
While much of the attention has unsurprisingly been given to the Switch, Nintendo's recent avalanche of financial data has also given us an updated look at sales across other recent systems. We wouldn't blame you for thinking that these consoles mustn't generate any software sales these days, but with Mario Kart Wii shifting another 40,000 copies in just the last quarter, you'd probably be quite surprised.
So without further ado, we present to you complete lists of the best-selling Nintendo-published games for Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Nintendo DS. All numbers are correct as of 30th September 2018 and include both physical and digital sales.
Wii U

Topping the list on Wii U is arguably the best entry into Mario's fast-paced, item-throwing racing series, Mario Kart 8 (before it was made even better and thrown onto Switch, that is). You'll notice that this is just the start in quite the trend of most popular titles, but just take a moment to look at how many Mario games made this list. "It's-a-me, wahoo" indeed.
- Mario Kart 8 - 8.42 million
- Super Mario 3D World - 5.80 million
- New Super Mario Bros. U - 5.77 million
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 5.35 million
- Nintendo Land - 5.19 million
- Splatoon - 4.94 million
- Super Mario Maker - 4.00 million
- New Super Luigi U - 3.04 million
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD - 2.28 million
- Mario Party 10 - 2.19 million
Nintendo 3DS

See, we told you. Mario's back at it again on 3DS with Mario Kart 7 - the entry which unsurprisingly came just before Mario Kart 8 - sitting at the top of the pile. Of course, until this year's Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, the handheld market had always been the exclusive home of main series Pokémon games, too. You can expect to find bucket loads of the little pocket critters in this list.
- Mario Kart 7 - 17.52 million
- Pokémon X and Y - 16.34 million
- Pokémon Sun and Moon - 16.13 million
- Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire - 14.13 million
- New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 12.82 million
- Super Mario 3D Land - 12.22 million
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 11.94 million
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS - 9.35 million
- Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon - 7.96 million
- Tomodachi Life - 6.30 million pcs.
Wii

Ah, the Wii, the console which introduced more games where you shake a Wii Remote around than you could ever hope to shake a Wii Remote at. Wii Sports obviously takes the top spot here, not only being bundled with almost every Wii in existence, but also going on to be the best-selling single-platform game of all time. In other news, the 'Wii' branding was certainly used to the full, wasn't it?
- Wii Sports - 82.86 million
- Mario Kart Wii - 37.14 million
- Wii Sports Resort - 33.09 million
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii - 30.22 million
- Wii Play - 28.02 million
- Wii Fit - 22.67 million
- Wii Fit Plus - 21.13 million
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl - 13.29 million
- Super Mario Galaxy - 12.78 million
- Wii Party - 9.32 million
Nintendo DS

Finally we have the Nintendo DS. The usual handheld blend of Mario and Pokémon take centre stage here, although the Brain Training franchise also makes its presence felt thanks to its huge popularity back in the day. That and nintendogs, which we're amazed hasn't found its way to Switch in one way or another.
- New Super Mario Bros. - 30.80 million
- nintendogs - 23.96 million
- Mario Kart DS - 23.60 million
- Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? - 19.01 million
- Pokémon Diamond and Pearl - 17.67 million
- Pokémon Black and White - 15.64 million
- More Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? - 14.88 million
- Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver - 12.72 million
- Animal Crossing: Wild World - 11.75 million
- Super Mario 64 DS - 11.06 million
So there you have it, the best-selling Nintendo-published games across all recent major systems. If you missed it yesterday, feel free to check out the top ten best-selling Switch games too!
Any surprises on these lists? Do you have many of the games listed above? Join in with the community and let us know below with a comment.
[source nintendo.co.jp]
Comments 81
How to sell on a Nintendo system 101:
1. Be Mario.
2. If you're not, be a Nintendo game.
@Octane
3. Be a game boxed with the console
Thats the only reason Tetris is the best selling game on Gameboy
People sure do love those Mario Karts.
See ya! Bye bye....
@Bunkerneath Nah, Tetris is a cool game.
