We have a pretty solid idea of which video games are popular in a worldwide sense, but it’s always good to take a closer look at popularity in certain regions (especially outside the US). Case in point — the 30 best-selling game franchises by retail sales in the UK have been detailed by charts specialist GfK. And a handful of Nintendo series unsurprisingly make the cut.
The highest ranking from the Big N is the Plumber with Power himself, with Mario getting in at number three — just below twin titans FIFA and Call of Duty as the gold and silver medalists, respectively. Pokémon nudges in on the Top 10 at number eight, which might seem slightly low for the third highest selling game franchise of all-time, though for perspective #2 on that list (Tetris) doesn’t even make the UK chart. Next from Nintendo on that chart is, of all things, Wii Fit at #14, showcasing the utter dominance of the property once upon a time, especially since it has the fewest releases of any game on the list (again, these are only retail sales, so if it included digital sales it would almost certainly fall down several spots). Zelda ekes it in at #29, just below The Olympic Games (which seems to count both Mario and Sonic titles alongside other licensed games for the event).
The UK Top 30 Selling Video Game Brands by Revenue
| No. | Name | Title Count | Series Start | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIFA | 50 | 1993 | EA |
| 2 | Call of Duty | 32 | 2003 | Activision Blizzard |
| 3 | Mario | 109 | 1987 | Nintendo |
| 4 | Grand Theft Auto | 21 | 1997 | Rockstar |
| 5 | LEGO | 77 | 1997 | Warner/LucasArts/TT Games/Eidos |
| 6 | Star Wars | 113 | 1983 | EA/LucasArts/Warner |
| 7 | The Sims | 106 | 2000 | EA |
| 8 | Pokémon | 93 | 1999 | Nintendo |
| 9 | Assassin’s Creed | 27 | 2007 | Ubisoft |
| 10 | Need For Speed | 30 | 1994 | EA |
| 11 | Sonic | 55 | 1991 | Sega |
| 12 | WWE and WWF | 61 | 1987 | Take-Two/THQ/Acclaim |
| 13 | Marvel | 106 | 1982 | Sony/Warner/Square Enix |
| 14 | Wii Fit | 3 | 2008 | Nintendo |
| 15 | Tom Clancy | 72 | 1997 | Ubisoft |
| 16 | Guitar Hero/DJ Hero | 18 | 2006 | Activision Blizzard |
| 17 | Pro Evolution Soccer | 22 | 2001 | Konami |
| 18 | Skylanders | 6 | 2011 | Activision Blizzard |
| 19 | Battlefield | 30 | 2002 | EA |
| 20 | Tomb Raider | 31 | 1996 | Eidos/Square Enix |
| 21 | Halo | 15 | 2001 | Microsoft |
| 22 | DC | 43 | 1986 | Warner/EA/Square/Telltale |
| 23 | Formula One | 66 | 1992 | Codemasters/EA/Sony |
| 24 | Gran Turismo | 13 | 1998 | Sony |
| 25 | Forza | 13 | 2005 | Microsoft |
| 26 | Harry Potter | 13 | 2001 | EA/Warner |
| 27 | Crash Bandicoot | 22 | 1996 | Activision/Vivendi/Sony |
| 28 | The Olympic Games | 20 | 1992 | Sega/Nintendo/Eidos/Konami/T2 |
| 29 | Zelda | 35 | 1987 | Nintendo |
| 30 | PGA Tour Golf | 46 | 1990 | EA/Take-Two |
Aw heck, I just realized this was a sales article piece. I can’t believe I took it seriously. I mean, every franchise that made this list has a fat wad of cash to flick through, so do I really owe them respect? If I made even 0.0001% of the money Mario has ever made I would be able to pay rent for a year. Instead I guess I’ll keep writing about the philosophical morays of Kirby and gay farming. In conclusion — people from the UK sure have bought video games from retail stores over the years, huh?
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
