It's beginning to feel like the late '90s all over again. The latest entry in the uber-popular fighting game series, Mortal Kombat II, is now in theaters, Street Fighter is getting a new movie (that we can't wait for based on the trailer), and Resident Evil is being rebooted on the big screen too.

In light of all these big developments, and with MK back on the big screen, we thought we'd look back at the franchise's long, colorful and occasionally baffling history in film and TV. Check out our slideshow below or scroll down for a closer look at all the Mortal Kombat adaptations and how closely (or not) they followed the source material.

Mortal Kombat (1995)

The original Mortal Kombat movie is widely regarded as one of the best video game adaptations to date. Which, granted, is a very dubious honor. Even so, the movie still stands as a solid example of how to bring the series to life in live-action. It presents a reasonably faithful retelling of the original game's extremely barebones storyline, while drawing in elements of Mortal Kombat II and some of the backstory from the tie-in comics. Like many adaptations, it positions Liu Kang (Robin Chou) as the central hero destined to defeat the soul-stealing Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). For purists, the movie's biggest sin is simply that it doesn't replicate the violence of the games, opting instead for a more pedestrian PG-13 approach.

What the movie does capture, however, is that essential undercurrent of camp and zaniness that goes hand-in-hand with the gratuitous violence. Mortal Kombat the movie definitely isn't guilty of taking itself too seriously. It's also the movie that introduced the world to The Immortals' "Techno Syndrome," the most iconic video game music this side of the Super Mario Bros. theme.

Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (1995)

There's some pretty stiff competition when it comes to deciding the worst Mortal Kombat adaptation ever made, but this direct-to-video release may just take the top honor. Released ahead of the live-action film and ostensibly a prequel to said film, The Journey Begins sets about fleshing out the origin stories of various MK icons. But the connective tissue is dubious at best. And as dated as the CGI in the live-action movie may be, it's state-of-the-art compared to the archaic, sub-Playstation quality 3D fight scenes in The Journey Begins. Hardcore fans may want to watch this one out of sheer, morbid curiosity (especially since it's included as a bonus feature on the Mortal Kombat Blu-ray), but don't expect it to actually enhance your enjoyment of the games or the movies.

Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm (1996)

The '80s and '90s TV landscape was littered with attempts to translate adults-only pop culture properties into kid-friendly cartoons. Case in point - RoboCop: The Animated Series, Rambo: The Force of Freedom and Toxic Crusaders. We honestly have to respect Kenner's moxie for deciding to cut out the middleman and directly market Terminator 2 and Aliens toys to kids without even waiting for cartoons.

With Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, USA Network threw its razor-edged hat into the ring. This short-lived series aired on the network's Action Extreme Team block in 1996. Somewhat bafflingly, it attempts to serve as a continuation of both the 1995 movie and the Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 video game, though the all-ages approach basically renders that moot. Defenders of the Realm simplifies the complex series of alliances and rivalries that define the MK mythos, instead featuring a team of heroes led by Raiden and Nighthawk tasked with defending Earthrealm from Shao Kahn's interdimensional invaders.

Defenders of the Realm does make one notable addition to the franchise, however. The series was actually the first to introduce Quan Chi before his roles in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat 4.

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)

If the first Mortal Kombat movie is among the best attempts at adapting a video game to film, its sequel is easily among the worst. It's not necessarily that Annihilation plays fast and loose with the source material. It introduces a number of popular characters like Shao Kahn (Brian Thompson), Jax (Lynn Williams) and Sindel (Musetta Vandel), along with familiar MK elements like Animalities, the death of Johnny Cage and Kuai Liang taking up his brother's mantle as Sub-Zero. The problem is that the movie fails to string any of that together into a coherent and interesting story. There's not much internal logic to what happens or which characters appear.

But even if the plot lived up to the first movie, Annihilation is plagued with lousy effects, underwhelming fight scenes, and actors who would seemingly rather be anywhere else. It's telling that, apart from Chou's Liu Kang, nearly all the returning characters were recast for the sequel. But if nothing else, at least the soundtrack is pretty good.

Mortal Kombat: Conquest (1998)

While Annihilation basically destroyed Mortal Kombat's big-screen prospects for the next two decades, that didn't stop TNT from airing a live-action TV series in 1998. Mortal Kombat: Conquest serves as a prequel to the movies, taking place 500 years before the era of Liu Kang. Instead, Conquest revolves around Liu's ancestor Kung Lao (Paolo Montalbán), a warrior monk tasked with training a new generation of fighters to defend Earthrealm. While many of the series' supporting characters are new creations, many MK fan-favorites show up over the course of Conquest's one and only season.