Wii Sports however...
Wii Sports being bundled shouldn't count in any best selling list.
Mario Kart 8 will likely be the worst-selling game in the franchise
@Octane Yeah i know, but i was just using it as an example.
The games which come boxed with the console should not be counted
@PokeMario Yep, until you combine it with the Switch numbers though... then it's one of the best performing. I'd suspect Double Dash on the Gamecube has the lowest accolade.... If you're including Handheld, then Super Circuit on the Game Boy Advance is surely lower too?
There's a lot of Pokemon on this list... Are we absolutely, categorically sure we want yet another Pokemon game in 2019?!
I notice how mario kart is consistently in the top 3 in all of the consoles
@nocdaes Damn i was just about to mention that...
That Wii u list is great
I thought this was interesting:
Super Smash Bros. (Wii U) 5.35 million + 9.35 million (3DS) = 14.7 million
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - 13.29 million
The latest Smash outsold the one on Wii, despite the Wii's crazy huge install base.
Fun numbers, and boy the WiiU had some GREAT Nintendo titles. I really hope 3D Land gets and update/boost for Switch, and I'd love a 'Super Mario Player' game on Switch that simply let you play all the online levels people have made on WiiU. For $20 I'd be in!
I always thought that it was a bad idea to launch the Wii U with NSMB game instead of a proper 3D Mario game that would have benefited from HD given their relative simplicity and how many there had been (haven't played NMSBU for the record, and planning on getting it for the Switch, but I did play all the others), but looking at the numbers for the Wii (which was with sales of the console decreasing soon after) and DS, I can't blame them at all.
Is this physical sales or does it include digital?
Because that's super impressive for New Super Luigi U, which was primarily pushed as a DLC add-on.
@nocdaes It's already surpassed Super Circuit and Double Dash, I was just poking fun at this Polygon article that said its lifetime sales would be under 2 million.
@Octane While this is solely a list of Nintendo games and no 3rd parties... You're not wrong.
One Zelda on this entire list....🤔😤
@vincentgoodwin Yeah, all the numbers include digital. I've added this in now to make things more clear 🙂
@Bunkerneath
Tetris would’ve sold with or without Nintendo.
I have all those DS games, but I am still missing Wii Fit (Plus), Wii Sports Resort, Tomodachi Life, Pokémon Ultra Moon, Mario Party 10, and Super Smash Bros. For Wii U. I highly recommend all of the games on these lists that I do have.
I have 36 of them...9 on each.
I will say, nothing may ever be like playing Wii Sports for the first time
To be fair to Wii Sports, a huge chunk of the Wiis shipped were for that one game. My in-laws and old people's homes weren't buying Wiis to play Mario Galaxy and Wii Sports wasn't an incidental extra that came with their Wiis.
@mattesdude that's even more than me. Which 4 are you missing?
Mario Kart is a beast franchise.
Mario Party 10 being one of the top selling titles on Wii U is sad considering how mediocre it is. Probably the worst entry in the franchise aside from Mario Party Advance.
Best game I played on Wii U was Zelda BotW. XCX was also very good, just nowhere near as good as the original.
We own 8 games on the list, Luigi was DLC, and MP10 just isn't us, but I'm putting Zelda BotW above all of them regarding the 1 game I would tell Wii U owners to have in their collection.
is it just me or do these lists seem a little......bias ???
@link3710 I'm afraid that wouldn't have made a difference. The top 10 of all their systems is dominated by Nintendo titles. Take the DS for example (according to VGChartz), the first non-Nintendo title is number 15: Cooking Mama. There are only 2 games not published by Nintendo in the entire top 20. Only four non-Nintendo games in the top 30 3DS games, none of them are in the top 10.
@ALinkttPresent Missing Mario Party 10 (haven’t bought one since 4), tomadachi life, Mario kart Wii (every other entry had been a must-have....not sure why I skipped) and More Brain age.
38/40. Just missing Wii Party and the original Wii Fit (traded in for Wii Fit Plus).
