The Best Video Game Consoles of All Time, Ranked

There have been plenty of great consoles over the years, but some of them have managed to make much more of an impression on their respective players than others. The very best video game consoles pushed the boundaries of what many had thought possible at the time of their release, often bringing with them a slew of innovative new features and a huge leap forward in terms of both gameplay mechanics and graphics.

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As many of these consoles were released during very different hardware eras, trying to draw direct comparisons between them isn't always easy. Although consoles have generally become more powerful over time, that's not to say that the gaming experience that's on offer has improved at the same rate. Just as manners maketh the man, some will also argue that games maketh the console, so a system's library will also need to be taken into account when trying to determine the best game console of all time.

Updated June 5, 2024, by Tom Bowen: For some, trying to decide which is the best video game console of all time can be a bit like trying to pick a favorite child. They each have their own good and bad points and have been responsible for their fair share of enjoyable and frustrating memories over the years. Some consoles stood out due to their unique features or graphical prowess, while others relied more on their solid catalog of games. In either case, they touched the hearts and minds of countless gamers, leaving a lasting impression on both players and the industry as a result.

12 Atari 2600

North American Release Date: September 11, 1977 | Launch Price: $189.95

Although many of the best-selling Atari 2600 games were effectively just inferior ports of popular arcade titles like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong, the fact that it was able to bring these games into living rooms in the first place was an incredibly impressive accomplishment. This resulted in the console finding its way into around 30 million homes throughout the course of its fifteen-year lifespan and the birth of a brand-new industry.

At the time of the console's release, there wasn't really a home console market to speak of, with players instead having to make their way to the nearest arcade in order to get their gaming fix. Atari changed all that, and although poor quality control in the years that followed very nearly destroyed everything that the console had helped create, the 2600 still holds a very special place in gaming history.

11 Wii

North American Release Date: November 19, 2006 | Launch Price: $249.99

The Nintendo Wii managed to drag gaming out of the bedroom and into the living room, with its innovative motion controls appealing to people of all ages and backgrounds. Many families did grow tired of the gimmick relatively soon after they'd purchased the console, but the fact that more than 100 million units were shipped globally during the Wii's life cycle shows just how appealing it really was.

The Wii was the very definition of pick-up and play and offered an excellent selection of fitness-oriented games. Of course, this accessibility did come at a steep price, with many people breaking their television screens and other household appliances when their Wiimotes flew out of their hands following a particularly aggressive tennis serve or strike attempt.

10 Sega Genesis

North American Release Date: August 14, 1989 | Launch Price: $189

Competition is important in any industry and gaming is no exception. Building upon the success of the Master System, the Genesis gave the Super Nintendo a real run for its money and even managed to outsell it in some territories. Though its back catalog isn't quite as revered these days, it had plenty of top-tier games back in the day, with many Genesis ports outperforming their SNES counterparts.

A big part of the console's success can be traced back to an aggressive marketing strategy from Sega of America and a blue hedgehog named Sonic, who made his debut on the Genesis. For many, the promise of "blast processing" and a console that did what Nintendidn't proved too enticing to turn down and helped Sega to secure a firm foothold in the ever-growing home console market.

9 Xbox 360

North American Release Date: November 22, 2005 | Launch Price: $299

Releasing more than eighteen months on from the PS2, the original Xbox was always going to struggle to catch up. Microsoft seemingly learned from this though and opted to release the console's successor almost a full year before the PS3. This one-year headstart and the PS3's somewhat exorbitant launch price are why so many consider the 360 to be the victor of the seventh-generation console wars.

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Microsoft continued its strategy of pushing console exclusives, with the likes of Forza, Gears of War, and Halo helping to sell millions of consoles all around the world. Granted, the Xbox 360 suffered from a critical hardware flaw known as the red ring of death and the PS3 did eventually start to come into its own toward the end of its life cycle, but the 360's excellent library and its fantastic implementation of online play were ultimately enough to help keep it on top in the West.

