How today’s best-selling games compare to those of 20 years ago

The most popular and best-selling games today often include expensive first-party exclusives, big multiplayer hits and outdated titles such as GTA-V that remain in circulation for years after their launch. However, that was not the case 20 years ago, as newly released sales figures show.

On Wednesday, Mat Piscatella, CEO and video game industry consultant at Circana, posted a picture on Twitter shows the best-selling video games in July 2014 and July 2004. The data from 10 years ago is interesting, especially because many games like Minecraft, And GTA-V that were big back then can still be found on the bestseller lists in 2024.

Top 20 premium software titles in July 2014

1. The last of us
2. FIFA14
3. Watchdog
4. Mario Kart 8
5. Minecraft
6. Grand Theft Auto V
7. Call of Duty Ghosts
8. Sniper Elite III
9. UFC
10. NBA2K14
11. Battlefield 4
12. Wolfenstein: The New Order
13. Titanfall
14. The LEGO Movie Video Game
15. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
16. Pokémon X/Y
17. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
18. Injustice: Gods Among Us
19. FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014
20. MLB 14: The Show

But what we’re really looking at here is the data from July 2004, as it provides a 20-year overview of the video game industry and shows how different it was two decades ago. Here’s the list:

Top 20 premium software titles in July 2004

1. NCAA Football 2005
2. Spider Man 2
3. NFL2K5
4. Driver 3
5. Stories of the Symphony
6. Shrek2
7. MVP Baseball 2004
8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
9. Splinter Cell: Pandora tomorrow
10. Pokémon: Ruby/Sapphire
11. Halo: Combat Evolved
12. Need for Speed ​​Underground
13. Mega Man: Anniversary Collection
14. Red Dead Redemption 2
15. Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction
16. Fight Night 2004
17. Mega Man: Battle Network 4
18. The Sims
19. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004
20. Legend of Zelda: Four Swords

The first thing that stands out is the game at the top. It is not call of DutyA Grand Theft Autoor even a big RPG or sci-fi action game. No. It is NCAA Football 2005 by EA Sports. It was a long time since that happened, but EA’s latest college football game – the first in over a decade – is exploding and could top the list of best-selling games in July 2024.

In the meantime, Shrek2—a licensed action-adventure game based on the animated film—is in the top ten, beating titles like Red Dead Revolver, Need for Speed: Underground, And Splinter Cell: Pandora tomorrow. I can’t remember the last time a game based on a movie made the top charts. And hey, look at this! Mega Man, Driver, And Yu-Gi-Oh! are in the top 20, t00. It really was a different era back then, wasn’t it?

And if you compare this old list with The best-selling games in May 2024it is clear that while a lot has changed, some things remain the same. Baseball games sell well and people still like Spider-Man sequels.

The best-selling games in May 2024

1. Ghost of Tsushima
2. Paper Mario: The Gate to Legend
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)
4. Helldivers II
5. MLB: The Show 24
6. Sea of ​​Thieves
7. Minecraft
8. Fire ring
9. Hogwarts Legacy
10. Starblade
11. Fallout4
12. EA Sports FC 24
13. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
14. Homeworld 3
15. Mario Kart 8
16. Madden NFL 24
17. Rise of the Ronin
18. F1 24
19. Mortal Kombat 1

1. Dragon’s Dogma II

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