Game Boy Turns 32 - Top 10 Best-Selling Game Boy Games - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 August 2021 / 5,839 Views
Nintendo's 8-bit handheld game console, the Game Boy, is celebrating its 32nd anniversary in North America. The Game Boy released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America on July 31, 1989, and didn't release in Europe until 1990.
Nintendo had discontinued the Game Boy in 2003 and managed to sell 118.69 million units of the handheld during its lifetime. This figure combines the sales of the original Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Light, and Game Boy Color. It is currently the third best-selling video game platform of all time, behind the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS.
The Game Boy had strong sales worldwide with 43.18 million units sold in North America. It also sold 40.05 million units in Europe, 32.47 million units in Japan, and 2.99 million units in the rest of the world.
49 games for the Game Boy managed to sell over one million units, 23 games sold more than two million units, 10 sold over five million units, and six sold over 10 million units. Two games managed to sell over 30 million units.
Pokémon Red / Blue / Green is the biggest hit on the platform with 31.38 million units sold. Tetris, which was a launch title for the handheld, comes in a close second with 30.26 million units sold. Pokémon Gold / Silver was the third best-selling Game Boy game with sales of 23.10 million units. Super Mario Land, the second launch title to make the top 10 list, comes in fourth place with sales of 18.14 million units.
The third Pokémon game in the top 10, Pokémon Yellow, was the fifth best-selling game on the Game Boy with sales of 14.64 million units. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins comes in sixth place with sales of 11.18 million, followed by Dr. Mario with 5.34 million units sold.
Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land comes in at eighth place with 5.19 million units sold, followed by Kirby's Dream Land in ninth with 5.13 million units sold. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe rounds out the top 10 with 5.07 million units sold.
Here is a list of the top 10 best-selling Game Boy games:
- Pokémon Red / Blue / Green - 31.38 million
- Tetris - 30.26 million
- Pokémon Gold / Silver - 23.10 million
- Super Mario Land - 18.14 million
- Pokémon Yellow - 14.64 million
- Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - 11.18 million
- Dr. Mario - 5.34 million
- Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land - 5.19 million
- Kirby's Dream Land - 5.13 million
- Super Mario Bros. Deluxe - 5.07 million
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.