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[electricmastro]

These numbers are pulled from two sources, both using NPD numbers:

Verkaufszahlen Thread

Original von Terminator Die PSP läuft nach wie vor sehr gut. Nur der NDS läuft noch besser. Da muß SONY noch ganz schön etwas tun. Am bemerkenswertesten finde ich aber, daß die PS2 nach wie vor die XBox360 übertrumpft. Sehr gut! Und naja, von der "alten" Xbox brauchen wir ja schon gar nicht...

web.archive.org

https://www.installbaseforum.com/forums/threads/npd-circana-2005-full-year-results-discussion-thread.2917/#post-268216

The first is a German thread from October 2006 which listed the top 100 PS2 games by LTD sales, while the second is an Installbase thread whose LTD numbers only go up to September 2005, but has a more extensive list of games, so they've been cross-referenced to include the games that weren't on the first list.

They are:

1.) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - 6,819,615
2.) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - 6,401,108
3.) Grand Theft Auto III - 5,648,209
4.) Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec - 3,838,758
5.) Madden NFL 2004 - 3,452,630
6.) Madden NFL 06 - 3,286,170
7.) Madden NFL 2005 - 3,283,368
8.) Kingdom Hearts - 2,899,608
9.) Madden NFL 2003 - 2,731,011
10.) Need for Speed: Underground - 2,609,708
11.) Final Fantasy X - 2,406,811
12.) Medal of Honor: Frontline - 2,406,297
13.) SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs - 2,281,900
14.) Spider-Man: The Movie - 2,169,379
15.) Need for Speed: Underground 2 - 2,163,600
16.) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 - 2,110,410
17.) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - 2,014,738
18.) Madden NFL 2002 - 2,001,135
19.) Gran Turismo 4 - 1,904,196
20.) Tony Hawk's Underground - 1,848,523
21.) SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs - 1,830,569
22.) Dragon Ball Z: Budokai - 1,767,863
23.) NBA Street - 1,738,435
24.) ESPN NFL 2K5 - 1,718,400
25.) Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - 1,718,225
26.) ATV Offroad Fury - 1,701,162
27.) Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies - 1,699,370
28.) Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex - 1,693,094
29.) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 - 1,688,981
30.) Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary - 1,680,496
31.) The Simpsons: Road Rage - 1,672,288
32.) NBA Live 2005 - 1,662,040
33.) Max Payne - 1,596,226
34.) Midnight Club: Street Racing - 1,579,498
35.) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - 1,576,061
36.) Medal of Honor: Rising Sun - 1,573,181
37.) Star Wars: Battlefront - 1,568,543
38.) Final Fantasy X-2 - 1,567,227
39.) 007: Agent Under Fire - 1,524,724
40.) True Crime: Streets of LA - 1,524,360
41.) ATV Offroad Fury 2 - 1,524,192
42.) Kingdom Hearts II - 1,517,244
43.) Star Wars: Battlefront II - 1,465,123
44.) Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance - 1,451,456
45.) Spider-Man 2 - 1,446,734
46.) God of War - 1,441,397
47.) Enter the Matrix - 1,432,919
48.) Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 - 1,393,473
49.) Madden NFL 07 - 1,391,491
50.) Tekken Tag Tournament - 1,387,378
51.) NBA Street Vol. 2 - 1,385,432
52.) Jak II - 1,383,897
53.) The Simpsons: Hit & Run - 1,371,917
54.) Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 - 1,297,303
55.) LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game - 1,257,931
56.) Tekken 4 - 1,250,598
57.) Call of Duty: Finest Hour - 1,249,894
58.) NBA Live 2004 - 1,249,577
59.) NCAA Football 06 - 1,240,383
60.) 007: Nightfire - 1,197,528
61.) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 1,185,896
62.) NBA Live 06 - 1,179,997
63.) WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth - 1,174,024
64.) Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando - 1,168,705
65.) Ratchet & Clank - 1,166,169
66.) WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw - 1,159,037
67.) The Sims - 1,149,232
