2020Consoles
PS5 and Xbox Series X|S launch
The ninth generation arrives with ultra-fast SSDs and ray tracing during a global pandemic.
Milestone: Brought SSD-class streaming and ray tracing to consoles.
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Today in Gaming History
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Featured Articles
Deep dives into the people, machines, and moments that shaped gaming.
Consoles· 6 min read
The Greatest Console Launches of All Time
From the NES rescuing a collapsed industry to the Switch reinventing Nintendo, these console launches changed gaming forever.
Read article →Companies· 7 min read
The History of Nintendo: From Playing Cards to Global Icon
Nintendo's journey spans more than a century — from hanafuda cards in 1889 to the best-selling franchises in gaming.
Read article →Games· 8 min read
The Evolution of First-Person Shooters
From Wolfenstein 3D to live-service battle royales, trace how the FPS became gaming's most influential genre.
Read article →Timeline Preview
A few of the milestones that changed the course of gaming history.
2017Consoles
Nintendo Switch launches
Nintendo's hybrid console debuts with Breath of the Wild and becomes a runaway success.
Milestone: Reinvented Nintendo with a hybrid home/handheld design.
2011Esports
Twitch launches
Live game streaming explodes in popularity, creating new careers and viewing habits.
Milestone: Made game streaming a mainstream entertainment medium.
2003Technology
Valve releases Steam
Steam debuts as a digital distribution platform, eventually transforming how PC games are sold and played.
Milestone: Pioneered mainstream digital game distribution.
Popular Consoles
The machines that defined their generations.
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Nintendo
- Released
- 1983
- Units Sold
- 61.91 million
Show specifications ▾Hide specifications ▴
- CPU
- Ricoh 2A03 @ 1.79 MHz
- Memory
- 2 KB RAM
- Media
- ROM cartridges
- Launch Price
- $179
Revived the North American console market after the 1983 crash and established Nintendo's licensing model, the D-pad, and franchises like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.
Super Mario Bros.Duck HuntThe Legend of Zelda
1980s · Discontinued 1995
PlayStation 2
Sony
- Released
- 2000
- Units Sold
- 155+ million
Show specifications ▾Hide specifications ▴
- CPU
- Emotion Engine @ 294 MHz
- Memory
- 32 MB RDRAM
- Media
- DVD-ROM
- Launch Price
- $299
The best-selling home console in history, doubling as an affordable DVD player and home to an unmatched library.
Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasGran Turismo 3Final Fantasy X
2000s · Discontinued 2013
Nintendo Wii
Nintendo
- Released
- 2006
- Units Sold
- 101.63 million
Show specifications ▾Hide specifications ▴
- CPU
- IBM PowerPC Broadway @ 729 MHz
- Memory
- 88 MB
- Media
- 12 cm optical discs
- Launch Price
- $249
Brought motion controls to the masses and expanded gaming to entirely new audiences, becoming a cultural phenomenon with Wii Sports.
Wii SportsMario Kart WiiWii Sports Resort
2000s · Discontinued 2013
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo
- Released
- 2017
- Units Sold
- 146+ million
Show specifications ▾Hide specifications ▴
- CPU
- NVIDIA Tegra X1
- Memory
- 4 GB RAM
- Media
- Game cards / digital
- Launch Price
- $299
A hybrid home/handheld console that became one of the best-selling systems of all time, anchored by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Mario Kart 8 DeluxeAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2010s · In production
Latest Records
Record-breaking achievements from across gaming.
Sales
Best-selling video game of all time
300+ million copies sold
Minecraft (Mojang)
Minecraft is the best-selling video game in history, with sales surpassing 300 million copies across all platforms.
Source: Mojang / Microsoft
Sales
Highest-grossing entertainment product
$8+ billion revenue
Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar Games)
GTA V is among the most financially successful entertainment products ever, having sold over 190 million copies.
Source: Take-Two Interactive
Sales
Best-selling single platform game (paid)
100+ million paid downloads
Tetris
Across its many versions, Tetris has sold hundreds of millions of copies, making it one of the most successful franchises ever.
Source: The Tetris Company
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