The best that can be said for Conquest is that it was ahead of its time. The prequel premise is strong, and it's certainly a better offshoot of the 1995 film than Annihilation. But even at the time, it was difficult to ignore the lousy wire-fu fight scenes and generally bad special effects. It's hard not to wonder what might have been if Conquest had come along a decade or two later.

Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (2010)

Outside of the games themselves, the MK franchise largely went dormant in the '00s. It wasn't until filmmaker Kevin Tancharoen took the initiative and put together a short, unauthorized Mortal Kombat movie that the ball started rolling again.

Though produced on a very low budget and not sanctioned by Warner Bros. or Mortal Kombat's creators, Tancharoen's short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth is a surprisingly professional adaptation. Rebirth is unique in that it downplays the franchise's supernatural trappings, instead casting Scorpion (Ian Anthony Dale) as an assassin working with Captain Jackson Briggs (Michael Jai White) and Sonya Blade (Jeri Ryan) to bring down Shang Tsung's criminal empire and get revenge on his nemesis, Sub-Zero.

Tancharoen intended for Rebirth to serve as a proof-of-concept for a possible movie reboot. He sort of got his wish as he was given the reins of the live-action web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011)

Tancharoen returned to the MK franchise the following year, this time with the actual approval of Warner Bros. and a greenlight for a full season of live-action webisodes exclusive to Machinima. Legacy doesn't follow the new continuity established in Rebirth, though Dale, White and Ryan all returned to reprise their roles for Season 1. Instead, Legacy acts as a prequel to the original game, with each Season 1 episode fleshing out the backstory for a different Kombatant.

Season 2 proved to be a fairly steep departure, with Legacy shifting to a more narrative-driven approach while bringing in a number of new characters and recasting many existing roles. One bonus of that revamp is that Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa was able to reprise the role of Shang Tsung (paving the way for him to make the jump over to the games in the form of Mortal Kombat 11 DLC).

As inconsistent as it is in terms of tone and plot, Legacy shows the potential in a more earnest take on the MK mythology. It also looks surprisingly robust for a free-to-watch web series.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020)

Mortal Kombat returned to the animated realm in 2020, in what proved to be a vastly better adaptation than either The Journey Begins or Defenders of the Realm. It helps that Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge is aimed squarely at adults. In fact, this direct-to-video release is actually the first R-rated Mortal Kombat movie.

Scorpion's Revenge is an adaptation of the original game's storyline, but with a twist. Rather than framing the movie around the heroic Liu Kang, we'll see the fateful tournament from Scorpion's point of view. The movie explores the character's tragic origin story and the beginnings of his feud with Sub-Zero. You can learn more in IGN's Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge review.

The first film has proven popular enough to spawn three more direct-to-video sequels, 2021's Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, 2022's Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, and 2023's Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match.

Mortal Kombat (2021)

After years of rumors about another live-action Mortal Kombat movie, the franchise finally returned to the big screen in 2021. The new movie isn't connected to previous projects, but instead serves as a complete reboot. Star Mehcad Brooks (who plays Jax) described it as having "grounded realism" despite retaining the Fatalities and other violent trappings of the games. Here's a full breakdown of the Mortal Kombat reboot's cast.

The reboot hit theaters and HBO Max simultaneously in April 2021. You can check out IGN's Mortal Kombat review for more. Though the pandemic obviously affected the film's box office haul, it proved critically and commercially successful enough that Warners greenlit a sequel.

Mortal Kombat II (2026)

The rebooted Mortal Kombat series returned with 2026's Mortal Kombat II. In addition to returning favorites like Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, and Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, the film also introduced Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage, Martyn Ford’s Shao Kahn, Damoin Herriman's Quan Chi, and Adeline Rudolph’s Kitana.

Said IGN's Max Scoville in his review: "Mortal Kombat II gets an 8 from me. It might not be Oscar-caliber cinema, and hardcore fans of the game with encyclopedic knowledge of the game may have a bone to pick, but it’s big and loud and gruesome and not afraid to have fun. The bar for video game movie sequels isn’t very high, but this one not only clears the bar, it twirls it around like a bo staff."

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Note: This article was originally published on 04/09/2020 and updated on 05/8/2026 with the latest news about the Mortal Kombat franchise.

