Nintendo has some of the hottest selling series of all time including Mario, Pokemon, and The Legend of Zelda. Where do they, and the rest of Nintendo’s portfolio, add up in terms of franchise sales. The results may be surprising. In fact, some fan favorites did not make the top ten.
Nintendogs made it to number eleven. Metroid is at number twelve. Star Fox is at thirteen and the list goes on. Those last two examples are probably why Nintendo doesn’t pump out as many sequels as some of these other games on the list. Let’s find out what other series then did and did not make the cut. It should be noted that these sales numbers are also just estimates as tracking down exact numbers for games can be tricky.
Updated June 3rd, 2021 by Tristan Jurkovich: Nintendo is an ever-expanding company with new games seemingly coming out every month. They may not be the big titles one may want, but the point is their sales numbers do shift. That’s why this list was updated on some newer arrangements and updated numbers.
More titles were added in order to get a better idea of Nintendo’s portfolio. Sadly even with this expansion some fan favorites were left off. Metroid is currently ranked as Nintendo’s 16th best selling series with around 18 million units sold across all of its entries. Even Fire Emblem is low with 18th place, with only 16 million units sold since the series debuted. What series did make the cut then?
15 Luigi’s Mansion
First Game: Luigi’s Mansion
Initial Platform: GameCube
Release Date: September 14, 2001 (Japan)
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 20M
Separate from his big brother, Luigi is at number 15. Across every platform the Luigi's Mansion series has made it on, 20M units have been sold. That’s not too shabby considering there are only three games, or four counting the original’s remake. What began as a moderately reviewed GameCube launch title in 2001 has now become a popular series thanks to two well-reviewed sequels. That 2019 Switch game can be thanked for really putting it over the top.
14 Wario
First Appearance: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Initial Platform: Game Boy
Release Date: October 21, 1992 (Japan)
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 22M
Wario first appeared as a villain in 1992 via Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins on the Game Boy. After that he took over the series as the star with Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 in 1994 in North America. With that series among many other spinoffs like WarioWare, the Wario franchise has sold 22m units. The last game was WarioWare Gold on the 3DS in 2018 so it has been awhile since Wario got a solo adventure.
13 Yoshi
First Appearance: Super Mario World
Initial Platforms: Super Famicom
Release Date: November 21, 1990
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 28.10M
Yoshi first appeared in Super Mario World on the SNES in 1990. Technically it was playable although one could argue players were controlling Mario who was controlling Yoshi. Those arguments aside, Yoshi’s first solo game was a puzzle title just called Yoshi which released across the NES and Game Boy in 1992 in North America. With every title added up, Yoshi has sold around 28.10M units. The latest game was Yoshi's Crafted World in 2019 on Switch.
12 Duck Hunt
First Game: Duck Hunt
Initial Platform: Famicom
Release Date: April 21, 1984
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 28.31M
This might be hard to wrap one’s head around but Duck Hunt has sold around 28.31M units. With only a single console game, one might be wondering how that is possible. In North America, this was a pack-in title with the NES in 1985 which means Nintendo counted every NES sold as a Duck Hunt sale as well. It’s exactly why Wii Sports is ranked as a top seller because it too was a pack-in but on the Wii.
11 *intendogs
First Game: Nintendogs
Initial Platform: DS
Release Date: April 21, 2005 (Japan)
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 28.60M
The DS would not have been as much of a hit across casual gamers if not for this series which launched in 2005. Being able to have a digital pet close to the real thing was novel at the time as the dog mimicry was well represented. The sequel series in 2011, Nintendogs + Cats, did not make as big of a splash. The series has gone on to sell around 28.60M units which is not bad at all even after the sequel didn't hit big.
10 Brain Age
First Game: Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day
Initial Platform: DS
Release Date: May 19, 2005 (Japan)
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 33M
Brain Age started its franchise in 2005 for the DS and has sold about 33M units. These games were a huge hit for the DS and helped moved the system to a more casual market. Eventually they stopped making them until Nintendo launched the Switch. The series then returned after almost a decade with Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch, that’s actually the full name, in 2019.
