Today’s most popular and best-selling games often include expensive first-party exclusives, big multiplayer hits, and aging titles like GTA V that stick around years after launch. But that wasn’t the case 20 years ago, as seen in newly published sales data.
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On Wednesday, Mat Piscatella, executive director and video game industry advisor at Circana, posted an image on Twitter showing the best-selling video games in July 2014 and July 2004. The data from 10 years ago is interesting, especially because a lot of games like Mario Kart 8, Minecraft, and GTA V which were big back then are still seen on best-seller lists in 2024.
July 2014 Top 20 Premium Software Titles
The Last of UsFIFA 14Watch DogsMario Kart 8MinecraftGrand Theft Auto VCall of Duty: GhostsSniper Elite IIIUFCNBA 2K14Battlefield 4Wolfenstein: The New OrderTitanfallThe LEGO Movie VideogameAssassin’s Creed IV: Black FlagPokemon X/YThe Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimInjustice: Gods Among Us2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil MLB 14: The Show
But what we’re really here to look at is the July 2004 data, as it provides a 20-year time capsule of the video game industry and how different it was two decades ago. Here’s that list:
July 2004 Top 20 Premium Software Titles
NCAA Football 2005Spider-Man 2NFL 2K5Driver 3Tales of SymphoniaShrek 2MVP Baseball 2004Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow Pokemon: Ruby/SapphireHalo: Combat EvolvedNeed for Speed: UndergroundMega Man: Anniversary CollectionRed Dead RevolverYu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of DestructionFight Night 2004Mega Man: Battle Network 4 The SimsTiger Woods PGA Tour 2004Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
The first thing that stands out is the game at the top. It’s not a Call of Duty, a Grand Theft Auto, or even a big RPG or sci-fi action game. Nope. It’s EA Sports’ NCAA Football 2005. It’s been a long time since that has happened, but the recent college football game from EA—the first in over a decade—is exploding and might end up at the top of July 2024’s best-selling games list.
Meanwhile, Shrek 2—a licensed action-adventure game based on the animated movie—is in the top ten, beating out titles like Red Dead Revolver, Need for Speed: Underground, and Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. I can’t remember the last time a movie tie-in game cracked the top charts. And hey, look at that! Mega-Man, Driver, and Yu-Gi-Oh! are in the top 20, t00. It was truly a different era back then, huh?
And comparing this old list to May 2024’s best-selling games, it’s clear that while a lot has changed, some things stay the same. Baseball games sell well and people still like Spider-Man sequels.
May 2024’s Best-Selling Games
Ghost of TsushimaPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year DoorCall of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023)Helldivers IIMLB: The Show 24Sea of ThievesMinecraftElden RingHogwarts LegacyStellar BladeFallout 4EA Sports FC 24Marvel’s Spider-Man 2Homeworld 3Mario Kart 8Madden NFL 24 Rise of the Ronin F1 24 Mortal Kombat 1 Dragon’s Dogma II
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