68.) Tony Hawk's Underground 2 - 1,147,475
69.) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - 1,143,096
70.) Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith - 1,138,595
71.) Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon - 1,129,216
72.) Hitman 2: Silent Assassin - 1,119,018
73.) Devil May Cry - 1,101,906
74.) NCAA Football 2004 - 1,087,759
75.) Jak 3 - 1,084,437
76.) WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain - 1,067,746
77.) NCAA Football 2005 - 1,058,445
78.) Need for Speed: Most Wanted - 1,050,421
79.) Pac-Man World 2 - 1,042,141
80.) ESPN NBA 2K5 - 1,038,303
81.) MVP Baseball 2005 - 1,027,515
82.) Disney's Finding Nemo - 1,027,008
83.) WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 - 1,017,484
84.) Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal - 1,013,901
85.) Midnight Club II - 1,013,077
86.) Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition - 1,012,288
87.) NBA Live 2003 - 1,009,867
88.) The Getaway - 994,992
89.) Burnout 3: Takedown - 973,727
90.) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 - 970,126
91.) Twisted Metal: Black - 962,272
92.) Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses - 961,348
93.) NCAA Football 2003 - 957,682
94.) WWE SmackDown! Just Bring It - 950,087
95.) Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - 943,610
96.) NFL Street - 942,522
97.) Madden NFL 2001 - 938,363
98.) Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights - 922,665
99.) Sonic Mega Collection Plus - 919,283
100.) Spy Hunter - 917,859
101.) Crazy Taxi - 900,100
102.) Resident Evil: Code: Veronica X - 888,400
103.) MVP Baseball 2004 - 869,800
104.) SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - 860,700
105.) NFL 2K3 - 842,800
106.) Fight Night 2004 - 835,200
107.) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 - 819,800
108.) Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 - 800,300
109.) Onimusha: Warlords - 786,400
110.) Tetris Worlds - 786,100
111.) SoulCalibur II - 783,400
112.) Hot Shots Golf 3 - 782,300
113.) Test Drive - 761,300
114.) The Sims: Bustin' Out - 757,700
115.) Def Jam Vendetta - 745,300
116.) NBA Live 2002 - 741,100
117.) Conflict: Desert Storm - 737,100
118.) SSX 3 - 729,300
119.) Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus - 723,200
120.) Shrek 2 - 697,600
121.) EyeToy: Play - 697,400
122.) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 697,100
123.) State of Emergency - 686,200
124.) SSX Tricky - 685,400
125.) Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - 677,200
126.) Grand Theft Auto Double Pack - 672,400
127.) Dark Cloud - 669,200
128.) DDRMAX2: Dance Dance Revolution - 654,400
129.) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 - 652,100
130.) MX Unleashed - 637,200
131.) NCAA Football 2002 - 633,600
132.) NBA Ballers - 633,400
133.) SSX - 627,700
134.) Virtua Fighter 4 - 623,900
135.) X-Men Legends - 621,900
136.) 007: Everything or Nothing - 612,600
137.) Stuntman - 603,600
138.) Red Faction - 602,400
139.) Smuggler's Run - 602,200
140.) World Championship Poker - 589,400
141.) DDRMAX: Dance Dance Revolution - 578,900
142.) Mortal Kombat: Deception - 577,300
143.) The Incredibles - 575,900
144.) Cabela's Big Game Hunter - 558,800
145.) Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly - 548,300
146.) Tokyo Xtreme Racer - 545,600
147.) The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - 542,600
148.) Midway Arcade Treasures - 540,400
149.) NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup - 531,600
150.) Crash Nitro Kart - 523,500
151.) Dead to Rights - 522,500
152.) Turok: Evolution - 521,700
153.) Red Dead Revolver - 518,300
154.) Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 - 518,300
155.) Star Ocean: Till the End of Time - 515,000
156.) Silent Hill 2 - 510,800
157.) Dynasty Warriors 4 - 505,000
158.) Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht - 503,500

Notable games that failed to sell more than Xenosaga Episode I on PS2 by September 2005:

