Most Played And Popular Games In The World (2023-2024)
Here's the answer to what is the #1 most played game and other popular games in the world.
In the ever-evolving realm of video games, certain titles stand out as captivating experiences that have captured players’ imaginations worldwide. These games, with their innovative gameplay, immersive worlds, and compelling stories, have transcended the boundaries of mere entertainment, becoming cultural phenomena that have left an indelible mark on the gaming landscape.
From the wonders of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to the adrenaline-fueled battles of Street Fighter 6, from the haunting depths of Baldur’s Gate 3 to the exhilarating combat of Diablo IV, the gaming industry has witnessed a remarkable evolution, constantly pushing the boundaries of creativity and technology. Today, we explore the most played and most popular games in 2023-2024 and help you dive into the captivating worlds they offer.
What is the #1 Game in the World in 2024?
Minecraft is the world’s #1 most played popular game. In October 2023, Mojang Studios could sell over 300 million game copies across all platforms, with around 60 million 0 registered players. Minecraft has a good track record with constant updates and version releases. Even YouTube celebrated its one trillion views on a Minecraft video, which shows the game’s success among the players as a whole community. You can apply many mods, texture packs, seeds, and enhancements to make your experience unique.
Despite Over 520 Million Copies Sold, Why Does Tetris Remain Second to Minecraft?
Minecraft was developed and published by Mojang Studios and released in 2009. It has been ported to many platforms and uses two different game engines, Lightweight Java Game Library (Java) and Render Dragon (Bedrock). Despite these differences, all versions of Minecraft are considered to be the same game, which has sold over 300 million copies.
In contrast, over 68 officially licensed Tetris games were developed by over 40 developers and released on over 65 platforms (including iPod and other devices). There are also over 70 unofficial Tetris games, many of which are commercial versions that have been purged due to the Tetris Company’s policy of not approving unauthorized games.
The Tetris Company is the exclusive licensee of Tetris Holding LLC, the owner of the worldwide rights to Tetris. TTC was founded in 1996 by Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov and Dutch video game designer Henk Rogers. Before this, Pajitnov did not receive royalties from Tetris.
Tetris is the second-bestselling video game franchise worldwide, with nearly 520 million copies sold, behind the Mario franchise, which has sold 832.37 million. However, Mojang is the clear winner in single-game sales, with Minecraft (2006) having sold over 300 million copies across all platforms and still counting.
Tetris Franchise Sold Over 520 Million Copies
The 520 million copies sold count for Tetris comes from a combination of sources, including sales data from publishers, retailers, and industry analysts.
Here is a breakdown of the sources for the 520 million copies sold count:
Physical copies: Over 70 million, including the Game Boy version’s bundled 35 million copies.
Mobile downloads: 425 million paid mobile downloads as of 2014.
Other platforms: Over 25 million copies sold, including home consoles, handheld consoles, and others.
It is important to note that these numbers are estimates and may be inaccurate. However, they are the most reliable estimates and are generally accepted as correct.
Here are some specific sources for the 520 million copies (and more) sold count:
The Tetris Company: The official website states that the game has sold over 520 million copies worldwide.
Electronic Arts: EA, which published EA Tetris, has stated that the game has sold over 100 million copies.
Nintendo: Nintendo published the NES and Game Boy versions of Tetris and stated that those versions have sold over 66 million copies.
Industry analysts: Industry analysts have estimated that Tetris has sold over 425 million paid mobile downloads.
Based on these sources, it is reasonable to conclude that Tetris has sold over 520 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises ever.
Most Popular Games in the World By Copies Sold
This list is based on the best-selling games on all platforms, and we are trying to avoid free-to-play titles to give you an accurate count of the most sold games. This means that many popular free-to-play games, such as Pokémon Go, with over 1 billion downloads, will not be included. Other complications include Minecraft: China Edition, which is free for Chinese players. We will adjust our “sold copies” metric accordingly.
