25 Years of Gaming | musicMagpie

25 Years of Gaming

Take a nostalgic look at the best consoles and games of the past quarter-century

PlayStation vs Xbox vs Nintendo

PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo have been the leading names in gaming for decades. Combined, they have sold over 850 million home consoles since 1995. We looked back at the timeline of home consoles released by these industry dominators in the past 25 years, looking at specifications, price, and top selling games of every console.

1994
1994
1994
1995
September 1995 - 2006
PlayStation
Launch price: £299
Units Shipped: 102 million
Launch price of games: £39.99
Storage: Memory Cards
Video output: 256×224 to 480i
Weight: 1.5kg
Best Selling Game:
Gran Turismo
10.85 million units
Gran Turismo Cover
PlayStation Dimensions
1995
1995
1996
1996
1996
1997
1997
1997
March 1997 - 2002
Nintendo 64
Launch price: £250
Units Shipped: 33 million
Launch price of games: £39.99
Storage: 4MB
Video output: 240p to 480i
Weight: 1.1kg
Best Selling Game:
Super Mario 64
11 million units
Super Mario 64 Cover
Nintendo 64 Dimensions
1998
1998
1998
1999
1999
1999
2000
November 2000 - 2013
PlayStation 2
Launch price: £299
Units Shipped: 155 million
Launch price of games: £39.99
Storage: 8GB
Video output: 256×224 to 1920×1080
Weight: 2.2kg
Best Selling Game:
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
17.33 million units
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Cover
PlayStation 2 Dimensions
2000
2000
2001
2001
2001
2002
2002
March 2002 - 2007
Xbox
Launch price: £299
Units Shipped: 24 million
Launch price of games: £39.99
Storage: 8GB
Video output: 1080i, 720p, 576p, 576i, 480p, 480i
Weight: 3.86kg
Best Selling Game:
Halo 2
8 million units
Halo 2 Cover
Xbox Dimensions
2002
May 2002 - 2007
Nintendo GameCube
Launch price: £129
Units Shipped: 21.74 million
Launch price of games: £39.99
Storage: 1.5GB
Video output: 768×576 interlaced (576i) @ 50 Hz
Weight: 2.4kg
Best Selling Game:
Super Smash Bros
7.09 million units
Super Smash Bros Cover
Nintendo GameCube Dimensions
2003
2003
2003
2004
2004
2004
2005
2005
December 2005 - 2016
Xbox 360
Launch price: £209.99
Units Shipped: 86 million
Launch price of games: £49.99
Storage: Detachable Hard Drives
Video output: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 576p, 576i, 480p, 480i
Weight: 3.5kg
Best Selling Game:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
14.23 million units
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Cover
Xbox 360 Dimensions
2005
2006
2006
2006
December 2006 - 2013
Wii
Launch price: £179.99
Units Shipped: 101.63 million
Launch price of games: £39.99
Storage: 512MB
Video output: 480i, 576i, 480p
Weight: 1.22kg
Best Selling Game:
Mario Kart Wii
37.32 million units
Mario Kart Wii Cover
Wii Dimensions
2007
March 2007 - 2016
PlayStation 3
Launch price: £449.99
Units Shipped: 87.4 million
Launch price of games: £49.99
Storage: 20GB
Video output: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
Weight: 5kg
Best Selling Game:
Grand Theft Auto V
15 million units
Grand Theft Auto V Cover
PlayStation 3 Dimensions
2007
2007
2008
2008
2008
2009
2009
2009
2010
2010
2010
2011
2011
2011
2012
2012
2012
November 2012 - 2017
Wii U
2013
November 2013
PlayStation 4
2013
November 2013 - 2016
Xbox One
2013
2014
2014
2014
2015
2015
2015
2016
November 2016
PlayStation 4 Pro
Launch price: £349
Units Shipped: 112.3 million (PS4 + PS4 Pro)
Launch price of games: £54.99
Storage: 1TB
Video output: 4K UHD (2160p)
Weight: 3.3kg
Best Selling Game:
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
15 million units
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Cover
PlayStation 4 Pro Dimensions
2016
August 2016 - 2020
Xbox One S
2016
2017
2017
November 2017 - 2020
Xbox One X
2017
March 2017
Nintendo Switch
2018
2018
2018
2019
November 2020
PlayStation 5
2019
November 2020
Xbox Series X
2019
2020
November 2020
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition
2020
November 2020
Xbox Series S
2020
2021
2021
2021
2022
2022
2022
2023
2023
2023

If you have an old games console at home gathering dust, why not trade it in to make some money by visiting our Console Trade in page. At musicMagpie we also offer games trade in and can recycle electronics.

The Best Year for Gaming

From old classics like The Legend of Zelda, to modern day phenomenons like Red Dead Redemption, the past quarter century has been filled with a vast array of quality games to please all gamers, but which year was the best? We looked at the 1,000 highest rated games on Metacritic to see when gaming peaked, and which home consoles had the most hits in their collection.

126 of the top 1,000 games were released in 2001-2003, including Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, Metroid Prime and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. 2006 was the worst year in the past 25 for releases, with just 13 games making the top 1,000.

