Military games have been at the forefront of the industry for over a decade breaking commercial records with regularity - so today we are ranking the all time bestsellers.
15. Battlefield 4 - 2013
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Marking the series transition into the eighth generation of consoles, Battlefield found itself breaking new ground - literally. by expanding its trademark destructive technology allowing for unparalleled ballistics and wreckage (the best digital hoo-rahs occur after everything in sight has been levelled).
The new Destruction mode was a hit with players and critics as well as its extensive multiplayer suite, continuing to become a long term success for EA proving to be a popular multiplayer title for years.
Total Sales: At least 7 million copies.
14. Battlefield V - 2018
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The dawn of a new era for the Battlefield franchise, V generated much discussion when unveiled for its anachronistic approach to historical realism providing a fresh technologically tinged take of the second World War.
Continuing the series' brand of massive battlefields with dynamic environments providing the perfect stomping grounds for warfaring hyjinx, players quickly hopped on board making the game a financial success.
Total Sales: At least 7.3 million copies.
13. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege - 2015
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Serving as a major games-as–service success story, Siege was met with mixed reception and little commercial success on release.
Ubisoft would later steer the game to new heights, with a bold post-launch reinvention becoming one of the most popular online shooters with its ever evolving tactics and dynamic content systems. Standing as testament to how post-release support can change the commercial story of a game.
Total Sales: At least 10 million copies.
12. Tom Clancy's The Division 2 - 2019
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After the success of the first game Ubisoft followed up by shifting the setting to a near apocalyptic Washington DC, attempting to capitalise on the exciting premise of the series that didn't quite hit the mark with critics the first time around they focused on polishing their online systems and pseudo MMO approach to military combat.
Expertly delivering on a persistent online space providing ample opportunity for co-operations or dark anarchistic player hunting, the game's addictive service based content delivery proved to be a continued hit for players.
Total Sales: At least 10 million copies.
11. Battlefield 1 - 2016
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Bringing the Battlefield series to varied historic warfrields of the first world war, DICE focused on delivering an anthology based story mode exploring the vast conflict from differing allied perspectives.
Providing an extensive multiplayer suite with new game modes and a revamped class system, the series was able to maintain its upwards trajectory for military fans looking for an epic sense of scale and destruction.
Total Sales: At least 15 Million Copies.
10. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - 2007
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While the Call of Duty series had already been a rave success, the release of the fourth entry marked it’s ascent into the powerhouse property it is today and it’s easy to see why.
The game originated the online shooter blueprint with it’s addictive RPG systems and character customisation balancing depth and accessibility, while legendary maps like Shipment would instantly become cultural hallmarks,establishing Call of Duty as the paramount multiplayer name going forward.
Total Sales: At least 15.7 million copies.
9. Call of Duty World at War - 2008
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After Modern Warfare pushed the multiplayer ethos for shooters forward, World at War brought players a more brutal flavor of gameplay focused on some borderline excessive gore and environmental destruction.
The fan favorite Nazi Zombies mode was included for the first time here, offering an engaging wave-based survival mode that would become a series mainstay for the Treyarch developed titles, offering a package with even more replay value and securing the success of the game.
Total Sales: At least 15.7 million copies.
8. Call of Duty: Ghosts - 2013
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With the dawn of the eight generation of home consoles Activision hit the ground running presenting a gritty espionage-thriller narrative and a setting that propelled the series into the near future.
Featuring a wealth of new multiplayer modes alongside a new spin on co-operative gameplay with Extinction mode, the title was a hit continuing the domination of the franchise on commercial charts and the multiplayer market.
Total Sales: At least 19 million copies.
7. Call of Duty World War II - 2017
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After a decade of forays into the semi-fantastical and modern, the series returned to the Western front with World War II, intentionally stripping back the advanced movement mechanics that had defined the previous games and focusing on revising the core elements of the series.
With interesting additions such as the Divisions system, the game marked an interesting departure from the established series norms and enjoyed impressive sales as a result.
Total Sales: 19.8 million copies.
6. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - 2014
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Pushing the series further into the future than it had yet ventured, Advanced Warfare marked a shift to a more dynamic and agile style of gameplay as well as a more psychedelic, thought provoking narrative (there's even exo-zombies).The advanced movement system provided a new layer of frantic complexity to the already harmonious ecosystem of campaign and multiplayer for the series, showing that the series was not afraid to steer into challenging and novel modes of play.
Total Sales: At least 21 million copies.
5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - 2009
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After the collosal impact of the first Modern Warfare title, anticipation for the follow up was so vast it seemed to pierce the sound barrier itself.
The nail biting campaign proved to be quite controversial (which would become a somewhat regular reaction to the series providing ample free marketing) yet the multiplayer would help further skyrocket the series status with its focus on accessibility and wealth of different game modes.
Total Sales: At least 22 Million copies.
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops II - 2012
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Activision pushed the Cold War intrigue even further with this sequel: featuring a dual timeline set in both the future and the past, Black Ops II's boisterous approach to alternate history and evolving storylines as a series first confidently showcased its thriller edge.
The multiplayer suite was revamped for the first time, reshuffling progression systems and of course providing a new Nazi Zombie mode that players where ravenous for, easily maintaining the commercial pace of the series.
Total Sales: At least 24 million copies.
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops - 2010
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Set during the Cold War of the 60s, Black Ops focused on delivering a hard-boiled narrative with conspiracy and some spooky historical intrigue contributing to a darker and more fascinating tone.
Marked as both a narrative and multiplayer highlight in the series for introducing new mobility mechanics, high quality maps and the return of the now fully fledged Nazi Zombie mode, the series frenzy was now becoming well established.
Tota Sales: At least 26 million copies.
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - 2011
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As the Call of Duty name exploded as the dominant force in the multiplayer space, Infinity Ward sought to bring the Modern Warfare trilogy to a close in style by further iterating on its core formula.
Introducing new game modes that would become staples such as Kill Confirmed and closing out the narrative arc of the series, the final game of the trilogy proved to be a commercial powerhouse.
Total Sales: At least 26 million copies.
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - 2019
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After numerous detours exploring the possibilities of futuristic warfare, the Call of Duty franchise hailed its triumphant returned to the modern day with a fresh re-imagining of the original Modern Warfare title.
Proving to be an immediate commercial hit and serving as refresh for the franchise, the improved gameplay with the long-term support the game received and inclusion of Warzone ensured that it would go on to become the best selling title yet.
Writing about games is really fun! But more importantly it allows me to avoid the inclement weather of the British isles, and provides a nice distraction from obsessing about Twin Peaks.
Gamer Since:
1997
Favorite Genre:
RPG
Currently Playing:
Fortnite
Top 3 Favorite Games:
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Dead Space
