Gaming platforms encyclopedia

Nintendo

Nintendo started in 1889 in Kyoto, making hanafuda cards, and took its current name in 1963. The Family Computer, from 1983, opened its console era. Since then the company has alternated home consoles and handhelds, and the Nintendo Switch, from 2017, merged the two into one.

1. Launched in 1983

   Family Computer / NES

   Home console

   61.91 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026 · 500.01 million games sold
2. Launched in 1989

   Game Boy

   Handheld

   118.69 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026 · 501.11 million games sold
3. Launched in 1990

   Super Famicom / SNES

   Home console

   49.1 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026 · 379.06 million games sold
4. Launched in 1996

   Nintendo 64

   Home console

   32.93 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026 · 224.97 million games sold
5. Launched in 2001

   Game Boy Advance

   Handheld

   81.51 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026 · 377.42 million games sold
6. Launched in 2001

   Nintendo GameCube

   Home console

   21.74 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026 · 208.58 million games sold
7. Launched in 2004

   Nintendo DS

   Handheld

   154.02 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026 · 948.76 million games sold
8. Launched in 2006

   Wii

   Home console

   101.63 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026 · 921.85 million games sold
9. Launched in 2011

   Nintendo 3DS

   Handheld

   75.94 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026 · 392.31 million games sold
10. Launched in 2012

    Wii U

    Home console

    13.56 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026 · 103.6 million games sold
11. Launched in 2017

    Nintendo Switch

    Hybrid (home and handheld)

    157.2 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026 · 1,593.87 million games sold
12. Launched in 2025

    Nintendo Switch 2

    Hybrid (home and handheld)

    26.35 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026 · 73.21 million games sold

Best seller on this list: Nintendo Switch.

PlayStation

Sony launched the first PlayStation in Japan in December 1994, and it reached North America and Europe in September 1995. The PlayStation 5 came out on November 11, 2020. Besides consoles, the brand had two handhelds, the PSP and the PS Vita.

1. Launched in 1994

   PlayStation

   Home console

   more than 102.4 millionunits sold, as of 31/03/2012
2. Launched in 2000

   PlayStation 2

   Home console

   more than 160 millionunits sold, as of 31/03/2012
3. Launched in 2004

   PSP

   Handheld

   more than 76.4 millionunits sold, as of 31/03/2012
4. Launched in 2006

   PlayStation 3

   Home console

   more than 87.4 millionunits sold, as of 31/03/2017
5. Launched in 2011

   PlayStation Vita

   Handheld

   Sales figure not disclosed by Sony.

6. Launched in 2013

   PlayStation 4

   Home console

   more than 117 millionunits sold, as of 30/06/2022
7. Launched in 2020

   PlayStation 5

   Home console

   more than 97 millionunits sold, as of 30/09/2026

Best seller on this list: PlayStation 2.

Xbox

Microsoft launched the first Xbox in North America on November 15, 2001. The Xbox 360 came out on November 22, 2005, and the Xbox One arrived on the same day in 2013, in 13 countries. The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S launched together on November 10, 2020. In 2021, Microsoft said more than 100 million players logged into Xbox every month.

1. Launched in 2001

   Xbox

   Home console

   Microsoft does not disclose how many units it sold.

2. Launched in 2005

   Xbox 360

   Home console

   Microsoft does not disclose how many units it sold.

3. Launched in 2013

   Xbox One

   Home console

   Microsoft does not disclose how many units it sold.

4. Launched in 2020

   Xbox Series X and Series S

   Home console

   Microsoft does not disclose how many units it sold.

PC and Valve (Steam)

Valve's Steam went live on September 12, 2003, and became the largest PC game store. In its 2025 year in review, Valve said Steam reached 42 million people online at the same time and delivered about 100 exabytes of downloads that year. In 2022 the company launched the Steam Deck, a handheld PC sold from February 25 of that year. The Steam Machine, a living-room desktop PC, arrived in 2026, first sold through a sign-up list with a random draw.

1. Launched in 2003

   Steam

   PC store and platform

   A service, not a device: the number Valve publishes is the peak of 42 million people online at the same time, in its 2025 review.

2. Launched in 2022

   Steam Deck

   Handheld

   Valve does not disclose how many units it sold.

3. Launched in 2026

   Steam Machine

   Home console

   Valve does not disclose how many units it sold.

Sega

Sega was founded in 1960 as Nihon Goraku Bussan, became SEGA Enterprises in 1965 and SEGA Corporation in 2000. According to the company's official history, its consoles were the 8-bit SG-1000 in 1983; the 16-bit Mega Drive (Genesis in North America) in 1988; the 32-bit Sega Saturn in 1994; and the Dreamcast in 1998. In 2004, Sega and Sammy joined to form SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS.

1. Launched in 1983

   SG-1000

   Home console

   Sega's official history does not list how many units were sold.

2. Launched in 1988

   Mega Drive / Genesis

   Home console

   Sega's official history does not list how many units were sold.

3. Launched in 1994

   Sega Saturn

   Home console

   Sega's official history does not list how many units were sold.

4. Launched in 1998

   Dreamcast

   Home console

   Sega's official history does not list how many units were sold.

Atari

Atari was founded in June 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney in Sunnyvale, California, and released the Pong arcade game on November 29 of that year. In 1977 came the Atari VCS, later called the Atari 2600, which brought cartridges into the living room; according to History.com, it sold more than 30 million units and was discontinued in 1992. The Atari 5200, the Atari 7800 and the Lynx handheld followed.

1. Launched in 1977

   Atari 2600 (VCS)

   Home console

   No sales figure for this device from a checked source.

2. Launched in 1982

   Atari 5200

   Home console

   No sales figure for this device from a checked source.

3. Launched in 1986

   Atari 7800

   Home console

   No sales figure for this device from a checked source.

4. Launched in 1989

   Atari Lynx

   Handheld

   No sales figure for this device from a checked source.

Mobile

On phones, games arrive through app stores. Apple's App Store opened on July 10, 2008 with about 500 apps, and some games from that first day are still on sale. On Android, the Android Market store was renamed Google Play on March 6, 2012, bringing together apps, music, movies and books; Google said every app that was on Android Market was still on Google Play.

1. Launched in 2008

   App Store (iPhone)

   Mobile app store

   A store, not a device: phones come from many brands, and the number of games changes every day.

2. Launched in 2012

   Google Play (Android)

   Mobile app store

   A store, not a device: phones come from many brands, and the number of games changes every day.