9 Kirby
First Game: Kirby's Dream Land
Initial Platform: Game Boy
Release Date: April 27, 1992 (Japan)
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 38M
Kirby started its franchise in 1992 for the Game Boy and has sold about 38M units. Kirby Fighters 2 was the latest release in 2020 for Switch although the last big game was Kirby Star Allies in 2018, also for Switch. Since this series debuted, it has released with something almost every year since from ports to new games. It has only missed five years altogether: 1999, 2001, 2007, 2009, and 2013.
8 Game & Watch
First Game: Ball
Release Date: April 28, 1980 (Japan)
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 43M
Game & Watch started its franchise in 1980 with the launch of the system itself and has sold about 43M units. While this started off as a line of handhelds with built in games, it has since become a brand name gaming franchise all its own.
While it has never been huge since its early years, what with the Game Boy line dethroning it, sales do still keep up thanks to nostalgia. For example, there was the Mario handheld that launched in 2020.
7 Donkey Kong
First Appearance: Donkey Kong
Initial Platform: Arcades
Release Date: July 9, 1981
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 58M
Donkey Kong started its franchise in 1981 for arcades and has sold about 58M units. This is the same date one can attribute to the Mario branding, but after the first couple entries, both series wildly diverge. The last Donkey Kong featured game was Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars in 2015 for the Wii U and 3DS. This does not take into account Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze’s Switch port in 2018. No matter what year one counts, it has been awhile for old DK.
6 Animal Crossing
First Game: Animal Forest
Initial Platform: N64
Release Date: April 14, 2001
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 59M
Animal Crossing started its franchise in 2001 for the N64 and has sold about 59M units. 2021 then marks the twentieth anniversary for the series. The last game was last year which was a huge success for Nintendo. It was the right game for the right time as everyone was stuck at home and needed a chill game to relax to. It also made Switches incredibly hard to find for a few months since even casual gamers were trying to pick this up just for Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
5 Super Smash Bros.
First Game: Super Smash Bros.
Initial Platform: N64
Release Date: January 21, 1999 (Japan)
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 62M
Super Smash Bros. started its franchise in 1999 for the N64 and has sold about 62m units. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate may be three years old now, but it is still getting free updates along with DLC packs. The latest of which was Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII at the end of 2020. Who will be joining the roster next? Fans are eagerly anticipating the inevitable announcement.
4 The Legend Of Zelda
First Game: The Legend Of Zelda
Initial Platform: Famicom Disk System
Release Date: February 21, 1986 (Japan)
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 103M
The Legend Of Zelda started its franchise in 1986 for the NES and has sold about 103M units. The latest game was a spinoff, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which released last year. That brings to question when the Nintendo made sequel to Breath of the Wild is coming out. Will it be a surprise hit this year? Something Zelda related has to launch for the series’ 35th anniversary.
3 Wii
First Game: Wii Sports
Initial Platform: Wii
Release Date: November 19, 2006
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 202M
The Wii series started in 2006 with the launch of the Wii console and has sold about 202M units. This series includes Wii Sports, Wii Fit, Wii Music, and so on.
The last Wii branded game was Wii Sports Club in 2014 for the Wii U. Since the Wii name is dead, there is no reason to keep this series alive. It was a great effort while it lasted and was one of the most defining franchises of this generation.
2 Pokemon
First Game: Pocket Monsters: Red and Green
Initial Platform: Game Boy
Release Date: February 27, 1996 (Japan)
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 495M
Pokemon started its franchise in 1996 for the Game Boy and has sold about 495M units. For those paying attention to the numbers, that is a huge leap forward from the Wii series. That’s why Nintendo is so keen on pumping out sequels and spinoffs. They sell incredibly well. The next game due out this year is New Pokemon Snap for Switch.
1 Mario
First Appearance: Donkey Kong
Initial Platform: Arcades
Release Date: July 9, 1981
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 653M
Mario started its franchise in 1981 for arcades and has sold about 653M units. This is understandably another big leap forward in sales. Mario and Pokemon rake in the gold for Nintendo. It’s weird then that the two series have never crossed over unless one counts Super Smash Bros. The point is Mario is a gaming icon same as a Mickey Mouse is to cartoons. The next game coming out is the re-release of Super Mario 3D World for Switch.