Before the award-winning RPGs or live-action show, there was The Witcher book series. Andrzej Sapkowski's original story of Geralt of Rivia was heavily inspired by Slavic mythology as well as classic fantasy series like Lord of the Rings. Whether you already enjoyed Netflix or CD Projekt's The Witcher adaptations or are just looking for a great book series, this wild world is worth diving into.

How Many Witcher Books Are There?

1. The Last Wish (Short Story Collection)

2. Sword of Destiny (Short Story Collection)

3. Blood of Elves (The Witcher Saga #1)

4. The Time of Contempt (The Witcher Saga #2)

5. Baptism of Fire (The Witcher Saga #3)

6. The Tower of Swallows (The Witcher Saga #4)

7. The Lady of the Lake (The Witcher Saga #5)

8. Season of Storms (Prequel)

9. Crossroads of Ravens (Prequel)

Sony's PlayStation 2 has long reigned as the best-selling video game console of all time. PS4, despite its massive sales success, is trailing its older sibling by roughly 40 million units. Nintendo Switch, meanwhile, has moved well ahead of PS4 and inched past Nintendo DS to earn a spot on the podium of best-selling consoles -- though its sales have slowed down now that its successor, Nintendo Switch 2 has arrived.

With Switch and PS4 having secured their spots among the top 5 all-time best-selling consoles, we set out to discover how the rest of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft's hardware stack up. Scroll down or click through the gallery below for our list of the 30 best-selling video game consoles of all time, with additional information on release dates, highest-rated games, and more.

Some sales figures come straight from the hardware manufacturers, while others are estimated based on the most recently reported numbers and market analysis. Unofficial sales totals are marked with an asterisk (*). We focused on standalone gaming console sales (no add-ons) and excluded edutainment systems and multi-purpose phones and tablets.

If you only care about the biggest sellers, here's the TL;DR Top 5 Best-Selling Consoles list, in order, with the caveat that PlayStation 4's sell-in number was last officially shared in 2022, so it is likely to have surpassed Game Boy/GBC by now. Scroll down for more details and breakdowns:

1. PlayStation 2 (Sony) – 160 million
2. Nintendo Switch (Nintendo) – 155.37 million
3. Nintendo DS (Nintendo) – 154.02 million
4. Game Boy/Game Boy Color (Nintendo) – 118.69 million
5. PlayStation 4 (Sony) – 117.2 million

31. TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine – 8.5 million*

*While the TurboGrafx-16 was a failure in the west, Japan's PC Engine saw early success before the market was dominated by Nintendo's Super Famicom. According to official data shared in Famitsu Magazine, the PC Engine sold 5.84 million units in Japan and ended its run with 2.5 million units in the US. Not counting the CD-ROM add-on, we estimate that its various incarnations topped out at 8.5 million units sold when it was discontinued in 1994.

With the release of Nintendo Switch 2, TurboGrafx-16 fell to the 31st spot in our list. We've decided to keep it around and expand the list instead of cutting it off at 30.

30. Sega Dreamcast – 9.13 million*

*According to Sega’s 2001 annual report, lifetime sales for the console had hit 8.2 million by March 31, 2001 — the day Sega ended Dreamcast production. In the first half of the following fiscal year, the company reported it had sold an additional 130,000 units in Japan and 530,000 in the U.S, bringing the sales total up to 8.86 million. Remaining inventory for those two territories at the time, according to that same report, totaled 270,000 units. We know, thanks to Sega’s 2002 annual report, it eventually sold through all of that remaining inventory, bringing our sales total up to 9.13 million.

Now, the only figures missing are sales and inventory in Europe and Asia (outside of Japan) after March 31, 2001. However, we can seemingly discount Europe, as remaining European inventory was sold to Bigben Interactive around the time production ended. It’s unknown how many units were left in Asia, though it’s likely a fairly insignificant number considering it was the lowest performing of those four markets. As such, we’re sticking with the known total of 9.13 million.

29. Sega Saturn – 9.26 million*

*As of March 31, 1998, Saturn had sold 8.8 million units when it was discontinued in the U.S. That was the last official update from Sega, though the console would continue to be sold in Japan for another two years. 9.26 million is the final estimate given by research firm CESA. While we don’t have any official numbers to bridge that gap between 8.8 and 9.26 million, CESA’s Dreamcast estimate proved accurate (according to our math), and so we’re going to accept its Saturn total as the best available guess.

