There was a time that videogames weren’t even mentioned in the same sentence as other entertainment mediums. Gaming was considered a nerdy hobby to many people and a complete waste of time for others. For decades, gamers have correctly argued the case for gaming as being just as an effective form of escapism as a good book or a movie.
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The last decade has seen several major releases, two console generations, groundbreaking platforms like Steam, and videogames that have become a cultural phenomenon. Let’s take a look at 10 of the best selling games of the decade.
10Call Of Duty: Black Ops- 26,200,000
Call of Duty: Black Opswas released in 2010 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and the PC platforms. Developed by Activision’s Treyarch team the game essentially two games in one package.
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TheCall of Dutyseries has always been some of the biggest sellers every year upon release. It is almost a given that there’s aCall of Dutytitle sitting at the top of the Christmas charts every single year. In that last decade,Black Opswasone of their biggest selling games with 26,200,00 units sold.
Red Dead Redemption 2was first released on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One in 2018. It was released the following year on PC and the Google Stadia. It is a western-themed open-world action-adventure game developed byGrand Theft Autodevelopers Rockstar.
In 2018Red Dead Redemption 2was the recipient of several ‘Game of Year awards’. It is a testament to the game’s quality that it was released only in 2018 and still managed to break the top ten best selling games of the decade with 26,500,000 units sold.
8Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – 26,500,000
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3was released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and the PC in 2011. Developed by Infinity Ward for Activision and is a direct sequel toCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2released in 2009.
According to Activision, the massive number ofModern Warfare 3preorders meant that it had the largest number of games shipped on day one. With a total of 26,500,000 units in the last decade that isn’t difficult to believe.
7Terraria – 27,000,000
Originally released in 2011 on the PC,Terrariais a 2D sandbox game created by Re-Logic. Its popularity on the PC meant that the game was released for nearly every platform imaginable from the Nintendo 3DS to the PlayStation 4.
Even before its release on all platforms the game sold 200,000 copies on the Steam platform in the first nine days after launch. Despite its 2D aestheticsTerrariaoffers players a nearly endless amount of freedom and is comparable toMinecraft.
6Mario Kart 8 – 27,450,000
First released in 2014 for the Nintendo Wii U,Mario Kart 8was released to critical and commercial acclaim. It was the best-selling game for the Wii U system selling over 8 million units for that system alone.
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An enhanced version of the game,Mario Kart 8:Deluxewas released on the Nintendo Switch in 2017. Repeating its success from the Wii U,Mario Kart 8: Deluxeis currently the best-selling game on the Switch. At 27,450,000 units sold altogether the Nintendo exclusive is the only game to break the top ten that isn’t a multi-platform title.
5Diablo III – 30,000,000
Diablo IIIwas first released on the PC in 2012. The game was eventually released across two generations of consoles with a PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4/Xbox One release in 2013 and 2014 respectively. A Nintendo Switch release would also follow in 2018 with exclusiveLegend of Zeldacontent.
The multiple console releases, DLC, and special editions have paid off becauseDiablo 3has become of the best selling games of the generation with 30,000,000 units sold. Its predecessors were already some of the best selling action-RPGs of all time and with aDiablo 4on the horizon developers, Blizzard will likely repeat that success again.
4The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – 30,000,000
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimwas first released in 2011 on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A remastered version released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016 with VR and Nintendo Switch version to follow in 2017.
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After the success ofThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivionfans were eager for the release ofSkyrimand the game’s continued success and great reviews have helped it achieve big sales. At 30,000,000 units sold it is one of the best selling games of all time and the most successful in the series.
3PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds – 50,000,000
PlayerUnknown BattlegroundsorPUBGas it is known to fans is an online battle royale shooter. It was released for the PC and Xbox One in 2017 with ports arriving on the PlayStation 4 and mobile devices to follow in 2018.
Next toFortnite,PUBGis the most popular battle royale game in the world finding popularity in eSports too. Despite its nearest rival’s free-to-play model,PUBGis one of the best selling games in the world with 50,000,000 units sold since its release.
2Grand Theft Auto V – 115,000,000
Since its initial release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2013Grand Theft Auto Vhas become the benchmark for open-world action games. It was remastered and released again for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2014 with a PC release following in 2015.
In addition to the massive single-player mode, it isGrand Theft Auto V’s online mode that helped make it a mainstay in the top ten sales charts since its release. As well as selling 115,000,000 units, GTA V’s online purchases have helped the game earn 6 billion dollars in revenue.
1Minecraft – 180,000,000
First released in 2011 on the PC,Minecraftbecame a worldwide cultural phenomenon. The open-world sandbox game eventually released on all major consoles and mobile devices over the course of a decade making it the best-selling game of all time.
It is the most viewed videogame on social media sites like YouTube with the most popular videos and channels gaining billions of views. In turn, YouTube played a large role in helpingMinecraftachieve its success. With 180,000,000 units sold and still countingMinecraftisn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
NEXT:The 10 Best Multiplayer Games Of The Decade (According To Metacritic)