Actually, might be 37. Need to check if we traded in Wii Fit Plus for Wii Fit U... my gut says no...
Good old Nintendo Land. My family and I had a blast with it for years, specifically the Luigi’s Mansion one. It was the most asked about game at holiday get togethers!
And Nintendo really needs to consider bringing back Nintendogs... look how much it sold! But I wonder if that could effectively translate to a tv screen... the pull was that it was in your hands on the dual screens :/
Anyone else surprised BOTW didn't make the list on Wii U?
The Wii Sports argument is a bit of a chicken/egg thing. Games are bundled with the system because they know they’re E ticket titles that most console owners would buy anyway. Had Wii Sports sales stagnated, it would have been replaced with a Zelda or Mario or some other pack-in game.
@Octane Yeah lol, that's why I said it wouldn't make a difference. Though, as of now, there's definitely 3rd parties in Switch's top 10. We'll see how long that lasts though.
The 3DS numbers are insane. I expect high attach rates from both the Wii and DS... But the 3DS is really hammering home them numbers, i mean when people ask how Nintendo stayed afloat during the Wii U years, one would only need to look at what the 3DS was able to do.
@Snaplocket see my second comment
@PokeMario we all get things wrong sometimes. We don’t all write statistically illiterate things that are completely ignorant of basic facts about how the games industry operates that get published on a major gaming website.
Seriously, even at the time I thought it was a stupid article likely to be shown up and it had become comical long before the Wii U headed off it’s mortal coil. Today it’s absolutely farcical to revisit.
It's no wonder they keep making those New Super Mario bros games,they sell really well,but I'm sure a proper Super Mario Bros 4 with original ideas could sell just as well as long as it keeps that 2D Mario feel
@Octane whilst you’re not wrong I would suggest there is a more subtle picture beneath the numbers.
There are no third party games on those lists because they didn’t release anything good enough to compete on Nintendo platforms. Third parties invested big on games that never came to Nintendo platforms and the games that did come to Nintendo platforms (and which were strong well made games not significantly hobbled from versions on other platforms) weren’t matched with the marketing expertise or advertising budget needed to really push them up those lists.
At the same time we know that many third parties had major successes on Wii and DS. Ubisoft with Just Dance for instance. I have to assume Sims games sold well on DS too because there were tons of them!
@StuTwo I'll point you to my second comment as well.
"...I was just poking fun..."
I did exactly that. Nothing to get worked up over.
@PokeMario I know. I was nodding along in text.
The person who wrote the article for Polygon is the one who wrote the crazy things. Honestly I still can't believe they published it!
Projected sales 1.26 million. Actual sales: 8.42 million on Wii U alone
https://www.polygon.com/2014/5/15/5718168/mario-kart-series-sales
@UsualNoise Yeah me...
It seems like everyone get's that game on / with the Switch.
I played it on my WiiU (almost all on the tablet) and realy liked it there. Maybee people just sold there WiiU's and jumped ship.
Wii Party Sucked! But I bought it for $20 and it came bundled with a Motion Plus Wii Remote controller. I'm not surprised it was up there with the best games.
As much as i'm glad we've moved on from the Wii era, seeing this list still brings back fond memories, Wii Play was more fun then it had any right to be, i'd actually quite like it to come to Switch with some new joy-con exclusive games, the HD rumble still hasn't been fully realised yet i don't think.
Tomodachi Life on the other hand, i cannot believe sold as well as it did ! lol
One can infer from all of those lists that a certain superbly-stached plumber shooting shells at speedy shifters is quite special.
Try saying the last half of that sentence ten times.
I'm somewhat surprised Brawl sold so few with such a huge install base.
@oOFincHyOo In Japan and South Korea, Wii Sports was not bundle with the Wii and later in the Wii's life cycle, Wii Sports was sold separately as a Nintendo Select title in all territories so these sales numbers count those as well. Also there's the majority of customers who lost their free Wii Sports copy when they play their Wii and eventually had to call Nintendo to shipped them a replacement copy which also add to those numbers as well since the replacement copy also count as a purchase.