28. Wii U – 13.56 million

With 13.56 million units sold, according to official sales data, Wii U is Nintendo’s worst-selling console of all time by a wide margin. However, as former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé told CNN, the lessons learned from Wii U were crucial in propelling the Switch to success.

27. Sega Game Gear – 13.9 million*

*There are several Game Gear sales totals floating around the web: 10.62 million (from a data compilation on NeoGAF), 12 million (from late Sega executive Joe Miller), and “about” 14 million (from former Sega president Hideki Sato). Considering those three sources, we’ve opted to go with the company’s former president, assuming “about” means slightly less than 14 million.

26. PlayStation Vita – 14 million*

*Despite a dedicated fanbase, Sony’s follow-up to the PSP failed to gain a similar foothold in the handheld market, falling well short of its predecessor's sales total. Sony stopped reporting sales figures for Vita fairly early on in its lifecycle, though estimates — from news outlets and industry analysts — put the total somewhere between 10 and 15 million. Gamesindustry.biz reported Vita “sold south of" 15 million units, yet ended its run “marginally ahead” of Wii U, leading us to our rough estimate of 14 million.

25. Sega Master System/Mark III – 20 million*

*According to a compilation on NeoGAF of available sales data, Master System sold 6.2 million units in Europe. In Brazil, its biggest market, sales reached over 8 million, bringing our total to 14.2 million. Estimates for sales in Japan and the U.S., meanwhile, generally sit around 2 million per territory. Accounting for another 2 million in remaining territories — such as Australia and South Korea, where the console reportedly sold fairly well —we arrive at our final estimate of 20 million.

24. Xbox – 21 million*

*While Microsoft hasn’t announced an official sales total for the original Xbox, an archived post from the official Xbox website states "more than 24 million Xbox consoles" had been sold as of May 2006. Total Xbox 360 sales at that time had just hit 3.3 million units, according to GamesIndustry.biz, leading us to our estimate of 21 million for the original system.

23. GameCube – 21.74 million

The GameCube ended its run with 21.74 million units sold, according to Nintendo’s official numbers, making it the company’s second-worst-selling console to date. However, with 208.57 million software units sold, the number of GameCube games sold per console is the highest for any Nintendo system at 9.59.

22. Quest 2 – 22.8 million*

*Formerly known as the Oculus Quest series of standalone VR Headsets, the second iteration of the Meta Quest remains the company's top-selling console thus far. Launched in 2020, the Meta Quest 2 passed the 20 million units mark in Q1 2023, according to an internal presentation. Based on quarterly revenue reports since then, we estimate an additional 2.8 million units were sold. The Quest 2 was discontinued in September 24, 2024 and replaced with the Quest 3S.

21. Nintendo Switch 2 – 23.68 million

Nintendo Switch 2 entered our list of top-selling consoles just six months after launch when Nintendo released unit sales for the period between June 5 (launch) and September 30 (end of the fiscal quarter). Based on its strong launch window performance, Nintendo raised its sales expectations to 19 million units by the end of March 2026, with actuals at the end of December coming in at 17.37 units. In its earnings report in May 2026, Nintendo confirmed the final FY26 tally: 19.86 million units. As of June 2026, Switch 2 has sold 23.68 million units. This makes Nintendo Switch 2 the fastest-selling console of all time, though it remains to be seen if it can reach the install base of its predecessor, which was bolstered by multiple unit variations and increased video game console purchases during the Covid-19 pandemic.

To date, Switch 2 sold 58.17 million units of software. Mario Kart World is the top-selling title so far (partially thanks to the Switch 2 bundle), with 15.39 million units, followed by Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream with 7.96 million units, and Donkey Kong Bananza with 4.77 million. That means Mario Kart World surpassed the life-time sales of the Wii U edition of Mario Kart 8, which bowed with 8.46 million units, after just six months.

20. Atari 2600 – 30 million*

*The oldest console on this list, Atari 2600 sold an impressive 30 million units in its lifetime, according to an archived version of a press release from Atari partner AtGames. The 2600 is by far Atari’s most successful console, with none of its successors — 5200, 7800, and Jaguar — selling enough units to qualify for this list.

19. Nintendo 64 – 32.93 million

Nintendo’s third home console ended its run with just under 33 million units sold, according to official sales numbers from the company. N64 Software sales fell just shy of 225 million units, giving it the lowest number of games sold per system (6.83) for a Nintendo home console.

