10 Best Video Game Franchises Of All Time

Created by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka and published by Nintendo. The first game was released in 1986 and since then the franchise has given players over 20 video games, including the standouts Ocarina of Time, Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom.

The series follows Link, a hero trying to save the land of Hyrule and its princess, Zelda, from the evil Ganon. Each new installment has pushed the gameplay further, mixing stealth, puzzles, and more with the staple of the series being the shrine exploration.

The latest game, Princess Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is the first game with Princess Zelda as the main playable character and was released on September 26, 2024, to critical acclaim. 

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Super Mario Bros. is just a platform for the iconic mascot, Mario. The platform game series created by Nintendo sprang to life in 1985 and since has become a cornerstone of the gaming industry, with more than 20 games and 380 million copies sold worldwide. 

Set in the Mushroom Kingdom, the games tell the story of Mario as he tries to rescue Princess Peach from the villain Bowser. The series has pushed boundaries in platforming, amusing powerups, and fun level designs, which have made Super Mario a defining franchise in gaming history. 

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Created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, Final Fantasy is a fantasy role-playing game published by Square Enix. It debuted in 1987 and since then has seen 16 main titles, including fan favorites Final Fantasy VI, VII, X, and XV, and the litany of spin-offs and remakes to reach well over the 100 mark. 

Final Fantasy relies on interconnected characters including Cloud Strife, Tidus, and Noctis, among others at the center of epic battles against infamous antagonists including Kefka Palazzo, Sephiroth, and Kuja to tell different epic stories. The score by Nobuo Uematsu is a huge part of the games, alongside innovative gameplay mechanics, making it one of the best franchises of all time.

The Witcher is a fantasy action role-playing game series developed by CD Projekt Red, based on the books by Andrzej Sapkowski. The main series began in 2007 with The Witcher and concluded with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2015 and seven spin-off games. Players control a preset character, Geralt of Rivia, a mutant monster hunter, through the grim-dark world of the Continent – full of magic, political intrigue, and monsters ready to take on the Witcher. 

The franchise has sold over 75 million copies and the fourth installment is in the works, in addition to the remake of the first installment.

Grand Theft Auto is one of the most critically acclaimed franchises ever, second only to Legend of Zelda. Known for its sandbox open world, technical innovations, and epic storylines with different protagonists, it debuted in 1997 and has seen 16 games in the Grand Theft Auto series since then.

The franchise has sold over 420 million copies across its games, with GTA V the best-selling game of all time. The upcoming GTA VI is one of the most anticipated games currently and it promises to push the series’ boundaries further.  

Halo is a standout first-person shooter video game franchise, first made by Bungie, only to move to 343 Industries. When the first entry, Halo: Combat Evolved came out in 2001, it revolutionized the FPS genre thanks to a sci-fi story, multiplayer that was on another level for the era, and new gameplay mechanics. 

While some of the later games struggled, Halo popularized Xbox Life and online console gaming and remains a cornerstone for the Microsoft-owned console. With 13 games in total, the franchise has sold over 80 million copies and grossed over $6 billion. The last game in the series, Halo: Infinite, was released in 2021. 

The Elder Scrolls is one of the most critically and commercially acclaimed action RPG series and was developed by Bethesda Game Studios. Starting with The Elder Scrolls: Arena in 1994, each new installment has pushed the RPG genre to new heights with high fantasy, deep lore, and free-form gameplay, to reach a total of 27 games in the timeline. Some notable titles include Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim, all of which have set and pushed limits further. Furthermore, the modding support of The Elder Scrolls games is also a huge part of its popularity, and The Elder Scrolls Online has expanded the franchise and its world into an MMO experience. 

The gaming industry community awaits the next installment in the popular series with great anticipation, as the latest, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released on November 11, 2011, to widespread critical acclaim. 

While Pokemon as a video game franchise is regarded as an RPG, it is much more. It is a genre-bending experience created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori. It made its debut with Pokemon Red and Green in 1996 with full-on “gotta catch ’em all” gameplay. Since then, Pokemon trainers have been treated to a plethora of main games, including Pokemon Gold & Silver, Pokemon Sun & Moon, and Pokemon Scarlet & Violet in 2022. 

Beyond main games, Pokemon has evolved into trading card games, AR spin-offs, and beyond gaming into movies, animated and live-action series.

Resident Evil is Capcom’s best-selling franchise. It launched the horror genre in the mid-90s, coming from the mind of Shinji Mikami. Some of the most popular titles include Resident Evil 4, which has the iconic over-the-shoulder shooting, and Resident Evil 7, which lets players enjoy the horrors from a first-person perspective. 

The franchise spans 31 games, including 2021’s Resident Evil Village, and remains the pinnacle of horror gaming.

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Call of Duty is the best-selling first-person shooter franchise and with good reason. With over 500 million copies sold and $30 billion in revenue since its debut in 2003 with its World War II setting, it revolutionized the genre, putting some of the established games into the corner, including Medal of Honor. 

In addition to the main series, Call of Duty is known for Modern Warfare and Black Ops spin-offs, the latter of which involves darker campaigns often covering morally ambiguous political events. Campaigns and multiplayer have made Call of Duty a cultural gaming icon, and the latest Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is already regarded as the best Call of Duty game ever made.