10 Biggest Gaming Moments Of The Last Decade

The race to the top is a marathon and not a sprint so in many ways it wasn’t a surprise that Minecraft took its place at the peak because its sales numbers constantly trending upwards predicted as such.

However, it’s still something that nobody could’ve foreseen back when the game first started gaining chatter - a little survival sim with a simplistic art style made by a very small Swedish team going on to outdo Grand Theft Auto and Mario Kart? Unlikely.

It was the game’s potential for unique experiences, as well as experimentation and growth, that really propelled it to unbelievable heights. Streamers and YouTubers made the game as fun to watch as it was to play yourself, and its ability to nurture creativity ensured parents were less resistant to their kids spending time with it.

But it’s one thing to go viral for a year and another to sustain that momentum, which is what made Mojang Studios’ block-based builder special. And, of course, Microsoft securing the license for a monumental $2.5bn didn’t hurt either.

At the end of 2024, Minecraft reportedly had over 200 million monthly users, which will have since been aided by the first of what will almost certainly be several (terrible) motion pictures.