Summary
The popularity of gaming shows no signs of stopping, as evidenced byever-growing Steam player numbers, the rise of digital game sales, and huge unexpected releases even from smaller studios. After their launch back in 2020, the current generation of consoles has finally reached substantial owner numbers to result in massive sales for long-anticipated games, not to mention thenearing launch of Nintendo Switch 2.
With the release ofGTA 6on the horizon, there’s no doubt that Rockstar’s upcoming title will onceagain shatter numerous sales records, securing its place as one of the best-selling titles of the decade. Until then, though, we have already seen several heavy-hitters during the 2020s that have reached millions of lifetime sales mere months after launch. Notably, a number of the best-selling games of this decade are new IPs rather than sequels to established games — even if some are based on existing entertainment franchises.
Below are the best-selling games from the 2020s so far, with lifetime sales confirmed to exceed 20 million units. The focus is on paid games only, excluding massively popular free-to-play titles and their earnings via monetization. Additionally, we won’t include popular titles (sports simulators likeFIFAorEA Sports FC; Diablo 4) without actual sales numbers being reported.
Honorable Mentions:
These games have yet to reach 20 million lifetime sales, but still deserve to be mentioned among the best-selling titles of the decade so far:
A sequel to the highly-successfulBreath of the Wild(over 34 million copies sold so far),The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas already secured its place as one of the best-selling Nintendo releases of the decade. The Switch 2 could boost the sales of bothZeldagames significantly.
As of March 2025,Tears of the Kingdomhasreached 21.7 million total units sold, which is quite an achievement, given that the game is available only on one platform.Breath of the Wildwas also launched on the Wii U — with a six-year gap between these releases. With sales increasing this fast, it’s only a matter of time untilTears of the Kingdomreaches the numbers of its predecessor.
Black Myth: Wukongtook the entire industry by storm last year, securing its place as thesecond most-played game on Steam ever, behind onlyPUBG. Prior to its launch, many doubted that the game would live up to its incredible showcase footage and trailers, especially given that it was the first game by a new studio. ButBlack Myth: Wukongdelivered everything it promised, and then some, becoming one of the best action titles in a long time and one of the most beautiful games on Unreal Engine 5.
The game has yet to be released on Xbox Series X/S due to an optimization delay, but with this platform set aside,Black Myth: Wukonghasalready sold over 25 million unitsacross PC and PS5, easily ranking among the biggest game releases of the 2020s so far. It’s a testament to the massive Asian gaming market (about 70% of the game’s audience is from China) and the popularity of the titular character.
Pokémontitles have always been blockbusters in terms of sales, but even by the franchise’s own high standards,Pokémon Scarlet and Violetstand out. Released at the end of 2022, the games have alreadyamassed 26.8 million units sold, notably outpacing popular series releases asPokémon Sword and ShieldandPokémon Legends: Arceus.
What’s even more impressive is thatScarlet and Violetare only available for the Nintendo Switch, so one can imagine that Switch console sales are also off the charts, thanks to thePokémonseries alone. It’ll be interesting to see just how quickly the nextPokémongame,Pokémon Legends: Z-A, will reach its first two-digit million saleswhen it launches later this year.
Many previousCall of Dutygames have reached over 30 million lifetime sales, but while huge numbers are to be expected, Activision hasn’t released the total tally for theCall of Dutytitles launched since 2020. Luckily, there is confirmation thatCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warsold over 30 million copies to date, earning $700 million during the first weeks after launch, and becoming the best-selling game of 2020 (at the height of the pandemic).
After that, the series has seen several more record-breaking performers, and while exact figures aren’t available, it can be assumed that the performance of at leastCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2andCall of Duty: Black Ops 6is comparable toBlack Ops Cold War.Modern Warfare 2earned over $800 million in three days and was among thebiggest PS Store launchesever, whileBlack Ops 6has been confirmed to be thebiggest launch in the series' history. Even though the latter might not have reached the 30 million sales mark yet, having been released less than a year ago, it’s projected to be among the best-sellingCall of Dutytitles ever.
Despite its rocky launch and disastrous history with last-gen platforms,Cyberpunk 2077managed to turn around its poor reception. It has since established itself as a behemoth in the video game industry through the sheer dedication of the developers at CD Projekt Red and their long-term support.
Recently, the companyreportedthat thegame has surpassed the 30 million sales mark, likely boosted by thePhantom Libertyexpansion and the massive 2.0 update. While it is still notably behindThe Witcher 3’ssuccess (which sold over 50 million units), let’s not forget thatCyberpunk 2077is just the first game in its franchise, so the results are more than impressive and well-deserved. Not to mention thatCyberpunk 2077has also been confirmed for launch on the Switch 2, suggesting another notable boost for the game’s sales in the coming years.
Elden Ringis a true phenomenon of its genre, opening the challenging world of the soulslike genre to millions of newcomers, and remaining immensely popular for years since its launch in 2022. Boosted by the massiveShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion,Elden Ringhas alreadysurpassed the 30 million sales mark, which makes it one of the best-selling video games of the decade and a colossal success for FromSoftware and Bandai Namco.
Elden Ringwill likely rack up significant numbers this year too, with bothElden Ring Nightreignand theTarnished Editionlaunching in 2025. Thelatter will probably have an especially huge impacton the game’s lifetime sales, as manyElden Ringowners may want to own their favorite game on the Switch 2 as well.
Based on the immensely popularHarry Potterfranchise,Hogwarts Legacydelivered something that millions of fans had been awaiting for years. A true open-world adventure set in a beloved universe, with total freedom to create unique characters and join the wizarding school of Hogwarts brought to life in all its glory,Hogwarts Legacywas bound for success, even with some controversy surrounding the game.
As expected, thesales forHogwarts Legacywere through the roof, with some sources indicating that the game hassold over 34 million copiesto date (although this number hasn’t been officially confirmed by Warner Bros.). WithHogwarts Legacyalready confirmed for release on the Switch 2, its sales will only continue to grow in the coming years. The only head-scratching thing aboutHogwarts Legacyso far has been the apparentcancellation of planned DLC, despite the game’s massive sales.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonswas just the right kind of game that many people were looking for in 2020 — a cozy play space to enjoy and connect with others. It’s unknown exactly how much the game drove Nintendo Switch console sales at the time, but its impact was surely notable, given that the game hassold a whopping 47.8 million copiesto date.
With eachAnimal Crossing: New Horizonscopy sold at full price or close to it, since Switch first-party title price discounts are quite scarce, that didn’t stop players from buying both a Switch and the game. A true phenomenon and the best-selling game of the 2020s so far, it will be hard for anything other thanGTA 6to surpass this remarkable success for the rest of the decade.
