New generations of gamers tend to only recognize the current popular titles as the “best-selling” games. Nowadays, the trend’s usually about that “cool mature game” such as the Final Fantasies and the Grand Theft Autos. But thanks to certain companies and people who keep track of the videogame sales records, we can actually see who sold the most video game units since time immemorial with just a click of a button.

Now here are the top 10 best selling game franchises of all-time, as taken from Wikipedia.

1. Super Mario (200 million)
Nintendo’s heroic plumber in red overalls takes the largest piece of the pie with a whopping sales figures of 200 million gaming units sold. No wonder he is the most visible and recognizable icon in the video gaming industry. And his games are actually a lot of fun. ‘Nuff said!

2. Pokémon (175 million)
Nintendo’s got another winner of franchise, thanks to everyone who “gotta catch ‘em all”. This is one of the gaming franchises that as never stopped selling a lot of units despite the nearly repetitive nature of it’s games.

3. The Sims (100 million)
Though The Sims was met with initial signs of disapproval when creator Will Wright presented it for the first time. A game that deals with everyday life? Who’s gonna buy that crap? Eventually, a hundred million did.

4. Final Fantasy (80 million)
This is the series that propelled the popularity of the Playstation brand. Final Fantasy is an example of a franchise who’s name is much bigger than the actual games. More people know and recognize the Final Fantasy brand and characters than those who actually play it.

5. Grand Theft Auto (70 million)
Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is a game that is said to have pioneered the “free exploration” non-linear game play. This new concept alone was able to sell the game.

6. Madden NFL (70 million)
I have no love for sports and sports games. I’m not the athletic type like my elder triathlete sisters. But I guess the rest of you do. And the sales figures for just one kind of sport proves it.

7. Tetris (70 million)
Tetris is the king of puzzle games. Its addictive gameplay alone is enough reason why it sold millions.

8. FIFA (65 million)
See my comment on game number 6.

9. The Legend of Zelda (52 million)
The Legend of Zelda is attributed to have set the standards for the action-adventure genre. Clever puzzles, intuitive controls and epic boss battles are just few of the reasons why this game sold a lot.

10. Tom Clancy (52 million)
I haven’t actually played any Tom Clancy games. But I guess team strategy games in this vein have become widely popular already.

There you go guys and gals. Now if you’re noob friend argues with you that GTA or Final Fantasy is the best-selling game ever. Just make ‘em read this post, or see Wikipedia’s list.

In the meantime, check out the trailer of Super Mario Galaxy, the latest game to grace the #1 selling franchise.

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Related Links
Japan’s Richest Man is a Gamer
Mario Creator Named Most Influential Man of 2008 by TIME