10 Highest-Selling Video Game Franchises Of All Time
1. Mario - 701 Million Aprrox. Units
You can look at this one two ways, taking into account either:
- Just the direct Mario series, not including spin-offs (even though they are Mario titles) like Mario Kart or Mario Party,
- Include everything because it's all in the Mario franchise.
We've gone with the later.
The crazy part about it, is that even if you just went with the first option, it would STILL be the highest-selling franchise of all time, such is the absolute might of gaming's greatest plumber.
The Super Mario saga alone has over 20 titles and an absurd 342 million sales since Super Mario Bros. came to the NES in 1985.
Mario Kart has also been a staple of the brand over the years, with Mario Kart 64 in particular helping launch the Nintendo 64, turning it into one of the best consoles of all time.
Mario Kart Wii put up huge numbers, allowing Nintendo to once again lean on the franchise to help catapult a console to new heights.
From Mario Tennis to a Doctor Mario playing Tetris for some reason, the series has such global recognition that the brand can, and has, been slapped onto anything they can think of over the three decades of existence.
And it works!
It's a franchise that will likely never die down.