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
ICO
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
Katamari Damacy
TimeSplitters 2
Fatal Frame
Front Mission 4
Suikoden III
Beyond Good & Evil
Half-Life
Wild Arms 3
Grandia II
Zone of the Enders
Shadow Hearts
Phantom Brave
Champions of Norrath
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
.hack//Infection Part 1
Legaia 2: Duel Saga
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Drakengard
Killzone

 

[Yoshichan]

"Notable games that failed to sell more than Xenosaga Episode I on PS2 by September 2005:"

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
ICO
ZotE
Shadow Hearts
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Yet, these games have such avid fans - you'd ask yourself "where did these fans even come from"

 

[PeteBull]

top3 gta games makes sense, top4 games starting with GT initials makes just as much sense

 

[Signalis]

These numbers are pulled from two sources, both using NPD numbers:

Verkaufszahlen Thread

Original von Terminator Die PSP läuft nach wie vor sehr gut. Nur der NDS läuft noch besser. Da muß SONY noch ganz schön etwas tun. Am bemerkenswertesten finde ich aber, daß die PS2 nach wie vor die XBox360 übertrumpft. Sehr gut! Und naja, von der "alten" Xbox brauchen wir ja schon gar nicht...

web.archive.org

https://www.installbaseforum.com/forums/threads/npd-circana-2005-full-year-results-discussion-thread.2917/#post-268216

The first is from a German thread from October 2006 which listed the top 100 PS2 games by LTD sales, while the second is an Installbase thread whose LTD numbers only go up to September 2005, but has a more extensive list of games, so they've bene cross-referenced to include the games that weren't on the first list.

They are:

