The 10 Fastest-Selling Exclusive Games Of This Generation

10) Killzone Shadow Fall

800,000 copies sold in 3 weeks

After the meteoric success of both Horizon Zero Dawn on PS4 and The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch/Wii U, Twinfinite is breaking down this generations fastest selling exclusive games to see where they rank. It should be noted that we were not able to include Microsoft published titles such as Halo 5 or Gears of War 4 due to a lack of reliable data. We suspect that both of those games would have been in contention for a spot on this list had that data been available. That all being said; onto our list of best selling exclusive titles and where this year’s hottest games stack up.

Available at PS4’s launch, Killzone Shadow fall was a smash hit among new owners of the console, marking the series’ most popular title. As one of only two exclusive games purposefully built to take advantage of PS4’s “next generation” hardware, Killzone was a showpiece title with superb graphics. For that reason, it flew off shelves, selling 800,000 units in just 3 weeks, and then going on to sell 2.1 million in less than 3 months. 

9) Super Mario Maker

1 million copies sold in 3 weeks

There’s an expectation that any Mario game is expected to sell respectably, but predicting Super Mario Maker sales was a somewhat difficult task in the build up to launch. That is because Super Mario Maker is as much about creatively building your own Mario levels as it as about playing them.

As it turns out, there are plenty of creative minds out there whose favorite pastime is inventing obscenely hard levels to torment us with. 3.5 million in total, to be precise, 1 million of which rushed out to buy the game within the first 3 weeks of its release.

8) Nioh

1 million copies sold in 3 weeks

Having originally been conceived fifteen years after its eventual release, Nioh recovered from its development woes and exploded back onto the scene with a gameplay reveal back at 2015’s E3. After the meteoric success of Bloodborne, the prospect of another PS4 exclusive Souls-like game, especially one that was thematically rather reminiscent of PS2’s Onimusha, seemed to have gamers giddy with anticipation.

PS4 owners’ enthusiasm for the game was proven after the game smashed past 1 million units sold only 2 weeks after launch.

7) Bloodborne

1 million copies sold in 12 days

FromSoftware’s iconic Dark Souls franchise was nearly a PlayStation exclusive franchise, but rumor has it that Sony opted out of the deal after deciding the series was not worth its investment. We wouldn’t blame Sony for kicking itself after that decision. Little wonder it sought to secure FromSoftware for an all new PS4 exclusive IP in the same vein.

Bloodbone was praised by critics for its fast-paced combat and dark, brooding atmosphere. PlayStation fans responded in kind by purchasing copies of the game in droves, as sales ran over 1 million in less than 2 weeks. Bloodborne went on to sell over 2 million copies in 6 months following its lightning start.

6) Infamous Second Son

1 million copies sold in 9 days

Sucker Punch’s Infamous Second Son might not have been the series’ high water mark with respect to critical acclaim, but the popularity of the Infamous IP, as well as its release date close to PS4’s launch, saw sales fly out the door. In just over a week, Second Son had cracked the 1 million mark of units sold.

At release, Second Son was lauded for its superb graphics, and the game became a technical showpiece for Sony’s new console. In fact, it arguably remains one of the most pretty exclusive games on the system to this day, and a recent PS4 Pro patch has only made it even more beautiful to behold.

5) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

1.34 million copies sold in 2 weeks (Switch)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild officially enjoyed the strongest ever start for a non-bundled launch title on a Nintendo console. Of course, the game is not exclusive to Switch, but is also available on Wii U, and therefore, the total figures are likely even higher.

Based on reports that the Wii U version accounted for 22% of global Breath of the Wild sales during its first week, we estimate that combined sales might account for over 2 million during its first 2 weeks. If that was the case, Breath of the Wild would jump up to 4th place behind Horizon Zero Dawn. Until we have confirmed data, though, the game clocks in at a still highly impressive 5th.

4) Mario Kart 8

1.2 million copies sold in 4 days

The ever-popular Mario Kart franchise has been around since the days of the SNES and has remained a mainstay spin-off series ever since. Its HD debut on the Wii U saw it become the console’s fastest selling titles, accumulating 2.82 million within a single month. Mario Kart 8 quickly went on to become the Wii U’s best selling game overall with 8.26 million copies sold.

A Deluxe version of the game launches for Nintendo Switch later this year, and Nintendo will be hoping its performance measures comparably.

3) Horizon Zero Dawn

2.6 million copies sold in 14 days

Guerrilla’s highly anticipated new IP launched earlier this month the critical acclaim. Praised for its unique world, exceptional combat, and gorgeous visuals, PlayStation fans have lapped up Guerrilla’s first foray into open world gaming.

In an industry where the strongest commercial performance is typically recorded by sequels, Horizon Zero Dawn’s 2.6 million units sold in 2 weeks is particularly notable. It is comfortably the fastest selling new IP on PS4. Expect to see Aloy making a return in the not too distant future.

2) Uncharted 4

2.7 million copies sold in 7 days

Uncharted 4 was always destined to be a hallmark PlayStation 4 title. It was the sort of console defining exclusive PS4 fans had been patiently awaiting since the console’s 2014 launch, and boy did it deliver.

In less than 12 months, Uncharted 4 has sold nearly half the combined sales for the entire rest of the Quartet that comprises the Uncharted franchise. The 2.7 million first week sales the game recorded is over double that of The Last Of Us.

1) Pokemon Sun and Moon

7.2 million copies sold in 7 days

Few would doubt any Pokemon game to move significant units, such is the popularity of the franchise, but Sun and Moon rocked the industry with the extent of its success.

Was it merely just the 3-year wait since the previous X and Y games, or was it a marvelous strategy to double down on interest fueled by Pokemon GO fever on smartphone? Regardless, Sun and Moon have gone on to sell over 14 million copies in 3 months, half of which were recorded in just 7 days. That is absolutely bonkers.

Of course, Sun and Moon are two separate games, but even dividing the figure in half still places it above the prior entry on our list.