The best-selling game console of all time has held its record for more than two decades, but that reign is finally under threat. The PlayStation 2 sold roughly 160 million units, and the Nintendo Switch has closed to within about 4 million while still selling.
The full list is a lesson in what actually drives console sales, and it is rarely raw power. Below we rank the ten best-selling game consoles ever by lifetime units sold, with what made each one a phenomenon.
Best-Selling Game Consoles at a Glance
| Rank | Console | Units Sold | Manufacturer | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PlayStation 2 | 160 million | Sony | 2000 |
| 2 | Nintendo Switch | 155.9 million | Nintendo | 2017 |
| 3 | Nintendo DS | 154.0 million | Nintendo | 2004 |
| 4 | Game Boy and Game Boy Color | 118.7 million | Nintendo | 1989 |
| 5 | PlayStation 4 | 117.2 million | Sony | 2013 |
| 6 | PlayStation | 102.5 million | Sony | 1994 |
| 7 | Wii | 101.6 million | Nintendo | 2006 |
| 8 | PlayStation 5 | 93.7 million | Sony | 2020 |
| 9 | PlayStation 3 | 87.4 million | Sony | 2006 |
| 10 | Xbox 360 | 84 million | Microsoft | 2005 |
The 10 Best-Selling Game Consoles of All Time, Ranked
1. PlayStation 2: The Record That Has Stood for 25 Years
Units Sold: 160 million | Manufacturer: Sony | Released: 2000
The PlayStation 2 sold roughly 160 million units and has held the all-time record since the early 2000s. Its decisive advantage was arriving as a built-in DVD player at a moment when standalone DVD players cost more than the console itself.
That made it an easy household purchase even for people who barely gamed, and Sony supported it with an enormous library and a production run lasting 13 years. No console has matched that combination of mainstream utility and longevity.
2. Nintendo Switch: The Record Challenger
Units Sold: 155.9 million | Manufacturer: Nintendo | Released: 2017
The Nintendo Switch has sold about 155.9 million units, putting it within roughly 4 million of the PlayStation 2 and making it the most successful active platform in gaming. Its hybrid design, working as both a handheld and a TV console, gave it an appeal neither format achieved alone.
It effectively merged Nintendo’s two historically separate product lines into one, capturing both audiences with a single device. With a successor now on the market, whether it overtakes the PS2 depends on how long Nintendo keeps it in production.
3. Nintendo DS: The Handheld Giant
Units Sold: 154.0 million | Manufacturer: Nintendo | Released: 2004
The Nintendo DS sold 154 million units on the strength of dual screens, a touch interface, and a library that deliberately reached beyond traditional gamers. Titles like Brain Age and Nintendogs pulled in buyers who had never owned a console.
Its touchscreen arrived three years before the first iPhone, making it many people’s first experience of touch-based software. It remains the best-selling handheld in history.
4. Game Boy and Game Boy Color: The Original Portable
Units Sold: 118.7 million | Manufacturer: Nintendo | Released: 1989
The Game Boy and its Color revision sold a combined 118.7 million units and effectively created portable gaming as a mass market. Its monochrome screen was technically inferior to rivals, yet it won decisively.
The reasons were battery life measured in tens of hours, durability, a low price, and Tetris bundled in the box. It is the clearest proof that the most powerful hardware rarely wins.
5. PlayStation 4: The Generation Winner
Units Sold: 117.2 million | Manufacturer: Sony | Released: 2013
The PlayStation 4 sold 117.2 million units and dominated its generation, outselling the Xbox One by a wide margin. Sony won largely on messaging, committing early to a straightforward, game-focused, and cheaper console.
A strong run of exclusives including God of War, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us Part II reinforced that lead. It established the PlayStation brand advantage that continues today.
6. PlayStation: The Console That Changed the Industry
Units Sold: 102.5 million | Manufacturer: Sony | Released: 1994
The original PlayStation sold 102.5 million units and was the first console to cross 100 million. It moved gaming decisively from cartridges to CDs, cutting production costs and expanding what developers could fit in a game.
Sony also deliberately courted older players, repositioning consoles as adult entertainment rather than children’s toys. That shift reshaped the industry’s audience permanently.