@Isaix A proper Super Mario Bros. 4 already existed. What we need is a proper Super Mario Bros. 5 or Super Mario Land 4 or Super Mario World 3.

@Snaplocket I know a few other people who have liked XCX better than XC. It certainly had better graphics and a bigger open world. I just couldn't stand the music and I found the story lackluster. It's taken playing dozens of JRPG for me to finally realize I much prefer a linear story driven game than an open world do what you want game. And I need a strong main character. Shulk, Ryne, Fiora and Rikki were much much better than the people I can't remember in XCX. I did like the guy in XCX who flipped form bad to good, he had the most interesting story arc, but the rest just didn't click for me. It was probably the best game graphically on Wii U, including Zelda BotW. I almost didn't play XC originally b/c the graphics on Wii were so bad after moving on to PS3. And then when I played it I stopped after 15 hours b/c it was so boring. Then a year later I started over when XCX was announced and it finally clicked, at about the 25 hour mark. And again at the 35 and 50 hour marks. Long game.
Not TOO surprising, though Tomodachi Life ended up being #10 on the 3DS, which was nice to see, but the Wii lost...that one was depressing, but understandable.
Wherever and why did that phrase that 3rd party games don't sell on Nintendo hardware come about? This list backs up that perception.
And Nintendo fans keep saying people on other consoles play the same games over and over.
This is all the same stuff over and over again also - and now on Switch it literally is the same games as the WiiU. 🙃
@rjejr Breath of the Wild is definitely the best general appeal game. Super Mario Maker, Mario Kart 8, and Smash all sold the console at differing points. I think the biggest non-Nintendo game would be Shovel Knight. A lot of the other titles are sorta niche.
@Darknyht Wonderful 101 should have been a big selling game, game was so unique, I just dont' think they knew how to promote it b/c it was so odd but it was 1 of my favorites on the system. I like a linear game with a lot of action and voice acting. Graphics were good too. Can't bring myself to play Shovel Knight, my kid bought it on 3DS, but I know what you mean about it, kind of birth-by-fire on Wii U and now it's everywhere. Mario Maker probably could have saved the Wii U 2 years earlier, or as a bundle in at launch instead of Ntinedo Land, but it was already dead by then. Still waiting for the SMM port on Switch, or SMM2: The One With Slopes, no way they let that franchise in the making die. Zelda Maker, DK Maker, Zero Suit Samus Maker w/ HD Rumble and jiggle physics lots of potential.
From Wii U top 10 games we can have at least 4 more ports (hopefully in 2019?) : Super Mario Maker, Super Mario 3d world, New Super Luigi U. Also Nintendo Land /Wii Sports Club (even though its not at top 10).
From 3ds games there are 4 Pokemon games and 3 Mario games. So the next generation pokemon game can't come soon enough.
@retro_player_22 Oh yeah of course Super Mario World is Super Mario bros 4,I think that's what is call in japan or something,but I guess an OFFICIAL Super Mario Bros. 4 then
Does this count Wii u VC downloads for DS/Wii games? Not that I think they'll have made much of a difference to those figures mind
Looking at the sales for Wii, no wonder Nintendo was fine during the Wii-u years
@Pigeon About the only Wii game that could appear is Just Dance 2 (5 million) and Just Dance (4.3 Million). Then there are a few that sold 2 million (Guitar Hero 3, Epic Mickey, Michael Jackson Experience, Deca Sports, RE:4, Game Party and Monster Hunter Tri). For all the complaints of shovel-ware on Wii, if it wasn't Nintendo produced that is primarily what sold along with dance/rhythm games.
There appears to be no Wii U third party game that sold over 1 million (physical/digital counted).
@nocdaes yes
Let's see, I own 4 of the Wii U games, 5 of the Wii games, 6 of the 3DS games, and just 1 of the DS games (although I do want to get Pokémon SoulSilver one of these days).
