Universal Gaming
Console Sales vs. Respective Best Selling Game - Printable Version

+- Universal Gaming (https://universalgaming.net)
+-- Forum: Gaming Galaxy (https://universalgaming.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: Systems & Hardware (https://universalgaming.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Thread: Console Sales vs. Respective Best Selling Game (/showthread.php?tid=1907)

Console Sales vs. Respective Best Selling Game - Moonface - Jan 10th, 2026

I was bored and for some reason felt like seeing what the percentage would be for the number of platform units sold vs. the number of copies of its best selling game. In other words, if a console sold 10 million units and its best selling game sold 1 million units, then that game sold 10% as many copies as its respective console. I wanted to do this to see how the top selling games per system compare to each other when measured in this way rather than by copies sold, since a game could have sold less copies than another but end up with a higher percentage if it sold a lot in comparison to its respective console units. So without further ado, here's the outcomes:

Atari
  • Atari 2600 - 30,000,000 units / Pac-Man - 8,095,586 copies = 26.99%
Nintendo
  • Nintendo Entertainment System - 61,910,000 units / Super Mario Bros. - 40,240,000 copies = 65%
  • Super Nintendo Entertainment System - 49,100,000 units / Super Mario World - 20,610,000 copies = 41.98%
  • Nintendo 64 - 32,930,000 units / Super Mario 64 - 11,910,000 copies = 36.17%
  • GameCube - 21,740,000 units / Super Smash Bros. Melee - 7,410,000 copies = 34.08%
  • Wii - 101,630,000 units / Mario Kart Wii - 37,380,000 copies = 36.78%
  • Wii U - 13,560,000 units / Mario Kart 8 - 8,460,000 copies = 62.39%
  • Switch - 154,010,000 units / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 69,560,000 copies = 45.17%

  • Game Boy - 118,690,000 units / Tetris - 35,000,000 copies = 29.49%
  • Game Boy Advance - 81,510,000 units / Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire - 16,220,000 copies = 19.9%
  • Nintendo DS - 154,000,000 units / New Super Mario Bros. - 30,800,000 copies = 20%
  • Nintendo 3DS - 75,940,000 units / Mario Kart 7 - 18,990,000 copies = 25.01%
PlayStation
  • PlayStation - 102,490,000 units / Gran Turismo - 10,850,000 copies = 10.59%
  • PlayStation 2 - 160,000,000 units / Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - 17,330,000 copies = 10.83%
  • PlayStation 3 - 87,400,000 units / Grand Theft Auto V - 29,520,000 copies = 33.78%
  • PlayStation 4 - 113,500,000 units / Grand Theft Auto V - 24,660,000 copies = 21.73%

  • PlayStation Portable - 80,000,000 units / Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - 8,000,000 copies = 10%
Sega
  • Genesis - 30,750,000 units / Sonic the Hedgehog - 15,000,000 copies = 48.78%
  • Saturn - 9,260,000 units / Virtua Fighter 2 - 2,500,000 copies = 27%
  • Dreamcast - 9,130,000 units / Sonic Adventure - 2,500,000 copies = 27.38%
Xbox
  • Xbox - 24,000,000 units / Halo 2 - 8,460,000 copies = 35.25%
  • Xbox 360 - 84,000,000 units / Kinect Adventures - 24,000,000 copies = 28.57%
  • Xbox One - 58,000,000 units / Grand Theft Auto V - 10,980,000 copies = 18.93%

A few notes on these stats:
  • Technically the best selling game for the Wii is Wii Sports, but because it was bundled with a large majority of the consoles I am not counting that as the consoles best selling game.
  • Oddly, there were no stats for the PS Vita for its best selling game, so I wasn't able to include it here.
  • Units sold for consoles were based on that actual number where possible, but some had to use units shipped as it was the only given statistic.

Now onto pointing out some fun things with these stats that I learned from doing this:
  • PSP has the lowest percentage of any system listed, with its best selling game being only 10% of the consoles total sales.
  • PS1 has the lowest percentage of any home console, with only 10.59%.
  • Overall, the worst performing best selling games in comparison to console sales are on PlayStation platforms, with 3/5 of games on the listed systems being only 10-11%.
  • While Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best selling game of any listed in terms of copies sold, it ranks 4/23 in terms of copies/units percentage.
  • Nintendo holds the most spots for highest percentages, with NES at #1, Wii U at #2, Switch at #4 and SNES at #5.
  • While the Dreamcast is the worst selling console in the list and joint lowest copies sold of its best selling game, it still ranks in at 13/23. This particular stat (and Saturn being 14/23) is a key reason I chose to do this, as it demonstrates that despite having the lowest game sales it doesn't have the worst ranking when viewed as game copies vs. console units sold.

Maybe some of you will find some of this interesting, but if not I had fun doing this and learning some neat facts that I don't think many people would know about. ^_^

RE: Console Sales vs. Respective Best Selling Game - ShiraNoMai - Jan 13th, 2026

I was part of the wider percent of console-but-not-best-selling-game owner on only the Game Boy and Nintendo DS. Also for the entire PlayStation console family as well.

Really interesting that despite the game coming out at the tail end of the PS3's generational-cycle, GTA V being the best selling game on it is quite a feat.

RE: Console Sales vs. Respective Best Selling Game - Mr EliteL - Jan 13th, 2026

For some reason I didn't consider what games I did own when I read this first. Out of the consoles I've had, only 5 out of 11 did I own the best selling game. PS5 will undoubtedly make it 5/12 when that's er, finalised I guess. We all know what it's likely to be anyway, but I would like to know what it could be before GTA 6's release. Got no idea what it could possibly be....other than GTA V again. Ah, Wikipedia has Marvel's Spider Man 2 at 16 mil, but no mention of GTA V.

Also dang Shira, didn't have NSMB? Ah made me reminisce about when I bought my DS with that game, considering long and hard because it was my first console I was going to buy with my own money, waiting in a long queue then once I finally paid that feeling of excitement for when I get home and open it.  =3

RE: Console Sales vs. Respective Best Selling Game - Moonface - Jan 25th, 2026

(Jan 13th, 2026, 05:09 AM)ShiraNoMai Wrote:
Really interesting that despite the game coming out at the tail end of the PS3's generational-cycle, GTA V being the best selling game on it is quite a feat.
Moreso when second place is Gran Turismo 5 at 11.95 million copies sold, and that game released three years before GTA V did. Looking at it again though I am surprised it didn't make the top seller for Xbox 360, considering how well that console did against the PS3 and my impression is it was the console for online gaming in that respective console generation.

(Jan 13th, 2026, 11:29 PM)Mr EliteL Wrote:
For some reason I didn't consider what games I did own when I read this first. Out of the consoles I've had, only 5 out of 11 did I own the best selling game. PS5 will undoubtedly make it 5/12 when that's er, finalised I guess. We all know what it's likely to be anyway, but I would like to know what it could be before GTA 6's release. Got no idea what it could possibly be....other than GTA V again. Ah, Wikipedia has Marvel's Spider Man 2 at 16 mil, but no mention of GTA V.
For me I only own three of the top games listed, which is GTA V (PS3), MK8 (Wii U) and MK8D (NS). I can't be bothered to do it right now but I wonder how many of the top 10 best selling games per console I own? Hmm

GTA V would've been cross-gen with PS4 copies so it might not have sales data because of that. If Spider-Man 2 is currently the best selling PS5 game at 16 million units though then GTA 6 will obliterate that without breaking a sweat.