7. Wii: The Console That Sold to Everyone
Units Sold: 101.6 million | Manufacturer: Nintendo | Released: 2006
The Wii sold 101.6 million units by ignoring the specifications race entirely and competing on interaction instead. Motion controls and the bundled Wii Sports made it comprehensible to people who had never held a controller.
It became a fixture in family living rooms and retirement homes alike, reaching demographics no console had touched. Its weakness was retention, as many units were used heavily for a year and then shelved.
8. PlayStation 5: The Current Leader
Units Sold: 93.7 million | Manufacturer: Sony | Released: 2020
The PlayStation 5 has sold 93.7 million units despite launching into a pandemic and a severe semiconductor shortage that constrained supply for its first two years. It is still selling and will climb this list further.
Sony has maintained its generational lead over Xbox, helped by exclusives and brand momentum. For a look at how it compares against current rivals, see our guide to the best gaming consoles.
9. PlayStation 3: The Comeback
Units Sold: 87.4 million | Manufacturer: Sony | Released: 2006
The PlayStation 3 eventually sold 87.4 million units after one of the worst launches in console history. It arrived expensive, difficult for developers to program, and a year behind the Xbox 360.
Price cuts, a redesign, and a strong late library of exclusives rescued it, and its built-in Blu-ray player echoed the PS2’s DVD strategy. It ended the generation roughly level with its rival despite the early damage.
10. Xbox 360: Microsoft’s High-Water Mark
Units Sold: 84 million | Manufacturer: Microsoft | Released: 2005
The Xbox 360 sold more than 84 million units and is the only Microsoft console in the top ten. Launching a full year before the PS3 gave it a lead it held for much of the generation.
Xbox Live turned online multiplayer into a mainstream expectation rather than a niche feature, arguably its most lasting contribution. No Xbox since has come close to matching its sales.
What Actually Sells Consoles
The pattern across this list is that raw power almost never wins. The Game Boy beat more advanced rivals on battery life and price, the Wii beat stronger machines on novelty, and the PS2 won partly because it doubled as a DVD player.
What consistently matters is a compelling reason for non-gamers to buy, a strong library, a reasonable price, and a long production run. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox One both show the reverse: technically capable machines held back by high prices and confused messaging.
Sony Leads, But Nintendo Owns Portability
Sony holds five of the top ten positions, Nintendo four, and Microsoft one. That distribution understates Nintendo’s reach, though, because three of the top four best-selling systems ever are Nintendo handhelds or hybrids.
Sony has dominated the living room across four generations, while Nintendo built an entirely separate market in portable play that Sony never successfully entered. The Switch is significant precisely because it collapsed those two markets into one product.
How We Ranked the Best-Selling Consoles
This ranking uses lifetime units sold worldwide, the standard measure for console success, drawing on manufacturer-reported shipment and sales figures. It counts hardware units rather than software attach rates or revenue.
Figures for discontinued consoles are final, while the Switch and PlayStation 5 are still selling and will continue to rise. Some totals combine closely related revisions, such as the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, following standard industry practice.
Will the Switch Beat the PlayStation 2?
It is genuinely close. The Switch sits roughly 4 million units behind the PS2’s 160 million, a gap it could close in a strong year, but its successor is now on the market and typically pulls attention and production away from the older system.
The PS2’s advantage was a 13-year production run, far longer than most consoles receive. Whether the Switch takes the crown depends less on demand than on how long Nintendo chooses to keep manufacturing it alongside its replacement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best-selling game console of all time?
The PlayStation 2, with roughly 160 million units sold since 2000. It has held the record for more than two decades, helped by doubling as an affordable DVD player.
Is the Nintendo Switch going to break the record?
Possibly. At about 155.9 million units it sits within roughly 4 million of the PS2, but its successor is now available, which usually slows sales of an outgoing console.
What is the best-selling handheld console?
The Nintendo DS, at 154 million units, is the best-selling handheld ever, followed by the combined Game Boy and Game Boy Color at 118.7 million.
Why is only one Xbox in the top ten?
The Xbox 360, at more than 84 million units, is Microsoft’s only entry. It benefited from launching a year before the PlayStation 3, and no subsequent Xbox has matched its sales.
Does the most powerful console usually win?
No. The Game Boy, Wii, and PlayStation 2 all beat technically superior rivals by competing on price, battery life, novelty, or added utility rather than raw specifications.