Here are the most popular video games in the world, based on our above criteria:
Minecraft – 300 million copies sold
Grand Theft Auto V – 190 million copies sold
Tetris(2008) – 132 million copies sold
EA Tetris – 100 million copies sold
Wii Sports – 82.9 million copies sold
PUBG: Battlegrounds – 75 million copies sold
Pokémon Red / Green / Blue / Yellow / Let’s Go Pikachu / Eevee– 74.2 million copies sold⬆️
Tetris(1985) – 70 million copies sold
Super Mario Bros. – 65.9 million copies sold
Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe – 65.5 million copies sold⬆️
Pac-Man(1980)– 64.5 million copies sold
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – 60 million copies sold⬆️
Red Dead Redemption 2 – 57 million copies sold⬆️
Sonic the Hedgehog(1991)– 50.19 million copies sold
The Witcher 3 / Hearts of Stone / Blood and Wine – 50 million copies sold⬆️
Overwatch – 50 million copies sold
Tetris(1989) – 48 million copies sold⬆️
Wii Fit / Plus – 44.6 million copies sold
Terraria – 44.5 million copies sold
Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 43.4 million copies sold⬆️
Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal / HeartGold / SoulSilver – 42.84 million copies sold
Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)– 40.82 million copies sold⬆️
Pokémon Diamond / Pearl / Platinum / Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl – 40.19 million copies sold⬆️
Human: Fall Flat – 40 million copies sold⬆️⬆️
Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald / Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire – 37.85 million copies sold
Super Mario Bros. 2 – 37.72 million copies sold
Mario Kart Wii – 37.38 million copies sold
The Last of Us / Remastered / Part I – 35 million copies sold
Super Mario World – 34.17 million copies sold
Brain Age 1 / 2 – 33.89 million copies sold
Wii Sports Resort – 33.14 million copies sold
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 32.9 million copies sold⬆️
Monster Hunter World – 32.7 million copies sold
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 32.4 million copies sold⬆️
Super Mario 64 – 32.31 million copies sold
Call of Duty: Black Ops – 31 million copies sold
New Super Mario Bros. – 30.8 million copies sold
New Super Mario Bros. Wii – 30.32 million copies sold
Diablo III / Reaper of Souls – 30 million copies sold
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – 30.97 million copies sold
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare(2019) – 30 million copies sold
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – 30 million copies sold
Duck Hunt – 28.31 million copies sold
Wii Play – 28.02 million copies sold
The Walking Dead (2012) – 28 million copies sold
Grand Theft Auto IV – 28 million copies sold⬆️
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – 27.5 million copies sold
Call of Duty: Black Ops II – 29.6 million copies sold
Call of Duty: Ghosts – 28.8 million copies sold
Borderlands 2 – 27 million copies sold
Super Mario Odyssey – 26.95 million copies sold⬆️
Call of Duty: Black Ops III – 26.72 million copies sold
FIFA 18 – 26.4 million copies sold⬆️
Pokémon Sword / Shield – 26.02 Copies Sold⬆️
New Super Mario Bros. U / Luigi U / Deluxe – 25.59 million copies sold⬆️
Pokémon Sun / Moon / Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon – 25.51 Copies Sold
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2(2009) – 25.1 million copies sold
Cyberpunk 2077 – 25 million copies sold⬆️
God of War(2018) – 25 million copies sold⬆️
Kinect Adventures! – 24 million copies sold
Nintendogs – 23.9 million copies sold
Mario Kart DS – 23.6 million copies sold
Red Dead Redemption – 23 million copies sold
Pokémon Scarlet / Violet – 22.66 million copies sold
Elden Ring – 22.65 million copies sold⬆️
Final Fantasy VII / Remake – 21.99 million copies sold
Super Mario Galaxy – 21.87 million copies sold
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare – 21.8 million copies sold
Marvel’s Spider-Man – 21.5 million copies sold⬆️
Final Fantasy X / X-2 / HD / Remaster – 23.13 million copies sold
Call Of Duty: WWII – 20.63 million copies sold
Stardew Valley – 20 million copies sold
The Sims 2 – 20 million copies sold
Dark Souls III – 20 million copies sold
Garry’s Mod – 20 million copies sold
Frogger – 20 million copies sold
Lemmings – 20 million copies sold
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – 19.5 million copies sold⬆️
Super Mario Land – 18.37 million copies sold
Monster Hunter Rise – 18.1 million copies sold
Donkey Kong – 17.77 million copies sold
Call of Duty: World at War – 17.7 million copies sold
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – 17.5 million copies sold
Super Mario 3D World / Bowser’s Fury – 16.7 million copies sold⬆️
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec – 16.5 million copies sold
Pokémon X / Y – 16.68 million copies sold
Gran Turismo 5 – 16.01 million copies sold
Dark Souls / Remastered – 16 million copies sold
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – 16 million copies sold
