Ever since the fifth generation of console gaming, which included the originalPlaystation, the Sega Saturn, and theNintendo 64, gaming catalogs have exploded, with literallythousandsof games being released on new systems. You could play video games non-stop in an energy-drink-fueled rage and never even touch the surface of what’s available on even one mainstream gaming console.
While thequalityof games often defines which systems ‘win’ each new consolation generation, sheerquantityis something that all of the largest gaming juggernauts have shared over the years. From sequels and remakes to HD remasters and re-releases, some consoles have an unfathomably impressive roster of games to choose from.
10Nintendo Wii - Around 2,500
Putting Gaming In Motion
No, notthe Wii U, justthe original Wii. Nintendo’s always had a way of reinventing itself with each new console generation, which is surprising given how closely they tend to stick to the same key characters and IPs from system to system. The Nintendo Wii took the dive into motion controls, a clear distinction from its competitors.
The Wii hadits ZeldasandMariosand everything else you’d expect from a new Nintendo console, but we all knowWii Sportsis the game to thank for the system’s long-term success. Tennis and Bowling, specifically.
9PlayStation Vita - Around 2,600
Mobile Wars Before Mobile Gaming
Not to be completely outdone by Nintendo, Sony attempted to corner its part of the handheld market with its own spin on gaming-on-the-go. That started with the very creatively named PlayStation Portable, PSP for short. Unexceptional but inoffensive, the follow-upPlayStation Vitafaired a bit better.
The Vita was exactly what you’d expect: All of PlayStation’s major franchises digitized into handheld form. It didn’t revolutionize gaming in any meaningful way, though; it simply presented another option in the market, one aimed directly at long-time PlayStation lovers looking to play games in the backseat of a car.
8Xbox One - Around 3,000
NotablyNotXbox Three
No one’s ever answered where the other 358 Xboxes went between the 360 and theXbox One. No matter, this system continued to solidify Microsoft’s place in the gaming world, though this did come at a time when Xbox had fewer and fewer exclusive titles to call its own.
It had itsHalos andGears of Wargames and a few one-offs likeSunset Overdrive, but it had fewer Xbox-only titles compared to its competitors. Three thousand games is nothing to scoff at, though Microsoft has shifted almost exclusively to supporting theXbox Series XandSeries S.
7PlayStation 4 - Around 3,300
Simple, Linear, And Effective
You have to respect PlayStation for never really switching up its naming convention. While Xbox messed around with different spherical numbers and rotations and Nintendo did… whatever Nintendo was doing, PlayStation decided to keep things simple and numerical. Fourth in line? Call itPlayStation 4. Simple.
And, of course, as a direct follow-up to the aptly-named PlayStation 3, it basically did everything the previous generation did, but with slightly better graphics and hardware. It’s one of the most subtle systems aesthetically, but there was still a huge swathe of titles to choose from in that little black box.
6Nintendo DS - Around 3,500
Stylish With A Stylus
The Nintendo DSlet it be known that Nintendo was still the king of handheld gaming. The successor to theGame Boyline-up boasts roughly 3,500 games completely independent ofthe Nintendo 3DSroster.
In many ways, the DS was to the Gameboy what the Nintendo Wii was to systems like the Nintendo 64 andGameCube. It took what everyone loved about Nintendo and simply adapted it for what was then the world of modern gaming. Then the world learned how to play games from their cell phones, and the DS was never seen again.
5PlayStation 2 - Around 4,000
The Sequel’s Always Better
The PlayStation 2proved that Sony’s gaming system wasn’t a one-trick pony. As a follow-up to the wildly successful PlayStation 1, the PS2 was its own beast, becoming the best-selling gaming console of all time, with over 158 million units sold by 2024.
Many gamers got their start on the PS2, with a catalog of nearly 4,000 titles to choose from, though only a small fraction of those games were released in North America. Still, the PS2 earned its place in gaming history with one of the most memorable game rosters to date.
4Nintendo Switch - Around 4,600
Switching Up Styles Yet Again
The Nintendo Switchmay not have the sheer hardware prowess of its rivals, but that never stopped Nintendo from thinking outside the box. It’s sold over 130 million units across all its different versions, includingthe Switch LiteandOLED.
The Switch achieves exactly what you’d guess from a Nintendo console – that is, it puts a modern spin on all of Nintendo’s most popular characters and IPs.Super Mario Odyssey,Tears of the Kingdom,Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, etc. It’s everything you know and love, but bigger and better than ever.
3Xbox 360 - Around 4,800
Ignore The Red Ring Of Death
Microsoft’s follow-up to the original Xbox solidified the line-up as one of the major players in the console wars.The Xbox 360defined a generation and continued to receive new games up through 2019, despite the next-gen Xbox One releasing in 2013.
Sadly, it had to share its debut ofThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimwith the PlayStation 3; it’s fair to say making Skyrim a console exclusive would’ve almost single-handedly bolstered that system’s position against its competition. But then again, the 360 hadHalo 3to do that already.
2PlayStation 3 - Around 5,100
Three’s The Charm
The Last of Us.Uncharted.LittleBigPlanet. Some of gaming’s most prolific series were all introduced onthe PlayStation 3. Ok, maybe not LittleBigPlanet. EvenDemon’s Soulsdebuted here, becoming the game that paved the way for the generation-defining Soulsborne genre.
In addition to new IPs, the PS3 saw the release of defining entries in some of PlayStation’s most renowned series, includingGod of War3,Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots, andKillzone2. It’s a well-rounded system that pushed the boundaries of what a gaming console was meant to be.
1PlayStation 1 - Around 7,900
11 Years Of Triangulated Pixels
Surprising no one,the original PlayStationboasts just under 8,000 games, less than 1,500 of which released in North America. This massive number is due in part to its tenure as one of the dominant household game consoles for over 11 years, even beyond the release of the PlayStation 2 in 2000.
Many of gaming’s greats got their start on the OG PlayStation, while series like Metal Gear Solid andFinal Fantasymade their 3D debuts. Sure, your parents probably bought you Kiss Pinball or something equally questionable, but your friends let you borrow all the cool games.
