Whenever I think about gaming history, one question always comes to mind: “Which is the best gaming console of all time?” I have spent countless hours with different consoles over the years, and I know it is not an easy question to answer.
Each console brought something unique to the table, from revolutionary graphics to unforgettable game libraries. In this blog post, I will take you on a journey through the top 10 consoles ever made, ranking them with facts, figures, and my own reflections so we can uncover which one truly deserves the crown.
Which Is the Best Gaming Console of All Time? Top 10 Ranked
First, let me explain how I picked and ranked these consoles. I didn’t just go with personal favorites. I looked at sales numbers, cultural impact, innovation, exclusive games, and longevity. A console that sold millions but didn’t change gaming much ranks lower than one that redefined how we play.
I also considered how well each system is remembered today, because nostalgia plays a big part in deciding what really made history. Now, let’s get into the details of the top 10 best gaming consoles of all time.
1. PlayStation 2 (PS2)
- Sales Numbers: Over 160 million units sold worldwide
- Cultural Impact: Became a cultural icon; redefined console destiny with online gaming, backwards compatibility, and DVD playback
- Innovation: Introduced the Emotion Engine CPU, DVD playback, backward compatibility, and strong third-party developer support
- Exclusive Games: Huge library of over 10,987 titles, with landmark exclusives like God of War, GTA series, and Shadow of the Colossus
- Longevity: Produced from 2000 to early 2013 (over 12 years) and remained supported long after PS3’s release
I think the PlayStation 2 is a beast of a console. It didn’t just sell over 160 million units. It became part of our lives. With its DVD playback, backwards compatibility, and impressively wide game library, including impactful exclusives like God of War and GTA, it reshaped how we saw gaming.
Owing to its longevity, from 2000 to 2013, plenty of us held onto it for years. For me, PS2 is where gaming felt limitless, fun, and ever-reliable.
2. Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
- Sales Numbers: Approximately 61.91 million units worldwide
- Cultural Impact: Revived the video game industry after the crash of 1983; introduced iconic franchises, Super Mario Bros., Zelda, and Metroid
- Innovation: Pioneered the third-party licensing model, restored retailer confidence through innovative marketing like R.O.B., Zapper
- Exclusive Games: Introduced genre-defining exclusives (Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid) that became gaming culture milestones
- Longevity: Production ended in 1995 (North America/Europe) and 2003 (Japan)
To me, the NES will always feel like the console that brought gaming back to life. Selling nearly 62 million units, it revived the entire industry after the crash and brought us Mario, Zelda, and Metroid, the games we still talk about today.
Nintendo’s clever marketing with the Zapper and R.O.B., plus their brand-new licensing model, made all the difference. Though production stopped years ago, its legacy lives on, whenever I boot up an NES classic, I am reminded of how it all began.
3. Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
- Sales Numbers: About 49.1 million units sold worldwide
- Cultural Impact: Held as one of the most beloved consoles ever, praised for its graphics, sound, and timeless games
- Innovation: Introduced Mode 7 graphics and advanced sound; enhanced storytelling in games, plus great controller design
- Exclusive Games: Delivered legendary titles like A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Chrono Trigger, and Super Mario World (implied within cited praise of library)
- Longevity: While less explicitly stated, its influence endures through re-releases and continued fandom
The SNES, to me, is the golden age of 16-bit gaming. With about 49 million units sold, it pushed graphics and sound forward using Mode 7 and rich, immersive soundtracks. Games like Super Metroid, Chrono Trigger, and A Link to the Past weren’t just fun. They felt alive.
Its design and controller bettered how I interacted with games, and even now, its library remains timeless. When I think of innovation with heart, SNES is always the first console that comes to mind.
4. Nintendo Switch
- Sales Numbers: 153.10 million units sold lifetime (including Lite and OLED variants)
- Cultural Impact: Became Nintendo’s second-best-selling console; on pace to potentially surpass PS2 with continued affordability and strong brand attachment
- Innovation: Introduced a hybrid design—portable and home gaming in one unit, redefining flexibility in console gaming
- Exclusive Games: Massive hits like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (~68 million), Animal Crossing: New Horizons (~48 million), Breath of the Wild (~33 m), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (~36 m)
- Longevity: Still selling well in 2025; projected to sell additional units even after its successor’s release
I find the Nintendo Switch to be one of the most game-changing consoles ever. Selling over 153 million units by 2025, it has become a lifelong favorite that blends handheld and TV play seamlessly. Its library, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Breath of the Wild, and Animal Crossing, is dreamlike and timeless.
What amazes me most is its staying power. Even with a new console now out, the Switch continues to sell due to its versatility and beloved games, and it might even surpass the PS2’s historic sales record.
5. PlayStation 4 (PS4)
- Sales Numbers: Approximately 117.2 million units sold worldwide
- Cultural Impact: Revitalized Sony’s position after PS3; became a staple in living rooms and among streamers and influencers
- Innovation: Integrated streaming features and the Share function, shaping how gamers create and share content
- Exclusive Games: Heavy hitters like God of War, The Last of Us Part II, Bloodborne, Uncharted 4, Horizon Zero Dawn
- Longevity: Maintained strong support well beyond its release, with many titles still played in 2025
The PlayStation 4 holds a special place in my gaming heart. With around 117 million units sold, it’s one of Sony’s most successful consoles and truly turned things around after the PS3 era. It brought us cinematic gaming, titles like God of War and The Last of Us Part II felt like interactive art.
