With all of that out of the way, it appears that GTA is now the fifth best-selling video game franchise ever (based on currently available sales reports/estimates).
- Tetris (495 million units)
- Call of Duty (400 million units)
- Super Mario (387 million units)
- Pokémon (380 million units)
- Grand Theft Auto (350 million units)
- FIFA (325 million units)
- Wii (Series) (202 million units)
- Lego (200 million units)
- The Sims (200 million units)
- Minecraft (200 million units)
It should also be noted that some fans still argue about whether or not “Mario” should be counted as one franchise that incorporates every game with the Mario name (meaning Mario Kart, Mario sports titles, Mario RPGs, etc.). If you consider every Mario game to be part of a single franchise, then it is, by far, the best-selling video game franchise ever. If we’re just talking about Super Mario platformers, though, then Tetris takes the title.
As for GTA…well, its chances of claiming the top spot are interesting. People keep buying GTA 5 in record numbers, and that trend is likely to continue once the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of the game are released later this year. While it’s possible that GTA could overtake Pokémon in the near future based on GTA 5‘s continuing success, it feels more likely that GTA will continue to occupy the 5th or 6th slot on that list until GTA 6 is eventually released.
After that, though, all bets are off. While Cyberpunk 2077‘s launch reminded us that there’s no such thing as a game that’s too big to fail (or at least stumble), GTA 6 could very well one day become the best-selling video game of all time (GTA 5 currently occupies the number two spot on that particular list). If that happens, then the GTA series could indeed eventually overtake Tetris, even if the controversial “Mario franchise” sales record of roughly 805 million units realistically remains outside of its grasp.