1.) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - 6,819,615
2.) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - 6,401,108
3.) Grand Theft Auto III - 5,648,209
4.) Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec - 3,838,758
5.) Madden NFL 2004 - 3,452,630
6.) Madden NFL 06 - 3,286,170
7.) Madden NFL 2005 - 3,283,368
8.) Kingdom Hearts - 2,899,608
9.) Madden NFL 2003 - 2,731,011
10.) Need for Speed: Underground - 2,609,708
11.) Final Fantasy X - 2,406,811
12.) Medal of Honor: Frontline - 2,406,297
13.) Spider-Man - 2,169,379
14.) Need for Speed: Underground 2 - 2,163,600
15.) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 - 2,110,410
16.) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - 2,014,738
17.) Madden NFL 2002 - 2,001,135
18.) Gran Turismo 4 - 1,904,196
19.) Tony Hawk's Underground - 1,848,523
20.) SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs - 1,830,569
21.) Dragon Ball Z: Budokai - 1,767,863
22.) NBA Street - 1,738,435
23.) ESPN NFL 2K5 - 1,718,400
24.) Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - 1,718,225
25.) ATV Offroad Fury - 1,701,162
26.) Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies - 1,699,370
27.) Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex - 1,693,094
28.) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 - 1,688,981
29.) Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary - 1,680,496
30.) The Simpsons: Road Rage - 1,672,288
31.) NBA Live 2005 - 1,662,040
32.) Max Payne - 1,596,226
33.) Midnight Club: Street Racing - 1,579,498
34.) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - 1,576,061
35.) Medal of Honor: Rising Sun - 1,573,181
36.) Star Wars: Battlefront - 1,568,543
37.) Final Fantasy X-2 - 1,567,227
38.) 007: Agent Under Fire - 1,524,724
39.) True Crime: Streets of LA - 1,524,360
40.) ATV Offroad Fury 2 - 1,524,192
41.) Kingdom Hearts II - 1,517,244
42.) Star Wars: Battlefront II - 1,465,123
43.) Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance - 1,451,456
44.) Spider-Man 2 - 1,446,734
45.) God of War - 1,441,397
46.) Enter the Matrix - 1,432,919
47.) SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs - 1,424,627
48.) Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 - 1,393,473
49.) Madden NFL 07 - 1,391,491
50.) Tekken Tag Tournament - 1,387,378
51.) NBA Street Vol. 2 - 1,385,432
52.) Jak II - 1,383,897
53.) The Simpsons: Hit & Run - 1,371,917
54.) Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 - 1,297,303
55.) LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game - 1,257,931
56.) Tekken 4 - 1,250,598
57.) Call of Duty: Finest Hour - 1,249,894
58.) NBA Live 2004 - 1,249,577
59.) NCAA Football 06 - 1,240,383
60.) 007: Nightfire - 1,197,528
61.) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 1,185,896
62.) NBA Live 06 - 1,179,997
63.) WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth - 1,174,024
64.) Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando - 1,168,705
65.) Ratchet & Clank - 1,166,169
66.) WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw - 1,159,037
67.) The Sims - 1,149,232
68.) Tony Hawk's Underground 2 - 1,147,475
69.) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - 1,143,096
70.) Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith - 1,138,595
71.) Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon - 1,129,216
72.) Hitman 2: Silent Assassin - 1,119,018
73.) Devil May Cry - 1,101,906
74.) NCAA Football 2004 - 1,087,759
75.) Jak 3 - 1,084,437
76.) WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain - 1,067,746
77.) NCAA Football 2005 - 1,058,445
78.) Need for Speed: Most Wanted - 1,050,421
79.) Pac-Man World 2 - 1,042,141
80.) ESPN NBA 2K5 - 1,038,303
81.) MVP Baseball 2005 - 1,027,515
82.) Disney's Finding Nemo - 1,027,008
83.) WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 - 1,017,484
84.) Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal - 1,013,901
85.) Midnight Club II - 1,013,077
86.) Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition - 1,012,288
87.) NBA Live 2003 - 1,009,867
88.) The Getaway - 994,992
89.) Burnout 3: Takedown - 973,727
90.) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 - 970,126
91.) Twisted Metal: Black - 962,272
92.) Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses - 961,348
93.) NCAA Football 2003 - 957,682
94.) WWE SmackDown! Just Bring It - 950,087
95.) Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - 943,610
96.) NFL Street - 942,522
97.) Madden NFL 2001 - 938,363
98.) Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights - 922,665
99.) Sonic Mega Collection Plus - 919,283
100.) Spy Hunter - 917,859
101.) Crazy Taxi - 900,100
102.) Resident Evil: Code: Veronica X - 888,400
103.) MVP Baseball 2004 - 869,800
104.) SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - 860,700
105.) NFL 2K3 - 842,800
106.) Fight Night 2004 - 835,200
107.) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 - 819,800
108.) Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 - 800,300
109.) Onimusha: Warlords - 786,400
110.) Tetris Worlds - 786,100
111.) SoulCalibur II - 783,400
112.) Hot Shots Golf 3 - 782,300
113.) Test Drive - 761,300
114.) The Sims: Bustin' Out - 757,700
115.) Def Jam Vendetta - 745,300
116.) NBA Live 2002 - 741,100
117.) Conflict: Desert Storm - 737,100
118.) SSX 3 - 729,300
119.) Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus - 723,200
120.) Shrek 2 - 697,600
121.) EyeToy: Play - 697,400
122.) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 697,100
123.) State of Emergency - 686,200
124.) SSX Tricky - 685,400
125.) Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - 677,200
126.) Grand Theft Auto Double Pack (III & Vice City) - 672,400
127.) Dark Cloud - 669,200
128.) DDRMAX2: Dance Dance Revolution - 654,400
129.) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 - 652,100
130.) MX Unleashed - 637,200
131.) NCAA Football 2002 - 633,600
132.) NBA Ballers - 633,400
133.) SSX - 627,700
134.) Virtua Fighter 4 - 623,900
135.) X-Men Legends - 621,900
136.) 007: Everything or Nothing - 612,600
137.) Stuntman - 603,600
138.) Red Faction - 602,400
139.) Smuggler's Run - 602,200
140.) World Championship Poker - 589,400
141.) DDRMAX: Dance Dance Revolution - 578,900
142.) Mortal Kombat: Deception - 577,300
143.) The Incredibles - 575,900
144.) Cabela's Big Game Hunter - 558,800
145.) Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly - 548,300
146.) Tokyo Xtreme Racer - 545,600
147.) The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - 542,600
148.) Midway Arcade Treasures - 540,400
149.) NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup - 531,600
150.) Crash Nitro Kart - 523,500
151.) Dead to Rights - 522,500
152.) Turok: Evolution - 521,700
153.) Red Dead Revolver - 518,300
154.) Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 - 518,300
155.) Star Ocean: Till the End of Time - 515,000
156.) Silent Hill 2 - 510,800
157.) Dynasty Warriors 4 - 505,000
158.) Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht - 503,500

