{"id":6731,"date":"2016-12-02T10:08:14","date_gmt":"2016-12-02T10:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/?p=6731"},"modified":"2025-02-12T16:33:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T16:33:56","slug":"which-video-game-has-the-most-sequels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2016\/12\/02\/which-video-game-has-the-most-sequels\/","title":{"rendered":"Which video game has the most sequels?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Unlike movies franchises, which generally get a bit rubbish by the third entry, video games series can seemingly go on forever. Case in point, <i>Final Fantasy XV<\/i> and <i>Pokemon Sun and Moon<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the main titles in a series are just the tip of the iceberg. When you factor in spin-offs, the number of games in a franchise can push higher double or even triple digits!<\/p>\n<p>But which video game franchise boasts the most titles? We decided to find out!<\/p>\n<p><i>(By the way, we\u2019ve excluded re-releases in our final counts. We\u2019ve also excluded sports franchises like FIFA and WWE).<\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><b>10. The Legend of Zelda<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1rPxiXXxftE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Nintendo\u2019s iconic RPG series began in 1986 with the release of <i>The Legend of Zelda<\/i> on the NES, and it\u2019s become one of the most beloved video game franchises of them all &#8211; despite most of the games pretty much having the same plot.<\/p>\n<p>Link has appeared in <b>30 games <\/b>in total, most of which have received critical acclaim; <i>Ocarina of Time, A Link to the Past <\/i> and <i>The Windwaker<\/i> are considered some of the best games ever made.<\/p>\n<p>It hasn\u2019t all been smooth sailing for little Link though. His back catalogue includes the notoriously terrible CD-i games, which were developed by Philips rather than Nintendo, as well the perfectly respectable-but-not-great\u00a0<i>Crossbow Training<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>Still, they\u2019re a minor mark against one of gaming\u2019s most consistently brilliant series.<\/p>\n<p><b>Grand total: 30 games<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><b>9. Donkey Kong<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_5p0SiWHwvw\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Everyone&#8217;s favourite tie-wearing simian has starred in\u00a0<strong>32 games<\/strong> to date, although he hasn&#8217;t been the hero in all of them.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, he was an utter monster who kidnapped princesses and threw barrels at Italian plumbers at the start of his career.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, time soothed DK&#8217;s temper and he turned away from evil to star in classic games like\u00a0<em>Donkey Kong Country\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>Donkey Kong 64.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>DK\u2019s back catalogue is rounded off by a few spin-offs with his foe-turned-friend Mario and the underrated <i>Donkey Konga<\/i>,\u00a0which is still the world&#8217;s only bongo simulator.<\/p>\n<p><b>Grand total: 32 games<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><b>8. Resident Evil<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/W1OUs3HwIuo\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><i>Resident Evil<\/i> first shambled into our lives in 1996, dumping us in a lovely mansion and asking us to survive an onslaught of zombies, big spiders and weird green bear thingys.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, the series has developed into a hugely convoluted tale involving various shadowy groups, a massive cast of characters and an international series of locations. It all came to a head with <i>Resident Evil 6<\/i>, a huge and frankly ridiculous action shooter that was like a 90s action movie directed by George Romero.<\/p>\n<p>As well the main series (which is only up to 7), <i>Resident Evil<\/i> has spawned a couple of on-rails lightgun shoot-em-ups, the <i>Gears of War-<\/i>inspired <i>Operation: Raccoon City<\/i> and the surprisingly great <i>Revelations <\/i> titles. It also boasts 9 mobile games that pretty much no-one has played.<\/p>\n<p><b>Grand total: 32 games<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><b>7. Castlevania<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gKsEPoJMuKY\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><i>Castlevania<\/i> debuted in 1986, casting players as vampire hunter Simon Belmont and tasking them with killing the biggest, baddest bloodsucker of them all: Count Dracula.