8 Nintendo 64

North American Release Date: September 29, 1996 | Launch Price: $199.99

The limited size of its library arguably held the N64 back a little, as too did the decision to go with cartridges rather than discs. The latter, in particular, saw it miss out on many big releases and brought an end to Nintendo's monopoly on Square Enix games. However, that's not to say that it didn't still have its fair share of must-play titles; a few of which rank firmly among the best video games ever made.

Although other home consoles of the era played around with 3D technology, many consider the N64 to be the one that finally got it right. Games like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time helped to formulate a template for how such games should control, making it much easier for players to manage movement and camera positioning. The N64 was also great for multiplayer, particularly when it came to FPS games.

7 Nintendo Entertainment System

North American Release Date: October 18, 1985 | Launch Price: $179

The Atari 2600 helped to establish the home console market, but it was the Nintendo Entertainment System that saved it following the great video game crash of 1983. The NES (or Famicom, in its native Japan) brought popular arcade characters like Mario and Donkey Kong into people's homes, while also introducing them to other great franchises like The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Final Fantasy.

Though incredibly basic by today's standards, the NES was a pretty impressive piece of hardware back in the eighties. Sure, it was nowhere near as visually impressive as some of the best arcade cabinets of the era, but the console's excellent library of games which were geared more toward longer gaming sessions helped the system to sell millions and laid the foundations for what was soon to come.

6 PlayStation

North American Release Date: September 9, 1995 | Launch Price: $299

The release of the PlayStation surprised a lot of people, but it was actually a console that was many years in the making. Sony had at one point been working with Nintendo to release a disc-based system known as the Nintendo PlayStation, but ultimately wound up going it alone. The switch from discs to cartridges that the PS1 facilitated gave developers a lot more freedom, which ultimately led to several big franchises jumping ship.

Unlike Sega and Nintendo, which each had one main mascot, the PlayStation had several, with Lara Croft, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon being just a few of the popular characters that are best associated with the PS1. The leap from 2D to 3D wasn't a particularly smooth one, but it's a leap that the PS1 pioneered, cementing its place as one of the best video game consoles of all time.

5 Nintendo Switch

North American Release Date: March 3, 2017 | Launch Price: $299.99

For years, handheld consoles and home consoles were seen as two separate things, but that all changed with the release of the Nintendo Switch. Boasting the power of an admittedly weak home console and the portability of a handheld, the Switch captivated gamers all over the world and, as a result, has every chance of going on to become the best-selling video game console of all time.

Combine this newfound freedom with a huge selection of fantastic first-party titles and it's easy to see why so many people have opted to pick up a Switch. Sure, the lack of power and the subpar online experience that it offers do hold the system back a little, but given its low price tag and the convenience that the console offers, these flaws are pretty easy to overlook.

4 Dreamcast

North American Release Date: September 9, 1999 | Launch Price: $199

It's been said countless times before, but the Dreamcast was a console that was years ahead of its time. It was the first home console to really nail online gaming and also played around with the idea of using motion controls in several of its games. Its library may not be the largest, but it boasts plenty of genre-defining titles, such as SoulCalibur, Skies of Arcadia, and Yu Suzuki's Shenmue.

Sadly, the Dreamcast was destined to fail from the very beginning, with Sega having lost the trust of both gamers and third-party developers alike with its decision to abandon the Saturn and some of the many Genesis add-ons. The fact that piracy was possible without modifying the console didn't help either, but it was ultimately the release of the PS2 that served as the final nail in the Dreamcast's coffin.

3 Game Boy

North American Release Date: July 31, 1989 | Launch Price: $89.99

Back in the sixties and seventies, the thought of being able to play video games on the go was little more than a pipedream. Several companies attempted to develop their own portable gaming consoles, but it was Nintendo that finally nailed the formula back in the late eighties. The resulting console and its many successors would go on to dominate the market for decades to come.

Over the years, many tried to compete with the system but none came close. In fact, the original Game Boy and its Pocket variant sold more than four times as many units as the Atari Lynx, Sega Game Gear, and TurboExpress did between them. The system laid down the foundations for future Nintendo handhelds, with the GBA, the DS, and even the Switch owing much of their success to the OG Game Boy.