Notable games that failed to sell more than Xenosaga Episode I on PS2 by September 2005:

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
ICO
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
Katamari Damacy
TimeSplitters 2
Fatal Frame
Front Mission 4
Suikoden III
Beyond Good & Evil
Half-Life
Wild Arms 3
Grandia II
Zone of the Enders
Shadow Hearts
Phantom Brave
Champions of Norrath
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
.hack//Infection Part 1
Legaia 2: Duel Saga
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Drakengard
Killzone

Nocture, Shadow Hearts and Katamari Damacy are god-tier games. Sad they didn't sell more. Least 2 of the series are still getting new releases. Though I'd kill for remasters of Shadow Hearts 1, 2 and I'll even take a remaster of 3. I know I can always replay them on my PS2, but having them remastered would be awesome. Nocture(Lucifer's Call in my region)and Katamari Damacy luckily got remasters. Though Nocturne's remaster isn't the greatest.

 

[electricmastro]

"Notable games that failed to sell more than Xenosaga Episode I on PS2 by September 2005:"

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
ICO
ZotE
Shadow Hearts
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Yet, these games have such avid fans - you'd ask yourself "where did these fans even come from"

It's interesting how more RPGs didn't do that well even though Final Fantasy games did very well on the console.

 

[touchfuzzy]

So was just... nobody buying games at this point in history, or what was going? They sold 160 million of these things.

For example, #1 GTA: Vice City at that sales number would be the 30th best selling game on Nintendo Switch, a console with very similar install base. Why are games selling so much more now despite install base remaining relatively the same?

 

[Fbh]

So was just... nobody buying games at this point in history, or what was going? They sold 160 million of these things.

For example, #1 GTA: Vice City at that sales number would be the 30th best selling game on Nintendo Switch, a console with very similar install base. Why are games selling so much more now despite install base remaining relatively the same?

Piracy.
Growing up I knew literally no one who didn't have a modded Ps2.

 

[rodrigolfp]

So was just... nobody buying games at this point in history, or what was going? They sold 160 million of these things.

For example, #1 GTA: Vice City at that sales number would be the 30th best selling game on Nintendo Switch, a console with very similar install base. Why are games selling so much more now despite install base remaining relatively the same?

 

[electricmastro]

So was just... nobody buying games at this point in history, or what was going? They sold 160 million of these things.

For example, #1 GTA: Vice City at that sales number would be the 30th best selling game on Nintendo Switch, a console with very similar install base. Why are games selling so much more now despite install base remaining relatively the same?

I get the feeling a substantial amount of people in that 160 million figure bought a PS2 for the DVD player and didn't care about the games.

Also, I suspect that it was the Wii helped bring in more people who weren't gamers before that were suddenly compelled to buy more gaming software because of what the system was offering. There's also PC gaming helping bring smaller games to the masses of course.

 

[Holammer]

Ctrl+F "agg"

No hits for Aggressive Inline

 

[LavitzSlambert]

Awful attach rates, so many people bought PS2s as DVD players and maybe 1 or 2 games. Also, Japan really propped up this generation.

 

[Bark]

Wait, vice city is the most sold ps2 game? lol

 

[NeverYouMind]

Never trust German sources. Tekken 5 is not even listed but is one of the best selling Tekkens right next to Tekken 3.

 

[DeepEnigma]

"Notable games that failed to sell more than Xenosaga Episode I on PS2 by September 2005:"

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
ICO
ZotE
Shadow Hearts
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Yet, these games have such avid fans - you'd ask yourself "where did these fans even come from"

Just like with film "cult classics." Same with music.

