I have been playing games for decades, and I still find it wild that this medium has outsold almost every other entertainment format. The money these titles bring in is not just pocket change; it is a signal that gaming is not a niche hobby for kids. Some figures below may change as new sales data rolls in, but cracking this list is still incredibly hard.

Let me walk you through the ten most profitable games that made me rethink the size of this industry.

10. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Estimated profit: around $50 million. For many players, including me, The Witcher 3 was the first time the series felt truly massive. The first two games sold about 10 million copies combined, but the third one doubled that total on its own. I remember being drawn in by the living world, the balance of a strong story, and combat that felt just good enough to keep me hooked. Its success sparked a live-action show, an anime, a physical card game based on Gwent, and spin-off games. In 2026, the series still seems to be expanding.

9. Overwatch

Estimated profit: over $1 billion. When Overwatch launched, it felt like everyone was playing it. I loved the characters, the short bits of lore, and the fan content that exploded around it. There was something for almost every kind of player. The peak of about 10 million active players eventually faded to roughly 1 million by late 2023. Even today, the sequel keeps the world alive, but some of that early magic has been hard to recover.

8. Red Dead Redemption 2

Estimated profit: $1.38 billion. Rockstar followed up the enormous success of Grand Theft Auto 5 with this prequel about the Van der Linde gang. I was blown away by the story and the characters, and the game quickly became a source of countless memes. The only thing that kept it from matching GTA 5 was the lack of the same level of multiplayer support. That is a shame, because riding across the open frontier with friends was genuinely fun.

7. Super Mario Bros.

Estimated profit: $1.34 billion, but the nostalgia is infinite. Mario is arguably the most recognizable video game character on the planet. He has been part of pop culture for more than 40 years, and games like Super Mario Bros. Wonder show that the audience still wants more. The original Super Mario Bros. sold over 40 million copies worldwide and is probably the most emulated game ever, though that is hard to prove legally. Many knock-off systems filled with NES games make that claim very believable.

6. Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Estimated profit: $3 million, according to the figure I saw, which honestly feels like a typo given the sales numbers. The base game on Wii U did not immediately match previous entries, but the Deluxe version on Switch changed everything. Together, both versions sold more than 62 million copies, with most of those on the Switch. It remains one of the best party games I have ever played, and it makes me a little sad the Wii U did not get the traction it deserved.

5. PUBG: Battlegrounds

Estimated profit: $11.8 billion to $12.8 billion. I did not expect PUBG to become the catalyst for the entire battle royale craze, but here we are. It laid the foundation of dozens of players on one map with only one survivor. Later games added building mechanics, vampires with powers, and even foam weapons. Say what you will about the community, PUBG opened the floodgates for the genre.

4. Wii Sports

Estimated profit: $5.19 billion. Before the Wii, gaming often felt like a kids' toy to many people. Wii Sports changed that by making motion controls simple enough for the whole family to enjoy. Every sport felt more intuitive than using a traditional controller. It sold nearly 83 million copies worldwide, and I remember seeing it in living rooms that had never owned a console before.

3. Tetris

Estimated profit: $1 billion for the original, and over $2 billion overall. Tetris almost did not happen because of restrictive copyright laws in the former Soviet Union. Nintendo hesitated to adapt something so niche, but lucky for us, they took the chance. Over its lifetime, Tetris has sold around 100 million copies, or as high as 520 million depending on who you ask. It is the biggest puzzle game of all time, and its appeal has not stopped.

2. Grand Theft Auto 5

Estimated profit: $7.7 billion. Rockstar returns on this list in a huge way. Grand Theft Auto 5 is still selling like crazy more than a decade after release. It was the first game in the series to truly nurture an MMO-like multiplayer instead of giving players single-player DLC. I have spent hours doing heists, building a crew, and roleplaying with friends. With over 190 million copies sold worldwide, Grand Theft Auto 6 has an almost impossible act to follow.

1. Minecraft

Estimated profit: $3 billion. I still remember thinking Minecraft looked like a digital Lego game, but it became so much more. The simple idea of breaking blocks, crafting items, and exploring deeper exploded into a worldwide phenomenon. Schools have used it to teach science, math, coding, and writing. Even after selling a staggering 300 million copies, the game still receives constant developer support. In 2026, Minecraft remains a cultural institution that keeps pulling in new players.

These games are not just boxes with discs or downloads. They are worlds, hobbies, and sometimes even classrooms. The numbers may keep climbing, but what impresses me most is how they changed the way people see gaming.