5 gaming-console bestsellers
On its website, Sony says it sold more than 160 million units of the PlayStation 2 around the world. PHOTO: SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT
PARIS – From the first video game consoles of the 1970s to the Nintendo Switch 2 due out on June 5, hundreds of millions have been sold to players eager to immerse themselves in their favourite franchises from Assassin's Creed to Zelda.
The five most popular consoles have sold around 700 million units.
PlayStation 2: 160 million
Japanese tech and entertainment giant Sony sparked a global frenzy with the release of PlayStation 2 in 2000.
A midnight launch in the United States stoked excitement and in some areas people stormed shops to make sure they got a unit.
Its initial success was built on compatibility – players could still enjoy original PlayStation games – and its ability to play DVDs.
Critics were unimpressed with the initial slate of games for the console. But a string of hits from franchises including Grand Theft Auto, Grand Turismo, Final Fantasy, Tekken and Metal Gear Solid helped kick the console into stratospheric popularity.
On its website, Sony says it has sold more than 160 million units of the PlayStation 2 around the world.
Nintendo DS: 154 million
The Nintendo DS revolutionised the world of gaming when it hit shelves in 2004 and 2005.
Its foldable two-screen design, complete with built-in mic and internet connection, improved on the already incredible 1990s success of the Game Boy.
Its success was built on a solid stable of hit adaptations – Super Mario, Zelda and Pokemon among them.
It also became famous for breakout cultural phenomena like Animal Crossing and Nintendogs – a real-time pet simulation game where players groomed and virtually walked their dogs.
The Japanese firm said it had sold more than 154 million units.
Nintendo Switch: 152 million
Released in 2017, it had a tablet format allowing users to play on a large screen at home or on public transport.
It burnished its success with stellar sales of the latest chapters of the Zelda franchise.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons – a game about social interaction – became a mega-hit after launching in 2020, when much of the world faced some kind of confinement as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Switch, still the Japanese giant's current premium product, had notched up 152.1 million sales by end March 2025, the firm said.
Game Boy: 118 million
The Game Boy and its 1998 Color spin-off were a cultural phenomenon in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The tiny handheld consoles helped launch some of the world's most recognisable characters.
Pokemon's Pikachu first appeared on the Game Boy in 1996, spawning a globe-conquering franchise of films, series, games and toys.
With hits like Tetris and Super Mario Land, it helped crown Nintendo as a market leader in the 1990s, and eventually recorded more than 118 million sales, according to the company.
PlayStation 4: 113 million
While the PlayStation 2 helped kill Sega's Dreamcast at the turn of the millennium, the PlayStation 4 did battle with Microsoft's Xbox series – and won.
Released in 2013, it sold 113.5 million units by 2020, according to the Japanese firm's data, far outstripping its Microsoft rival.
Success was secured with well-received additions to popular franchises like Grand Theft Auto and The Last Of Us.
Film spin-offs like Marvel's Spider-Man and Star Wars Battlefront did solid business. AFP
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