They build up a world-wide appreciation over time since more often than not they remain timeless compared to an old Madden or the like.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

I was wondering whether even a single survival horror game would be on the list, at least Silent Hill 2 is... right near the very bottom.

Says way, way too much.

 

[Mownoc]

Can't believe Simpsons road rage is so high lol, and above hit and run.

 

[Judge Magister]

I was wondering whether even a single survival horror game would be on the list, at least Silent Hill 2 is... right near the very bottom.

102.) Resident Evil: Code: Veronica X - 888,400

 

[Bark]

Can't believe Simpsons road rage is so high lol, and above hit and run.

I mean, yeah. People got Road Rage and didn't like it, so they skipped Hit and Run.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

So was just... nobody buying games at this point in history, or what was going? They sold 160 million of these things.

For example, #1 GTA: Vice City at that sales number would be the 30th best selling game on Nintendo Switch, a console with very similar install base. Why are games selling so much more now despite install base remaining relatively the same?

If this is just for the US, we are missing a significant chunk of Euro consoles that were used to play almost exclusively FIFA, PES, and Harry Potter. That should account for a few more million.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Gamestop reselling the same games over and over taking away sales I assume. I remembe seeing many on this list sitting in bargin bins by the dozens.

 

[RagnarokIV]

Budokai done some serious numbers, that's awesome.

 

[electricmastro]

I was wondering whether even a single survival horror game would be on the list, at least Silent Hill 2 is... right near the very bottom.

Says way, way too much.

Most of the Resident Evil games on PS2 are dismissed as spin-offs except for 4, right?

 

[falling into hell]

I admit I also bought a PS2 to watch dvds but I still got games for it.

Seeing that list makes me sad seeing so many awesome games sell poorly. I expected much higher numbers.

 

[videogamedude]

game rentals?...

 

[yogaflame]

Oh memories. Legendary lineup of Ps2. GtA's, FFX, MOH, MGS2, GT4, Re4 some of the best.

 

[zedinen]

So was just... nobody buying games at this point in history, or what was going? They sold 160 million of these things.

For example, #1 GTA: Vice City at that sales number would be the 30th best selling game on Nintendo Switch, a console with very similar install base. Why are games selling so much more now despite install base remaining relatively the same?

The PS2's massive software sales by 2000s standards, which exceeded 1.53 billion physical copies, were heavily dispersed across its vast and diverse library.

Switch software sales are highly concentrated in a small number of first-party titles, with the top 10 best-sellers accounting for 23% of total sales.

Third-party developers have historically favored PlayStation due to its diverse software market, which permits a broad spectrum of titles to achieve commercial success.

 

[electricmastro]

The PS2's massive software sales by 2000s standards, which exceeded 1.53 billion physical copies, were heavily dispersed across its vast and diverse library.

Switch software sales are highly concentrated in a small number of first-party titles, with the top 10 best-sellers accounting for 23% of total sales.

Third-party developers have historically favored PlayStation due to its diverse software market, which permits a broad spectrum of titles to achieve commercial success.

Which could possibly indicate the level of success Sony's IPs have achieved as a whole.

 

[touchfuzzy]

The PS2's massive software sales by 2000s standards, which exceeded 1.53 billion physical copies, were heavily dispersed across its vast and diverse library.

Switch software sales are highly concentrated in a small number of first-party titles, with the top 10 best-sellers accounting for 23% of total sales.

Third-party developers have historically favored PlayStation due to its diverse software market, which permits a broad spectrum of titles to achieve commercial success.

I really wasn't trying to make this a PS vs. Nintendo thing, more of a "Why are games selling so many more copies overall" now. You can compare it to any modern platform -- GTA: Vice City would be the 20th best selling game on PS4, for example, and that's despite PS4 hardware selling a significant amount less than PS2.