@cyrus_zuo I'd rather see a remaster of "3D World" on Switch than "3D Land," as the former game is the one with local multiplayer, while the latter would be somewhat gimped without the 3DS's exclusive features like stereoscopic 3D and StreetPass.
@rjejr @Snaplocket I have to go with rjejr on this one. I too prefer more linear story-driven games over open worlds (that and the awesome motion controls are why I really like "Skyward Sword" but will never touch "Breath of the Wild"; it's also partly why "Other M" is my favorite Metroid game, as blasphemous as that may be), and the first Xenoblade Chronicles is the best RPG I've ever played to date. Period. (Although, I haven't yet tried XC2. It and its extra prequel campaign are high on my list once I get a Switch.)
XCX is a really good game itself, but there are also a number of major flaws with the exploration (pre-Skell), story, and user interface. The combat also isn't quite as good, especially when battling giant enemies on foot.
Crazy enough, the Wii U list is actually probably the strongest overall list of games here.
It is time for a Nintendogs revival!
@BulbasaurusRex XC is slowing growing to become my favorite JRPG as well, and I finished it a couple of years ago, but it's still in my head and gradually moving up the list. It's at #2 now, #1 is FF7 b/c I'm one of those FF7 fanboys who got a PS1, had never played a JRPG before, played that one and was hooked. Not sure how well it' saged, but I knwo peopel who still swear by Mario 64 and I played that game once and it's utter garbage, and 3D world platformers are my favorite genre. So probably if I played FF7 today for the first time Id' hate it - my son just started OoT for the first time and couldn't get more than a few hours into it - but I played it 20 years ago and it stuck, every JRPG I've played since than has been trying to surpass it, and XC has come closest.
Funny, I also haven't played XC2 yet, I'm still holding out hope for either a Complete edition, or for the expansion pass bundle to go on sale on the eShop Black Friday. One way or another the plan is to get it for Christmas.
Since I'm here, other JRPG near the top of my list are Grandia 2 and Skies of Arcadia on Dreamcast. If Switch got versions I'd almost certainly replay Grandia 2, SoA is a little too long though for another playthru.
@rjejr @BulbasaurusRex It's funny Final Fantasy VII doesn't even crack my top 5 for Final Fantasy titles now, but back then it was a must own game (and caused me to switch to Playstation for two generations). Xenoblade Chronicles was like going back to those old Final Fantasy games mashed up with a MMO structure (similar to another game I loved, Dragon Age: Origins). Xenoblade Chronicles X was enjoyable, but lost something with your character just being along for everyone else's story (and the majority of it being optional and about people I didn't really care about).
EDIT: Meant XCX not XC2.
@Darknyht "your character just being along for everyone else's story"
Wow, that sounds worse than XCX. I just beat the main story in DQXI, 100 hours and 33 minutes. Still looking forward to the post game which I've read was good. An dit was a good game, but I still don't like going back to turn based games. Probably better for my heart and my stress level, but I'd rather play something a little more action oriented. So at least if the story in XC2 isn't that good and least I should enjoy the battle system more. The battle system in DQXI was mostly 3 other people sitting on my couch telling me what to do, I was battling them as much as the game. I almost had to tell them all to leave the room during the final boss battle.
@rjejr Sorry, this is why one shouldn't reply tired. Xenoblade Chronicles X was what I was thinking of (sometimes I really hate Japanese numbering).
I'm surprised Nintendo hasn't done anything with Nintendogs in recent years. I (like many other 12 year olds in that era) loved those games on DS.
I think they could potentially do something kind of cool with it on the Switch.
@Darknyht You know, I almost asked you if you meant XCX b/c it kind of sounded like that was what you were describing, but in 2018 it's hard to ask someone a question w/o coming across as a complete jerk who's trying to start an argument. Sorry I just wasn't up front to begin with, would have saved us both some trouble.
@rjejr Don't worry about it. I am trying to make an effort to not assume the worse when someone replies, as there is just so much missing from the written word (tone, facial expression, etc.). Life is too short to be honest.