The Sims – 16 million copies sold
Pokémon Black / White – 15.65 million copies sold
Super Mario Sunshine – 15.38 million copies sold
Ring Fit Adventure – 15.38 million copies sold
Diablo II – 15 million copies sold
The Elder Scrolls Online – 15 million copies sold
Pokémon Legends: Arceus – 14.83 million copies sold
Grand Theft Auto III – 14.5 million copies sold
Halo 3 – 14.5 million copies sold
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – 14.1 million copies sold⬆️
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time / 3D – 14.04 million copies sold
Bloodborne – 14 million copies sold
Splatoon 2 – 13.6 million copies sold
Fallout 4 – 13.51 million copies sold
New Super Mario Bros. 2 – 13.41 million copies sold
Super Smash Bros. Brawl – 13.32 million copies sold
Animal Crossing: New Leaf – 13.04 million copies sold
Dark Souls II – 13 million copies sold
Super Mario Land 3D Land – 12.86 million copies sold
Luigi’s Mansion 3 – 12.82 million copies sold
Super Mario All-Stars – 12.79 million copies sold
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening / DX – 12.51 million copies sold
Fallout 3 – 12.4 million copies sold
Final Fantasy XII / Zodiac Age / Revenant Wings – 12.34 million copies sold
Rust – 12 million copies sold
Half-Life 2 – 12 million copies sold
Final Fantasy VIII / Remastered – 11.98 million copies sold
Animal Crossing: Wild World – 11.75 million copies sold
Dr. Mario – 11.5 million copies sold
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins – 11.18 million copies sold
StarCraft – 11M Players
Fallout: New Vegas – 11M Players
Splatoon 3 – 10.67 million copies sold
Final Fantasy XV /(Versions Excluding F2P) – 10.5 million copies sold
Persona 5 / Royal / Remaster – 10.22 million copies sold
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess / HD – 10.02 million copies sold
The Last of Us Part II – 10 million copies sold
Dragon Ball FighterZ – 10 million copies sold
Halo: Reach – 9.87 million copies sold
Persona 4 / Golden – 9.84 million copies sold
Halo 4 – 9.75 million copies sold
Ghost of Tsushima – 9.73 million copies sold
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS – 9.64 million copies sold
Final Fantasy XIII / XIII-2 / Lightning Returns – 9.6 million copies sold
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – 9.5 million copies sold
Halo 5: Guardians – 9.5 million copies sold
Monster Hunter 3 – 9.4 million copies sold
Wii Party – 9.35 million copies sold
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 – 9 million copies sold
Monster Hunter X / Generations – 8.9 million copies sold
Final Fantasy IX / HD – 8.9 million copies sold
Pokémon Black 2 / White 2 – 8.52 million copies sold
Halo 2 – 8.46 million copies sold
Super Mario Maker 2 – 8.42 million copies sold
Monster Hunter 4 – 8.3 million copies sold
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – 7.82 million copies sold
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass / Spirit Tracks – 7.72 million copies sold
Super Mario Maker – 7.7 million copies sold
Nier: Automata – 7.5 million copies sold
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past / Four Swords – 7.43 million copies sold
Super Smash Bros. Melee – 7.41 million copies sold
Super Mario Galaxy 2 – 7.4 million copies sold
Yo-kai Watch 2 – 7.3 million copies sold
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – 6.96 million copies sold
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island – 6.95 million copies sold
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask / 3D – 6.82 million copies sold
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – 6.8 million copies sold
Tomodachi Life – 6.72 million copies sold
Monster Hunter 2 – 6.72 million copies sold
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon – 6.48 million copies sold
Dragon Quest III – 6.44 million copies sold
Dragon Quest V – 6.41 million copies sold
Halo 3: ODST – 6.35 million copies sold
Space Invaders(1980) – 6.25 million copies sold
Starcraft II – 6 million copies sold
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot – 6 million copies sold
Dragon Quest IV – 5.97 million copies sold
Kingdom Hearts – 5.9 million copies sold
Final Fantasy Type-0 – 5.9 million copies sold
Dragon Quest VIII – 5.80 million copies sold
Link’s Crossbow Training – 5.79 million copies sold
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds / Tri Force Heroes – 5.62 million copies sold
Dragon Quest VII – 5.56 million copies sold
Super Smash Bros. – 5.55 million copies sold
Halo: Combat Evolved – 5.5 million copies sold
Dragon Quest I – 5.41 million copies sold
Demon’s Souls – 5.4 million copies sold
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U – 5.38 million copies sold
Dragon Quest IX – 5.35 million copies sold
The Legend of Zelda / Classic NES – 5.29 million copies sold
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 – 5.19 million copies sold
Kirby’s Dream Land – 5.13 million copies sold
Chrono Trigger – 5.13 million copies sold
Donkey Kong Jr. – 5.06 million copies sold