Plus, features like the Share button and streaming integration helped shape the modern gaming community. Even today, I find myself revisiting PS4 classics because their impact still resonates.
6. Xbox 360
- Sales Numbers: About 84 million units sold lifetime
- Cultural Impact: Popularized online console gaming, Xbox Live became a cultural force that redefined multiplayer
- Innovation: Bold hardware choices (internal hard drive, strong HD graphics), robust online infrastructure
- Exclusive Games: Gears of War, Halo series, Mass Effect, Fable II, franchises that shaped modern console gaming
- Longevity: Kept strong market presence despite Red Ring of Death issues; supported until production ended in 2016
I still look back at the Xbox 360 with fondness. Selling roughly 84 million units, it wasn’t just about hardware. It changed how we played together. Xbox Live brought console multiplayer into the world of social gaming, with Halo and Gears of War cementing online communities.
Even with its hardware glitches, Microsoft’s handling of the situation kept player trust intact. The Xbox 360’s legacy is not just in its games. It is in how it made console gaming feel social, dynamic, and alive.
7. Nintendo Wii
- Sales Numbers: Approximately 101.63 million units sold worldwide
- Cultural Impact: Transformed gaming by appealing to families and casual players through inclusive marketing and intuitive motion controls
- Innovation: Introduced motion controls via the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, pioneering a new way to play
- Exclusive Games: Best-selling bundled titles include Wii Sports (~80 million), Mario Kart Wii (~32 million), Wii Sports Resort (~30 million)
- Longevity: Maintained strong sales well beyond launch; games and accessories remained popular through the next console generation
When I think of the Wii, I think of a time when gaming exploded into living rooms all over the world. It sold over 101 million units and wasn’t just a console. It was a social revolution. The motion-sensing Wii Remote gave us physical control for the first time, making classics like Wii Sports into household names.
What struck me most was how it made gaming feel approachable to everyone, from grandparents to kids. For me, the Wii was the console that brought everyone back to play.
8. PlayStation (PS1)
- Sales Numbers: Around 102.4 million units sold worldwide
- Cultural Impact: Introduced 3D gaming to mass audiences and shifted the industry from cartridges to CDs; launched Sony’s gaming powerhouse legacy
- Innovation: Utilized CD-based media for richer content, allowed easier development and deeper storytelling
- Exclusive Games: Landmark titles include Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, Resident Evil, all defining game types
- Longevity: Defined Sony’s console future; its influence persists through remasters, nostalgia and sustained game popularity
Thinking back, the original PlayStation holds a special place because it changed gaming forever. Selling around 102 million units, it introduced me to cinematic, 3D experiences and ripped away the limits of cartridges. Titles like Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, and Gran Turismo were not just games.
In fact, they felt like breakthroughs. The CD format gave developers room to breathe, and for the first time, gaming felt truly cinematic. PS1 did not just launch a console. It launched an era.
9. Xbox (Original)
- Sales Numbers: Approximately 24 million units sold worldwide
- Cultural Impact: Marked Microsoft’s bold debut into console gaming; introduced power hardware and initiated future Xbox ecosystem
- Innovation: Included internal hard drive and powerful architecture, differentiated from competitors; emphasized digital storage
- Exclusive Games: Halo: Combat Evolved drove platform adoption; became genre-defining shooter for console gaming
- Longevity: While it sold modestly compared to rivals, it established the foundation and mindset for Microsoft’s console future
The original Xbox may not have sold like a runaway train, around 24 million units, but man, it did set the foundation. For the first time, I felt a console was serious about power, and all that was because of its internal hard drive and bold architecture.
And Halo: Combat Evolved? It made that console feel legendary. It was not the biggest, but stepping into Microsoft’s gaming universe for the first time was unforgettable, and Xbox’s legacy began right there.
10. Nintendo 64 (N64)
- Sales Numbers: Approximately 32.93 million units sold worldwide
- Cultural Impact: Generated immense excitement at launch, especially in North America, prompting “Cabbage Patch doll frenzy” buy-ins and celebrity interest
- Innovation: Pioneered true 3D gameplay with an analog stick and introduced a sophisticated 3D engine; memorable launch titles like Super Mario 64 defined the genre
- Exclusive Games: Landmark exclusives include Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye 007, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Longevity: Though its lifetime sales trailed some predecessors, its library remains celebrated; collectors value N64 hardware and games highly today
- Community Sentiment: Retro fans often praise its exclusive lineup, some even argue it’s “better than any other console ever made”
I have always felt that the Nintendo 64 holds a special, bold place in gaming history. Selling nearly 33 million units, it introduced me to truly immersive 3D gameplay, due to that analog stick and games like Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time. The exclusives on this machine were not just good.
They were masterpieces that defined genres in their wake. Even now, decades later, N64 consoles and games fetch serious collector’s money, and fans still call its game library one of the best ever. For me, it is timeless innovation.
Final Thoughts
These are the details about the top 10 best gaming consoles I have seen so far.
Choosing the best gaming console of all time is no easy task, but after looking at sales, cultural influence, innovation, and unforgettable games, I believe the PlayStation 2 deserves the crown. Still, every console on this list shaped gaming in its own way, from the NES saving the industry to the Nintendo Switch redefining flexibility.
As gamers, we are lucky to have lived through these incredible eras, and the best part is that the future of gaming will only keep getting brighter.
