10) Xbox 360 – 360,000 units sold in 14 days
Editor’s note: All figures quoted in this article are based on retail figures for the US unless specified otherwise. Additionally, because not each time variable matches, we have adjusted each console’s ranking to reflect a sales rate over seven days. In all but a few instances, seven days is the time frame referenced by either the publisher or NPD Group.
The original Xbox sold respectably, but even a brand as big as Microsoft wasn’t able to wrestle momentum away from Sony’s meteorically successful PS2. The Xbox 360 was an entirely different story, with an impact so resound that completely reshifted the balance of power across the games industry, and it very nearly toppled Sony in the process. Indeed, the 360 led the PS3 overall until the very closing stages of the generation, with its blistering initial sales of 326,000 in 14 days. On our seven-day scale, however, it narrowly trails PS3’s opening week with 180,000.
9) PS3 – 197,000 units sold in 7 days
The PS3 would eventually end up as the best-selling console of its generation, but a hugely expensive retail price at launch would hinder its initial success, resulting in 197,000 units sold in its first seven days. Available at a stratospheric $599 back in 2007, Sony were, unbelievably, still losing money on every unit sold thanks to the nature of its design. The PS3’s fortunes would slowly reverse, however, as Sony’s brand power, in combination with a host of superb exclusives was enough to rescue its fate.
8) Dreamcast – 514,000 units sold in 14 days
Speaking of failed consoles with bright beginnings, Sega exploded back onto the scene back in 1999 with its highly anticipated Dreamcast console. This was the machine that was supposed to save Sega’s blushes after the Saturn had completely bombed during the previous generation. Our seven-day scale slightly underplays Dreamcast’s nascent success, which actually achieved over 300,000 in four days for a grand total of 514,000 in two weeks. For consistency, however, we have divided that number by our variable – averaging to 257,000 over those initial two weeks.
7) Wii U 400,000 units sold in 7 days
The Wii U might have ended up as one of the worst selling home consoles of all time, but its early fortunes were markedly different. The Wii U flew out of the gates, recording figures that almost rivaled that of its predecessor. The Wii U is, perhaps, a reminder that a console’s early performance is not an indicator of long-term sales success. The Wii U’s drop off would ultimately contribute to Nintendo reporting its first operating losses in 2016.
6) Gamecube – 500,000 units sold in 7 days
With its powerful GPU and the promise of significant third-party support, Nintendo’s Gamecube enjoyed a very successful launch period. Sadly for Nintendo, the PlayStation 2 continued to steamroll all in its path, with a popularity that spanned east and west in equal measure. To make matters worse, Microsoft’s Xbox offered an arguably more attractive alternative platform, with the company’s brand power able to draw the interest of third-party developers.
5) Nintendo Switch – 500,000 units sold in 7 days
Last week, NPD confirmed that the Nintendo Switch halted the PS4’s streak for the first time since October last year as it was crowned the best-selling console for March. The Switch hit 500,000 units sold in the US in just seven days. You may have noticed its tally is less than the Wii (albeit over a day less) — so how do we know the Switch has certainly recorded more sales in a shorter period of time? It has been reported by Nintendo that the console is Nintendo’s fastest selling home console, also recording the biggest opening weekend for a Nintendo home system.
Whether the Switch can keep up the pace to see it match the Wii in the long term remains to be seen, but recent reports do suggest it is tracking on target. Superdata estimates the console has sold 2.4 million units in a month and a half globally.
4) Wii – 600,000 units sold in 8 days
Touting motion controls at the center of its “new way to play” video games, nobody really saw the monumental success of the Wii coming. The console would make its way into the corner of millions of living rooms across America. Young and old, male and female — the Wii was a universal entertainment system that drew interest from traditional and all-new sectors of the market.
The console’s first week at retail would only be the start of the story, as the Wii would end up as the best-selling hardware in the Big N’s history. For reference, on our scale, dividing by seven over its confirmed 600,000 sales in eight days, the Wii averaged 75,000 sales per day, peaking at 575,000 by the week’s end.
3) PlayStation 2 – 500,000 units sold in 24 hours
Sony’s PS2 sold just over an extraordinary 500,000 units in just 24 hours, which was the entire allotment for the country back in 2001. On our scale, that means that Sony’s second iteration of the PlayStation equates to 3.5 million units sold in its first seven days, assuming it continued at that incredible rate.
In actual fact, the PS2 had already sold 908,000 units in Japan alone during its first week, and 3.52 million by the time it reached western shores five months later. The console would continue to post strong sales numbers, setting new records that now places it as the best-selling gaming system of all time. The PS2 was only officially discontinued at the same time the PS4 was being prepared for launch, 12 years later.
2) Xbox One – 1 million units sold in 24 hours (worldwide)
There have been countless headlines touting the Xbox One playing second fiddle to the PS4 this generation, but don’t let that fool you into thinking the console has not been an immense success. The Xbox One smashed through 1 million consoles sold in 24 hours, and 2 million 17 days later. These figures, however, are global, but when one considers the sheer speed with which the console achieved them, we can effectively deduce it sold better than other contenders featured on this list. By our seven day calculations that equates to a whopping 7 million units sold over a single week!
Notably, unlike the PS4, the Xbox One did not have a foothold in the eastern market, meaning that the vast majority of its sales are based on the North American and European regions.
1) PlayStation 4 – 1 million units sold in 24 hours
With both Sony and Microsoft making identical claims over commercial sales, NPD confirmed that it was Sony who recorded more sales in the US. The PS4’s 1 million in 24 hours was achieved in a single territory, making it all the more impressive and suggesting the console’s nascent global performance is likely more significant than the Xbox One. Just two weeks later – and days before Microsoft made similar claims – Sony confirmed the console had passed 2 million worldwide.
With over 50 million units now sold, the PS4 is currently tracking similarly to sales of the PS2 across the same time, and the console could be destined to overtake it as the best-selling of all time if its current pace continues.