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – 5 million copies sold
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse – 5 million copies sold
Kingdom Hearts III – 5 million copies sold
Fable II – 5 million copies sold
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link / Classic NES – 4.97 million copies sold
Splatoon – 4.95 million copies sold
Dragon Quest II – 4.87 million copies sold
Dragon Quest VI – 4.7 million copies sold
Kirby Star Allies – 4.38 million copies sold
Super Mario Bros. Wonder – 4.3 million copies sold⬆️
Fire Emblem: Three Houses – 4.12 million copies sold
Star Fox 64 – 4 million copies sold
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – 4 million copies sold
Most Played Video Games in the World by Player Count (2023-2024)
This list is based on player count, registered accounts, and peak player logins since release. Therefore, the total count may not reflect the current number of players. Additionally, the values may vary depending on the source. For example, Overwatch had 50 million players, but Overwatch 2 currently has 25 million registered players, despite all Overwatch players automatically upgrading to OW2. This may be due to the new requirement to connect a phone number to your account. So, with that said, here are the most-played video games in the world:
Candy Crush Saga – 2.73B Players
PUBG: Battlegrounds – 1.2B Players
Crossfire – 1B Players
Dungeon Fighter Online – 850M Players
Minecraft – 738M Players
QQ Speed / GKART / Speed Drifters – 700M Players
Pac-Man Doodle – 505M Players
Among Us – 500M Players
Microsoft Solitaire – 400M Players
Mini World – 400M Players
Crazyracing Kartrider – 380M Players
Fortnite – 350M Players
Fantasy Westward Journey – 310M Players
RuneScape – 280M Players
Rules of Survival – 230M Players
Roblox – 202M Players
Club Penguin – 200M Players
Dragon Nest – 200M Players
MapleStory – 180M Players
Tetris – 177M Players
Animal Jam – 160M Players
World of Tanks – 160M Players
Grand Theft Auto V – 140M Players
Apex Legends – 130M Players
The Legend of Mir 3 – 120M Players
League of Legends – 111M Players
Transformice – 100M Players
World of Warcraft – 100M Players
CityVille – 100M Players
Happy Farm – 100M Players
Scions of Fate – 100M Players
The Sims Social – 100M Players
Zhengtu – 100M Players
Microsoft Solitaire Collection – 100M Players
Hearthstone – 100M Players
Call of Duty: Warzone – 100M Players
Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes – 100M Players
FarmVille – 83M Players
Westward Journey Online 2 – 83M Players
Ragnarok Online – 80M Players
Moshi Monsters – 80M Players
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links – 80M Players
Dragon Oath – 75M Players
Rocket League – 75M Players
Dofus – 62M Players
Adopt Me! – 60M Players
Flyff – 60M Players
Fall Guys – 50M Players
Overwatch – 50M Players
Lineage – 50M Players
Perfect World – 50M Players
Team Fortress 2 – 50M Players
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – 50M Players
Warframe – 50M Players
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – 46M Players
FarmVille 2 – 43M Players
The Sims 4 – 36M Players
Drakensang Online – 35M Players
FIFA 20 – 35M Players
Teamfight Tactics – 33M Players
Evony – 33M Players
FIFA 18 – 32.5M Players
FIFA 21 – 31M Players
Pac-Man – 30M Players
Black Desert Online – 30M Players
FIFA 17 – 30M Players
Sea of Thieves – 30M Players
Metal Slug Defense – 29M Players
FIFA 16 – 28.3M Players
TERA – 28M Players
Unturned – 27M Players
GetAmped – 26M Players
Overwatch 2 – 25M Players (After phone number registration)
Street Fighter II – 25M Players
Call of Duty: WWII – 24.9M Players
Forza Horizon 4 – 24M Players
Horizon Zero Dawn – 24.3M Players
Left 4 Dead 2 – 23M Players
Sudden Attack – 23M Players
Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds – 21M Players
Final Fantasy XIV – 20M Players
Mabinogi – 20M Players
DC Universe Online – 20M Players
Shadowverse – 20M Players
osu! – 19.3M Players
Blade & Soul – 18M Players
Payday 2 – 18M Players
Farm Town – 17M Players
The Last of Us Remastered – 15.9M Players
Doom – 15M Players
For Honor – 15M Players
Minecraft Dungeons – 15M Players
Trove – 15M Players
Puyopuyo!! Quest Arcade – 15M Players
Lineage II – 14M Players
Paladins – 14M Players
Battlefield 4 – 13.9M Players
The Elder Scrolls Online – 13.5M Players
Dota 2 – 13M Players
Call of Duty: Ghosts – 12.6M Players
FIFA 19 – 12.5M Players
Rust – 12M Players
Guild Wars 2 – 11M Players
Forza Horizon 3 – 10M Players
Star Wars: The Old Republic – 10M Players
H1Z1 – 10M Players
Forza Horizon 5 – 10M Players
Ark: Survival Evolved – 10M Players
State of Decay 2 – 10M Players
Robocraft – 10M Players
Free Realms – 10M Players
That’s everything you need to know about the world’s #1 most played and list of most popular games in 2023-2024.
Phil is a creative and imaginative person who loves to tell stories. He believes video games are a powerful medium that can transport players to new and exciting worlds. He is excited to continue writing and gaming and hopes one day to create a fun video game.