See our picks for the best N64 games ever made.

18. Xbox Series X|S – 33.5 million+*

Microsoft has not officially disclosed console sales numbers since 2015, but we have a good idea of Xbox Series X|S's sales total through 2024 thanks to Take-Two earnings reports. The publisher revealed 96 million Gen 9 (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S) consoles had been sold by the end of 2024. That put Xbox Series X/S sales at 29 million, a two million unit increase from T2's estimate at the end of 2023. Since then, the console has struggled to maintain momentum against the faster-selling PS5 and Switch (and now Switch 2) competition, but analyst estimes have placed the console at 33.5 million units sold by Q4 2025.

You can see the full history of Xbox hardware releases for a more detailed picture of how the latest generation has fared.

17. Sega Genesis/Mega Drive – 35 million*

*The sales total of Sega Genesis/Mega Drive is a topic of much debate among game historians. The actual figure is impossible to lock down given the lack of concrete data, but estimates generally range from 30 to 40 million units. Aforementioned Sega executive Joe Miller once said system sales were over 40 million, though that number is highly contested and seemingly contradicted by Sega’s available sales data. Compilations of that data — from internet researchers and professional research firms — show first-party console sales hit somewhere between 28 and 31 million units.

Add in estimated third-party console sales from companies such as TecToy in Brazil (where the console performed well into the 2010s) and Majesco in North America, and we arrive at our ballpark figure of 35 million — a number seemingly corroborated by a 2017 press release from Sega partner AtGames.

16. SNES/Super Famicom – 49.10 million

This sales figure comes directly from Nintendo. While the SNES fell short of its predecessor in terms of sales, the console is remembered fondly for its expansive library of high-quality games, including those listed above. 379 million units of software were sold for the system. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System -- or Super Famicom as it's known in Japan -- often tops "best console" lists thanks to its massive third-party support and iconic single- and multiplayer games.

15. Xbox One – 58 million*

Microsoft stopped reporting Xbox One sales numbers in October 2015, though the company seemingly revealed the console's final sales total during a presentation at the 2023 Best International Games Festival in Brazil. According to an image posted to Twitter on June 29, Xbox One finished its run with 58 million units sold.

If this number is accurate, Microsoft's eighth-generation console ultimately sold half as many units as Sony's competing PS4.

*We're keeping the asterisk on this sales total as we work to verify the figure with Microsoft.

14. NES/Famicom – 61.91 million

Nintendo's official numbers put NES sales at over 61 million units. The most senior entry on this list, Nintendo's first console went on to generate over 500 million units of software sales. The NES is often credited with bringing video games back from the dead after the video game crash that ended once dominant brands such as Atari. It's one of the very first Nintendo consoles ever released.

13. Nintendo 3DS – 75.94 million

This sales figure comes directly from Nintendo and is current as of December 31, 2020, when Nintendo started tracking direct sales. It encompasses total sales for all systems within the 3DS family, which includes all variations of Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 2DS. To date, the handheld family has generated 392 million units of software sales. The 3DS didn't see a direct successor, effectively turning Nintendo from a console/handheld maker into a single-system-focused publisher.

See our picks for the best 3DS games of all time.

12. Game Boy Advance – 81.51 million

This official sales figure comes directly from Nintendo. The company also notes software sales for the handheld closed at 377 million units. The Game Boy Advance line of devices included many different design iterations and form factors, the last of which was the Game Boy Micro in 2005. The top-selling model was the Game Boy Advance SP, with 43.57 million units sold. The Game Boy Micro only sold 2.42 million during its short run.

See our picks for the best GBA games of all time.

11. PlayStation Portable – 82.5 million*

*Sony last reported an official sales total for PSP in 2012, when it announced the handheld had sold 76 million units. The system would continue to be produced for an additional two years, during which time it's unknown exactly how many units were sold. However, in a 2023 post on X, former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden said the handheld sold over 82.5 million units.

See our picks for the best PSP games of all time. And in case it needs to be said, the newer PlayStation Portal is not the same as the PSP.

10. Xbox 360 – 85 million*

*In June 2014, Microsoft reported it had shipped 84 million Xbox 360s to retailers. While Microsoft stopped reporting specific sales figures in 2015, the system remained in production for nearly two years. During that two-year period, we can safely assume Microsoft converted that 84 million figure from sell-in to sell-through, while, conservatively estimating, moving an additional one million units. If accurate, that would place Xbox 360 in the ninth spot on the list of best-selling consoles.

