Best Game Console of All Time, Ranked by Gamers

The best-selling console of all time with over 155 million units sold.

The PS2 had an unmatched library spanning every genre, introduced DVD playback to millions of homes, and gave us titles like GTA: San Andreas, Shadow of the Colossus, God of War, and Kingdom Hearts.

Its legacy is almost impossible to overstate.

Microsoft's finest hour.

The Xbox 360 defined online console gaming with Xbox Live, delivered Halo 3, Gears of War, Mass Effect, and Red Dead Redemption, and introduced achievements to mainstream gaming.

It dominated the seventh generation in the West and remains one of the most beloved consoles ever made.

The N64 revolutionised 3D gaming with Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, two of the most influential games ever made.

GoldenEye 007 defined multiplayer shooters for a generation, and games like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64 are still fondly remembered today.

Microsoft's debut console made an immediate impact with Halo: Combat Evolved, which essentially defined the console first-person shooter genre.

The original Xbox also introduced the hard drive to console gaming and laid the groundwork for Xbox Live.

It was a bold first entry that announced Microsoft as a serious player in the console market.

Sony's debut console changed everything. The original PlayStation brought CD-ROM gaming to the mainstream, introduced Final Fantasy VII to the world, and gave us Metal Gear Solid, Crash Bandicoot, Resident Evil, and Tekken.

It sold over 102 million units and made Sony a dominant force in gaming.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest consoles ever made, the SNES delivered a golden era of gaming with Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Chrono Trigger, and Street Fighter II.

Its library remains one of the strongest ever assembled.

Nintendo's original handheld changed gaming forever.

The Game Boy launched in 1989 with Tetris and went on to sell over 118 million units across its lifetime.

It proved that gaming didn't need to be tied to a TV, and its library of Pokemon, Zelda, and Metroid games kept generations of players entertained on the go.

Despite a rocky start, the PS3 became home to some of the best games ever made.

The Last of Us, Uncharted 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet, and Red Dead Redemption all shone on Sony's third console.

It also introduced Blu-ray to millions of homes and helped establish the format as the standard for physical media.

Sega's 16-bit powerhouse gave Nintendo its fiercest competition during the console wars of the early 1990s.

Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, Mortal Kombat, and Road Rash defined a generation of gaming.

The Mega Drive's edgier image and blast processing marketing made it the cool alternative to the SNES.

The GBA was a portable powerhouse that delivered console-quality experiences on the go.

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Metroid Fusion, and Golden Sun made it one of the best-stocked handhelds ever.

It also served as a way to replay classic SNES games anywhere, anytime.

The console that saved the video game industry after the 1983 crash.

The NES introduced the world to Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Mega Man, establishing franchises that are still thriving today.

Without the NES, modern gaming as we know it might not exist.

Nintendo's hybrid home/portable console is one of the most innovative gaming devices ever made.

The Switch brought Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Metroid Dread to a massive audience.

Its ability to seamlessly switch between TV and handheld play changed how people think about gaming.

Microsoft's current flagship console is one of the most powerful gaming machines ever built.

With Xbox Game Pass, backward compatibility covering four generations of Xbox games, and titles like Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, and Starfield, the Series X offers incredible value.

Its legacy is still being written.

Sega's final console was ahead of its time in almost every way.

The Dreamcast had a built-in modem for online gaming in 1998, a VMU memory card with its own screen, and a library that included Shenmue, Jet Set Radio, Soul Calibur, and Crazy Taxi.

It was cancelled too soon, but its cult following has only grown over the decades.

Nintendo's lunchbox-shaped console had one of the most beloved libraries in gaming history. Metroid Prime, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Resident Evil 4, and Luigi's Mansion all debuted on the GameCube.

Despite modest commercial performance, it has one of the most passionate fan bases of any Nintendo platform.

Nintendo's motion-controlled phenomenon sold over 101 million units and brought gaming to audiences who had never picked up a controller before.

Wii Sports became a cultural moment, while Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Metroid Prime 3 satisfied hardcore fans.

The Wii proved gaming could be for everyone.

The dual-screen handheld sold over 154 million units, making it one of the best-selling consoles of all time.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, New Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart DS, and Nintendogs made it a phenomenon.

The DS proved that innovation in hardware design could open gaming up to entirely new audiences.

Sony's most successful console dominated the eighth generation with an extraordinary lineup of exclusives including The Last of Us Part II, God of War, Spider-Man, Bloodborne, and Horizon Zero Dawn.

It sold over 117 million units and set the standard for single-player storytelling in games.

The console that started it all.

The Atari 2600 brought arcade gaming into the living room and introduced millions of people to video games for the first time.

Space Invaders, Pitfall, and Pac-Man made it a cultural phenomenon in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Without the 2600, the entire games industry looks very different.

Sony's first handheld was a genuine powerhouse that delivered near-PS2 quality gaming on the go.

God of War: Chains of Olympus, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII made it one of the most impressive portable libraries ever assembled.

It sold over 80 million units worldwide.

Often overlooked in the West, the Saturn had an exceptional library in Japan that included Nights into Dreams, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and some of the best 2D fighting games ever made.

It struggled against the PS1 commercially, but its cult following is passionate and its best games remain highly sought after by collectors.

Sony's current-generation powerhouse features the revolutionary DualSense controller with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, ultra-fast SSD loading, and a growing library of stunning exclusives including Demon's Souls, Returnal, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and Spider-Man 2.

Still building its legacy but already one of the most impressive pieces of gaming hardware ever made.

Nintendo's glasses-free 3D handheld had a slow start but became one of the best-supported portable consoles ever.

Pokemon X and Y, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Fire Emblem Awakening, and Super Mario 3D Land made it essential.

It sold over 75 million units and kept dedicated handheld gaming alive until the Switch arrived.