Number of games released each year in Metacritic’s Top 1000 Games list

To find out what the top game from each year was, click the ‘+’ icon next to each year

Year
Games in Top 1000
Top Game
Meta Score & Platform
2010
40
Super Mario Galaxy 2
97 Nintendo
Top Game
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Meta Score & Platform
97 Nintendo
2001
39
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
97 PlaystationXboxNintendo
Top Game
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Meta Score & Platform
97 PlaystationXboxNintendo
2003
38
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
96 Nintendo
Top Game
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Meta Score & Platform
96 Nintendo
2002
33
Metroid Prime
97 Nintendo
Top Game
Metroid Prime
Meta Score & Platform
97 Nintendo
2018
33
Red Dead Redemption 2
97 PlaystationXbox
Top Game
Red Dead Redemption 2
Meta Score & Platform
97 PlaystationXbox
2005
31
Resident Evil 4
96 PlaystationNintendo
Top Game
Resident Evil 4
Meta Score & Platform
96 PlaystationNintendo
2011
31
Batman: Arkham City
96 PlaystationXbox
Top Game
Batman: Arkham City
Meta Score & Platform
96 PlaystationXbox
2008
30
Grand Theft Auto IV
98 PlaystationXbox
Top Game
Grand Theft Auto IV
Meta Score & Platform
98 PlaystationXbox
2009
30
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
96 Playstation
Top Game
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Meta Score & Platform
96 Playstation
2000
28
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
98 PlaystationNintendo
Top Game
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Meta Score & Platform
98 PlaystationNintendo
2012
27
Mass Effect 3
93 PlaystationXbox
Top Game
Mass Effect 3
Meta Score & Platform
93 PlaystationXbox
2004
24
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
95 PlaystationXbox
Top Game
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Meta Score & Platform
95 PlaystationXbox
2016
24
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
93 Playstation
Top Game
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Meta Score & Platform
93 Playstation
2019
22
Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition
93 PlaystationXboxNintendo
Top Game
Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition
Meta Score & Platform
93 PlaystationXboxNintendo
2007
19
Super Mario Galaxy
97 Nintendo
Top Game
Super Mario Galaxy
Meta Score & Platform
97 Nintendo
2014
19
Grand Theft Auto V
97 PlaystationXbox
Top Game
Grand Theft Auto V
Meta Score & Platform
97 PlaystationXbox
2017
19
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
97 Nintendo
Top Game
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Meta Score & Platform
97 Nintendo
2015
16
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
95 PlaystationXbox
Top Game
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Meta Score & Platform
95 PlaystationXbox
1999
15
SoulCalibur
98 Nintendo
Top Game
SoulCalibur
Meta Score & Platform
98 Nintendo
2013
15
Grand Theft Auto V
97 Playstation
Top Game
Grand Theft Auto V
Meta Score & Platform
97 Playstation
2020
14
Persona 5 Royal
95 Playstation
Top Game
Persona 5 Royal
Meta Score & Platform
95 Playstation
2006
13
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
96 Nintendo
Top Game
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Meta Score & Platform
96 Nintendo
1998
9
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
99 Nintendo
Top Game
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Meta Score & Platform
99 Nintendo
1997
8
GoldenEye 007
96 Nintendo
Top Game
GoldenEye 007
Meta Score & Platform
96 Nintendo
1996
5
Wipeout XL
93 Playstation
Top Game
Wipeout XL
Meta Score & Platform
93 Playstation

The Best Consoles for Gaming

The Xbox 360 takes the crown for having the highest number of games which made the top 1,000. 95 games made the cut, with Grand Theft Auto IV at the top, rated 98 out of 100. The Xbox One has less than half the titles in the top 1,000 games that the PS4 has. The Wii U scores the worst of all the home consoles, with just 12 games making it into the league table.

Console
Games in Top 1000
Top Game
Meta Score
Xbox 360
95
Grand Theft Auto IV
98
Top Game
Grand Theft Auto IV
Meta Score
98
PlayStation 3
83
Grand Theft Auto IV
98
Top Game
Grand Theft Auto IV
Meta Score
98
PlayStation 2
70
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
97
Top Game
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Meta Score
97
PlayStation 4
67
Red Dead Redemption 2
97
Top Game
Red Dead Redemption 2
Meta Score
97
Xbox
56
Halo: Combat Evolved
97
Top Game
Halo: Combat Evolved
Meta Score
97
GameCube
38
Metroid Prime
97
Top Game
Metroid Prime
Meta Score
97
PlayStation
35
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
98
Top Game
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Meta Score
98
Xbox One
35
Red Dead Redemption 2
97
Top Game
Red Dead Redemption 2
Meta Score
97
Switch
35
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
97
Top Game
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Meta Score
97
Nintendo 64
20
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
99
Top Game
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Meta Score
99
Dreamcast
19
SoulCalibur
98
Top Game
SoulCalibur
Meta Score
98
Wii
17
Super Mario Galaxy
97
Top Game
Super Mario Galaxy
Meta Score
97
Wii U
12
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
96
Top Game
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Meta Score
96

Overall, how do PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo compare? With over a quarter of all games in the top 1,000 playable on PlayStation consoles, PlayStation take the top spot. 186 games can be played on Xbox consoles, and just 141 on Nintendo’s home consoles.

Console
Games in Top 1000
Top Game
Meta Score
Playstation
255
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
98
Top Game
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Meta Score
98
Xbox
186
Grand Theft Auto IV
98
Top Game
Grand Theft Auto IV
Meta Score
98
Nintendo
141
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
99
Top Game
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Meta Score
99

Looking to make some money to buy a cheap games console? Trade in Xbox One and other consoles, including PS4 trade in here at musicMagpie.

Creative Commons License