2000Consoles
PlayStation 2 released
The PS2 launches and goes on to become the best-selling home console of all time.
Explore by Decade
Gaming in the 2000s
Online gaming goes mainstream — Xbox Live, Steam, and the best-selling consoles ever.
Key Events
2001Consoles
Microsoft launches the Xbox
Microsoft enters the console business with Halo: Combat Evolved and a built-in hard drive.
Milestone: Set the stage for modern online console gaming.
2002Technology
Xbox Live launches
Microsoft's unified online service brings matchmaking, friends lists, and downloads to consoles.
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.
2004Games
World of Warcraft launches
Blizzard's MMORPG becomes a cultural juggernaut with millions of subscribers.
2006Consoles
Nintendo Wii brings motion control
The Wii's motion controls broaden gaming's audience and become a worldwide sensation.
2007Technology
The iPhone launches mobile gaming
The App Store era begins shortly after, opening an enormous new market for mobile games.
2009Esports
League of Legends releases
Riot Games' MOBA becomes a cornerstone of competitive esports for the next decade.
Consoles of the 2000s
PlayStation 2
Sony
- Released
- 2000
- Units Sold
- 155+ million
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- 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 GameCube
Nintendo
- Released
- 2001
- Units Sold
- 21.74 million
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- CPU
- IBM PowerPC Gekko @ 485 MHz
- Memory
- 43 MB
- Media
- 8 cm miniDVD optical discs
- Launch Price
- $199
Nintendo's first disc-based console, beloved for its compact design and library including Super Smash Bros. Melee and Metroid Prime.
Super Smash Bros. MeleeMario Kart: Double Dash!!Animal Crossing
2000s · Discontinued 2007
Microsoft Xbox
Microsoft
- Released
- 2001
- Units Sold
- 24 million
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- CPU
- Intel Pentium III @ 733 MHz
- Memory
- 64 MB DDR
- Media
- DVD-ROM, built-in HDD
- Launch Price
- $299
Microsoft's entry into hardware, bundling a hard drive and Ethernet that laid the groundwork for Xbox Live and modern online console gaming.
Halo: Combat EvolvedHalo 2Fable
2000s · Discontinued 2009
Xbox 360
Microsoft
- Released
- 2005
- Units Sold
- 84+ million
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- CPU
- IBM Xenon tri-core @ 3.2 GHz
- Memory
- 512 MB GDDR3
- Media
- DVD-ROM
- Launch Price
- $299
Mainstreamed online multiplayer and digital storefronts through Xbox Live, defining the HD era and the achievements meta-game.
Halo 3Grand Theft Auto VCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
2000s · Discontinued 2016
Nintendo Wii
Nintendo
- Released
- 2006
- Units Sold
- 101.63 million
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- 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
PlayStation 3
Sony
- Released
- 2006
- Units Sold
- 87.4 million
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- CPU
- Cell Broadband Engine @ 3.2 GHz
- Memory
- 256 MB XDR + 256 MB GDDR3
- Media
- Blu-ray Disc
- Launch Price
- $499
Helped win the format war by standardizing Blu-ray and pushed HD gaming and online play forward despite a rocky launch.
Grand Theft Auto VThe Last of UsUncharted 2: Among Thieves
2000s · Discontinued 2017