20 Best-Selling PlayStation Games of All Time Revealed

The list of the top 20 highest-grossing games for PlayStation systems in the United States was recently revealed, and it turns out that Call of Duty and Rockstar Games were clearly in the lead. Minecraft, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and Red Dead Redemption 2 all performed exceptionally well, but Grand Theft Auto 5 emerged as the clear champion, earning more revenue and selling more copies on PlayStation than any other game.

On September 9, 1995, Sony made its debut in the console competition in North America by launching the PlayStation. This groundbreaking device brought a fresh perspective to the gaming industry and ultimately solidified PlayStation as a global pillar of gaming. Over the following three decades, four additional primary consoles were released, excluding portable devices like the PSP.

Top 20 Best-Selling PlayStation Games (United States)

In celebration of the console’s significant milestone, Circana has disclosed the top-selling games from its series over the past 30 years. A list recently published by Mat Piscatella, senior director at Circana and a renowned expert in the video game industry on Bluesky, features the top 20 best-performing PlayStation console games in the USA, considering both revenue generated and units sold. Leading the pack is Grand Theft Auto 5, followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare as the second highest-earning game, with Minecraft ranking as the second best-seller. Red Dead Redemption 2 holds the number three position on both lists.

Rank Top Games (Dollars) Top Games (Units)
1 Grand Theft Auto 5 Grand Theft Auto 5
2 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) Minecraft
3 Red Dead Redemption 2 Red Dead Redemption 2
4 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
5 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
6 Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War Marvel’s Spider-Man
7 Minecraft Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
8 Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War
9 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
10 Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)
11 Marvel’s Spider-Man Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
12 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
13 Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 The Last of Us
14 Call of Duty: WW2 God of War (2018)
15 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
16 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) Call of Duty: Black Ops 1
17 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
18 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
19 Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Call of Duty: WW2
20 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

As a devoted gaming enthusiast, it’s quite apparent that the dominant forces in these lists are the epic saga of Call of Duty and the iconic Rockstar titles, accounting for an impressive 28 out of the total 40 entries. However, a few games managed to buck this trend, including Minecraft, Marvel’s Spider-Man 1, 2, and Miles Morales, The Last of Us, God of War (2018), Rainbow Six: Siege, and Skyrim. Among these, only Minecraft was fortunate enough to secure a top five position in either list.

Piscatella also provided a comparable list, this time focusing on Playstation 1 games that were quite popular in their era. Games like “Gran Turismo 1” and “2” led the pack, but titles such as “Final Fantasy 7”, “Crash Bandicoot 2” and “3”, also made a strong showing. Notable mentions from this list include “Tekken 3”, “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2”, “Spyro”, “Metal Gear Solid”, and the 1997 version of the 3D “Frogger” game.

Top 20 Best-Selling PlayStation 1 Games (United States)

Rank Top Games (Dollars) Top Games (Units)
1 Gran Turismo Gran Turismo 2
2 Final Fantasy 7 Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
3 Gran Turismo 2 Gran Turismo
4 Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
5 Tekken 3 Jampack Series: PlayStation
6 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 Frogger (1997)
7 Metal Gear Solid Spyro the Dragon
8 Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back Crash Bandicoot
9 Driver Tekken 3
10 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Driver
11 Resident Evil 2 Final Fantasy 7
12 Spyro the Dragon Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
13 Final Fantasy 8 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
14 Crash Bandicoot Metal Gear Solid
15 Frogger (1997) Namco Museum: Vol. 3
16 Tomb Raider 2 CTR: Crash Team Racing
17 WWE Warzone WWE Warzone
18 Driver 2 Driver 2
19 Resident Evil Final Fantasy 8
20 CTR: Crash Team Racing Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage!

From what these lists show, it’s fair to say that Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto are among the most acclaimed game series available today. Coming up soon, Call of Duty Black Ops 7 will launch on November 14, while Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled for a release on May 26 of next year. It’s likely that these games will make it onto the top 20 list, but fans will have to keep an eye out and see just how high they can go in popularity.

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2025-09-10 02:13