Top Video Game Consoles by Sales: All-Time Bestsellers

Sony's PlayStation 2 remains the undisputed champion of video game console sales, having sold an impressive 160 million units worldwide. Despite the PlayStation 4's remarkable commercial success, it trailed behind its predecessor by approximately 40 million units at the end of its lifecycle. Meanwhile, Nintendo's Switch has surged past the PS4, securing its place among the elite group of top-selling consoles.

As both the Switch and PS4 have cemented their status among the all-time greats, we embarked on a mission to rank the entire lineup of consoles from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. Below, you can explore our comprehensive list of the 28 best-selling video game consoles ever, complete with details on their release dates, top-rated games, and other fascinating insights.

Note that some sales figures are directly sourced from the console manufacturers, while others are estimates derived from the latest reported numbers and market analyses. Unofficial sales figures are indicated with an asterisk (*).

For those interested in the top performers, here's a quick summary of the top 5 best-selling consoles, ranked by sales:

PlayStation 2 (Sony) – 160 million
Nintendo DS (Nintendo) – 154.02 million
Nintendo Switch (Nintendo) – 150.86 million
Game Boy/Game Boy Color (Nintendo) – 118.69 million
PlayStation 4 (Sony) – 117.2 million

Continue scrolling for a deeper dive into these consoles and the complete rankings.