<\/p>\n<p>The series has taken numerous twists and turns since then, evolving from a fast-paced side-scrolling platformer to a 3D Zelda-style RPG and back again.<\/p>\n<p>These days, <i>Castlevania<\/i> is more of a cult concern than a mainstream favourite, with a lot of people considering 1997\u2019s <i>Symphony of the Night<\/i> the series\u2019 high point.<\/p>\n<p><b>Grand total: 35 games<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><b>6. Dragon Quest<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bg0oBJ9cXYM\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Square\u2019s <i>other<\/i> RPG has been going strong since 1986, with 11 main games and a series of spin-offs putting the total game count at <b>43<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>Remarkably, <i>Dragon Quest<\/i> has maintained pretty much the same creative team since the start, with designer Yuji Horii, character designer Akira Toriyama and composer Koichi Sugiyamaall holding the same posts since the first game.<\/p>\n<p>The series shows no sign of slowing down either, remaining hugely popular in both Japan and the US.<\/p>\n<p><b>Grand total: 43 games<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b><i>Looking for something new to play? You can now <a title=\"buy video games from musicMagpie\" href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/games\">buy video games from musicMagpie<\/a> too! We\u2019ve got a huge range of games across all consoles, all at low prices and with FREE delivery!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.musicmagpie.co.uk\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5210\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/SHOP-NOW.png\" alt=\"SHOP NOW\" width=\"299\" height=\"50\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><b>5. Pokemon<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_iybdJCo78Y\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>People have been trying to catch \u201d\u02dcem all for 20 years now, although Nintendo keep making more monsters so it\u2019s probably a bit of a futile task. Still, as long as we\u2019re having fun!<\/p>\n<p>Since the release of <i>Red<\/i> and <i>Blue<\/i>, there have been 15 main titles (not counting each colour edition) as well as 6 Mystery Dungeon titles, 2 pinball games, 3 Pokemon Ranger games, 4 Pokemon Rumble games and 6 Pokemon Stadium\/Battle\/Tournament games.<\/p>\n<p>On top of all that, The Pokemon Company has released 23 miscellaneous games like <i>Great Detective Pikachu, Pokemon Snap<\/i> and the bona-fide cultural phenomenon\u00a0<i>Pokemon Go<\/i> for a grand total of <b>59 games<\/b>!<\/p>\n<p><b>Grand total: 59 games<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><b>4. Final Fantasy<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CNM6o9um1dc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The main <i>Final Fantasy<\/i> series now runs to 15 games, although none of them share characters, a plot or even the same world. In fact, pretty much the only consistent elements are random characters named Cid and the ever-lovable Chocobos.<\/p>\n<p>However, the <i>FF<\/i> universe extends well beyond the numbered franchise. There are a couple of series within the series, such as <i>Final Fantasy Tactics<\/i> and <i>Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles<\/i>, as well as spin-offs like <i>Final Fantasy X2 <\/i> and <i>Lightning Returns<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>In total, <b>80 games <\/b>fall under the <i>Final Fantasy <\/i> umbrella, with even more in the pipeline. So much for final!<\/p>\n<p><b>Grand total: 80 games<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><b>3. Sonic The Hedgehog<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9tDMLXn99P4\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Sonic turned 25 this year and, unfortunately, time has taken it\u2019s toll. He\u2019s nowhere near as popular as he once was, with the <i>Sonic Boom<\/i> series getting a critical mauling. These days, kids know him as the fast blue one from <i>Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games<\/i> series.<\/p>\n<p>Back in the glory days, though, Sonic was <i>everywhere<\/i>. He\u2019s starred in 15 2D platformers, 12 3D games, 5 arcade games and 3 educational games. Amazingly, he\u2019s also starred in <b>13 <\/b>racing games &#8211; even more than Mario.<\/p>\n<p>Sonic\u2019s back catalogue is rounded out by 32 other titles, including the aforementioned <i>Sonic Boom<\/i> series and the intriguing <i>Sonic Poker<\/i> for mobile phones. That brings his total to <b>80 games.