See our picks for the best Xbox 360 games of all time.

9. PlayStation 3 – 87.5 million*

*As of March 31, 2017, PS3 had sold 87.4 million units, according to Sony. The system would remain in production through May of that same year. With that in mind, it's likely PS3 ended its run with somewhere between 87 and 88 million units sold, leaving us with our conservative estimate of 87.5.

See our picks for the best PS3 games of all time.

8. PlayStation 5 – 93.7 million

The PlayStation 5 is now up to 93.7 million copies sold, although sales have slowed and the console is now trailing behind the performance of its predecessor, the PlayStation 4, which went on to sell 117 million units. A semiconductor chip shortage restricted Sony's capacity to manufacture new PS5s during its first two years on the market, followed by memory shortages and tarriffs that caused Sony (and others) to raise the price of their hardware and affect sales pacing. The 8th best-selling console of all time, the PS5 passed the GBA and PSP sometime in the third quarter of 2025 and moved ahead of PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2026.

7. Nintendo Wii – 101.63 million

According to official sales figures from Nintendo, Wii ended its run as the sixth-best-selling console of all time. With over 100 million systems sold, Wii generated 921.85 million units of software sales — the second most for any Nintendo console.

See our picks for the best Wii games of all time.

6. PlayStation – 102.4 million

According to Sony, the original PlayStation's final sales total sits at 102.4 million, with over 960 million software units sold. This makes it the third-best-selling Sony console ever behind PS4 and PS2.

See our picks for the best PS1 games of all time.

5. PlayStation 4 – 117.2 million

PlayStation 4 dominated the eighth generation of consoles. After shipping 1 million units during Sony's fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, PS4 sales now sit at 117.2 million. The console holds the title of "fastest home console to reach 100 million unit sell in," according to Niko Partners analyst Sony's, beating PS2 to the milestone by two months. To date, more than a billion software units have been sold for the console.

117.2 million is the last recorded "sold-in" number Sony has shared. Given that it's more than three years ago and PlayStation 4 is still in active production the PS4 has likely surpassed the Game Boy/GBC sales of 118.69 units at this time to be the fourth-selling console.

4. Game Boy/Game Boy Color – 118.69 million

This sales figure comes directly from Nintendo and includes sales of both the original Game Boy and subsequent Game Boy Color. 501 million units of software were sold for the console — good for third on Nintendo's all-time software list.

See our picks for the best Game Boy games of all time or take a look at the LEGO Game Boy recreation from 2025.

3. Nintendo DS – 154.02 million

This sales figure comes directly from Nintendo and encompasses total sales for all systems within the DS family, including the original model, DS Lite, and DSi. Nintendo DS is also the company's best-performing system in terms of software sales, with nearly 950 million games sold.

See our picks for the best DS games of all time.

2. Nintendo Switch – 156.59 million

By the end of 2022, Nintendo Switch became the third-best-selling video game console of all time, passing the lifetime sales totals of PS4 and Game Boy. Its sales total through June 2026, now sits at 156.59 million, ahead of Nintendo's best-selling gaming handheld, the Nintendo DS.

According to Nintendo, over 1.5 billion software units have been sold for Switch – the most for any Nintendo console. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe remains the console's best-selling game with more than 71.08 million copies sold. Nintendo Switch combines the console and handheld business lines Nintendo formerly supported with separate hardware and software. The console was succeeded by Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025.

Also see: The Best Nintendo Switch Deals.

1. PlayStation 2 – 160 million

PlayStation 2 remains the best-selling video game console of all time. Sony's beloved system tops Nintendo DS by roughly 5 million units sold, while handily outselling every other console in existence.

As of January 31, 2011, Sony had sold 150 million PS2s to retailers. While that was the last official total reported for a long time, the console would remain in production through early 2013. Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad noted sales climbed to 155.1 million through March 2012 -- we crunched the numbers and arrivated at a 159 million estimate of cumulative sales. In November 2024, Sony confirmed that it had sold more than 160 million units.

The console's software sales sit at a staggering 1.5 billion units, according to Sony, thanks to its massive install base and some of the best PS2 games of all time.

You can check out the full list of PlayStation consoles by release date for more about it's launch.

Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN and originally created this list. The article has since been updated and expanded by IGN Staff.