Summary
- Gaming remains popular with massive sales figures from new IPs and upcoming releases like GTA 6.
- Best-selling games of the decade exceed 20 million sales, with notable titles like Zelda, Black Myth, and Pokemon.
- Top-selling games include Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
The popularity of gaming shows no signs of stopping, as evidenced by ever-growing Steam player numbers, the rise of digital game sales, and huge unexpected releases even from smaller studios. After their launch back in 2020, the current generation of consoles has finally reached substantial owner numbers to result in massive sales for long-anticipated games, not to mention the nearing launch of Nintendo Switch 2.
With the release of GTA 6 on the horizon, there's no doubt that Rockstar's upcoming title will once again shatter numerous sales records, securing its place as one of the best-selling titles of the decade. Until then, though, we have already seen several heavy-hitters during the 2020s that have reached millions of lifetime sales mere months after launch. Notably, a number of the best-selling games of this decade are new IPs rather than sequels to established games — even if some are based on existing entertainment franchises.
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Below are the best-selling games from the 2020s so far, with lifetime sales confirmed to exceed 20 million units. The focus is on paid games only, excluding massively popular free-to-play titles and their earnings via monetization. Additionally, we won't include popular titles (sports simulators like FIFA or EA Sports FC; Diablo 4) without actual sales numbers being reported.
Honorable Mentions:
These games have yet to reach 20 million lifetime sales, but still deserve to be mentioned among the best-selling titles of the decade so far:
- Monster Hunter Rise - Over 16 million
- Nintendo Switch Sports - Over 16 million
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Over 16 million
- Baldur's Gate 3 - Over 15 million
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Over 15 million
- God of War Ragnarök - Over 15 million
- Palworld - Over 15 million (Steam only)
- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl - Over 15 million
8 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Lifetime Sales: Approaching 22 Million
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Released
- May 12, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
A sequel to the highly-successful Breath of the Wild (over 34 million copies sold so far), The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has already secured its place as one of the best-selling Nintendo releases of the decade. The Switch 2 could boost the sales of both Zelda games significantly.
As of March 2025, Tears of the Kingdom has reached 21.7 million total units sold, which is quite an achievement, given that the game is available only on one platform. Breath of the Wild was also launched on the Wii U — with a six-year gap between these releases. With sales increasing this fast, it's only a matter of time until Tears of the Kingdom reaches the numbers of its predecessor.
7 Black Myth: Wukong
Lifetime Sales: Over 25 Million
Black Myth: Wukong
- Released
- August 20, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Black Myth: Wukong took the entire industry by storm last year, securing its place as the second most-played game on Steam ever, behind only PUBG. Prior to its launch, many doubted that the game would live up to its incredible showcase footage and trailers, especially given that it was the first game by a new studio. But Black Myth: Wukong delivered everything it promised, and then some, becoming one of the best action titles in a long time and one of the most beautiful games on Unreal Engine 5.
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The game has yet to be released on Xbox Series X/S due to an optimization delay, but with this platform set aside, Black Myth: Wukong has already sold over 25 million units across PC and PS5, easily ranking among the biggest game releases of the 2020s so far. It's a testament to the massive Asian gaming market (about 70% of the game's audience is from China) and the popularity of the titular character.
6 Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Lifetime Sales: Approaching 27 Million
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- Released
- November 18, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Pokémon titles have always been blockbusters in terms of sales, but even by the franchise's own high standards, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet stand out. Released at the end of 2022, the games have already amassed 26.8 million units sold, notably outpacing popular series releases as Pokémon Sword and Shield and Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
What's even more impressive is that Scarlet and Violet are only available for the Nintendo Switch, so one can imagine that Switch console sales are also off the charts, thanks to the Pokémon series alone. It'll be interesting to see just how quickly the next Pokémon game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, will reach its first two-digit million sales when it launches later this year.
5 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Lifetime Sales: Over 30 Million
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Released
- November 13, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
Many previous Call of Duty games have reached over 30 million lifetime sales, but while huge numbers are to be expected, Activision hasn't released the total tally for the Call of Duty titles launched since 2020. Luckily, there is confirmation that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War sold over 30 million copies to date, earning $700 million during the first weeks after launch, and becoming the best-selling game of 2020 (at the height of the pandemic).
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After that, the series has seen several more record-breaking performers, and while exact figures aren't available, it can be assumed that the performance of at least Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is comparable to Black Ops Cold War. Modern Warfare 2 earned over $800 million in three days and was among the biggest PS Store launches ever, while Black Ops 6 has been confirmed to be the biggest launch in the series' history. Even though the latter might not have reached the 30 million sales mark yet, having been released less than a year ago, it's projected to be among the best-selling Call of Duty titles ever.
4 Cyberpunk 2077
Lifetime Sales: Over 30 Million
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Despite its rocky launch and disastrous history with last-gen platforms, Cyberpunk 2077 managed to turn around its poor reception. It has since established itself as a behemoth in the video game industry through the sheer dedication of the developers at CD Projekt Red and their long-term support.
Recently, the company reported that the game has surpassed the 30 million sales mark, likely boosted by the Phantom Liberty expansion and the massive 2.0 update. While it is still notably behind The Witcher 3's success (which sold over 50 million units), let's not forget that Cyberpunk 2077 is just the first game in its franchise, so the results are more than impressive and well-deserved. Not to mention that Cyberpunk 2077 has also been confirmed for launch on the Switch 2, suggesting another notable boost for the game's sales in the coming years.
3 Elden Ring
Lifetime Sales: Over 30 Million
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Elden Ring is a true phenomenon of its genre, opening the challenging world of the soulslike genre to millions of newcomers, and remaining immensely popular for years since its launch in 2022. Boosted by the massive Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, Elden Ring has already surpassed the 30 million sales mark, which makes it one of the best-selling video games of the decade and a colossal success for FromSoftware and Bandai Namco.
Elden Ring will likely rack up significant numbers this year too, with both Elden Ring Nightreign and the Tarnished Edition launching in 2025. The latter will probably have an especially huge impact on the game's lifetime sales, as many Elden Ring owners may want to own their favorite game on the Switch 2 as well.
2 Hogwarts Legacy
Lifetime Sales: Over 30 Million
Hogwarts Legacy
- Released
- February 10, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
Based on the immensely popular Harry Potter franchise, Hogwarts Legacy delivered something that millions of fans had been awaiting for years. A true open-world adventure set in a beloved universe, with total freedom to create unique characters and join the wizarding school of Hogwarts brought to life in all its glory, Hogwarts Legacy was bound for success, even with some controversy surrounding the game.
As expected, the sales for Hogwarts Legacy were through the roof, with some sources indicating that the game has sold over 34 million copies to date (although this number hasn't been officially confirmed by Warner Bros.). With Hogwarts Legacy already confirmed for release on the Switch 2, its sales will only continue to grow in the coming years. The only head-scratching thing about Hogwarts Legacy so far has been the apparent cancellation of planned DLC, despite the game's massive sales.
1 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Lifetime Sales: Approaching 48 Million
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Released
- March 20, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Everyone / Comic Mischief, Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was just the right kind of game that many people were looking for in 2020 — a cozy play space to enjoy and connect with others. It's unknown exactly how much the game drove Nintendo Switch console sales at the time, but its impact was surely notable, given that the game has sold a whopping 47.8 million copies to date.
With each Animal Crossing: New Horizons copy sold at full price or close to it, since Switch first-party title price discounts are quite scarce, that didn't stop players from buying both a Switch and the game. A true phenomenon and the best-selling game of the 2020s so far, it will be hard for anything other than GTA 6 to surpass this remarkable success for the rest of the decade.
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