I like Xenoblade Chronicles X, but it is a good reflection of the console it was created for.
@Darknyht So have you played XC2 yet, the new one on Switch? I'm still holding out for the Complete Edition, even though there probably won't be one. DQXI never ends, even after the credits roll, so no rush.
@rjejr Unfortunately not, I haven't been able to pick up a Switch yet. My family had some unexpected expenses so our budget is extremely tight for a while. Most of the recent purchases I have made has been used Wii/Wii U stuff with Amazon Credit I've earned (Bing Rewards), and I still have a SNES Classic and Sega Genesis Classics to work on also.
@Darknyht "I haven't been able to pick up a Switch yet"
Well if we had a crystal ball or time machine I wouldn't' have picked one up yet either and probably would have gotten the Smash bundle. When I told my kids at the Switch's launch we would get a Christmas Switch and then SMO had a bundle it was the family Christmas gift decided. But we've rarely used it this year. We played Kirby Star Allies 3 player for a week, then Mario and Rabbids this summer after an E3 eShop sale.
So really, as far as I'm concerned, you haven't' missed much. We do have Smash, Eevee and Yoshi pre-ordered so Switch looks good from this Christmas on out, but the sophomore slump was real.
@rjejr That would be the other half of it right now. Outside of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Octopath Traveler there really hasn't been a lot of desirable releases on Switch for me. A lot of Nintendo's releases are games I own already on Wii U and most of the third party stuff hasn't really grabbed me either (or I can just purchase on Steam).
I've learned just to not pay a whole lot of attention to new game releases. I have enjoyed finding cheap gems for the Wii/Wii U, and learning more about the older systems. Besides, I will have plenty to choose from cheap once I finally get a Switch (or the eventual Switch Pro).
@retro_player_22 They're called New Super Mario Bros. Give 'em a shot.
@Darknyht "or the eventual Switch Pro"
Also an option. Between the New 3DS, Pro and X1X casual gamers may just stop buying new consoles at launch and wait for the "new & improved" model in 2 years when there are plenty of cheap games to play. Considering the red ring of death failure rate with the 360 I wouldn't be surprised it that already hurt the X1 at launch. Among many other variables, that system was launched to die.
Of course there will always be Day 1 purchasers, all those athletes with off seasons and much money will always be there day 1. Probably entertainers too. And teenagers old enough to buy their first system. But I wouldn't be surprised if PS5 sales are less than PS4 and Switch 2 less than Switch. I can't imagine X2 selling well, though selling more at launch than X1 wouldn't be too hard I imagine.
I'm not predicting another video game crash if it reads like that, just more spread out sales rather than heavy at launch.
@rjejr The closest console I have purchased on "Day 1" was a Wii and it was more a fluke than a real attempt. I happened to walk into a Wal-Mart just as they received a shipment when they were still very difficult to find. I am becoming convinced that we are eventually going to start seeing console revisions more than entirely new systems, much like the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro.
@Darknyht Funny, our near Day 1 Wii purchase was a fluke as well. Amazon was having some type of lottery contest the month it launched, You entered for a chance to "win" the opportunity to buy a Wii at full price. Glad I did, it was near impossible to find one on a store shelf for a full 2 years where I lived. I think I spent the whole first year only playing the bundled Wii Sports. My sons were 4 and 2 at the time so it worked out really well for them.
And yes, lots of revisions from here on out. I'm expecting a New PS4 next year, Pro power in a slim body for $249. 3DS is probably done w/ that $149 New 2DS XL which is really just a New 3DS XL w/o the 3D effect, Nintneod isn't fooling anybody with that one. Switch will get a ton, Switch Advance, Switch Boy, Switch Pocket, Switch Micro, SwitchTV, Switch Lite, New Switch. Switch Portable, AKA 2nd Switch in Japan. OK maybe only 2/3 of those.
@Dog They all look and play too much a like. If they're like the older games where each one isn't a rehash of the other then I would had appreciate them more.
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