List of best-selling Nintendo Entertainment System video games

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NES with controller
Famicom with controller

The list of best-selling Nintendo Entertainment System video games totals 75 games with sales or shipments of at least one million copies. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console was first packaged as the Family Computer (Famicom) in Japan. Its best-selling game is Super Mario Bros., first released in Japan on September 13, 1985, with sales of more than 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling video game of all time. Two sequels are within the top five best-selling NES games: Super Mario Bros. 2 ranks fourth at 7.46 million units, and Super Mario Bros. 3 ranks third at 18 million units. The remaining top five are Duck Hunt with 28 million units and The Legend of Zelda with 6.5 million units.

Of these 75 games, 31 were developed by internal Nintendo development divisions, and 41 were published by Nintendo. Other developers with the most million-selling games include Capcom with seven games, and Konami, Hudson Soft, and Tose, with six games each. Other publishers include Capcom with seven games, Konami with six games, Bandai and Hudson Soft with five games each, and Enix and Namco with four games each. The most popular franchises on NES include Super Mario with 67.63 million combined units, Dragon Quest with 11.475 million combined units, and The Legend of Zelda with 10.89 million combined units.

Games[edit]

Key
† Pack-in games bundled with NES consoles
Game Developer(s)[a] Publisher(s)[a] Release date[b] Sales Ref
Super Mario Bros. † Nintendo R&D4 Nintendo September 13, 1985 40,240,000 [1]
Duck Hunt † Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo April 21, 1984 28,310,000 [2]
Super Mario Bros. 3 † Nintendo R&D4 Nintendo October 23, 1988 18,000,000 [3]
Tetris Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo November 1989 8,000,000 [4]
Super Mario Bros. 2 (international version) Nintendo R&D4 Nintendo October 9, 1988 7,460,000 [3]
The Legend of Zelda Nintendo R&D4 Nintendo February 21, 1986 6,510,000 [5]
Dr. Mario Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo July 27, 1990 4,850,000 [6]
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Nintendo R&D4 Nintendo January 14, 1987 4,380,000 [5]
Excitebike Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo November 30, 1984 4,160,000 [2]
Golf Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo May 1, 1984 4,010,000 [2]
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles † Konami
May 12, 1989 4,000,000 [7]
Dragon Quest III Chunsoft Enix February 10, 1988 3,895,000 [8]
Kung Fu Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo October 18, 1985 3,500,000 [2]
Baseball Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo December 7, 1983 3,200,000 [9]
Dragon Quest IV Chunsoft Enix February 11, 1990 3,180,000 [8]
World Class Track Meet † TRY Co. Nintendo December 23, 1986 3,080,000 [2]
Punch-Out!! Nintendo R&D3 Nintendo September 18, 1987 3,000,000 [10]
Metroid Nintendo R&D1[c] Nintendo August 6, 1986 2,730,000 [2]
Super Mario Bros. 2 (Japanese version) Nintendo R&D4 Nintendo June 3, 1986 2,650,000 [2]
Dragon Quest II Chunsoft Enix January 26, 1987 2,550,000 [8]
Ice Hockey Nintendo R&D2 Nintendo January 21, 1988 2,420,000 [11]
Pro Wrestling Nintendo R&D3 Nintendo October 13, 1986 2,400,000 [2]
Mario Bros. Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo September 9, 1983 2,280,000 [2]
Tennis Nintendo R&D1[d] Nintendo January 14, 1984 2,170,000 [2]
Volleyball Nintendo R&D3 Nintendo July 21, 1986 2,150,000 [2]
Mahjong Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo August 27, 1983 2,140,000 [2]
R.C. Pro-Am Rare Nintendo February 1988 2,140,000 [2]
Pro Yakyū Family Stadium (R.B.I. Baseball) Namco Namco December 10, 1986 2,050,000 [12][13]
Dragon Quest Chunsoft
May 27, 1986 2,000,000 [14]
Top Gun Konami Konami November 1987 2,000,000 [15]
Soccer Intelligent Systems Nintendo April 9, 1985 1,960,000 [2]
Rad Racer Square
August 7, 1987 1,960,000 [2]
Pinball Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo February 2, 1984 1,850,000 [2]
Kid Icarus
Nintendo December 19, 1986 1,760,000 [2]
Yoshi Game Freak Nintendo December 14, 1991 1,750,000 [2]
Kirby's Adventure HAL Laboratory Nintendo March 23, 1993 1,750,000 [2]
DuckTales Capcom Capcom September 14, 1989 1,670,000 [16]
