The Best-Selling Video Games of This Decade So Far
The top-seller remains a force in the market even up to this day
The video game industry continues to expand as the years go by, and what was once seen as a niche industry in the larger entertainment landscape is now garnering mainstream attention regularly.
There's always going to be a debate about which period represents the golden era of gaming, whether that's right now, sometime in the past or perhaps still to come.
What is clear though is that video games are becoming more significant properties, and this currently still unfinished decade has already produced its fair share of big sellers and titles that will be remembered for decades to come.
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Listed in descending order below are the top-selling video games of this current decade. Sales figure come via Wikipedia.
10. "Kinect Adventures!" – Xbox 360, estimated 24 million units sold, release date: Nov. 4, 2010
"Kinect Adventures!" holds the distinction of being the lowest-rated game via Metacritic on this list, and there are numerous other titles it has outsold that feature better critic scores.
The game allows players to try out five different mini-games and the Kinect motion camera is essential to gameplay. A lack of replay value stemming from the absence of plentiful content probably ended up hurting the game in the long run, but even so, it's a title that had a remarkable launch.
9. "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" – multii-platform, estimated 24.2 million units sold, release date: Nov. 12, 2012
"Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" is the first of two Treyarch-developed first-person shooter titles included in this list
As the follow-up to the first "Black Ops" game, the 2012 offering had high expectations to live up to, and for the most part, it managed to do so. The game took hold of the player's attention with its compelling campaign, and while some multiplayer innovations missed the mark, that part of the experience still proved enjoyable to many.
The success of "Black Ops 2" paved the way for the release of "Black Ops 3" three years later, and this year, a fourth installment in the "Call of Duty" sub-series will be released by Activision and Treyarch.
8. "Call of Duty: Black Ops" – multi-platform, estimated 26.2 million units sold, release date: Nov. 9, 2010
The developers at Treyarch were already well known within the industry even before they started working on the "Call of Duty" series, but many younger gamers will always link the studio to the "Black Ops" sub-series.
With "Call of Duty: Black Ops," developers brought to gamers a campaign worth playing through and a multiplayer experience worth sticking around for. The game was obviously not without its issues as well, as there are gamers who wanted more innovations from it.
Still, the continued existence of the "Black Ops" series would not be possible were it not for the success obtained by the original title.
7. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" – multi-platform, estimated 26.5 million units sold, release date: Nov. 8, 2011
Considering the heights reached by "Modern Warfare" and "Modern Warfare 2," in retrospect, it was nearly impossible for "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" to live up to all the expectations that had been set for it.
Sure enough, the third "Modern Warfare" did come up short in terms of how it was received by many critics and fans alike.
That said, the hype still ended up benefiting "Modern Warfare 3" in the long run as it outsold its predecessors.
6. "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" – multi-platform, estimated 29 million units sold, release date: Dec. 30, 2017
Even before it was officially released, "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" had already managed to lure in plenty of gamers with its battle royale-focused gameplay.
That explains why it is present on this list even though it was only officially released late last year.
The game also known as "PUBG" has since been joined in the battle royale arena by the also massively popular "Fortnite." Still, it's safe to say that the legacy of "PUBG" is already secure.
5. "Diablo 3" – multi-platform, estimated 30 million units sold, release date: May 15, 2012
"Diablo 3" did not have the smoothest launch, and things easily could have turned out badly for one of Blizzard's main franchises.
Of course, if "Diablo 3" didn't recover, it wouldn't be on this list.
In the aftermath of a less than ideal launch, developers heeded the call of many players to take out features that they deemed out of place inside the game. The developers have also released expansions that further fleshed out the game's gloomy world.
With a rumored Nintendo Switch launch in the works, "Diablo 3's" sales could spike again in the near future.
4. "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" – multi-platform, estimated 30 million units sold, release date: Nov. 11, 2011
There's a running joke among gamers that instead of releasing "The Elder Scrolls VI," the developers at Bethesda will just continue churning out new ports of "Skyrim" until all available platforms can support the game.
Now, while the idea of releasing "Skyrim" for smartphones is obviously outlandish, it's hard to really fault Bethesda's strategy given how well their super-popular fantasy RPG has performed in terms of sales.
The success of "Skyrim" has gotten many gamers excited for the prospect of a new mainline entry in the series being released. Whenever the next "Elder Scrolls" game is released, it will have a shot at dethroning "Skyrim" as the best-selling entry in the series.
3. "Overwatch" – multi-platform, estimated 35 million units sold, release date: May 24, 2016
"Overwatch" is less than two years old, but within that short frame of time, it has already turned into a cultural phenomenon and eSports favorite.
"Overwatch" has been so dominant within its own sub-genre that competitors haven't even really been able to get their legs under them.
The developers at Blizzard have maintained steady support for the unique first-person shooter post-launch, but that hasn't prevented fans from wondering about what a sequel could look like.
2. "Grand Theft Auto V" – multi-platform, estimated 90 million units sold, release date: Sept. 17, 2013
"Grand Theft Auto V" finishes second on this list because only sales are accounted for here, but make no mistake, this Rockstar offering is an essential piece of entertainment.
A recent article from MarketWatch notes that "GTA V" is "the most financially successful media title of all time," and that's hardly surprising considering that it is continuing to make best-seller lists even nearly five years after its initial launch.
The game's multiplayer component, "GTA Online," has also kept the game alive and fresh even up to this very moment.
1. "Minecraft" – multi-platform, estimated 144 million units sold, release date: Nov. 18, 2011
It's amazing how popular a game that's essentially just about building things has become.
Even people who aren't particularly into games have likely heard about "Minecraft" at some point. On the other end of the spectrum, those that have fallen in love with the game have managed to bring to life some truly incredible creations.
"Minecraft's" broad appeal and simple premise has turned into one of the most iconic games in history, and the top-selling title of this decade.
