paths, resourceful players can often find new avenues toward success, veering off prescribed routes to complete objectives in unforeseen yet satisfying ways. In its bottomless well of things to do and emergent gameplay, Grand Theft Auto V keeps drawing crowds back to the spectacle of excess that is Los Santos—a metropolis inspired by what’s gaudy in our American dream.

3. Wii Sports

Initial Release: November 19, 2006
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Sales: 82.9 million copies
Platform: Wii

It was Wii exclusive and is the highest-selling game developed for a single platform. The game helped to make motion-controlled gaming a household concept, meaning this next entry essentially reached every single gamer in the world. The easy-to-grasp mechanics, centered around games such as tennis or bowling (and even boxing), opened the game up to players of all ages. The main focus will always be the Wii and with good reason—that system was anchored by possibly up until today one of Nintendo’s biggest hits on any platform ever (that could sell to an entirely different group from their traditional audience): everyone in America who wanted a copy ended up owning Wii Sports.

4. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)

Initial Release: December 20, 2017
Developer: PUBG Studios
Sales: 75 million copies
Platforms: Multi-platform

When PUBG was released, it was among other battle royale games and set the whole vibe up to take off. A bloody battle featuring life and death dropping in from the sky onto an island to witness who will survive this exodus of 100 players. Ultimately, it was a massive success, and the demand for battle royale had been proven through its huge maps, strategic gameplay, and high-stakes nature scaling to make 100 of you take down one winner-take-all title. There are arguably many games that came after it and were inspired by PUBG in the first place (looking at you, Fortnite and COD: Warzone).

5. Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe

Initial Release: May 29, 2014 (Wii U), April 28, 2017 (Deluxe for Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Nintendo EAD / Nintendo EPD
Sales: 71.36 million copies
Platforms: Wii U, Nintendo Switch

It is the all-time best-selling racing game, and its remake is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as well. An arcade-style racing game with fast-paced action, accessible gameplay, and hundreds of unlockable cars—but it will finally also offer online multiplayer support. Considering the game has opened up to a mass market and fanbase over all ages, Mario Kart 8 winds up as an evergreen title for Nintendo, bringing people together regularly for kart-racing competition.

Conclusion

We have Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V, Wii Sports (yes), PUBG, and Mario Kart 8 on the list that shook gaming. Both have drawn in countless millions of participants, and both have exerted a large influence on gaming trends. Be it the craze of building in Minecraft, racing using Mario Kart, or battling for survival on PUBG these games have marked their success and world fame.