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Capcom June 13, 1986 1,640,000 [17]
Bases Loaded Tose Jaleco June 26, 1987 1,580,000 [18]
Donkey Kong Classics Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo October 1988 1,560,000 [2]
F-1 Race HAL Laboratory Nintendo November 2, 1984 1,520,000 [2]
Mega Man 2 Capcom Capcom December 24, 1988 1,510,000 [17]
Lode Runner Hudson Soft
July 31, 1984 1,500,000 [19]
Xevious Namco
November 8, 1984 1,500,000 [20]
Ice Climber Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo January 30, 1985 1,500,000 [2]
Ninja Hattori-kun Hudson Soft Hudson Soft March 5, 1986 1,500,000 [13]
Mighty Bomb Jack Tecmo Tecmo April 24, 1986 1,500,000 [21]
Nintendo World Cup Technōs Japan
May 18, 1990 1,480,000 [2]
4 Nin Uchi Mahjong Hudson Soft Nintendo November 2, 1984 1,450,000 [2]
Final Fantasy III Square Square April 27, 1990 1,400,000 [22]
Gyromite † Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo August 13, 1985 1,320,000 [2]
Final Fantasy Square Square December 18, 1987 1,300,000 [23]
Pro Yakyū Family Stadium '87 Namco Namco December 22, 1987 1,300,000 [13]
Hogan's Alley Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo June 12, 1984 1,270,000 [2]
Ninja Kid Tose Bandai April 17, 1986 1,250,000 [13]
Dragon Power Tose Bandai November 27, 1986 1,250,000 [13]
TwinBee Konami Konami January 7, 1986 1,200,000 [13]
Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Dōchū Konami Konami July 30, 1986 1,200,000 [13]
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers Capcom Capcom June 8, 1990 1,200,000 [16]
Doraemon Hudson Soft Hudson Soft December 12, 1986 1,150,000 [13]
Commando Capcom Capcom September 27, 1986 1,140,000 [17]
Donkey Kong Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo July 15, 1983 1,130,000 [2]
Yoshi's Cookie Tose Nintendo November 21, 1992 1,120,000 [2]
Donkey Kong Jr. Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo July 15, 1983 1,110,000 [2]
Popeye Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo July 15, 1983 1,100,000 [2]
Pro Yakyū Family Stadium '88 Namco Namco December 20, 1988 1,080,000 [13]
Mega Man 3 Capcom Capcom September 28, 1990 1,080,000 [17]
Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden Tose Bandai February 15, 1989 1,060,000 [13]
Tag Team Match: MUSCLE Tose Bandai November 8, 1985 1,050,000 [13]
Adventure Island Hudson Soft Hudson Soft September 12, 1986 1,050,000 [13]
Ninja JaJaMaru-kun
Jaleco November 15, 1985 1,000,000 [24]
1942
Capcom December 11, 1985 1,000,000 [25]
Bomberman Hudson Soft Hudson Soft December 20, 1985 1,000,000 [26]
Hydlide T&E Soft
March 18, 1986 1,000,000 [27]
Gradius Konami Konami April 25, 1986 1,000,000 [13]
Tiger Heli Micronics
December 5, 1986 1,000,000 [28]
Metal Gear Konami
December 22, 1987 1,000,000 [29]
NES Open Tournament Golf Nintendo R&D2 Nintendo September 20, 1991 1,000,000 [2]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b Only developers and publishers for the original release of each game are listed.
  2. ^ Only the initial release date on this platform is listed.
  3. ^ Intelligent Systems worked as additional developers on Metroid.
  4. ^ Intelligent Systems worked as additional developers on Tennis.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Stuart, Keith (September 13, 2010). "Super Mario Bros.: 25 Mario facts for the 25th anniversary". Super Mario Bros. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae 2021CESAゲーム白書 (2021 CESA Games White Papers). Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association. 2021. ISBN 978-4-902346-43-5.
  3. ^ a b O'Malley, James (September 11, 2015). "30 Best-Selling Super Mario Games of All Time on the Plumber's 30th Birthday". Gizmodo. Univision Communications. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  4. ^ Director/Producer: Magnus Temple; Executive Producer: Nick Southgate (2004). "Tetris: From Russia With Love". BBC Four. Event occurs at 51:23. BBC. BBC Four. Archived from the original on 2016-01-01. Retrieved 2012-09-04. The real winners were Nintendo. To date, Nintendo dealers across the world have sold 8 million Tetris cartridges on the Nintendo Entertainment system.