 

[yogaflame]

 

[electricmastro]

Top 30 best-selling franchises on PS2 based on the list:

1.) Grand Theft Auto - 18,868,932
2.) Madden NFL - 16,074,157
3.) Need for Speed - 6,613,729
4.) Gran Turismo - 5,742,954
5.) Tony Hawk - 5,646,419
6.) Star Wars - 5,430,192
7.) Kingdom Hearts - 4,416,852
8.) Jak and Daxter - 4,186,559
9.) NBA Live - 4,101,524
10.) Medal of Honor - 3,979,478
11.) Final Fantasy - 3,974,038
12.) Dragon Ball - 3,865,466
13.) Spider-Man - 3,616,113
14.) Midnight Club - 3,604,863
15.) WWE SmackDown! - 3,417,591
16.) NCAA Football - 3,386,587
17.) Ratchet & Clank - 3,348,775
18.) SOCOM - 3,255,196
19.) ATV Offroad Fury - 3,225,354
20.) Metal Gear - 3,157,834
21.) NBA Street - 3,123,867
22.) The Simpsons - 3,044,205
23.) Middle-earth - 2,761,957
24.) James Bond - 2,722,252
25.) Tekken - 2,637,976
26.) PGA Tour - 2,442,026
27.) SSX - 2,042,400
28.) Mortal Kombat - 2,028,756
29.) The Sims - 1,906,932
30.) MVP Baseball - 1,897,315

 

[cartman414]

Is this a Euro only list? No FFXII is a disappointment.

 

[electricmastro]

Is this a Euro only list? No FFXII is a disappointment.

FFXII released in the US in October 2006, which is when the list cuts off.

 

[Lambogenie]

KHII took a dip.

As technically impressive as games are now, man, PS2 really had it going. MGS2 was just phenomenal in detail.

Ever since, it just feels like bigger, faster load and detail for a lot of these IP. Tekken seriously hasn't impressed me since 5 or Tag2. 8 was step back in right direction as a nice looking game though. Slightly jaded view, mind.

 

[P.Jack]

Never trust German sources. Tekken 5 is not even listed but is one of the best selling Tekkens right next to Tekken 3.

Yeah, Tekken 5 sold about 6 million copies on PS2. But it did release in 2005 and I think this list is up until 2005?

 

[electricmastro]

KHII took a dip.

As technically impressive as games are now, man, PS2 really had it going. MGS2 was just phenomenal in detail.

Ever since, it just feels like bigger, faster load and detail for a lot of these IP. Tekken seriously hasn't impressed me since 5 or Tag2. 8 was step back in right direction as a nice looking game though. Slightly jaded view, mind.

Kingdom Hearts II was only out for 7 months before the list cuts off. On https://web.archive.org/web/20201003170320/http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml though, which lists US sales up to December 2007, we see that it achieved 2 million in sales, which is pretty good.

 

[electricmastro]

Yeah, Tekken 5 sold about 6 million copies on PS2. But it did release in 2005 and I think this list is up until 2005?

The top 100 is up to October 2006. The ones after that are up to September 2005, but magicbox has some updated numbers up to December 2007:

The Magic Box - US Platinum Chart Games.

The Magic Box - US Platinum Chart Games.

web.archive.org

Tekken Tag Tournament has 1.61 million while Tekken 4 has 1.46 million. Neither achieved 2 million despite millions having a PS2 by 2007, which could still indicate Tekken 5 not having particularly high sales in the US.

 

[Fafalada]

For example, #1 GTA: Vice City at that sales number would be the 30th best selling game on Nintendo Switch, a console with very similar install base. Why are games selling so much more now despite install base remaining relatively the same?

First, you're comparing global sales to a single country.
Second, yes since advent of DD, software attach has gone up.
'Not' as much as you allude to(it's nowhere close to a 10x difference) - but it has grown enough that PS4 sold (about) 50% more software with a smaller hw-install in similar time-frame.
Or for direct comparison between Nintendo platforms - NDS sold about - 50-60% less software than Switch did in the same time-frame at comparable hw-install base.

