The 10 Best PS1 Games of All Time Ranked by Sales

In the 1990s, there was no shortage of good consoles. The SNES, the Nintendo 64, and the Sega Genesis ruled the decade. On top of these, there was another console making waves.

In 1994, the first PlayStation was released. It was Sony’s first video game console and helped the company make a name for itself in the industry. 

What helped the PlayStation become successful was its video game catalog; it had an unlimited amount of good games. A lot of these games would go on to sell millions of copies. To show which ones sold the most, here are the best PS1 games of all time ranked by sales. 

List of the Best PS1 Games According to Sales Numbers

10. Metal Gear Solid - 7 Million Copies Sold

The fourth entry in the series, Metal Gear Solid was released for the PlayStation in 1998 and follows Solid Snake as he tries to stop a nuclear threat. He will have to go against the FOXHOUND group, but Snake isn’t alone. He has the help of allies like Colonel Roy Campbell Mei Ling. 

The Metal Gear franchise is known for its stealth gameplay and there’s plenty of that in Metal Gear Solid. Everyone loves a good stealth game, and that’s clear when you look at the game’s sales. Metal Gear Solid sold 7 million copies, cementing its spot as one of the best PS1 games of all time. 

9. Tomb Raider - 7 Million Copies Sold

Another franchise with an iconic protagonist, Tomb Raider was also available on the PlayStation. The first game in the series sees Lara Croft go on an adventure to find the missing pieces of the Scion artifact.

An archeologist who is ready for anything, Lara will not only have to be careful of the environment but of other explorers such as Pierre Dupont. 

Tomb Raider was a massive hit, and it made Lara Croft one of the most famous protagonists of all time. The game would go on to sell 7 million copies, and its success would lead to many sequels being released.

The franchise is still going strong, with their most recent title being released in 2018. 

8. Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped - 7.1 Million Copies Sold

Crash Bandicoot was a success since its first installment, and the third game followed in its footsteps. Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped sees the titular character and his sister, Coco, go against the villains, Doctor Neo Cortex, Uka Uka, and Doctor Nefarious Tropy.

To defeat the three antagonists, the siblings must collect crystals that are spread throughout the game’s levels. 

Crash did massively well, managing to outsell the first game in the series. It also outsold other games in the franchise such as Crash Bash and Crash Team Racing.

However, it didn’t manage to beat its predecessor, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. That’s not to take away from the success of Crash 3, as it would go on to sell 7.1 million copies. 

7. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back - 7.5 Million Copies Sold

Before Crash 3, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back ruled over the PS1. Once again, Doctor Neo Cortex has an evil scheme. Except for this time, he’s tricking Crash into helping him complete this plan.

Doctor Cortex wants to brainwash the planet, and he tasks Crash with the job to collect crystals to power his brainwashing device. 

The Crash Bandicoot franchise was immensely popular on the PlayStation 1, with several of the games selling millions of copies. However, none of them topped Crash Bandicoot 2. The game sold 7.5 million copies, making it the best-selling Crash title on the PS1. 

Recently, the first three installments of the Crash series were remastered and sold as a collection; perfect for old and new fans. 

6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - 8 Million Copies Sold 

Although it’s not as common now, it seemed that many major movies had a video game counterpart. One movie that got this treatment was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philosopher’s Stone, depending on where you’re from).

The game tells a simplified story of the movie: a young wizard named Harry Potter enrolls in the Hogwarts School.

The game follows Harry Potter as he learns how to fly on a broom, discover secrets from the school, and try to unravel a plot taking place within Hogwarts. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was not only a successful film but also a successful video game. It sold 8 million copies. 

It also wouldn’t be the only video game adaption of the film series, each movie in the Harry Potter series would go on to have a video game counterpart. 

5. Tekken 3 - 8.3 Million Copies Sold

The Tekken fighting series has never been afraid to mix things up, and there’s no better example of this than in Tekken 3. The game’s roster was mostly comprised of new characters in the series. Some of these new faces include Jin Kazama, Ling Xiaoyu, and Eddy Gordo. 

The game also featured new characters taking on the mantle of previous characters; this includes characters such as King II, Kuma II, Gun Jack, and Forest Law. 

Tekken 3 was a new chapter for the series, and it paid off. It’s one of the best PS1 games of all time and a fighting game classic; it sold 8.3 million copies.

Since then, Tekken has had four more installments, not including spin-offs. Tekken 7 was released to home consoles in 2017 and recently added a new character this year. 

4. Final Fantasy VIII - 8.6 Million Copies

The Final Fantasy series is known for its compelling stories, and the eighth installment had that in spades.

Final Fantasy VIII was released on PS1 in 1999, and it follows Squall Leonhart and his team go as they go against the sorceress Ultimecia. The characters that comprise his team include Rinoa Heartilly, Selphie Tilmitt, and Zell Dincht.

Final Fantasy VIII climbed its way to the almost top of this list, proving how big of a juggernaut the franchise is. Although it’s the fourth best-selling game on the PlayStation, it’s still not the highest-selling Final Fantasy game on the console. However, it still went on to sell 8.6 million copies. 

3. Gran Turismo 2 - 9.3 Million Copies

The first racing game on the list, Gran Turismo 2 was released in 1999. Like every racing game, the vehicles are one of the most important aspects, and Gran Turismo 2 has nothing to worry about when it comes to that. 

According to the Gran Turismo website, there are more than 500 vehicles in the game. Some of the cars include the Audi A3, the BMW 320 Ci, and the Aston Martin DB 6.

Gran Turismo 2, like its predecessor, sold like hot cakes on the PlayStation 1. The game would go on to sell 9.3 million copies worldwide. It would also be the last Gran Turismo game to be available on the PlayStation 1.

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec would be the first in the series to be available on the PlayStation 2. 

2. Final Fantasy VII - 10 Million Copies Sold

Not just considered one of the best PS1 games of all time, but the best ever, it’s not surprising that Final Fantasy VII is high on the list. It tells the story of Cloud Strife and his team as they go against the villanous Sephiroth.

Players were drawn to the story and gameplay of Final Fantasy VII and it sold 10 million copies. 

The story and its characters would go on to become iconic within the gaming industry. Both Cloud and Sephiroth would go on to be included in the most recent Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster.

And in 2020, Square Enix would release a remake of Final Fantasy VII which would go on to be nominated for Game of the Year at the 2020 Game Awards. 

1. Gran Turismo - 10.8 Million Copies Sold

Taking the lead by almost a million, Gran Turismo is the undisputed number one. Released in 1997, it would be the beginning of the franchise; a franchise that is still continuing on today.

Gran Turismo 7 is set to release on the PlayStation 5 sometime in the future. But it all started with the first Gran Turismo on the PS1, a game that sold 10.8 million copies. 

Although the game didn’t have as many cars as its successors, it still had quite a few. Some of the cars that were in Gran Turismo 1 include the Aston Martin DB7 Coupe, the Nissan R33 Skyline GT-R, and the Dodge Viper GTS.

On top of that, the game offered 11 different race tracks. With all of this content and with how fun the game is, it makes sense that Gran Turismo is at the top of the list of the best PS1 games of all time.

Although these were the best PS1 games according to sales, other great titles didn’t make the list. Some of these include Street Fighter Alpha 3, Resident Evil, and Spyro the Dragon. All of these games show how good and timeless the PlayStation 1 was. 

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