  5. ^ a b "March 25, 2004". The Magic Box. Archived from the original on November 26, 2005. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  6. ^ Terry, Paul (October 5, 2015). Top 10 of Everything 2016. New York City, New York: Hachette Book Group. p. 123. ISBN 978-1770856172. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  7. ^ Kent, Steven L. (June 16, 2010). The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokémon and Beyond... The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World. New York City, New York: Crown Archetype. p. 571. ISBN 978-0761536437. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c "Dragon Quest History". Planet Nintendo. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  9. ^ Guinness World Records 2015: Gamer's Edition. Vancouver, British Columbia: Jim Pattison Group. November 6, 2014. p. 105. ISBN 978-1908843654.
  10. ^ "Nintendo has Singlehandedly has revived the video game industry". Albuquerque Journal. October 16, 1989. p. 13. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Guinness World Records 2017: Gamer's Edition. Vancouver, British Columbia: Jim Pattison Group. September 8, 2016. p. 188. ISBN 978-1910561393. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  12. ^ Tokyo Business Today. Toyo Keizai. 1990. p. 35. Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2021-09-24. Since the new contract went into effect, Namco, whose hit "Family Stadium" has sold 2.05 million copies in Japan, has been limited in the number of new programs it can produce, and has suffered declining revenues.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Japan Platinum Game Chart". The Magic Box. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  14. ^ Parish, Jeremy (August 21, 2013). "The New Dark Age of Dragon Quest". USgamer. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  15. ^ "The 100 Best Original Nintendo Games". Complex. September 19, 2018. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Platinum Titles". Capcom. Archived from the original on January 16, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  17. ^ a b c d "Platinum Titles". Capcom. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  18. ^ "Domestic successive million shipment". Geimin.net. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  19. ^ "Lock'n'Lode". IGN. Ziff Davis. February 17, 1999. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  20. ^ Sheff, David (1994) [1993]. "Inside the Mother Brain" (PDF). Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered the World. Vintage Books. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-307-80074-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2021-01-02. Namco sold 1.5 million copies of a game called "Xevious." A new Namco building was nicknamed the Xevious Building because the game had paid for its construction costs.
  21. ^ "Nintendo Software" (PDF). Computer Entertainer. Vol. 6, no. 5. August 1987. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2021-08-13.
  22. ^ "February 2, 2004 - February 4, 2004" (PDF). Square Enix. February 9, 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 20, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  23. ^ "Final Fantasy III". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 63. Ziff Davis. October 1994. p. 172.
  24. ^ "Overseas ReadersColumn: Jaleco Ships New Game For "VS. System"" (PDF). Game Machine. No. 282. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 May 1986. p. 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  25. ^ Kent, Steven L. (September 6, 2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games. New York City, New York: Three Rivers Press. p. 351. ISBN 978-0761536437.
  26. ^ "Bomb Away With Bomberman On The N-GageTM Mobile Game Deck". Nokia. March 1, 2004. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  27. ^ Szczepaniak, John (2015). "History of Japanese Video Games". Kinephanos. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  28. ^ Kent, Steven L. (September 6, 2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokémon and Beyond... The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World. New York City, New York: Three Rivers Press. p. 310. ISBN 978-0761536437.
  29. ^ Hideo Kojima (Interviewee) (March 14, 2006). Metal Gear Saga, Vol. 1. Konami. Konami decided to develop a NES version of Metal Gear, but I had absolutely nothing to do with this game. The game launched worldwide and became a huge hit, selling one million copies in the U.S.

External links[edit]

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