5 Video Games That Have Accumulated Over $1 Billion

At the time of writing this, the gaming industry has an estimated worth of $90 billion, with a further $10 billion expected to be bolted on by 2024. Some statistics, might I add, even suggest the global market could very well sky rocket and tipple over the $250 billion milestone by 2025.

Seeing those sorts of predictions and mouth-watering figures only managed to put a few thoughts into my head. First of all, I had to wonder which games were contributing to this behemoth-sized fortune? Which developers were pouring the majority of the coin into the bucket? And, above all, which games, in specific, have and continue to rake in the lion's share of this unfathomable quarter of a trillion dollar margin?

5. Red Dead Redemption 2

Like Grand Theft Auto and all other works weaved by the gaming giant Rockstar, Red Dead Redemption 2 fired out the door with gold practically being hurled at it like Velcro. With a few hundred million tucked away for development, Rockstar looked to up the ante and deliver one of the finest Western sequels ever seen. And, turns out, it only went and scored $700 million in its opening weekend, quickly securing its spot as one of the highest-grossing video games of all time.

Since its release, Red Dead Redemption 2 has shipped over 38 million units, spanning multiple platforms. And that's just the tip of the iceberg to Rockstar's incredibly wealthy portfolio, amazingly enough. As for what lurks on the other side of 2021, I guess we'll have to wait and see. Whatever the case, its evident Rockstar and parent company Take-Two have benefited greatly from Arthur Morgan's outlaw tale. And then some.

4. Grand Theft Auto V

Oh look — it's Rockstar. Again. Or, more specifically, it's Grand Theft Auto V, along with its sky-high fortune and multi-billion dollar cash cow. But of course, being a game that has spanned almost a decade and dipped into several generations — it doesn't really come as a surprise to know how well it has performed since its 2013 launch.

To put you in the picture — Grand Theft Auto V has sold over 150 million copies worldwide, both on physical and digital platforms. For 2020 alone, the game raked in a whopping $911 million in revenue, with the online counterpart playing a key role in its overall financial success. All in all, Grand Theft Auto V has made well over $3 billion, and is expected to escalate even higher with the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X/S release. And then again when it releases on PlayStation 6 in 2028. Probably.

3. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

Coming in as the best-selling, highest-grossing mobile game of all time is PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, the battle royale global sensation that has continued to sweep the gaming community off its feet for years. Sitting comfortably with an estimated $5 billion in revenue since its mobile launch, PUBG has managed to make quite the splash, and it's unlikely that it'll withdraw from the waters any time soon, either.

Of course, PUBG Mobile is just one of the many offsprings of the battle royale kingpin. Let us not forget that, outside of the mobile port, PlayerUnknown has also accumulated billions from its main stage. All in all, we're talking about tens of billions of dollars, all of which orbit the global phenomenon like a never-ending game of swingball. And believe me when I say — that's not likely to change any time soon, either.

2. CrossFire

CrossFire is a perfect example of how a free-to-play game can accumulate a series cash flow if marketed in the correct way. Although offering the bulk of its experience for as little as a few gigabytes of your storage, its microtransactions still pave the way to some truly magnificent numbers, with an average billion dollar profit pulled in per calendar year (estimated at $12 billion total by 2018). Plus, with a billion players gravitating towards the game since its 2007 induction, it's no wonder developer Smilegate Entertainment are content with keeping the train rolling and the butter churning.

Spanning over 80 countries, CrossFire has managed to make it into the best-selling free-to-play video game spot with flying colours. Although unheard of by many, its enormous revenue alone still speaks volumes for its popularity, and it's something that continues to soar higher and higher for each passing year. So, in case you're on the hunt for something new — then there you have it. CrossFire: free, but not quite.

1. Minecraft

Tallying over 130 million players a month and a collosal fortune per fiscal year, Minecraft has secured its spot as the one of the biggest video games of all time, still maintaining its popularity since its 2012 debut. While not bringing in the same level of coin as some of Rockstar's online platforms, Minecraft has, in fact, held some of the highest player counts since day one.

With an estimated $350 million coming in a year since 2012, the acclaimed sandbox phenomenon has toppled over that awe-inspiring billion dollar milestone. Plus, despite being nearly a decade old — the game itself is still very much considered to be in its infancy, with plenty more space to grow so long as developer Mojang Studios continue to breathe life into its system.

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