 

[onQ123]

"Notable games that failed to sell more than Xenosaga Episode I on PS2 by September 2005:"

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
ICO
ZotE
Shadow Hearts
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Yet, these games have such avid fans - you'd ask yourself "where did these fans even come from"

I brought this up in the PS5 is the worst generation for Sony Thread .

People be bringing up Ico but the sales data says not many bought it

 

[NeverYouMind]

Yeah, Tekken 5 sold about 6 million copies on PS2. But it did release in 2005 and I think this list is up until 2005?

What good is it given that the last PS2 games released in 2013?

 

[kevboard]

 

[FMN]

So was just... nobody buying games at this point in history, or what was going? They sold 160 million of these things.

For example, #1 GTA: Vice City at that sales number would be the 30th best selling game on Nintendo Switch, a console with very similar install base. Why are games selling so much more now despite install base remaining relatively the same?

Gaming culture was different back then plus there were just more studio games coming out overall.

It was also bought as a DVD player for a very large amount of consumers.

 

[P.Jack]

The top 100 is up to October 2006. The ones after that are up to September 2005, but magicbox has some updated numbers up to December 2007:

The Magic Box - US Platinum Chart Games.

The Magic Box - US Platinum Chart Games.

web.archive.org

Tekken Tag Tournament has 1.61 million while Tekken 4 has 1.46 million. Neither achieved 2 million despite millions having a PS2 by 2007, which could still indicate Tekken 5 not having particularly high sales in the US.

Makes no sense, Tekken 5 was the best selling Tekken on PS2. If it's correct then Tekken 5 sold about as many copies in Europe as GTA3 in the US, which I find hard to believe.

 

[electricmastro]

Makes no sense, Tekken 5 was the best selling Tekken on PS2. If it's correct then Tekken 5 sold about as many copies in Europe as GTA3 in the US, which I find hard to believe.

It's possible many of the sales are in Japan, Europe, Australia, and others places around the world too.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

102.) Resident Evil: Code: Veronica X - 888,400

Wow, so there were TWO games in the top 200? That changes everything.

All kidding aside yeah, I looked closer at the list and I'm glad there was also a RE game, but two survival horror games, no Fatal Frames, nothing else, when survival horror was one of the best things the PS2 had going for it?

 

[Judge Magister]

Wow, so there were TWO games in the top 200? That changes everything.

All kidding aside yeah, I looked closer at the list and I'm glad there was also a RE game, but two survival horror games, no Fatal Frames, nothing else, when survival horror was one of the best things the PS2 had going for it?

Maybe only RE is a very well known series and even at that time Capcom was releasing RE firstly for Gamecube.
A great game is not equal to sales unfortunately. Forbidden Siren 2 for example didn't even released in the US.

 

[Astral_lion02]

So was just... nobody buying games at this point in history, or what was going? They sold 160 million of these things.

For example, #1 GTA: Vice City at that sales number would be the 30th best selling game on Nintendo Switch, a console with very similar install base. Why are games selling so much more now despite install base remaining relatively the same?

This top is US only.

PS2 sold 47M in the US.

 

[Pedro Motta]

"Notable games that failed to sell more than Xenosaga Episode I on PS2 by September 2005:"

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
ICO
ZotE
Shadow Hearts
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Yet, these games have such avid fans - you'd ask yourself "where did these fans even come from"

Europe.

 

[ChoosableOne]

Shadow Hearts

First time hearing about this, it looks cool.

 

[Mr_JPF]

So many Madden slop games in the top 10 and not a single NFL 2k game in the top 20 best sellers. Now the Madden fanboys are constantly bitching about the Franchise going down the drain, and that there are no alternatives if you want to play an American football game. You get what you deserve as they say.

 

[Mr_JPF]

I brought this up in the PS5 is the worst generation for Sony Thread .

People be bringing up Ico but the sales data says not many bought it

So are we just going to forget that the 2000s were the golden age of piracy ? A small number of people buying X game did not mean that only a small number of people played X game .

Another thing, back then it was a lot more common for couples to have more than 1 child. When parents bought a brand new game for their kids that game was normally played by multiple people. It's only in modern times that we have this mentally that one copy of a game = one person played it.