Top 10 Video Games That Made a TON of Money
These are the titles that made the most bank, had the highest profit, saw the biggest increase in revenue, brought in the most dollars, sold a sh*t ton of copies and made the most gosh darn money of all time. Seriously, these games made a few people filthy rich! Welcome to http://WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down The Top 10 Video Games That Made The Most Money!
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Top 10 Video Games That Made the Most Money
Cha-ching! Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we're counting down our picks for thetop ten video games that made the most money.
For this list, we're looking at those video games that have accumulated a truckload of moneyover the years. To be clear, we won't necessarily be discussing the games that have sold themost copies, but rather, the games that have made the most money over an extended period of time. With that said; even though “Minecraft” has sold over 100 million copies, because Mojang has not released any official revenue figures, the game will not be included. Also, we will be taking inflation into account for older titles.
#10: “Grand Theft Auto V” (2013)
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Can we change the saying from “it sold like hotcakes” to “it sold like Grand Theft Auto V?”The game sold over 11 million copies within its first 24 hours of release, accounting for roughly $800 million in revenue for Take Two, which is simply astounding. It soon becamethe fastest selling entertainment product in history, earning over $1 billion in only three days! Recent information obtained by Leslie Benzies’s court documents reveals that the game has since made over $3 billion in sales, and it is still selling strong to this day. As of May 2016,the game has shipped roughly 65 million units. It's safe to say that Rockstar has a bonafide hit on their hands with this one.
#9: “Dungeon Fighter Online” (2010)
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For such a relatively simple game, it’s amazing what “Dungeon Fighter Online” has accomplished. The gameplay is similar to the classic arcade games of old, as players traverse across a 2D environment while fighting monsters. While it may sound simple, the game is addicting and fascinating enough to draw in hordes of players and keep them hooked. And then siphon their wallets. As of 2015, the game has amassed roughly $4 billion with a large portion of that revenue coming from China, not only that but both a manga and anime series have been created following the success of the game. Sometimes, all gamers want to do is release some pent-up rage and beat up some monsters.
#8: “Donkey Kong” (1981)
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An early example and pioneer of the platforming genre, “Donkey Kong” took the world by storm. It remained a Nintendo staple for many years, and quickly made the American distributors, Ron Judy and Al Stone, into millionaires. More importantly, it introduced theworld to everyone's favorite plumber, then known simply as Mr. Video, or Jumpman. It had already made $280 million by its second year of release, equating to roughly $730 million today. Due to both the popularity of arcades and the game itself throughout the decade, not to mention the numerous home ports, “Donkey Kong” made a killing throughout the years and has since earned $4.4 billion in revenue when adjusted for inflation.
#7: “Wii Fit” (2008)
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Nearing the end of the decade, the Wii was on top of the world, and everyone wanted to get in on its novelty. When you combine that with the average person’s desire of making exercise fun, magic will happen. Demand for “Wii Fit” far exceeded its supply, and many retail locations were constantly sold out. Once the dust settled, “Wii Fit” became the third best selling console game not bundled with a console, and has amassed an enormous gross of $5 billion as of 2015. While the novelty may have worn off for many people over theyears, there's no denying that the Wii and its accessories were once kings of the castle.
#6: “Wii Sports” (2006)
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Serving as a launch title for the Wii, “Wii Sports” was meant to show off the hardware capabilities of the tiny white box and get players interested in this new, revolutionary console. Suffice it to say that the plan worked flawlessly. “Wii Sports” is currently the third best selling video game of all time, with over 80 million copies sold worldwide. The game was sold in a bundle with the Wii itself, which certainly aided in this magnificent feat. Thegame has since grossed a whopping $6 billion as of 2015, making it the highest grossing Wii game of all time. Five different, popular sports + new fancy toy = kerching!
#5: “CrossFire” (2009)
While online first person shooter games like “Call of Duty,” and “Counter-Strike” may dominate inthe west, you might be surprised to hear that it's actually a little South Korean game called “CrossFire” which brings in the really big bucks. This Free To Play game was the world's topgrossing online video game of 2014, making over $1.3 billion in that year alone. It is currentlythe world's most-played FPS game with over 400 million registered players. To put this into perspective, “Modern Warfare 3,” the highest-selling CoD game of all time, has only sold about 30 million copies. Since it's release in 2007 in South Korea, the game has grossed roughly $6.8 billion.
#4: “World of Warcraft” (2004)
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What is easily the most popular MMORPG of all time, “World of Warcraft” has made its mark in the pop culture landscape through its addictive gameplay and imaginative world. At its height, WoW held over 12 million subscriptions and accounted for over 60% of theMMORPG market. In 2012, not even ten years after its original release, WoW had reportedly generated an astounding $10 billion in revenue, making it the highest-grossing video game of the modern era when not taking inflation into account. While there may be a social stigma behind the game, there's no denying that it is, or at least was, an immensely popular and profitable adventure.
#3: “Street Fighter II: The World Warrior” (1991)
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In the early 90s, home consoles were quickly growing in popularity, and arcades, while still very popular, were not quite what they once were. However, “Street Fighter II” and its variations changed that, reinvigorating the arcade and giving the medium popularity it hadn't seen in years both domestically and internationally. By 1995, only four years after its release,the game had amassed a gross of $2.3 billion, or about $4 billion today. How many quarters would this be, you may ask? About 9.25 billion. That's a lot of quarters. Today, accounting for inflation, time, and home ports, the game has grossed a whopping $10.6 billion. They just don't make em like this anymore!
#2: “Pac-Man” (1980)
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A game and character that has become synonymous with gaming itself, “Pac-Man” has been played by everyone and their mothers, and that dying sound has been etched in the minds of people everywhere. By the end of 1980, it had already earned over $1 billion and out-grossed “Star Wars,” which was, and remains, a huge phenomenon. Two years later, over 7 billion coins had been spent on “Pac-Man,” and the game had over 30 million active players, which was astounding for 1982. Over the years, “Pac-Man” has enjoyed success at thearcades, on PCs, home consoles, and even recently on mobile devices, earning the little yellow guy a cumulative gross of $12.8 billion.
Before we look at the biggest money maker, here are a few honorable mentions.
“Call of Duty: Black Ops” (2010)
$1.5 billion as of 2012
“Lineage” (1998)
$1.8 billion as of 2013
#1: “Space Invaders” (1978)
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And here we are. The granddaddy of them all. This game invaded arcades in the summer of 1978 and basically kickstarted the modern video game movement. To put it mildly, everyone was blown away, and gaming was now at the forefront of everyone's minds. The game grossed an average of $600 million a year, or $1.5 billion today, into 1982, making it thehighest-grossing entertainment product for its time. The game also saw success on early home consoles, selling over two million units in its first year and quadrupling sales for theAtari 2600. Today, nearly forty years later, it has accumulated a massive gross of $13.9 billion when accounting for inflation.
Do you agree with our list? What games can you think of that have made a ton of money? For more lucrative top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