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Grand total: 80 games<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><b>2. Mega Man<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UozPrGsaSE8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Although he\u2019s not as popular as Sonic in this country, Mega Man &#8211; a little chap dressed in blue armour with a gun for a hand &#8211; is much more\u00a0prolific.<\/p>\n<p>There are only a relatively meagre 11 games in the main <i>Mega Man<\/i> series but a metric ton of spin-offs &#8211; including 6 separate spin-off series!<\/p>\n<p>They include *deep breath* 11 <i>Mega Man X<\/i> games, 4 <i>Mega Man Legends<\/i> games, 21 <i>Battle Legends<\/i> games, 5 <i>Mega Man Zero<\/i> games, 2 <i>Mega Man ZX <\/i> games and <i>7 Mega Man Star Force <\/i>games.<\/p>\n<p>On top of all that, there are a further 35 <i>Mega Man <\/i> mobile games and 7 spin-off titles, including a <i>Street Fighter X Mega Man <\/i> mash-up.<\/p>\n<p>With so many games across so many different series, coming up with a final figure is difficult. We counted <b>103<\/b>, but when you factor in re-releases and remakes the figure comes in at well over 130 games.<\/p>\n<p><b>Grand total: 103 games<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><b>1. Mario<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wGQHQc_3ycE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no surprise that the world\u2019s most recognisable video game character has also headlined the most games.<\/p>\n<p>The Italian plumber\u2019s career started in <i>Donkey Kong<\/i>, although we\u2019ve only counted the games bearing his name on the front cover.<\/p>\n<p>Including all of his platform adventures, the <i>Paper Mario <\/i> series and the countless <i>Kart, Party, Tennis<\/i> and <i>The Olympics\u00a0<\/i>games he\u2019s lent his name to, Mario has headlined a frankly ridiculous <b>119 <\/b> games!<\/p>\n<p>Again, there a ton of unofficial releases, educational games and re-releases too that are simply to difficult to keep track of, so that figure could potentially be much, much higher!<\/p>\n<p><b>Grand total: 119 games<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Here are the video games with the most sequels!<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Mario &#8211; 119 games<\/li>\n<li>Mega Man &#8211; 103 games<\/li>\n<li>Sonic &#8211; 80 games<\/li>\n<li>Final Fantasy &#8211; 80 games<\/li>\n<li>Pokemon &#8211; 59 games<\/li>\n<li>Dragon Quest &#8211; 43 games<\/li>\n<li>Castlevania &#8211; 35 games<\/li>\n<li>Resident Evil &#8211; 32 games<\/li>\n<li>Donkey Kong &#8211; 32 games<\/li>\n<li>The Legend of Zelda &#8211; 30 games<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Have you found a video game series with more releases than the ones in this post? Let us know in the comments!<\/p>\n<p>If you need a little extra cash for the latest releases or just want to trim down your games collection, <a title=\"sell video games with musicMagpie\" href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/entertainment\/trade-in-games\/\">sell video games with musicMagpie<\/a>! It\u2019s fast, FREE and easy: just get an instant price, send your games for FREE and we\u2019ll pay you the same day they arrive. You can <a title=\"sell Mobile Phones\" href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/sell-mobile-phones\/\">sell Mobile Phones<\/a>, CDs, DVDs, Books and Tech at the same time too!<\/p>\n<p>Plus, you can also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/mobile-phones\/\">buy refurbished Phones<\/a> and pre-owned Games, DVDs and more at the musicMagpie Store!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/start-selling\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6492 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/startselling.jpg\" alt=\"Start Selling\" width=\"400\" height=\"80\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/startselling.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/startselling-300x60.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unlike movies franchises, which generally get a bit rubbish by the third entry, video games series can seemingly go on forever. Case in point, Final Fantasy XV and Pokemon Sun and Moon. Of course, the main titles in a series are just the tip of the iceberg. When you factor &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":6578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[593],"tags":[1561,1585,1728],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6731"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6731"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17904,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6731\/revisions\/17904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}