The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild tagged as franchise’s bestselling game

By Aaron Mamiit Published September 19, 2019

The critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has achieved a new milestone, claiming the title as the bestselling entry in the beloved franchise.

Breath of the Wild has now sold the most copies among all The Legend of Zelda games in the series’ 33-year history, according to The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella, who shared the information on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1162356070456557568

Breath of the Wild took more than two years to surpass the previous record holder, Twilight Princess. The simultaneous launch of Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch and Wii U likely played a part in its rise to the top, especially since Twilight Princess was also released on two platforms, the GameCube and Wii.

Rounding out the top five for the bestselling Zelda games are Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, both for the Nintendo 64, and surprisingly, Link’s Crossbow Training for the Wii, which outsold classics such as Link’s Awakening for the Game Boy, The Wind Waker for the GameCube, and Skyward Sword for the Wii.

It should be noted that the rankings only take into account each game’s original release, so re-releases and remasters do not contribute to the sales totals. This means that the Nintendo Switch remake of Link’s Awakening, which is set to launch on September 20, will not allow the game to slide into fifth place on the bestselling entries list.

Breath of the Wild taking the top spot is not a surprise, as it is arguably the best so far in the long-running franchise with its beautiful open world, intense combat mechanics, and deep story. It also helped that it was a launch title for the Nintendo Switch, which took the video game industry by storm to place Nintendo back on the map after the disaster that is the Wii U.

With the success of Breath of the Wild, Nintendo revealed at E3 2019 that a sequel is in development. Details on the game remain scarce, but if it follows the formula of its predecessor, it may also have the potential to challenge for the title as the bestselling The Legend of Zelda game.

Topics

Contributor

Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…

Gaming

Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings the series back to Kalos next year

Lumiose City in Pokémon Z-A

The Pokémon Company revealed during today's Pokémon Presents showcase that Pokémon Legends: Z-A will be released in 2025.

The show, which was held on Pokémon Day, the 28th anniversary of this popular RPG franchise, also contained a plethora of announcements about new Scarlet and Violet Tera Raid battles, Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket. and updates for mobile games like Pokémon Go, Pokémon Sleep, and Pokémon Masters EX, Pokémon Cafe Remix, and Pokémon Unite. The most notable announcement from the show was its closer, Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

Gaming

Our favorite Switch games of 2023: Tears of the Kingdom, Mario, and much more

Link stands behind text that says Best Switch Games 2023.

If 2023 was our last full year with the Nintendo Switch, what a heck of a sendoff it got.

The rumor mill has been buzzing for months now, claiming that Nintendo plans to reveal and release its Switch successor next year. While that’s a rumor you should take with some skepticism, there’s good reason to believe it may happen. Nintendo reportedly showed off the system to developers behind closed doors at Gamescom this year, and the Switch’s current 2024 lineup feels like the final drop we’d get right before a new system. The Switch could be old news this time next year.

Gaming

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom isn’t our Game of the Year, but it’s the strongest No. 2 ever

Link giving a thumbs-up with a smile.

When we asked our writers to give us a list of their favorite games of 2023, everyone had a different game in the top spot. We saw votes for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Alan Wake 2, Hi-Fi Rush, and even Sonic Superstars. Baldur's Gate 3 ultimately won out, but what stuck out to me the most following that process was how, on almost everyone's list, the same game was in that No. 2 slot: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Released by Nintendo in May after a long wait, Tears of the Kingdom would have been the industry's unequivocal game of the year in any other year. Although its competition was too stiff in this packed year for that to be the case, that doesn't make Tears of the Kingdom any less of an experience. In fact, I think that earning a spot near the top on almost everyone's personal list at Digital Trends demonstrates how widely appealing Nintendo's latest Zelda game is and that end-of-year gaming conversations should be about uplifting great games, not nitpicking their flaws to determine which one's the best.
Recognizing great games
Tears of the Kingdom is a monumental achievement in open-world game design. It essentially has three worlds stacked on top of each other. From almost any point in Hyrule, it's possible to stop, look around, and find several points of interest around, above, and below yourself. That alone makes it a game that consistently delivers a sense of awe and discovery, even after dozens of hours of playtime.